Skip to the content | Change text size

Politics

Thesis Topics and Supervisors

The following is a list of politics postgraduates and their thesis topics. If you are a postgraduate student in politics and would like to have your name added or removed from this list, or if you would like to have your email or and abstract listed as well, you can do so simply by contacting our Postgraduate Coordinator Sue Stevenson.

PhD
Student Topic Supervisor/s
Virginie Andre "Framing terrorism in Southern Thailand" Assoc. Prof. David Wright-Neville/Dr Pete Lentini
Muhammad Bakashmar "Government control and the judiciary in Malaysia" (under examination) Dr Pete Lentini/Assoc. Prof. David Wright-Neville
Rebecca Barlow "Universal human rights and the 'Mulsim question': An inquiry into the Iranian women's movement" Dr Michael Janover/Assoc. Prof. Shahram Akbarzadeh/Dr Terry MacDonald
Marko Beljac "On the problems of knowledge and freedom: International relations theory and emancipation" (under examination) Dr Michael Janover
Silvio Bonazinga "The idea of practice in the political thought of Michael Oakeshott " Dr Michael Janover/Dr Paul Muldoon
Damien Cheong "Crises of legitimacy in the occupied territories and the peace process" (lapsed) Assoc. Prof. Shahram Akbarzadeh/Dr Michael Janover
Marina Cominos "The Thought of Freidrich Nietzsche" Dr Michael Janover/Dr Paul Muldoon
Leah Farrall "Attention to opposites: Al Qaeda as the 'new terrorism' incarnate?" (lapsed) Dr Pete Lentini/Assoc. Prof. David Wright-Neville
Zareh Ghazarian "Minor parties in the Australian political system" Dr Nick Economou/Dr Dennis Woodward
Mihal Greener "The hyphenated American: How Jewish and Cuban lobby groups in the US impact on its foreign policy" Dr Pete Lentini/Assoc. Prof. David Wright-Neville
Haroro Ingram "The transformative charisma phenomenon in Islamic radicalism and militancy: Charismatic leaders, neo-charismatic leaders, spiritual guides and the depersonalization of charisma" Dr Pete Lentini/Assoc. Prof. David Wright-Neville
Jackie King "The pluralist-statist dynamic of the refugee policy process in Australia: The case of the Kosovar safe haven visa" (under examination) Dr Nick Economou/Dr Sharon Pickering
Anna Lumban Gaol "Negotiating recognition and identity in West Papua post-1998" Assoc. Prof. Susan Blackburn/Dr Paul Muldoon
Natalie Miller "Women and the Polis: Tragic influences and the political actress" Dr Michael Janover/Dr Paul Muldoon
Nashid Monir "The political economy of corruption: The case of tax evasion in Bangladesh" Dr Dennis Woodward/Dr Sharif As-Saber
Mary O'Kane "Political agency of refugees: The case of the Burmese opposition movement-in-exile" Assoc. Prof. Susan Blackburn/Dr Paul Muldoon/ Dr Terry MacDonald
Renee Prestt "Can successful western companies make money in the People's Republic of China?" (external) Dr Dennis Woodward/Prof. Bruce Jacobs
Rasita Purba "A study of pro gender and pro poor public policy in Indonesia " Assoc. Prof. Susan Blackburn/Dr Penny Graham
Tania Raffass "Imperial, national or federal statehood and the case of the Soviet Union" Dr Michael Janover/Dr Pete Lentini
Joshua Roose "The impact of the nexus of education, hegemonic discourses of citizenship, employment and consumption upon the process of political identity construction in Muslim youth aged 18-29 in Melbourne, Australia" Prof. Greg Barton/Associate Professor Dharma Arunachalam
