Currrent Research in Sociology
Dr Bob Birrell
- Project Title: Effects of Global Movement Upon Health And Wellbeing Migration of Doctors An Australian Case Study - International Movement of Doctors (2003-2004)
- Researcher(s): B. Birrell
- This project mapped the scale of the flows of overseas trained doctors, their country of origin and destination and their impacts on the provision of medical services on both sets of countries.
- Funded By: Monash Institute for the Study of Global Movements
- Project Title:
Career Aspirations of Post-Graduate, Overseas Full Fee
Paying Computing Students at Monash (2003)
- Researcher(s): B. Birrell, and P. Lawrence (Faculty of Information Technology)
- This project aimed to find out more about the career aspirations and immigration intentions of overseas students studying IT courses at Monash University . A questionnaire was administered to around 300 overseas students at Monash and focus group discussions were organised.
- Funded By: Monash Faculty of Arts/Faculty of Information Technology Small Grant (AITSG)
- Project Title:
Housing and the Community in a Compact City (2003-2005)
- Researcher(s): B. Birrell and E. Healy (Centre for Population and Urban Research)
- Funded By: Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute
- Project
Title: Skilled Movement In The New Century:
Outcomes For Australia (2003-2004)
- Researcher(s): B. Birrell, E. Healy, V. Rapson, I. Dobson and T. F. Smith (Centre for Population and Urban Research)
- Funded By: Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs
- Project
Title: Location of University Places and
the Growth of Melbourne (2004)
- Researcher(s): B. Birrell
- Funded By: Department Of Education and Training Victoria
- Project Title:
A Study of International Students - Implications for Australian
Migration Program and Australia 's Higher Education System (2004-2005)
- Researcher(s): B. Birrell
- Funded By: Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs
- Project Title:
Update Skilled Migration in 21st Century (2005)
- Researcher(s): B. Birrell
- Funded By: Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs
- Project Title:
Football Victoria Research Project (2005)
- Researcher(s): B. Birrell
- Funded By: Football Victoria Limited
Professor Gary Bouma
- Project
Title: Managing Religious Diversity, Promoting
Peace, Countering Terror (1997 on going)
- Researcher(s): G. D. Bouma with D. Cahill (RMIT) and H. Dellal (Australian Multicultural Foundation) (associates)
- This research maps the interrelationship between religion and cultural diversity in the context of Australia 's social cohesion especially in the aftermath of Sept 11, 2001 . It also examines the religious bases and consequences of terror.
- Funded By: Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs; Federal Attorney General's Department; Monash Research Fund
- Project Title:
Types of Globalising Religious Organisations (2004-5)
- Researcher(s): G. D. Bouma and W. Smith (Faculty of Business and Economics)
- Religious revitalisation and globalisation combine to spread new and old religious beliefs and practices to every part of the world. What is the role of different forms of religious organisation in this global movement of people and ideas?
- Funded By: Monash Institute for the Study of Global Movements
- Project Title:
Scientology: Purification Rundown as a Religious Ritual
(1998 ongoing)
- Researcher(s): G. D. Bouma and S. Shaw
- This research seeks to describe the Scientology rite of Purification Rundown, locate it in the current understanding of religious behaviour, religious rites and religious organisations.
- Funded By: Church of Scientology
- Project Title: Religious
Diversity in the Work Place (1999 ongoing)
- RESEARCHER(S): G. D. Bouma and W. Smith (Faculty of Business and Economics)
- This research aims to describe and compare ways religious diversity is managed in the work place in Australia .
- Funded By: Monash Institute for the Study of Global Movements, Faculty of Business and Economics
Dr Anita Harris
- Project
Title: Youth civic participation and social
connection in post-industrial society (2005-2007)
- Researcher(s): A. Harris, J. Wyn (University of Melbourne)
- The project investigates young people's definitions and practices of citizenship in three settings in Victoria . It focuses on young people's cultural identity, connection to place and political/social engagement. Three research sites are included: one regional Victorian town centre, one inner-middle suburb of Melbourne and one outer suburb of Melbourne . The project has three phases: Phase 1: A Youth Advisory Group of young people will engage in focus groups to help design a questionnaire on citizenship, connection, engagement and identity. Phase 2: A total of 1000 young people aged 15-17 to fill out questionnaires across the 3 sites; Phase 3: 10 young people from each site will then participate in peer-led focus groups/interviews.
- Funded By: ARC Discovery Grant
- Project
Title: New Forms of Citizenship and Young
Generations (2003- 2005)
- Researcher(s): A. Harris, H. Vinken (Tilburg University, The Netherlands), C. Griffin (Birmingham University, UK ), A. Ittel (Freie Universität Berlin, Germany)
- The project aimed to bring together 15 key youth researchers from Europe , the UK , Australia and the US to participate in a workshop to share research findings from individual projects on youth citizenship and develop a large collaborative grant application to the European Commission.
- Funded By: European Science Foundation
- Project Title:
Young Women and Social Activism in Late Modernity (2000-2004)
- Researcher(s): A. Harris
- The project investigated young women's engagement with feminism in the twenty-first century. It explored the idea of the new girl', analysing how and why young women have become the focus of public attention in recent times and how they respond to this through new forms of political activism and social action.
- Funded By: Faculty of Arts Project Completion Grant;PSI Project Support Grant
Dr Jo Lindsay
- Project
Title: The invisible postmodern family:
Investigating the interface between the private and public worlds
of lesbian families (2002-2004)
- Researcher(s): J. Lindsay with A. Perlesz (LaTrobe University), M. Pitts (LaTrobe University), D. de Vaus (LaTrobe University)& R. McNair (University of Melbourne)
- This study investigated family diversity and post-modern kinship through a study of lesbian parented families. These families are a recent and significant new family type and knowledge about them is crucial for understanding contemporary family life. We examined family structure including how family members define and describe their relationships, their roles and the social supports available to them. We examined the interface between the private lives of lesbian parented families and mainstream public institutions.
