Ten new scholarships in humanities are available from the recently launched University of Queensland Endowment Fund (UQef). The scholarships, totalling $500,000 will support research in cultural history, new media studies, peace studies and conflict resolution and social aspects of natural resource management and sustainability.

Six honours scholarships and four PhD scholarships are available. Applicants should read the UQef Scholarship Guidelines before applying. The scholarship themes and their research leaders are listed below:

• Theme 1: Cultural History
  Cultural history recognises that often seemingly minor changes in ordinary life such as medical discoveries, scientific inventions, or new forms of media, entertainment and communication, can have greater social consequences than traditional subjects of history such as war and political systems. Cultural history uses many of the established methods of historical studies such as careful documentation and recognition of wider contexts, but also draws on a range of sources that have not always had a place in historical studies, from the legal and the medical to popular media. Instead of simply pursuing the history of ideas through a study of eminent texts, it then becomes possible to consider the dissemination of new ways of thinking and talking.
  
  Theme Leaders
  Professor Peter Cryle is a Professor of French and Director of the Centre for the History of European Discourses.
  Associate Professor Chris Dixon is coordinator of the Cultural History Project
  

• Theme 2: New media studies
  Australian work within the broad fields of critical and cultural studies is at the cutting edge of contemporary humanities research internationally. Research in the ‘new humanities’ such as literary and critical theory, film and media studies, and cultural studies, has played a crucial role in extending our capacity to understand our social, political and cultural environments.
  
  Theme Leaders
  Professor Graeme Turner is an Australian Research Council Federation Fellow, Professor of Cultural Studies and Director of The Centre for Critical and Cultural Studies.
  Associate Professor Frances Bonner is an Associate Professor in the School of English, Media Studies and Art History.
  

• Theme 3: Peace studies and conflict resolution
  Research programs focus on the causes of conflict at local, national and international levels; non violent modes of conflict transformation; development and peacebuilding; the state and violence; alternative dispute resolution and mediation; regional and global trends in mediation and justice and reconciliation. These different themes are explored primarily in relation to Australia and the Island countries of the Pacific and South East Asia.
  
  Theme Leaders
  Professor Kevin Clements FRSA is the Professor of Peace and Conflict Studies and foundation Director of the Australian Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies. Professor Alexander Bellamy is Lecturer in Peace and Conflict Studies.
  

• Theme 4: Social aspects of natural resource management and sustainability
  Research projects may explore human dimensions of environmental change and sustainability across fields as diverse as political science, economics, sociology, social policy, anthropology, geography and energy.
  
  Theme Leaders
  Professor Geoffrey Lawrence is a Professor of Sociology and Head of the School of Social Science.
  Professor Brian Head is a Professorial Research Fellow with the Institute for Social Science Research.
  
  Further Contacts and Resources:
  
  Professor Mark Western is the Acting Director of the Institute for Social Science Research.
  Professor Zlatko Skrbis is a Professor in the School of Social Science and Co-associate Dean (Research), and Research Higher Degree Studies Director in the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences.
  Dr Sarah Ferber is a senior lecturer in the School of History, Philosophy, Religion and Classics and is Research Higher Degree Studies Director in the Faculty of Arts. 

Value: The scholarships on offer are of significant value:
               • 4 PhD scholarships valued at $25,000 stipend each year plus a one-off travel grant of 5,000;
               • 6 Honours scholarships each valued at $10,000 for one year plus a one-off $2,000 travel grant

For information on the six honours scholarships please refer to the Undergraduate Scholarships and Prizes website: www.uq.edu.au/study/scholarships/index.html?page=58697

Application closing date: Friday 24 October 2008

For information on applying for admission to the PhD program please refer to the UQ Graduate School.