Professional development can reveal the excitement of teeth extraction. It can take time when there are so many other responsibilities for PhD students. In this tough year, when time is so precious and connection between us all is so important, the Office of Graduate Research has offered a new mode of professional development.
Smash cut involves students listening to a 10-minute podcast and gathering for a 30-minute conversation over a cup of coffee. It is relaxed, inter-disciplinary, kind and collaborative.
Students from diverse colleges, ages and methodologies come together to discuss provocative topics including ‘Being an intellectual,’ ‘Oral History,’ ‘Mobility’ and ‘Multimodality.’
In a time of isolation and fear for the future, it is important to remember why ideas matter and a community of scholars can join, think, talk and transform.
‘It looks a lot like the Brady bunch as COVID-19 continues to roll through our lives. Tara Brabazon -Professor of Cultural Studies and Dean of the Office of Graduate Research – stuns us with her intellectualism and wit in the podcasts and goes where students have never gone before. A recent example is ‘mobility studies’. No. I have never heard of this until this podcast – the series is an innovation on the flipped lecture concept. In a flipped lecture the ‘expert-teacher’ prepares the content in advance. The student has time to digest and research prior to the discussion. The smash cut is born and develops. The talent this week was a PhD student from Sheffield England, Liam Wrigley. His work for impoverished students is profound. The Englishman shows great passion for social change. We swap twitter handles and email addresses with him in the chat box on a cloud link. What a way to grow and develop from the comfort of your home and make international connections. And the regular attendees become network connections that create community and sustain us through the worst and best of times in the PhD – as we drill deep to find the best in ourselves. Cannot wait for the next one – join us!’ – Maive Collett
Our last session for the year is on Thursday 10th Dec at 10am with the topic of Multimodality.
Listen to the following podcast before the session and then join us for a ‘Smash Cut’ conversation – https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/tarabrabazon/Smash_Cut_-_Multimodality.mp3
Please register through Inspire, alternatively email hdr.development@flinders.edu.au if you have any questions.