Summer Research Program - 2018 Projects

Duration:  8 weeks, 3 December to 8 February (excluding 22 December to 4 January), 20 hours/week

Description:  The Places of Memory research project is bringing together scholars who study memorial and artistic representations of trauma across various cultures to better understand the ways in which suffering is transmitted over time and how witnesses cope with this transmission. The research scholars for Summer 2018-2019 will work with the project leader to provide bibliographic support, formatting, and proofreading of the submitted chapters to an edited volume of essays currently in progress. We expect to submit the volume for publication at the end of the summer. Scholars may also be involved in checking corrected copies of the essays, checking translations if language expertise allows, and writing summaries of research articles in preparation for the next phase of the research project.

Number of participants:  1 or 2

Expected outcomes and deliverables: Scholars will gain skills in summarizing key theoretical insights from research, proofreading, sharpening their citation skills, and learning about the editorial process in academic research. This is an opportunity for scholars to access recent scholarship in trauma and memory studies as well as to work across cultures to see how testimony may function in different contexts. 

This project is open to advanced undergraduate, honours or MA students who have demonstrated research skills or who intend to pursue postgraduate research. We are particularly interested in students with experience in a second or third language and/or culture and an interest in trauma studies. Some of the material examined in this research project may be difficult for students unaccustomed to reading trauma narratives and this should be taken into consideration before applying.

Further info:  Although it is not required, students my contact Dr Amy Hubbell for more details about the nature of this project.

Duration: 10 weeks commencing Monday 17 November 2018 and finishing Friday 25 January, 2019m 20 hours per week.

Description:  This project investigates the ethnolinguistic viatality of Russian in Australia by studying the different immigration waves of Russian speakers to Australia and the key socio-cultural and socio-political factors affecting the maintenance/loss of Russian in the Russian-speaking communities in Australia– both at the individual and community level. One of the goals is to examine whether Russian English bilingualism beyond first generation is sustainable given the immigration trends, educational and other infrastructure, patterns of settlements, linguistic and cultural self-identification and age of onset of bilingualism, among other factors.

Number of participants:  1

Expected outcomes and deliverables:  Scholars will gain a range of skills in secondary research, i.e. work with relevant academic literature as well as government reports, national statistics, policy statements, newspaper articles etc.; preparing annotated bibliographies and assisting in the development and administration of data collection instruments (e.g., surveys or structured interviews) as well as collating and analysing collected data. 

This project is open to applications from 3^rd year students with a background in humanities and/or social science. Background in applied linguistics and proficiency in Russian language beyond intermediate level are desirable but not required.

Further info:  Further details about the project can be obtained via email from Dr Anna Mikhaylova.

Duration:  10 weeks (26 November 2018 – 8 February 2019), 25 hours per week

Description:  During the military New Order regime (1966 – 1998) in Indonesia, high numbers of civilians experienced torture and ill-treatment at the hands of members of the security services and their proxies. Reports of torture were collected and published during this period by a range of Indonesian and international organisations. The purpose of this project is to catalogue, translate and conduct preliminary coding analysis on some of these materials collected from Indonesia and Timor Leste. The data includes personal testimonies, witness statements, NGO reports and other materials. The task will be to translate (where necessary) these materials into English, and then to categorise the information contained therein thematically into an existing database. The database is part of a larger project investigating forms of torture during the New Order.

Given the nature of the materials to be translated and the sensitive information contained therein, successful applicants will work closely with the lead researcher (Pohlman) and will abide by strict ethical considerations, including absolute non-disclosure of data or results.

Number of participants:  2

Expected outcomes and deliverables:  It is anticipated that successful applicants will gain skills in translation and data analysis. In particular, scholars will have the opportunity to conduct hands-on research into a sensitive research area of Indonesian studies.

Must be an advanced speaker of Indonesian and be able to translate written materials into English, with guidance.

Students from an Indonesian or Malay-speaking background, as well as students who have studied to 3rd year or above in Indonesian language, are encouraged to apply.

Tetum speakers are also highly desirable.

Only candidates who agree to abide by the ethical considerations for the handling of data will be considered.

Duration:  8 weeks (19 November 2018 - 25 January 2019), 20 hours per week.

Description:  This is part of a large project on Japanese language teaching in Southeast Asia (ASEAN community), which examines how Japanese language has been taught in terms of historical construct, local language policies and Japan’s immigration policies with particular emphasis on learners’ mobility and employability. Based on some of the findings of the book Japanese Language and Soft Power in Asia (edited by Hashimoto, 2018, Palgrave Macmillan), the large project will examine the major providers of skilled migrants to Japan, which are Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippine, and Indonesia. This project focuses on Vietnam and Thailand.

