Research in Focus

Whether it’s Aussie rules, soccer, rugby league or union, Australians love their football. Each of these codes has its own loyal fans and traditions, and different representations in the media. Nasya Bahfen, is a senior lecturer in the Department of Media and Communication at La Trobe University, whose research focuses on sports journalism in Australia. In this episode of Research in Focus, Nasya chats with Lauren Gawne about how the media represent different sporting codes. For more on Nasya’s research: https://scholars.latrobe.edu.au/display/nybahfen Research in Focus is a La Trobe University podcast, produced by Lawrie Zion and Lauren Gawne. Support for this podcast comes from La Trobe University’s Transforming Human Societies Research Focus Area. This podcast is edited by Max Robins and hosted by Upstart. Music is Bright Future by Silent Partner. Recorded November 26th, 2018.

We don’t often think about the gestures that we use when we talk, although you might after listening to this episode. Gestures are a part of language, and like many other areas of language, linguistics provides a way to better understand them, and ourselves. Lauren Gawne is a David Myers Research Fellow in Linguistics, whose research focuses on grammar and gesture in Tibeto-Burman languages. In this episode of Research in Focus, Lauren chats to Lawrie Zion about why we gesture, the need to study a diverse range of languages, and the importance of communicating research. For more on Lauren’s research: https://scholars.latrobe.edu.au/display/l2gawne Research in Focus is a La Trobe University podcast, produced by Lawrie Zion and Lauren Gawne. Support for this podcast comes from La Trobe University’s Transforming Human Societies Research Focus Area. This podcast is edited by Margaret Purdam and hosted by Upstart. Music is Bright Future by Silent Partner. Recorded November 27th, 2018.

Education is Australia’s third largest export, worth around 28 billion dollars to the economy, behind iron and coal. But what are the desires and aspirations of those who choose to study in another country? Jasvir Nachatar Singh, is a Lecturer in the Department of Management, Sport and Tourism, whose research focuses on the experiences of international postgraduate students, particularly in Malaysia. In this episode of Research in Focus, Jasvir talks to Lauren Gawne about the changing experiences and expectations of international students. For more on Jasvir’s research: https://scholars.latrobe.edu.au/display/jnachatarsin Research in Focus is a La Trobe University podcast, produced by Lawrie Zion and Lauren Gawne. Support for this podcast comes from La Trobe University’s Transforming Human Societies Research Focus Area. This podcast is edited by Max Robins and hosted by Upstart. Music is Bright Future by Silent Partner. Recorded November 20th, 2018.

Some Australians take radical steps to reconcile their sexuality or sexual identity with their religious beliefs. But what are the impacts of purported conversion therapies on individuals and communities? Timothy Jones is a Senior Lecturer in History at La Trobe University, whose research focuses on gender, sexuality and religion. In this episode of Research in Focus, Tim chats with Lauren Gawne about a recently launched report on LGBT conversion therapy in Australia. For more on Tim’s research: https://scholars.latrobe.edu.au/display/twjones Research in Focus is a La Trobe University podcast, produced by Lawrie Zion and Lauren Gawne. Support for this podcast comes from La Trobe University’s Transforming Human Societies Research Focus Area. This podcast is edited by Margaret Purdam and hosted by Upstart. Music is Bright Future by Silent Partner. Recorded December 4th, 2018.

The Himalayan mountain range sits on the border between India and China, the world’s two most populated nations, and also travels through Pakistan, Nepal and Bhutan. These mountains are a key geopolitical and environmental landscape with implications for the wider Asian area. Ruth Gamble is a David Myers Research Fellow in the Department of Archaeology and History at La Trobe University, whose research focuses on the environmental history of the Tibetan plateau. In this episode of Research in Focus, Ruth chats to Lawrie Zion about the tense relations along the China/India border, and the implications for the environment in the rest of the region, and Australia. For more on Ruth’s research: https://scholars.latrobe.edu.au/display/rgamble Research in Focus is a La Trobe University podcast, produced by Lawrie Zion and Lauren Gawne. Support for this podcast comes from La Trobe University’s Transforming Human Societies Research Focus Area. This podcast is edited by Margaret Purdam and hosted by Upstart. Music is Bright Future by Silent Partner. Recorded November 27th, 2018.

