School of Culture and Communication - Graduate Student Association
Research Student Reference Group
University of Melbourne Postgraduate Association
About Dis/course
Dis/course, the School of Culture and Communication Graduate Student Association, is an independently run collective which provides fair and equitable representation for all graduate students within the school. Formerly known as the School of Culture and Communication Postgraduate Association (SCCPA), Dis/course receives funding from both the University of Melbourne Graduate student Association (UMPA) and from the school itself. From this support, Dis/course works to build a spirit of collegiality among graduate students and address concerns facing both research and coursework students. These include running a variety of social events; acting as the graduate student voice in the formation of policy within both the school and the university; running a weekly seminar series that provides graduate students an opportunity to present their work to peers in a safe and friendly environment; and directing the students’ questions and concerns to appropriate channels and forums in an attempt to improve their academic and social experiences.
Dis/course automatically offers free membership to every graduate student from any discipline within the school including the following: Art History, Australian Indigenous Studies, Creative Arts, Creative Writing, Cultural Management, Cultural Studies, English, Media and Communications, Publishing and Communications, Screen (Cinema) Studies, and Theatre Studies. All graduate students are welcome and encouraged to attend meetings, raise issues regarding any aspect of candidature, offer suggestions and organise activities. Elections for the association take place at the beginning of each year at the annual general meeting, and all graduate students in the school are strongly encouraged to be involved.
Join the Dis/course:
Dis/course circulates regular emails with information regarding these activities and more. For more information, please contact a Dis/course officer.
Dis/course Executive, Committee, and Representation
Executive Officers
President – Caroline Wallace
Vice-President – Aaron Mannion
Secretary – Jocelyn Hargrave
Treasurer – Joseph Shero
Committee Members
Amy Espeseth
Emily Royal
Rachael Kendrick
Sara Taylor
Committee Representatives
Graduate Studies – Aaron Mannion
Research and Research Training – Aaron Mannion
School Committee – Jocelyn Hargrave and Lynn Thomson
Research Students Reference Group – Amy Espeseth
Dis/course Regular Meetings
Dis/course holds its regular meetings on the second Thursday of each month, 5-6pm, at Animal Orchestra, 163 Grattan Street, Carlton. Depending on weather, the committee meets either outside or inside the venue. All graduate students in the School of Culture and Communication are welcome to attend.
Dis/course Regular Meeting Schedule for Semester 1 and 2, 2008
Location: Animal Orchestra, 163 Grattan Street, Carlton.
Date/Time: Second Thursday of the month, 5-6pm.
Thursday 8 May
Thursday 12 June
Thursday 10 July
Thursday 14 August
Thursday 11 September
Thursday 9 October
Thursday 13November
Thursday 11 December
For additional information, please contact Dis/course President, Caroline Wallace; to submit an agenda item, please contact Disc/course Secretary, Jocelyn Hargrave.
Dis/course Buddy System
The Dis/course Buddy System is an orientation initiative that introduces new graduate students to current students working with the same supervisor or within a similar field. Run by the Research Administrator in conjunction with Dis/course, the aim is to welcome new graduate students to the school, the university and—in some cases—the city or country!
If you would like to be involved, either to be welcomed or as a welcomer, please email the Research Administrator or download this pdf.
Graduate students who have may have missed orientation, started mid-semester or would like to get to know the school better are also invited to download the Buddy System pdf, find an appropriate buddy and make contact themselves.
Project Officer: Aaron Mannion. Please contact Aaron for further details.
Dis/course Skills Bank
Project Officer: Aaron Mannion
Please contact Aaron for further details.
In 2007, Dis/course implemented an online Skills Bank. The Skills Bank is a means of connecting graduate students experiencing difficulties with academic issues with those who can help. As every graduate student has many skills to offer, the potential of this project is enormous. All School of Culture and Communication graduate students are welcome to suggest, provide, and access information and skills. Skills Bank aims to be a site that can provide solutions to common graduate student obstacles whilst encouraging an interactive community. For more information regarding the Dis/course Skills Bank, download this pdf.
