Program
Our graduate research program is designed to enhance the experience of Masters and PhD students by creating an enriching cohort experience, that develops an intellectual community and facilitates opportunities to deepen students’ academic knowledge and skills.
The program is informed by approaches to doctoral pedagogy grounded in student-centred and transformative praxis. Drawing on the work of Michelle Trudgett (2014) and inspiration from the Maori and Indigenous (MAI) (Pihama et al., 2019) and Supporting Aboriginal Graduate Enhancement (SAGE) (Pidgeon et al., 2014) programs, our graduate research program is based on and promotes Indigenous doctoral pedagogy as best practice for all students.
The Interdisciplinary Graduate Research Program is focused around a series of masterclasses delivered by scholars presenting in the Australian Centre's critical public conversation seminar series. The masterclasses are supplemented with a set of research development activities designed to accelerate research careers of students engaged in the program:
- workshops focused on ethics, research methodology, approaches for communicating research to diverse audiences across and beyond the academy.
- research symposium
- writing retreats
In addition to the core program, the Australian Centre facilitates a range of regular, open events and activities that we warmly invite you to join, including the seminar series, our critical reading group, public lectures and film screenings. We also invite students in the program to meet regularly throughout each semester to share research progress and to participate in writing sessions.
February 2021
Welcome Event
Date: Friday 26 February
March 2021
Launch of the Graduate Research Program 2021
On Thursday March 4th join us in celebrating the official launch of the Interdisciplinary Graduate Research Program.
Date: Thursday 4 March, 12pm - 2pm (AEDT)
Welcome to Country and Smoking Ceremony
Wurundjeri Woi wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation
Speakers
Professor Russell Goulbourne, Dean Of Arts
Professor Sarah Maddison and Associate Professor Sana Nakata, ISRC Co-Directors
Musical Performance
Yorta Yorta Dja Dja Wurrung, Sovereign, singer, songwriter, language activist
Research Ethics Workshop
An ethical starting point for relational work is the understanding that ‘the relations between Indigenous peoples, settlers, and the settler state [is] the focal point of inquiry rather than the lives and bodies of Indigenous peoples’ (Nakata & Maddison, 2019, p. 419). Thus we seek to decenter disciplinary authority to know Indigenous peoples, and prioritise the relations between Indigenous peoples and the settler order.
This workshop will explore both the ethical principles for relational research, and critical reflections on navigating ethics approval processes.
Presenters: Dr Julia Hurst, Dr Ligia (Licho) López López, and Dale Wandin
Date: Friday 12 March, 2pm - 4pm (AEDT)
Masterclass
An exclusive session with the presenter of this month’s Critical Public Conversation series, focused on exploring the key themes and questions raised in their presentation.
Presenters: Professor Sarah Maddison and Associate Professor Sana Nakata
Date: Monday 29 March, 11am - 12pm (AEDT)
April 2021
Masterclass
An exclusive session with the presenter of this month’s Critical Public Conversation series, focused on exploring the key themes and questions raised in their presentation.
Presenters: Associate Professor Morgan Brigg and Dr Mary Graham
Date: Tuesday 13 April, 10am - 11am (AEST)
Research Methodology Workshop
The interdisciplinary methodological approach of the RHD program is a framework informed by relational ethics and self-reflexivity. Guided by the understanding that ‘research is not an innocent or distant academic exercise but an activity that has something at stake and that occurs in a set of political and social conditions’ (Smith, 2012, p. 5), the program seeks to encourage critical thought accompanied by research practices that are attentive to issues of accountability, respect, care, renewal and insurgency.
This workshop will focus on methodology: what it is and why it is at the centre of the research process – yet it is rendered almost completely invisible within Western research practices, regardless of methods used.
Presenter: Distinguished Professor Maggie Walter
Date: Thursday 22 April, 1pm - 3pm (AEST)
Critical Reading Group
Join article author Alfred Deakin Professor and Chair in Race Relations Yin Paradies to discuss his recent publication Unsettling truths: modernity, (de-)coloniality and Indigenous futures. Bring your questions, comments, feedback, thoughts, ideas, and feelings.
