On Friday 27^th November the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences hosted the final Professional Forum in the 2009 series in the University’s Princeton Room.

The forum focused on Criminology, with Dr. Wayne Petherick presenting on the topic of Forensic Criminology Beyond the Classroom which explored the history and origins of Criminology and mapped how the discipline has evolved since it first gained recognition as an area of study.

Guests in attendance included representatives from Queensland Fire and Rescue, Queensland Corrective Services, Queensland Department of Emergency Services, Queensland Police, City Councils, Department of Communities, Gold Coast Youth Justice Service Centre, Queensland Law Society and a number of legal firms.

Dr. Petherick was available for questions after the presentation, providing guests with an excellent opportunity for professional development and industry networking.

The next Professional Forum will be held on the 26^th March 2010 and will have a Humanities focus. For more information on these events please contact Faculty Executive Support Officer (Events) Linda Parkes on 5595 2638 or lparkes@bond.edu.au

On November 20^th the gala awards ceremony for the 13^th Annual Bond University Film and Television Awards (BUFTA’s) was held at Bond University’s Princeton Room in front of a crowd of budding young film makers, industry professionals, teachers, mentors, staff and parents.

The overall winner on the night and the recipient of the full Bachelor of Film and Television tuition scholarship was Jake Brown, a recent graduate from the Cranbrook School, Sydney.

Jake submitted his HSC film Our Controlled Delusions - an experimental film that focused on the idea of questioning fate; but he wasn’t sure that his film was in with a chance of winning.

“After watching film after film of high quality craftsmanship I thought I had no chance at all. It was an absolute thrill to be nominated at all, for anything, let alone win.” Said Jake

In addition to taking out the grand prize Jake also picked up awards for Best Drama and Best Sound and intends to put his talent to good use by taking up the Film and Television scholarship next year.

BUFTA is among the richest film competitions in Australia for secondary school students with the grand prize worth close to $80,000.00. The awards were created to unearth talented young film makers and provide them with the opportunity enhance the skills.

Jake said he entered BUFTA for the prestige of the competition and said

“Nowhere else in Australia is a Bachelor of Film and Television offered as a full degree and if I want to make it, Bond University is where I need to be at my age.”

BUFTA will be run again next year with the gala awards ceremony to be held on the 26^th November.

In November the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, in conjunction with the Humanities Students Association (HSA) held the final Graduate Panel event in 2009’s Insight Series on campus in the University Club.

The panel was made up of both alumni and industry representatives, all of whom were able to impart to students their experiences working in their respective industry and provided insight into what employers are looking for in graduates and how they might best gain employment in their industry.

The industry and alumni guests on the evening included:

·         Craig Wilson, Executive Director for the Foundation of Development and Co-operation.

·         Michelle Palmer, Corporate Communications Manager for Powerlink Queensland.

·         Malcolm McKenzie, Clinical and Organisation Psychologist from the Career and Personal Counselling Centre.

·         Anna-Lise Rosendahl, SeaFM, GoldFM, Channel 9 and NBN News Journalist.

·         Liz Scott, Developmental Guidance Officer, Clover Hill and Merrimac State Primary Schools.

·         Lauren Tuohy, International Division, Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet.

The event was a great success, providing students with an excellent opportunity to ask questions, gain understanding and establish contacts with those currently working in industry.

The Faculty and the HSA extends its sincere thanks to all those who helped make the night a success. The next event in the Graduate Panel Insight Series will be held in the New Year.

Congratulations to Professor Greg Boyle and Assistant Professors Christina Samios and Bruce Watt, who were among the recipients of the recently awarded Vice Chancellor’s Research Grants.

The Psychology staff received the grants for their current research projects which cover varied themes and issues within Psychology.

Professor Boyle’s current research explores Psychological strategies to maximise fitness and enjoyment when undertaking resistance weight training; Dr. Watts’s current focus is on adolescent fire setting, cruelty to animals and callous unemotional traits; and Dr. Samios is focusing on research into the interpersonal context of depression, specifically examining the relationship between family resilience factors and depression in patient-carer dyads.

Throughout the year Criminology and Forensic Psychology Professor Paul Wilson has attended the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) in Phnom Penh to explore the value of these types of international tribunals and conduct research into the origins and workings of evil.

The ECCC was established by the Cambodian government and the United Nations to try senior leaders of the Democratic Kampuchea and those most responsible for serious crimes during the reign of the Khmer Rouge, to provide the Cambodian people with a sense of justice and reconciliation.

Professor Wilson has been observing the trial and interviewing those involved including members of government, people from NGO’s, families of victims and officials to ascertain the value of these kinds of international tribunals and if they provide the ends to which they aspire.

The trail Professor Wilson has been attending is that of Kaing Guek Eav also known as Duch, a former member of the Khmer Rouge and Chief of the S-21 prison who is charged with crimes against humanity.

Duch, a former school teacher oversaw the S-21 prison during the regime of Pol Pot from 1975 to 1979 where allegedly more than 13,000 people were interrogated and murdered.

Following the trial of Duch will assist Professor Wilson in answering his questions about evil.

