===================================== MONASH ASIA INSTITUTE BULLETIN 2/2005 20 February 2005 ===================================== In this bulletin 1. Seminar - MAI PhD Confirmation 2. Vietnamese Painting and Sculpture Exhibition 3. Research Futures: South Asia-Australia 4. Special MAI seminar on Indian agriculture by Professor Utsa Patnaik 5. Special MAI seminar on contemporary Hong Kong by Ms Christine Loh 6. Indonesia Council Open Conference 2005 7. Disaster Management Conference 8. Simons Postdoctoral Fellowship 9. HPAIR Conference 2005 10. Website of the month: IWMI ------------------------------------------- Item 1. Seminar - MAI PhD Confirmation Friday 25 February 2005 10.00 am Room S822 level 8, South, Menzies Building (11) Monash University Clayton Campus This is a Ph.D confirmation seminar and all are welcome. 'Cross cultural communication in engineering education: Poland, India and Malaysia’. Speaker: Mr Marc J. Riemer, Monash Asia Institute Research Thesis details: Communication skills are essential for an engineer who aspires to carry out his/her professional practice on the global scene. Engineering communication skills basically constitute several core elements such as fluency in the English language and the fundamentals of visual communication. The process of the formation of a professional engineer may vary depending on the context that the educational process takes place in, ie whether English is learnt as the first language or a second/foreign language. Further, the cultural context will influence how this is processed and the extent to which it succeeds. However, apart from the English fluency component, the basic elements of communication skills may be the same. Other elements, including the impact of emotional intelligence and associated skills and their influence on communication, will also be looked at. The proposal endeavours to address several issues of concern, and propose a research programme to investigate those issues, seeking to provide comprehensive information concerning the status and quality of existing English and communication skills courses for engineers within a cultural context. A comparative study of courses available internationally in English and communications for engineering students, with specific application to the Indian context, will also be carried out under the project. Author details: Marc J. Riemer completed a Bachelor of Arts in 1989 from Chisholm Institute of Technology, Melbourne, Australia, and finished his Honours year in English at Monash University, Melbourne, in 1990. Later, he completed a Bachelor of Business (Business Administration) in 1995, also from Monash University. He has worked for several years in the private sector, including as a Sales Administration Manager for an Australasian wholesale electrical cable/wire/insulation distribution firm, and has been the Administration Officer at the UNESCO International Centre for Engineering Education (UICEE), based in the Faculty of Engineering at Monash University, since December 1999. He is also the Assistant Editor of the UICEE's Global Journal of Engineering Education, the World Transactions on Engineering and Technology Education, plus several other publications of the UICEE. With his qualifications, he seeks to build a bridge with other disciplines in the development of engineering education, particularly in the field of communication and English skills, and has presented various papers at international conferences in this field. His research interests include English and communication skills development and emotional intelligence (EQ) issues in relation to the education of engineers. He is currently engaged researching his Masters at the Monash Asia Institute, focusing on English and communication skills for engineers within a cultural context. Enquiries about the seminar: monash.asia.institute@adm.monash.edu.au ------------------------------------------- Item 2. 'New Figuration in Vietnamese Painting and Sculpture' – exhibition February 2005 to 10 March 2005 Faculty Gallery, Art and Design Building, Monash University Caulfield campus 900 Dandenong Rd, Caulfield East, Vic 3145 A new exhibition at the Faculty Gallery, Caulfield, features the works of five contemporary Vietnamese artists. Including painting, works on paper and installation, this exhibition presents new aesthetic tendencies in contemporary artistic practice from Central and South Vietnam. "The interchange between the culture of origin and the culture of the Diaspora is now one of the most interesting subjects in critical theory," says co-curator Dr Annette Van den Bosch, Faculty of Arts. And it is therefore particularly important to exhibit new Vietnamese art in Melbourne." Enquiries: Bianca Durrant, Tel: 9903 2702 or 9903 2882 ------------------------------------------- Item 3. South Asia Node Conference Australian Research Council’s Asia-Pacific Futures Network South Asia Node Research Futures: South Asia-Australia Monday, 21 February and Tuesday, 22 February Gallery 1, Scientia, University of New South Wales, Kensington An inaugural event of the new Asia-Pacific Futures Network (APFN), Research Futures: South Asia-Australia brings together scholars of South Asia to exchange ideas across disciplines and to interact with Australian professionals whose members work in the countries of South Asia. The Program As befits an exploration and initiation, the two-day program tackles various tasks. It highlights the variety of research on South Asia in Australia by providing a forum for established researchers to illustrate the potential of regional interaction by presenting work from a range of disciplines a selection of postgraduate scholars to outline their research projects learning about, and interacting with, the eight organizations that form the Advisory Board of the APFN canvassing future research areas