Research Projects for the Masters of Asian Studies
You may also choose to do up to 24 points of your Master’s program in the form of 12-point research projects or policy papers. These research units involve working with a supervisor to produce a small thesis (about 9000 words per unit) based on extensive research.
These are particularly recommended for those who are keen to pursue an interest in a specific area, or who are considering transferring into a postgraduate degree by research, where entry is contingent on a demonstrated ability to conduct substantial research projects.
Possible supervisors for such research projects should be determined in consultation with the coordinator of the Masters. Here are the names and areas of research of some of these supervisors
Professor Marika Vicziany
Email: marika.vicziany@adm.monash.edu.au
Research Profile
Director of the Monash Asia Institute, Professor Vicziany is a specialist on terrorism in Asia, mass poverty, development and regional security in India, Pakistan and China. She has undertaken a large number of consultancies for business, government, AusAID and the ADB in the last two decades.
Dr Aneela Babar
Email: Aneela.Babar@adm.monash.edu.au
Dr Barbar is a specialist on gender in Asia with special reference to Pakistan and terrorism. She has worked in a number of consultancies involving governments, non-governmental and developmental agencies in South and South-East Asia, in projects concerned with natural resource management, gender analysis in field methods, community-responsive development planning and environmental conflict resolution and mediation for Lao PDR, Indonesia, Thailand, Nepal, India and Pakistan. Her research work spans several diverse areas including studies of migration and multiculturalism in Australia, racism and national identities; refugee issues, class, age, globalization, urban and social change, human rights, sustainable development and strengthening of civil society.
Dr Farid Bezhan
Email: Faridullah.Bezhan@adm.monash.edu.au
Dr Farid Bezhan is a specialist on terrorism, the Taliban and Afghanistan/Pakistan as well as Afghani Literature, Satire, War and Anti-war Literature. Dr Bezhan speaks a number of Central Asian languages, including Persian (Farsi), Pashtu, Urdu and Hindi.
Emeritus Professor David Chandler
Email: David.Chandler@adm.monash.edu.au
Prof David Chandler is Emeritus Professor of History at Monash University. He is specialist on Cambodian history, culture and politics and continues to publish books, chapters and journal articles on this subject.
Dr Angelo Andrea Di Castro
Email: Andrea.DiCastro@arts.monash.edu.au
Dr Angelo Andrea Di Castro has conducted numerous archaeological excavations in Italy and Nepal. He is a specialist on the archaeology of South Asia, in particular India and the Gandharan and Himalayan regions. His interests include Asian religions from an archaeological perspective and the history of cultural exchange between the Indian world and the West.
Dr Penny Graham
Email:penny.graham@arts.monash.edu.au
Research Profile
Dr Penny Graham's expertise is in sociocultural anthropology: questions of identity, religion, ethnicity, nationalism, gender and labour migration in Southeast Asia.
Dr Brett Hough
Email: Brett.Hough@arts.monash.edu.au
Research Profile
Dr Brett Hough is a specialist in Balinese culture and arts.
Dr Peg LeVine
Email: Peg.LeVine@adm.monash.edu.au
Dr Peg LeVine is specialist on trauma in Asia with special reference to Cambodia
Professor Ross Mouer
Email: ross.mouer@arts.monash.edu.au
Research Profile
Professor Mouer has published widely on work organisation and society in Japan, and has supervised research students on a wide range of areas related to Japan, Australia-Japan relations and Japan literacy in Australia.
Mr Iftikhar Rashid
Email: arman.ifti@gmail.com
Iftikhar Rashid's research interests include security, terrorism, madrassahs and religious militancy. He is also a specialist on disasters in Asia.
Dr Ahmad Sarmast
Email: Ahmad.Sarmast@adm.monash.edu.au
Dr Ahmad Naser Sarmast's research areas include music and culture of Afghanistan, North India, Central Asia and Iran. His is currently working on a major project on the revival of Afghan music and music education in Afghanistan (see: http://www.arts.monash.edu.au/mai/roam/about.php).
Dr Judith Shaw
Email: Judith.shaw@adm.monash.edu.au
Research Profile
Dr Judith Shaw is a specialist on development in Asia with expertise microfinance and micro-enterprise development, labour migration and migrant remittances, the Asian garment manufacturing sector, politics of post-tsunami reconstruction.
Dr Wendy Smith
Email: Wendy.Smith@buseco.monash.edu.au
Research Profile
Specialist on socio-cultural and economic issues in Japan, Malaysia and Southeast Asia, cross-cultural management, gender and religious diversity.
Dr David Templeman
Email: David.Templeman@adm.monash.edu.au
David Templeman worked with Tibetan refugee children in the late 1960s and became immediately fascinated with Tibetan culture. His work since then has been largely in the translation and editing of Tibetan hagiographies, especially those dealing with Tibetan understandings of Indian Buddhism and its lineages. His PhD thesis deals with the topic of the 16-17th cent Tibetanrelate, Taranatha and his autobiographical vision of his own life.
Professor Mark Wahlqvist
Email:mark.wahlqvist@med.monash.edu.au
Professor Wahlqvist has had a combined career in internal medicine and human nutrition with chairs in both these fields over the last two decades. He has published over 1000 articles and has played a major role in national and international nutrition science, education and policy.
Dr Tikky Wattanapenpainboon
Email: Tikky.Wattanapenpaiboon@adm.monash.edu.au
Dr Tikky Wattanapenpainboon is a specialist on health and nutrition in Asia with special focus on Thailand