Veronica Sheen "The implications of precarious employment for individuals and society" Prof. Carla Lipsig-Mumme/Prof. Jim Walter
Kumuda Simpson-Gray "US-Iran relations: The consequences of American foreign policy in the Middle East" Assoc. Prof. Shahram Akbarzadeh/Dr Ben McQueen
Debra Smith "Terrorism as a process: The struggle between emotionality and rationality in understanding contemporary terrorist behaviour" Prof. Jim Walter/Dr Michael Janover
David Tittensor "The Gulen Movement in Central Asia: The Case of Uzbekistan" Prof. Greg Barton/Dr Pete Lentini
Cedomir Vignjevic "The relationship of Serbia and Montenegro between 1992-2002" Dr Pete Lentini/Dr Dennis Woodward
Ben Whiteley "Diversity, conflict and interpretation: Questioning value pluralism" Dr Michael Janover/Dr Paul Muldoon
Rachel Woodlock "Hopes and aspirations of Australian Muslim women" Assoc. Prof. Shahram Akbarzadeh/Prof. Gary Bouma
Mokhammad Yahya "Exploring Islamic revivalism from local to global Islamic state: A sociological study of Indonesian political Islam in the reformation era" Prof. Greg Barton/Dr Julian Millie
Sylvia Yazid "The roles of Indonesian NGOs in promoting the rights of women migrant workers" Assoc. Prof. Susan Blackburn/Dr Penny Graham
Master of Arts (Research)
Student Topic Supervisor/s
Dilara Akguner "The source of conflict, conflict resolution techniques and peace with specific focus on Turkey and the Rom-Orthodox and Jewish religious minority groups" Prof. Greg Barton/Dr Pete Lentini
Waleed Aly "Ideological ancestors: Modern Muslim radicalism and the Islamic history of militant heterodoxy" Dr Pete Lentini/Assoc Prof. David Wright-Neville
John Cooney "Is killing the sine non qua of terrorism?" Dr Pete Lentini/Dr Matt Tomlinson
Melanie Larcombe "The international response to nuclear, biological and chemical terrorism: The case of UN Resolution 1540" Dr Andy Butfoy/Dr Terry MacDonald
Judy Maddigan "The uses and abuses of privilege in the Victorian Parliament 1856-2006" Prof. Jim Walter/Dr Paul Strangio
Leigh-Anne Newall "Confronting Chechnya: Comparing Yeltsin and Putin" Dr Pete Lentini/Dr Dennis Woodward
Tim Stoney "The rise of Jemaah Islamyiah in Southeast Asia" Dr Pete Lentini/Dr Remy Davison
Completions
Student Topic Supervisor/s
Damon Alexander (PhD) 2006 "Pauline Hanson's One Nation and the far right tradition in Australia" Assoc. Prof. Brian Costar
Armig Arslanian (MA) 2005 "Obstacles to peace: Israel, the Palestinians and the roadmap to peace" Dr Pete Lentini/Dr Shahram Akbarzadeh
Caner Bakir (PhD) 2003 "The politics of banking policy in Australia: The Wallis Inquiry, the Australian Prudential Authority and the Four Pillars Policy" Dr Dennis Woodward/Dr Graeme Hodge and Prof. Michael Skully
Emma Baulch (PhD) 2003 "Making scenes: Reggae, punk and death metal in 1990s Bali" Dr Pete Lentini
Kylie Baxter (PhD) 2007 "Al Muhajiroun: Testing the limits of Islamism in the West" Assoc. Prof. Shahram Akbarzadeh/Dr Andy Butfoy [under examination]
Marko Beljac (MA) 2001 "US nuclear deterrence and international security: Extended deterrence, escalation dominance and world order" Dr Andy Butfoy
Alex Caples (PhD) 2006 "Habitus, globalisation and the shaping of Australian foreign policy" Dr Pete Lentini/Dr David Wright-Neville
Eshani Chakraborty 2007 "Reinterpreting resistance: Women in the Chittagong Hill Tracts Struggle, Bangladesh" Assoc. Prof. Susan Blackburn/Dr Liz Reed
Benoit Cottenceau (MA) 2001 "'La Bombe' in New Zealand's backyard" Dr Hyam Gold