- Funded By: ARC Discovery Grant
- Project
Title: Alcohol consumption contexts (2002-2005)
- Researcher(s): J. Lindsay
- The purpose of this research was to examine public alcohol consumption contexts for young people in metropolitan Victoria . In particular, the research examined the ways social class and gender shape these drinking contexts. The research gathered information on social practices and crowd behaviour in venues, and young people's perspectives on their alcohol consumption practices in different settings to identify high-risk contexts as a basis for effective health intervention. The research is having a substantial impact on alcohol policy in Victoria.
- Funded By: VicHealth Research Grant
Dr Kirsten McLean
- Project
Title: Coming Out, Again: A qualitative
study of women who have relinquished a lesbian or bisexual identity
for another sexual identity (2005-2006)
- Researcher(s): K. McLean
- This project explores the lives of women who have changed their sexual identity from lesbian or bisexual to another sexual identity, and the personal and social impacts of this change on themselves and their relationships with partners, family, friends and the lesbian/bisexual communities. To date, very little research has examined the experiences of women who relinquish a lesbian or bisexual identity and the challenges they face when doing so. This project will contribute to existing understandings about the role sexual identities play in individuals' personal and social relationships, as well as enhance understandings about the fluidity and flexibility of sexuality over the lifespan.
- Funded By: Faculty of Arts Small Grant
Dr Andrew Singleton
- Project
Title: Spirit of Generation Y (2003-2006)
- Researcher(s): A. Singleton, R. Webber (Australian Catholic University), M. Mason (Australian Catholic University), P. Hughes (Christian Research Association)
- The Spirit of Generation Y project is a large-scale, industry-sponsored, collaborative study investigating the varieties of spirituality among Australian young people. The project has three year-long phases; the first and third phases comprise lengthy, face-to-face interviews (140 in total), while the second phase is a survey of a large, nationally representative sample.
- Funded By: Industry Partners; PSI Project Support Grant; Faculty of Arts Seeding Grant
- Project Title: Young
Men, Masculinity and Testicular Cancer (2004-2005)
- Researcher(s): A. Singleton
- This study seeks to provide a greater understanding of what young men know about testicular cancer and what they know about ways of assisting early detection.
- Funded By: Faculty of Arts New Appointees Grant
- Project Title:
Whose turn to change the nappies?: Domesticity, Parenting
and Generation X (2005-06)
- Researcher(s): A. Singleton and JM. Maher (Women's Studies)
- This study explores how heterosexual Generation X couples (those born between 1965-1979) negotiate parenting and work in late modernity.
- Funded By: Faculty of Arts Small Grant
- Project
Title: Football, Family and Work/Life Balance
(2005-2006)
- Researcher(s): A. Singleton and JM. Maher (Women's Studies)
- This project seeks to explore the structural and experiential aspects of work/life balance in one AFL club in order to examine what work/life strategies are effective in assisting players, coaching staff and administrative staff to successfully manage the combination of work and family.
- Funded By: AFL Research Fund
- Project
Title: Families, Fertility and the Future:
Hearing the Voices of Australians (2001-4)
- Researcher(s): A. Singleton, M. Dever (Women's Studies), JM. Maher (Women's Studies), J. Curtin (Politics), L. Saugeres (Women's Studies/Sociology), B. Birrell (Centre for Population and Urban Research), V. Rapson (Centre for Population and Urban Research), C. Hourigan (Centre for Population and Urban Research)
- This project aimed to fill a significant gap in our understanding of the current downturn in Australia 's birthrate. The project combined available demographic data with a targeted program of qualitative interviewing (100+ women and men) in order to ascertain the ways in which individuals constructed and utilized their own strategic or practical ideologies to guide fertility decision-making. In this way the research was able to draw out the distinct interpenetration of public and private considerations, demonstrating the manner in which differently situated women negotiated fertility decisions within the constraints and opportunities that were part of their broader macro-societal conditions.
- Funded By: Monash University Research Strengths Support Scheme and Faculty of Arts Project Completion Grant
Assoc Professor Naomi White
About Assoc Professor Naomi White
- Project
Title: Being a Student (2003-2005)
- Researcher(s): N. White
- Undergraduate students' experience of university at a time of changing funding arrangements and priorities was explored and discussed using the lenses provided by psychoanalytic concepts. Students were found to experience university as a distancing and defensive organisation. The two principal elements of this defensive posture were the physical and symbolic distance between students and teachers, as well as a perceived distance between lecturers and their teaching responsibilities. Students' remarks also suggested a deflection of responsibility for learning tasks to teachers. These issues were examined in relation to psychodynamic processes and the broader socio-cultural climate in which tertiary education is embedded.
- Project Title:
Young people's experience of casual employment (2005)
- Researcher(s): N. White
- The project investigates young people's experience as casual employees. It focuses on how they feel they are perceived in the workplace, and potential impacts of these perceptions on their views of work and on their views of themselves as participants in the labour force. This information is particularly pertinent at a time of increasing casualisation of the workforce.
- Project Title:
Travel and the new media in New Zealand (2004-2005)
- Researcher(s): N. White and P. White (La Trobe University)
- This project will examine how travellers in New Zealand use online media and mobile telephony for keeping in contact with family and friends. The study will consider the significance of being connected to home and friends for the travel experience.