We might think of social media as a way of staying in touch with friends and family, and sharing pictures of our pets, but it also has an important role in providing new pathways to political and social activism. Monika Winarnita is a Research Officer in the ARC Discovery and Linkage New Beats project, whose research focuses on online media and digital activism in Indonesia. In this episode of Research in Focus, Monika chats with Lauren Gawne about how women are using social media to advance their political agenda in the leadup to the 2019 Indonesian elections. For more on Monika’s research: https://scholars.latrobe.edu.au/display/mwinarnita Research in Focus is a La Trobe University podcast, produced by Lawrie Zion and Lauren Gawne. Support for this podcast comes from La Trobe University’s Transforming Human Societies Research Focus Area. This podcast is edited by Margaret Purdam and hosted by Upstart. Music is Bright Future by Silent Partner. Recorded November 27th, 2018.

Most of what we learn in Australian history is about major events that shape the Australian culture, but new focus on the economic history of Australia is revealing a rich and often untold story. Anne Rees is a David Myers Research Fellow in History at La Trobe University, whose research focuses on the social and economic history of Australia. In this episode of Research in Focus, Anne talks to Lauren Gawne about the sometimes radical history of economics as a field of study in Australia. For more on Anne's research: https://scholars.latrobe.edu.au/display/arees Research in Focus is a La Trobe University podcast, produced by Lawrie Zion and Lauren Gawne. Support for this podcast comes from La Trobe University’s Transforming Human Societies Research Focus Area. This podcast is edited by Margaret Purdam and hosted by Upstart. Music is Bright Future by Silent Partner. Recorded December 4th, 2018.

Journalism has undergone a major shift in the last couple of decades, with a shrinking number of full-time journalists and a diversifying digital media landscape. Lawrie Zion is Professor of Journalism and Director of the Transforming Human Society Research Focus Area at La Trobe University. He leads the ARC-funded New Beats project which is examining journalism job loss in the era of digital disruption. In this episode of Research in Focus, Lawrie chats with Lauren Gawne about the New Beats project and how journalists are coping with career change. For more on Lawrie’s research: https://scholars.latrobe.edu.au/display/lzion Research in Focus is a La Trobe University podcast, produced by Lawrie Zion and Lauren Gawne. Support for this podcast comes from La Trobe University’s Transforming Human Societies Research Focus Area. This podcast is edited by Max Robins and hosted by Upstart. Music is Bright Future by Silent Partner. Recorded November 27th, 2018.

There is growing awareness of the need to tackle climate change, and one policy initiative has been to offset or reduce greenhouse gas emissions through the maintenance and growth of forests that would otherwise be destroyed. Julia Dehm is a Lecturer in Law at La Trobe whose research focuses on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation, or REDD initiatives. In this episode of Research in Focus, Julia chats with Lauren Gawne about how this initiative fits within the larger fight against climate change. For more on Julia’s research: https://scholars.latrobe.edu.au/display/jdehm Research in Focus is a La Trobe University podcast, produced by Lawrie Zion and Lauren Gawne. Support for this podcast comes from La Trobe University’s Transforming Human Societies Research Focus Area. This podcast is edited by Max Robins and hosted by Upstart. Music is Bright Future by Silent Partner. Recorded November 5th, 2018.

Australians love a good barbeque, but if you look at what’s on the barbie, very little of the meat comes from indigenous fauna. Jillian Garvey, is an ARC DECRA Fellow in Archeology at La Trobe. Her research focuses on understanding the records of some of the country’s earliest human inhabitants of the central Murray River valley, in northwest Victoria. In this episode of Research in Focus, Jillian chats with Lauren Gawne about Australia’s own paleo diet. For more on Jillian’s research: https://scholars.latrobe.edu.au/display/jmgarvey Research in Focus is a La Trobe University podcast, produced by Lawrie Zion and Lauren Gawne. Support for this podcast comes from La Trobe University’s Transforming Human Societies Research Focus Area. This podcast is edited by Max Robins and hosted by Upstart. Music is Bright Future by Silent Partner. Recorded November 15th, 2018.

Mention “peacekeeping forces” and the first thing that comes to mind is the role they play in conflict resolution, often in dangerous conditions. But there have been serious issues with the way peacekeepers have interacted with the communities they are attempting to protect. Jasmine-Kim Westendorf is a Senior Lecturer in International Relations at La Trobe University, whose research focuses on conflict and peace studies. In this episode of Research in Focus, Jasmin chats with Lawrie Zion about how sometimes peacekeeping forces recreate the problems they are trying to prevent, and discusses her research into the often-undiscussed issue of sexual abuse by peacekeepers. For more on Jasmine’s research: https://scholars.latrobe.edu.au/display/jwestendorf Research in Focus is a La Trobe University podcast, produced by Lawrie Zion and Lauren Gawne. Support for this podcast comes from La Trobe University’s Transforming Human Societies Research Focus Area. This podcast is edited by Max Robins and hosted by Upstart. Music is Bright Future by Silent Partner. Recorded April 27th, 2018.