PhD

PhD forum

ADSRI’s PhD Forum has been created by Dr Iwu Utomo (HDR Convenor) so that HDR students can talk freely and express their concerns about their research and PhD journey. The forum meets regularly, invites academics to present guest lectures and discusses various issues relating to thesis writing. The forum aims to discuss and share information on:

• international and national conferences
• obtaining funding to attend conferences and workshops
• how theses are examined
• competitions for papers and 3 minutes thesis presentations
• building networks and
• addressing problems faced by students.

Students can find doing a PhD a lonely journey and the forum aims to support their journey.

Photo: ADSRI PhD students with Dr Iwu Utomo, HDR Convenor.

PhD Work in Progress Day

The annual PhD Work in Progress Day will be held on Monday 22 September 2014. PhD students will make a short presentation on their PhD research and answer questions from staff and students on their research.

Master of Social Research

Social Research Design

Social Research Design (DEMO8061)  has been taught in ADSRI for 13 years. The course attracts many master students at ANU. This full semester course includes both quantitative and qualitative social research design. The course is taught in an interactive fashion where students are exposed to basic social research theory and understanding, strength and weaknesses of both approaches. A combined method of designing a research project using both quantitative and qualitative methods is also introduced. Learning about current and ongoing research projects in ADSRI is used as examples throughout the course. The course provides opportunities for students to design their own survey questionnaire, conduct observations, in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. In the coming years the course will be divided into two courses: Quantitative Social Research Design and Qualitative Social Research Design.

Photo: Social Research Design students 2014 with lecturer, Dr Iwu Utomo.

Masters of Social Research (Advanced)

Two Masters of Social Research (Advanced) students presented research from their research projects at a seminar held on Thursday 5 June. Their topics were:

• Olanike Babalola 'How common is it for separated parents to describe their relationship with their former partner in complex ways, and is this related to demographic characteristics?'
• Nathasha Kugenthiran 'Marital Breakdown in those aged 45+ in Australia: A Life Course Perspective'.