Prior to the planned field work in Vietnam and Thailand (March-April 2019), the Summer scholars will be conducting preliminary literature review on Japanese language teaching related matters in Vietnam and Thailand as well as collecting primary and secondary materials on the matters through multimedia.

Number of participants:  2

Expected outcomes and deliverables:  The Summer scholars may gain skills in collecting literature (both in Japanese and English), writing short annotated bibliography in English, and finding relevant materials through multimedia. They will be given an opportunity to present their findings at one-day international symposium, which will be held in 2020 at UQ.

This project is open to applications from students with a background in advanced Japanese and familiarity with IT, preferably those who were enrolled in JAPN3205 in Sem1, 2018.

Further info:  Please contact Dr Kayoko Hashimoto by email prior to submitting an application.

Duration:  8 weeks (26 November – 21 December; 14 January – 8 February), 30 hours per week

Description:  The aim of this project is to develop an overview of stories about birds in Japanese and English, specifically traditional stories such as fairy tales, myths, and legends. The broader aim is to then identify “real” knowledge about birds that can be found in these stories.

There are two parts to this project. The first part is open to students with low or no Japanese ability; the second part is for students with advanced Japanese. Students can apply to work on one or both parts of the project.

1. Research into bird stories: the student/s will gather traditional stories about birds and relevant critical texts, building an overview of this topic.
2. Co-translation: The student and supervisor will co-translate a piece of Japanese fiction or literary criticism related to bird stories into English (the student and supervisor will choose the text to be translated together).

Number of participants:  4

Expected outcomes and deliverables:  The student will be expected to:

• Collaborate with other students and advisors on this project
• Research and write a literature review of fiction and criticism on this topic; detailed, progressive feedback will be provided

AND/OR

• Co-translate an entire (short) piece of fiction or criticism

Outcomes for the student who take part in this project are:

• Improvement of their general research skills in the humanities
• Develop the ability to write succinctly and clearly
• Gain knowledge of the field of animal studies (/ethno-ornithology) in Japan and elsewhere
• Gain knowledge of the field of contemporary Japanese popular culture and literary studies

For part 2, students will develop their translation ability and experience and may have the chance to submit the work for publication as a co-translator.

The first part of the project is open to applications from students with a background in literature, film, popular culture, cultural studies, or a student with interests in these fields and a background in conservation or animal studies.

The second part of the project is open to applications from students with advanced skills in Japanese, particularly reading and writing

Further info:  Feel free to contact Dr Lucy Fraser to discuss the project.

Duration:  8 weeks (19 November – 14 December 2018; 2-25 January 2019), 36 hours per week

Description:  This project will form a part of the Centre of Excellence in the Dynamics of Language (CoEDL) evolution program which is developing biological methods for modelling language change. The language data will come from a Peruvian language Shawi. Summer Research scholars will be a part of a team trained in database development. They will search Shawi transcripts for linguistic features and code these features speaker by speaker. Summer Research scholars will work with other scholars building a Gurindji corpus. Summer Research scholars will also be funded (flights, accommodation) to attend the CoEDL Summer School which is being held at the Australian National University (Canberra) from 26-30 November 2018.

Number of participants:  3

Expected outcomes and deliverables:  The Summer Research scholars will gain hands-on experience in using language documentation software common to field linguistics. They will become familiar with linguistic annotation tools and elicitation methodologies. The end result will be a database of Shawi language features which will form the basis of a program developing biological methods for modelling language change.

This project is open to applications from advanced students with a background in Linguistics and an interest in fieldwork, historical linguistics, sociolinguistics and corpus development.

Further info:  Please contact Dr Felicity Meakins if you require more information on this project.

Duration:  8 weeks (19 November – 14 December 2018; 2-25 January 2019), 36 hours per week

Description:  This project will form a part of the Centre of Excellence in the Dynamics of Language (CoEDL) building a corpus of Gurindji recordings for the language community and linguistic research. Gurindji is spoken in the Northern Territory (Australia). Summer Research scholars will be a part of a team trained in corpus development. They will key in transcribed recordings of Gurindji and sound-link the corpus. Summer Research scholars will work with other scholars building a Peruvian database for population genetics research. Summer Research scholars will also be funded (flights, accommodation) to attend the CoEDL Summer School which is being held at the Australian National University (Canberra) from 26-30 November 2018.

Number of participants:  3

Expected outcomes and deliverables:  The Summer Research scholars will gain hands-on experience in using language documentation software common to field linguistics. They will become familiar with linguistic annotation tools and elicitation methodologies. The end result will be a searchable and analysable corpus of Gurindji transcripts which will form the basis of a grammar.

This project is open to applications from advanced students with a background in Linguistics and an interest in fieldwork, Australian languages, and corpus development.

Further info:  Please contact Dr Felicity Meakins if you require more information on this project.