Ambrose Crowe (PhD) 2004 "War and conflict: The Australian Vietnam Veterans Association" Prof. Brian Costar
Santo Darmosumarto (PhD) 2005 "Chinese foreign policy towards Southeast Asia in the post-Tiananmen period 1989-1995" Dr Dennis Woodward
Sue Downie (PhD) 2004 "Peace-keeping, peace-building and development: Lessons from Cambodia and East Timor" Dr Andy Butfoy
Edward Eastwood (MA) 2003 "The Dilemma of the mid-sized superpower ally: Australia-Taiwan relations" Dr Dennis Woodward
Tzvi Fleischer (PhD) 2006 "Great power cooperative management of regional conflict: A new theoretical approach" Dr Andy Butfoy/Dr Richard Devetak
Rebecca Foley (PhD) 2002 "The challenge of contemporary Muslim women activists in Malaysia" Dr Sue Blackburn
Tabitha Frith (PhD) 2001 "Reflexive Islam: The rationalisation and re-enchantment of religious identity in Malaysia" Dr Paul James
Damian Grenfell (PhD) 2002 "The state and protest in contemporary Australia: From Vietnam to S11" Dr Paul James
David Glanz (PhD) 2001 "Confusion grows from the barrel of a gun: The Communist Party of the Philippines" Dr Paul James/Dr Sue Blackburn
Alistair Harkness (PhD) 2005 "Governing in a bicameral system: Victoria 1982-1992" Assoc. Prof. Brian Costar
Joe Ilardi "From the IRA to al Qu'eda: Intelligence as a measure of rational action in terrorist operations" Dr Pete Lentini/Assoc. Prof. David Wright-Neville [under examination]
Monsak Jangariyawong (PhD) 2003 "Thailand in Southeast Asia: A study of foreign policy, 1945-1991" Prof. David Goldsworthy
Lech Keller (PhD) 2002 "Visions of the future in the writings of Stanislaw Lem" Dr Paul James
Ganemy Kunoo 2004 "The Karen's struggles in Burma: A Karen perspective" Dr Dennis Woodward
Charles Kwong (PhD) 2004 "The political economy of China's rural industrialisation: An institutional perspective" Dr Dennis Woodward/Dr Pak Lee
Jay Lacharite (PhD) 2005 "Facing new challenges: A comparative study on the impact of population aging and technological change on Australia's and Canada's tax bases, social policies and regulatory future" Dr Dennis Woodward
Archie Law (MA) 2001 "The UN regional organisations and preventative action: Lessons learned from Rwanda and Macedonia" Dr Andy Butfoy
Chris Lewis (PhD) 2006 "The Howard Government (1996-1998): The extent to which non-government factors influenced the coalition's economic, social and environmental policy mix" Assoc. Prof. Brian Costar/Prof. Jim Walter
Liz Martyn (PhD) 2001 "Gender and nation in a New Democracy: Indonesian women's organisations in the 1950s" Dr Susan Blackburn
Kevin McGowan (MA) 2000 "The American quest for global non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction: Why the US will fail" Dr Andy Butfoy
Erin McKenna (MA) 2001 "Americanist anti-statism: Understanding America's relent to turn to the Right" Dr Ray Nichols
Colin McNaughton (PhD) 2006 "The living of the real: Hegelian Marxism and the re-inventing of the emancipatory imagination" Dr Michael Janover/Prof. Andrew Milner
John McSwiney (PhD) 2005 "A platform worth fighting for: A study of Federal Labor governments and their success in pursuing and implementing the Federal platform from 1901-1949" Dr Dennis Woodward
Toni Morton (MA) 2002 "Political participation and re-enchanting being" Dr Michael Janover
George Myconos (PhD) 2004 "The globalisation(s) of organized labour: 1860-2003" Prof. Paul James/Dr Richard Devetak
