Reading groups and support

Seminars

During semester, the various disciplines within the school hold staff and graduate research seminars in which local and guest speakers read a research paper, followed by discussion. You are strongly encouraged to attend and are welcome to offer papers or suggest visiting speakers. Details of the events are circulated by email.

The Culture and Communication Graduate committee (CCGC) also holds weekly graduate seminars through out the semester.

Reading and research groups

The School hosts a dynamic community of postgraduate researchers, working across and between the range of disciplines covered by Culture and Communication. Students and staff organise and participate in a variety of reading and research groups, in addition to the more formal university programs. Designed to support high-level or intensive study of significant texts, topics and themes, these groups contribute strongly to the excellence of the research environment of the School.

Please note that the following details are subject to change: if you are interested in attending any of these groups, it would be advisable to contact the relevant coordinator first. If anyone wishes to change or alter any information on this list, please email the Advanced Study Group Coordinator. Many of these groups also have dedicated and up-to-date websites: if available, these are provided with the group listing itself.

Advanced Study Group Coordinator
Joe Hughes
Email: jhughes2@unimelb.edu.au

Culture and Communication Graduate committee (CCGC)

The Culture and Communication Graduate committee (CCGC) is the School of Culture and Communication's Graduate Student Association. It is an independent, student-run committee which aims to provide fair and equitable representation for all graduate researchers within the School. Formerly known as Dis/course, the committee receives funding from both the University of Melbourne Graduate Student Association (GSA) and from the School itself. With this support, the CCGC works to build a spirit of collegiality among graduate researchers and provide support and training for both research and coursework students. This includes running a variety of social events; acting as the graduate researcher voice within both the school and the university; running a weekly seminar series that provides graduate researchers with an opportunity to present their work to peers in a supportive and friendly environment; and providing workshops aimed at giving assistance to graduate researchers with various aspects of academic life.

The CCGC provides services and representation for all graduate researchers within the School: Art History, Arts and Cultural Management, Australian Indigenous Studies, Creative Writing, English and Theatre Studies, Media and Communications, Publishing and Communications and Screen and Cultural Studies. All graduate researchers are welcome and encouraged to attend meetings, raise issues regarding any aspect of candidature, offer suggestions and organise activities. The annual AGM is held at the end of year BBQ, while a general meeting is held at the Work-In-Progress day at the end of first semester, and all graduate researchers in the school are strongly encouraged to attend a meeting and get involved. For more information on the running of the CCGC, please refer to our constitution.

CCGC events

The CCGC holds a seminar for graduate researchers on Thursday lunchtimes during semester. These informal seminars provide an opportunity to workshop new material and to meet with other students. This seminar is also a great forum for confirmation and completion hurdle requirements. Seminars will generally consist of two 20-minute papers or one 40-minute completion seminar, with time for questions. The seminar is currently being held at 1pm on Thursdays, usually in John Medley (Building 191), 4th Floor Linkway Room.

CCGC Executive and representation

Executive officers

• President: Sarah Fantini
• Vice President: Duncan Caillard
• Treasurer: Juanjuan Wu
• Secretary: Oscar Jr. Tantoco Serquina (Acting Secretary until June 2018: Duncan Caillard)

General members

• Neslie Tan
• Carman Fung
• Wendy Li
• Chloe Ho

Committee representatives

• School Research and Research Training: Sarah Fantini

Join the CCGC

Any graduate researcher in the School may join the committee or get involved with the events that they organise. If you are interested email Culture and Communication Graduate committee or come along to the AGM at the end of year BBQ, or the general meeting at Work in progress day.

Graduate Student Association affiliation

The CCGC is proud to be affiliated with the University of Melbourne Graduate Student Association (GSA), the representative body for graduate students at the University of Melbourne.

University of Melbourne Graduate Student Association (GSA)

The University of Melbourne Graduate Student Association (GSA) is your voice on committees and a great provider of community and social activities for the thousands of graduate students at the University. GSA also provides the only independent advocates on campus specifically for graduate students, so if you run into any trouble in your degree, give GSA a call on +61 3 8344 8657 or drop by the Graduate Centre for advice. GSA manages a range of graduate-only study spaces, lockers, computer labs, meeting rooms and carrels in the Graduate Centre as well, available for all of the University's graduate students.

It provides valuable services directly to graduate students:

• Traffic (a refereed interdisciplinary graduate journal)
• Student Union Advocacy Service
• Funding for student groups and activities
• Meeting room hire and Lockers and Tenured Study Spaces (TSSs)
• Graduate Research Hub Preparing my thesis web page
• Join a Graduate Student Group

Centre for the Study of Higher Education (CSHE)

CSHE Orientation events; Professional development for graduate researchers; and Resources. Further resources are provided by the Graduate Centre, and the Graduate Student Association, all housed in the Melbourne School of Graduate Research (MSGR) 1888 Building (Building 198).

Faculty of Arts

The Faculty of Arts Graduate research web pages offer information about Research Welcome Day, a Graduate Research Orientation Program and a Skills Development Program. They also provide loan equipment, such as cameras and video cameras, audio recording devices, scanners and laptops.

Academic Skills

Academic Skills provides students with assistance in language and grammar, reading and research, speaking and presenting, and study skills and writing.

University Library

University Library provide some very important opportunities to research students, including assistance with research strategies, online databases, EndNote and research consultations. Visit the University Library Beginning Research web page. The Library also provides a Library Research consultant who is dedicated specifically to the needs of research students; she is an Endnote specialist and is available for one-to-one consultation.

Inter-library loans (ILL)

Inter-library loans (ILL) are available through the online system. For international loans or thesis purchase, make sure you have your supervisor’s approval. Graduate students do not have to pay any ILL costs for materials legitimately related to their thesis research.

IT Services

• Student IT@Unimelb
• VPN networking
• On-campus wireless networking
• Student Equity and Disability Support

Student Union computers

The Rowden White Library's computers are a service for all students offering internet access and word processing.

Location: 2nd Floor, Union House (Building 130)
Facility hours: Normal semester opening hours:
Monday to Friday: 8.30 am - 5.30 pm
Closed on weekends

High Performance Computing

High Performance Computing (HPC) supports the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) requirements of researchers across the University which are beyond what is expected to be provided by their faculty. It does this by providing a range of physical resources together with advice, training and consulting in the most effective means of using these resources to further their research needs. Where this results in changed methods or major productivity improvements this may be referred to as 'eResearch'. High Performance Computing (HPC) offers a much greater capacity than conventional desktop computers to solving large computational problem. Using parallel programming techniques HCP enables software to run on multiple machines. Read more on the High Performance Computing web page.

Photocopying

Graduates are eligible for photocopying grants of $50 in each year of their candidature. Apply directly to the Research Students Administrator (under professional staff), either in person or by email. The application will take at least two weeks to be processed.