Dis/Course Graduate Workshops
Project officer: Caroline Wallace
Please contact Caroline for further details or to offer a paper for the program.
Dis/course runs a series of seminar workshops, designed to be a forum for presenting papers and workshopping research with other graduate students.
Not only an opportunity for graduate students to present their work, but also a way to raise awareness of the research being undertaken across the school and assist in creating a research community. Each seminar will have three 15 minute papers from different disciplines, in an informal environment with drinks and nibbles, on a Friday afternoon once a month.
October 10:
Emmett Stinson
'Simian Symbology in Wyndham Lewis¹s The Apes of God'
Caroline Wallace
'The Dissapearance of the Domestic in the Art Museum'
Jay Daniel Thompson
'Neoconservative Attacks on Humanities Research and the "Howard Years"'
November 7:
TBA
Dis/course - Other Concerns or Opportunities
Dis/course, the School of Culture and Communication Graduate Student Association, organises events for graduate students in the school as well as providing representation on university and school committees. We aim to foster a collegial experience for all graduate students in the school by hosting seminars, supporting other school groups and consortia, and by providing graduate students with a chance to socialise in various settings.
If you have questions or concerns about your studies or academic processes at the University of Melbourne, we are happy to offer advice where possible, direct you to appropriate people when necessary, and represent your views to the university through our representative positions on committees. If you have an idea for an academic, social or combined event, feel free to contact us so we can help you get it off the ground.
Dis/course - UMPA Affiliation
Dis/course is proud to be affiliated with the University of Melbourne Postgraduate Association (UMPA), the representative body for graduate students at the University of Melbourne. UMPA is your voice on committees and a great provider of community and social activities for the more than 13,000 graduate students at this university. If you want to stay connected and know what's going on, read your copy of Postgraduate Review, sent to every graduate student twice annually, or subscribe to UMPA news, the weekly e-bulletin.
UMPA also provides the only independent advocates on campus specifically for graduate students, so if you run into any trouble in your degree, contact UMPA on 8344 8657 or drop by the Graduate Centre. UMPA manages a range of graduate-only study spaces, lockers, computer labs, meeting rooms and carrels in the Graduate Centre as well, available for all of the university's graduate students.
UMPA provides valuable services directly to graduate students:
- Traffic (a refereed interdisciplinary postgraduate journal);
- student advice and advocacy;
- funding for student groups and activities;
- Publishing Centre & Print Room (through the Graduate Centre);
- 24-hour computer labs;
- meeting rooms, study carrels and lockers;
- assistance with thesis writing (Thesis Writing Guide);
- student groups.
Contact details for UMPA can be found on their website.
Research Student Reference Group
The Research Reference Group is the primary avenue for feedback from the research higher degree student body to the Associate Dean (Research and Postgraduate Studies). It is also a means of disseminating information from Faculty to research students in the schools of each of the representatives.
More information on the Faculty of Arts Research Student Reference Group
University of Melbourne Postgraduate Association (UMPA)
The University of Melbourne Postgraduate Association Inc. (UMPA) is the representative body for graduate students at the University of Melbourne.
UMPA is your voice on committees and a great provider of community and social activities for the more than 13 000 graduate students at this university. If you want to stay connected and know what's going on, read your copy of Postgraduate Review, sent to every graduate student twice annually, or subscribe to UMPA news, the weekly e-bulletin.
UMPA also provides the only independent advocates on campus specifically for graduate students, so if you run into any trouble in your degree, give UMPA a call on 8344 8657 or drop by the Graduate Centre for advice. UMPA manages a range of graduate-only study spaces, lockers, computer labs, meeting rooms and carrels in the Grad Centre as well, available for all of the University's graduate students.
It provides valuable services directly to graduate students:
- Traffic (a refereed interdisciplinary postgraduate journal)
- student advice and advocacy
- funding for student groups and activities
- Publishing Centre & Print Room (through the Graduate Centre)
- 24-hour computer labs
- meeting rooms, study carrels and lockers
- assistance with thesis writing (Thesis Writing Guide)
- student groups
Contact details for UMPA can be found on their website at: www.umpa.unimelb.edu.au