Presenter: Professor Yin Paradies
Date: Monday 26 April, 12pm - 2pm (AEST)
May 2021
Collaborator workshop
Collaborator workshops are conducted in partnership with a member of the ISRC academic network and provide the opportunity to engage beyond the CPC series and academic development workshops to focus on a key area of Indigenous-settler relations.
Presenter: Professor Adrian Little
Date: Wednesday 12 May, 11am - 1pm (AEST)
Masterclass
An exclusive session with the presenter of this month’s Critical Public Conversation series, focused on exploring the key themes and questions raised in their presentation.
Presenter: Professor J. Kēhaulani Kauanui
Date: Friday 21 May, 10am - 12pm (AEST)
June 2021
Masterclass
An exclusive session with the presenter of this month’s Critical Public Conversation series, focused on exploring the key themes and questions raised in their presentation.
Presenter: Associate Professor Sheryl Lightfoot
Date: Wednesday 30 June, 11am - 12pm (AEST)
July 2021
Winter Writing Retreat
The ISRC Writing Retreats provide participants with structure, time, and encouragement to make progress on their writing in the company of other scholars. They are designed to provide you with the physical and mental space to write as part of a community of productive student researchers.
The program will include structured writing time, facilitated workshops, and informal discussions, debriefing sessions and the celebration of progress made.
Dates: Tuesday 22 July - Thursday 24 July
August 2021
Publishing workshop
The publishing workshop is focused on exploring opportunities for disseminating research and building a publication profile in the field of Indigenous-settler relations. Core topics include:
- developing a publication plan
- identifying suitable journals
- understanding the difference between writing for the thesis and writing for journals
- develop an ethical politics of citation in the field of Indigenous-settler relations
Presenter: Dr Ashley Barnwell
Date: Monday 2 August, 10am - 11:30am (AEST)
September 2021
Collaborator workshop
Collaborator workshops are conducted in partnership with a member of the ISRC academic network and provide the opportunity to engage beyond the CPC series and academic development workshops to focus on a key area of Indigenous-settler relations.
Presenter: Professor Karen Farquharson
Date: Tuesday 7 September, 10am - 12pm (AEST)
October 2021
Masterclass
An exclusive session with the presenter of this month’s Critical Public Conversation series, focused on exploring the key themes and questions raised in their presentation.
Presenter: Associate Professor Lorenzo Veracini
Date: Wednesday 28th October, 12pm - 1pm (AEDT)
December 2021
Masterclass
An exclusive session with the presenter of November’s Critical Public Conversation series, focused on exploring the key themes and questions raised in their presentation.
Presenter: Leanne Betasamosake Simpson
Date: Thursday 2 December, 11am - 12pm (AEDT)
Summer Writing Retreat
The ISRC Writing Retreats provide participants with structure, time, and encouragement to make progress on their writing in the company of other scholars. They are designed to provide you with the physical and mental space to write as part of a community of productive student researchers.
The program will include structured writing time, facilitated workshops, and informal discussions, debriefing sessions and the celebration of progress made.
Dates: Friday 3 December - Wednesday 8 December
Research Symposium
The ISRC Research Symposium invites participants to showcase and share their excellent and innovative work in the field of Indigenous-settler relations. We invite attendees to share their questions and critiques, experience and knowledge. We seek to create a space to have difficult conversations, which are essential for justice and our collective futures. We will focus on developing learning communities and creating conversations that will generate collaboration amongst scholars in the university setting.
The main aims of the symposium are:
- to bring together graduates working in different disciplines, within the Indigenous-settler relations field
- to allow students to profile their topics and receive support/feedback from panels and peers
- to present successful pathways for organising and producing a thesis in the field
- to identify strategic issues in undertaking higher education in the field
The symposium’s purpose is to foster the exchange of information, help HDR scholars to progress their research themes, provide/receive feedback, and create an engaging space for Indigenous-settler relations research.
Dates: Thursday 9 December - Friday 10 December
Program of regular events
- 1st Friday of every month: Reading sprints
- 2nd Friday of every month: Shut up and write
- 3rd Friday of every month: Study circle
- 4th Friday of every month: Shut up and write
ISRC Research Room
Room E672 in John Medley East (Building 191) is available to graduate program students during working hours. The room includes computers, desks, lockable cabinets, telephones and a meeting area with a large display screen. There is also access to a shared kitchenette with a fridge and microwave available on level 6.