 “I’m trying to find the answer to how intelligent, family oriented, allegedly compassionate men such as Duch come to involve themselves in enormous human rights abuses and genocide? Is evil simply carried out by ordinary men caught up in extraordinary events, or do evil people have particular personality characteristics? If the former, then the implications are very disturbing” said Prof. Wilson.

Having recently completed an article about his research, Prof. Wilson is preparing to submit his report to the International Criminal Court in The Hague where he is on the list of expert witnesses.

Carla Tooma had the time of her life in 093, completing the years final semester abroad in Washington DC as part of the Washington Internship Program (WIP).

The Bachelor of Journalism student spent September to December in Washington, where she worked as an intern on NBC’s TODAY Show and undertook classes at the Washington Internship Institute where she focused her study on American Politics.

 “So far I have found the program very rewarding and a little challenging too. I have had to learn to adapt to a constantly busy schedule and I have learnt so much, especially at NBC” said Carla.

The internship program works on a five day a week schedule, with four days dedicated to an internship and the last day set aside for classes. Students quickly become accustomed to a full working week and the demands that come with it.

As part of her internship Carla has found herself starting her day at 5am, assisting with shoots, working on interviews, typing up interview transcripts, feeding tapes to other bureaus, researching stories, choosing footage and even lending her hand to some camera work.

When asked about her experience Carla said: “Working on the TODAY show has been amazing. No two days have been the same and I never know who I am going to meet. I also love the fact that the Washington Bureau houses not only the TODAY show, but the local NBC news, the national nightly news, MSNBC, CNBC and many other political programs, so I am really able to get behind the scenes access.

Carla initially explored the idea of the Washington Internship Program on the advice of a friend as she wanted to complete an internship and a semester abroad, both of which The Washington Internship Program offered.

Administered by the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, the Washington Internship Program aims to provide students with extraordinary opportunities to enhance their study experience all the while gaining credit for their Bond degree.

“I would definitely recommend the program to anyone looking to do a worthwhile internship, or for someone who wants to do a semester abroad. You will get the chance to live in a new city, in a new country, whilst gaining invaluable experience in the field you choose”said Carla.

You can follow Carla’s blog at carlatooma.wordpress.com

In line with Bond’s overall commitment to sustainability, the Humanities and Social Sciences Sustainability Group recently launched its Green Ambition campaign aimed at raising awareness of environmental issues and generating staff support for new initiatives to increase the Faculty’s sustainability.

Both staff and students turned out in force to the launch, where the group outlined their activities and shared the sustainability initiatives the Faculty and the Bond Sustainability Committee had implemented and would be implementing over the next few months. The new initiatives include:

·         Recycling all printer cartridges.

·         Providing pens to staff made from recycled material.

·         Using lever arch files made from recycled material.

·         Collecting disused mobile phones and chargers for recycling.

·         Supporting Rain Forest Rescue and their project to buy back sections of the Daintree Rainforest.

·         Providing staff with recycling bins in their office for waste paper.

·         Providing paper and plastic recycling bins in Faculty kitchen areas.

HSS will act as a testing ground for the new kitchen and office space recycling systems over the next few months, which if successful, will be rolled out across the University.

Dee Jackson, a member of the HSS Sustainability Group said: “People seem pretty supportive of the initiatives, but we can’t go on like business as usual. We have to change our actions and attitudes if we are going to make a difference.”

The Green Ambition campaign will run as a constant within the Faculty to remind both staff and students to act thoughtfully and responsibly to reduce their impact on the environment.

Congratulations to Bachelor of International Relations (Business) student and Humanities Students Association committee member Thomas Harrison on receiving the Prime Minister’s Australia Asia Endeavour Awards, a prestigious scholarship valued between $40,000 to $60,000.

The scholarship will allow Thom to study at an Asian university in any field and undertake an internship. Thom’s host university will be Soochow University in China.

Congratulations Thomas!

In October PhD student Caitlin Byrne travelled to Beijing, China along with Deputy Dean Anne Cullen to attend the Asia International Symposium, a think tank of Australian, Chinese and Asian emerging leaders bought together to work on a knowledge bank for the Asian region.

Caitlin was one of only 30 PhD candidates invited to attend the symposium, of which only ten were selected from Australia after a nationwide call to Australian University’s to nominate suitable candidates.

Participants were asked to consider and conduct preliminary work on a knowledge bank for the region that could be used to inform government policy, sharing ideas during an emerging leader’s dialogue facilitated by Deputy-Dean and Head of the School of Humanities Dr. Anne Cullen.

The symposium provided an excellent opportunity for exceptional students to demonstrate their knowledge and ability and contribute positively to international relations in the Asian region.

Dr. Cullen said: “The participants found the event provided them with many serendipitous opportunities for their research and future careers.”

Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences      BOND UNIVERSITY        GOLD COAST QLD 4229

Phone: +61  7 5595 2522     Fax: +61 7 5595 2545

Email hss@bond.edu.au for general enquiries.

NEXT ISSUE:

To contribute, email Marketing Officer Alana Brady,
at abrady@bond.edu.au