Andrew Newman (PhD) 2001 "The United States Congress and the co-operative threat-reduction program, from August 1991 to December 1996" Dr Andy Butfoy
Ela Ogru (MA) 2007 "Turkish nation-building and the development of Kurdish nationalism: Marginalisation and integration of identity and politics" Assoc. Prof. Shahram Akbarzadeh/Dr Michael Janover
David O'Reilly (PhD) 2005 "Heirs of eternal liberalism: The third way from Australia to Britain" Dr Nick Economou/Prof. Carl Bridge
Alex Owen (PhD) 2001 "Victorian Government economic policies and strategies: Responsibility and accountability 1982-1992" Assoc. Prof. Brian Costar
Nella Pasqua (PhD) 2001 "Ethnicity, intermarriage and national membership" Prof. Alastair Davidson
Brook Quinn (MA) 2002 "aster, higher, stronger? Disability sport, the Paralympic Games and the politics of disability" Dr Pete Lentini
Navin Prabu Rajagobal (PhD) 2004 "A legacy of history: Malaysia-Singapore relations (1963-2000)" Dr Paul James/Dr Andy Butfoy
Melinda Rankin (MA) 2004 "Crisis in Southeast Asian transformation: From financial 'miracle' to sovereign risk" Dr David Wright-Neville
Leanne Reinke (PhD) 2001 "Community, communication and contradiction" Dr Paul James
Dan Ross (PhD) 2002 "Heidegger and the question of the political" Dr Michael Janover
Lynn Savery (PhD) 2004 "International norms of sexual non-discrimination and changing state practices: A comparative study of Germany, Spain, Japan, and India" Dr Chris Reus-Smit
Christopher Scanlon (PhD) 2004 "The network community: Governance, ideology and the third way in Politics" Dr Dennis Woodward/Prof. Paul James
Henry Scheyvens (PhD) 2002 "Evaluating Aid: The developmental impact of Japan's official development assistance" Dr Sue Blackburn/Prof. David Goldsworthy
Judith Shaw (PhD) 2002 "No magic bullet: Mircoenterprise credit and income poverty in Sri Lanka" Prof. David Goldsworthy
Steven Slaughter (PhD) 2002 "Public power in a global age: A critical analysis of liberal governance" Dr Andy Butfoy/Dr Robyn Eckersley
Timothy Sonnreich (MA) 2007 "Unconventional thinking: The 'defence of Australia' doctrine in a time of terror" Assoc. Prof. David Wright-Neville
Judith Starcevich (PhD) 2005 "The political economy of new growth industries: Information technology and telecommunications in Australian industry policy 1983-1998" Dr Dennis Woodward
Siti Syamsiyantun (PhD) 2006 "Serving young Islamic Indonesian women: The development of gender discourse in Nasyiatul Aisyiyah 1965-2005" Assoc. Prof. Susan Blackburn/Dr Anita Harris
Darshan Vigneswaran (PhD) 2006 "Citizenship and territoriality: A historical examination of attempts to detach citizenship from territorial political structures" Dr Andy Butfoy/Dr Chris Reus-Smit
Anthony Walsh (MA) 2001 "Aiding defence: The nexus between Australia's Aid and defence policies" Dr Andy Butfoy
Lucas Walsh (PhD) 2002 "For those who can climb? A critique of the instrumental rationalisation of mass education and its relationship to democratic citizenship" Dr Paul James
Baiq Lekar Wardhani (PhD) 2006 "Diplomacy and ethnosecesssionism in post-Suharto Indonesia" Dr Dennis Woodward/Dr David Wright-Neville
Kerry Wardlaw (PhD) 2002 "Limits to technological transcendence: Sexual difference, embodiment and the new technologies" Dr Paul James
Michele Willson (PhD) 2002 "Technically together: The implications of using communications technologies for our understandings and experiences of community" Dr Paul James/Dr Michael Janover

Politics Home