of urgency and promise, both for scholars and professionals increasing the knowledge that Australian-based people involved with South Asia have of each other’s interests Monday, 21 February, is devoted to panels and discussions among scholars and researchers. Tuesday, 22 February, introduces the eight member-organizations of the Advisory Board and opens up round-table discussion of future research needs and possibilities. The Asia-Pacific Futures Network (APFN) Funded by the Australian Research Council for five years from 2005, the APFN aims to increase Australia’s interaction, breadth and depth in research on the Asia-Pacific region. The APFN is based at the Australian National University; the Director is Associate Professor Louise Edwards. Organized around seven “nodes,” each with responsibility for mobilizing scholars in its field and engaging them in the wider activities of the network, the APFN will develop research effectiveness by fostering cross-discipline and cross-regional workshops, postgraduate instruction and thematic conferences. It will carry out one signature event each year to highlight key themes, issues and research possibilities. For full details, see Website: http://www.sueztosuva.org.au/ Enquiries: Professor Robin Jeffrey (Convenor) Politics Program, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Vic. 3086 Tel. 03 9479 2692, Fax. 03 9479 1997 Email: r.jeffrey@latrobe.edu.au ------------------------------------------- Item 4. Special Seminar from JNU (New Delhi), Professor Utsa Patnaik Thursday 3 March 2005, 12.00 noon – 3.00 pm Room S822, Level 8 South, Menzies Building (11), Monash University Clayton campus “Why Indian agriculture is in Crisis” Professor Patnaik from the Department of Economics, JNU (New Delhi), is visiting the Monash Asia Institute in order to participate in the ABARE conference in Canberra. She will also give a seminar at the Monash Asia Institute. Book Launch: The seminar will begin with Prof Patnaik launching a new book that has been published by Monash’s ABERU on South Asia (ABERU- Asian Business and Economics Research Unit): Mita Bhattacharya, Russell Smyth and Marika Vicziany (eds.), SOUTH ASIA IN THE ERA OF GLOBALISATION: TRADE, INDUSTRIALISATION AND WELFARE. A light luncheon and drinks will be served between 12 noon and 12.30pm to be followed by the seminar at 12.30pm sharp. Professor Patnaik is regarded as a world authority on the ongoing crisis in Indian agriculture which in recent years has led to over 4,000 suicides by Indian farmers. She has undertaken extensive fieldwork for a number of decades, advised governments and acted as consultant and advisor to various international bodies on the problems of India’s rural sector – in particular, unemployment, lack of technological change, poor prices and the impact of international subsidies on Indian agriculture. The JNU in New Delhi is one of India’s leading universities. ALL WELCOME Enquiries: Juliet Yee, -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Item 5. Special MAI seminar on contemporary Hong Kong Friday 29 April 2005 10.00 am to 12 noon Ms Christine Loh from the Civic Exchange, Hong Kong will brief us about recent developments in Hong Kong and Hong Kong’s future role in the emerging China. Ms Loh is widely regarded as an influential thinker about the future of Hong Kong. She is a former member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong and is currently the Chief Executive of Civic Exchange, an independent Hong Kong-based public policy think tank. Ms Loh is visiting Melbourne as a guest of the Alfred Deakin Innovation Lectures which began as part of the Centenary Celebrations in 2001. We thank the organisers of this event for 2005 for facilitating this special seminar – in particular thanks are due to the Arts Events Management on behalf of the Victorian Department of Innovation Industry and Regional Development. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Item 6. Indonesia Council Open Conference 2005 26-27 September 2005 Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia Website: http://indonesiacouncil.anu.edu.au/icoc2005.html Following the success of the 2001 and 2003 Open Conferences, the Indonesia Council will hold its third Open Conference in Adelaide on 26-27 September 2005. The conference is scheduled to allow participants planning to attend the annual Indonesia Update to make their way to Adelaide from Canberra. The ICOC is multi-disciplinary conference which provides a forum for the presentation of new and innovative work on Indonesia, with particular emphasis on encouraging engagement between newer Indonesianists and established scholars. The 2003 conference will be hosted by Flinders University with the support of The Flinders Asia Centre and Inside Indonesia. September is a great time to visit Adelaide and surrounding areas, including the Adelaide Hills, the Barossa and Clare Valleys, the Flinders Ranges and the Fleurieu Peninsula. The Indonesia Council now invites proposals for papers and panels. Papers will be presented in plenary and concurrent panel sessions of three papers with a discussant. Proposals for papers should include a title and an abstract of 150 words as well as biodata of 100 words. Papers should be no more than 20 minutes duration (equivalent to 2000 words). Proposals for panels should include either a suggested panel title only or the titles and abstracts of three papers of 20 minutes duration. Proposals for panels may also include a suggested discussant. There will be no registration fee for the conference. First deadline for panel and paper proposals is 31 March 2005. Second deadline for panel and paper proposals is 15 April 2005. Proposals for papers and panels should be emailed to ICOC2005@yahoo.com.au or posted to The Indonesia Council c/o Dr Michele Ford The Flinders Asia Centre, Flinders University, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide SA 5001, Australia Phone: +61 8 82012985, Fax: +61 8 82015111 To register for the conference please send an email with your name, institutional affiliation and email address to ICOC2005@yahoo.com.au by Monday 1 August 2005. ------------------------------------------- Item 7. Conference Disaster Management 4-5 March 2004 The School of Law, City University of Hong Kong is organising an International Conference on Issues Relating to Disaster Management: Challenges for Governance Reform in Asia during 4-5 March 2005. A number of leading experts from different parts of the world are expected to speak in this conference. The conference has been initiated as a response to the earthquake and tsunami that affected a number of countries in South and South East Asia killing and displacing thousands of people. A number of issues relating to disaster management and governance in Asia will be discussed. For full details, see: http://www.cityu.edu.hk/slw/english/upcoming/conference.htm Enquiries C. Raj Kumar, School of Law, City University of Hong Kong Tel: (852) 9757-8139 Email: crajkumar4@yahoo.com ---------------------------------------------------- Item 8. Simons Postdoctoral Fellowship The Simons Centre for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation is now accepting applications for the “Simons Postdoctoral Fellowship in Disarmament and Non-Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction and Their Delivery Systems.” The term of the fellowship is one year, renewable for a second year, in residence at the University of British Columbia. The Fellow will complete a directed project related to the Simons Centre’s concerns and contribute to Simons Centre program activities. The Fellowship stipend is $40,000 per year with a $5,000 per year research and travel expense allowance (Canadian dollars). Review of applications will begin on May 1, 2005; applications will be accepted until the Fellowship is awarded. Details on the terms and application procedures for the Fellowship are available at http://www.ligi.ubc.ca/ (click “Disarmament and Non-proliferation”). Email inquiries may be sent to simons.centre@ubc.ca. ---------------------------------------------------- Item 9. HPAIR Conference 2005 22-25 August 2005 Roppongi Hills, Tokyo; The University of Tokyo WEBSITE: http://www.hpair.org/ On behalf of the Harvard Project for Asian and International Relations, we would like to invite you and your students to collaborate with us to further the global understanding of Asian and international relations through our annual summer conference in Asia. The Harvard Project for Asian and International Relations (HPAIR) is a partnership between the students and faculty of Harvard University, offering a sustained academic program and a forum of exchange to facilitate discussion of the most important economic, political, and social issues relevant to the Asia-Pacific region. HPAIR's international conference has emerged as the largest annual Harvard event in Asia and the largest annual student conference in the Asia-Pacific region, attracting a wide variety of distinguished speakers and future leaders as Harvard's student outpost in Asia. Past speakers at our conferences include South Korean President Kim Young Sam, Governor General of Australia Peter Hollingworth, Singapore President S.R. Nathan and Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. Our conference this year, co-hosted by Tokyo University, will be held August 22-25th, 2005 in Tokyo, Japan. The theme will be “Futuring Asia: Contemporary Challenges and Emerging Realities”. Our workshops will focus on the following six topics: - Interests, Institutions and Identities: Understanding Security Issues in East Asia - A Matter of Trust: The Role of Trust in Shaping Civil Society and Rule of Law in Asia - Higher Education and Active Citizenship: The Public Role of Universities in East Asia - Global Health Care Systems: Working Towards a Higher Health Standard - Reinventing Diaspora: Exploring Globalization through Human Migration - Visualizing Asia: Global Culture and National Narratives in Contemporary "Asian" Art The HPAIR Conference extends invitation to all students in college level and beyond. Please go to http://www.hpair.org/ to apply. We are looking forward to your participation! ------------------------------------------- Item 10. Website of the month: IWMI website http://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/index.htm The International Water Management Institute is a nonprofit scientific research organization focusing on the sustainable use of water and land resources in agriculture and on the water needs of developing countries. IWMI works with partners in the South to develop tools and methods to help these countries eradicate poverty through more effective management of their water and land resources. http://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/pubs/mindex.htm IWMI's on-line publication section contains several thousand pages of peer reviewed research on water management. All research outputs and publications produced by IWMI are international public goods, freely available to partners in developing countries and to members of the international development, academic and research communities. ======================================================================== The Monash Asia Institute Newsletter incorporates news items from the six research centres of the Monash Asia Institute, partner organisations and other groups working to promote Asian Studies in Australia. For further information about the Monash Asia Institute and this newsletter: http://www.arts.monash.edu.au/mai/ To unsubscribe, please send an email to: monash.asia.institute@adm.monash.edu.au ========================================================================