A major study examining the health and future capacity of the Australian humanities and social science disciplines will be led by a University of Queensland expert.
Emeritus Professor Graeme Turner from The University of Queensland’s Centre for Critical and Cultural Studies is leading the study, commissioned by the Federal Government.
The assessment will follow the recent Health of Australian Science report which outlined strengths and challenges across the science disciplines.
Professor Turner said the study would provide similar information about the humanities and social science sector of Australia’s research and education system.
“It is important that the nation knows our current capabilities in these disciplines at a time when it is widely recognised that the big research issues need input from the humanities and social sciences as well as the science,” Professor Turner said.
“Without that knowledge it simply not possible to plan effectively for the future.
“The information this crucial study provides will be of immeasurable usefulness to the disciplines concerned and to the sector as a whole.”
The mapping project will provide an empirical base for decision-making by policy-makers, institutions and the research community.
UQ Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Deborah Terry, who is President of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia, said humanities and social sciences are key disciplines underpinning Australia’s innovation system.
“Humanities and social sciences graduates contribute a significant component of Australia’s workforce, with both generic and specialist skills that underpin not only national wellbeing and productivity, but are also essential if we are to deal effectively with the major challenges that will confront us all in coming years,” Professor Terry said.
The project is a joint initiative between The Australian Academy of the Humanities, The Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia, the Office of the Chief Scientist and the Department of Industry, Innovation, Climate Change, Science, Research and Tertiary Education.
The final report will be delivered in June 2014.
Media: Professor Graeme Turner, Graeme.turner@uq.edu.au or 0401 991 822.
Emeritus Professor Graeme Turner is the founding Director of the Centre for Critical and Cultural Studies (2000-2012), and one of the leading figures in cultural and media studies in Australia and internationally. His research has covered a wide range of forms and media – literature, film, television, radio, new media, journalism, and popular culture. He has published 23 books with national and international academic presses. A past president of the Australian Academy of the Humanities (2004-2007), an ARC Federation Fellow (2006-2011) and Convenor of the ARC-funded Cultural Research Network (2006-2010), Graeme Turner has had considerable engagement with federal research and higher education policy. He is only the second humanities scholar to serve on the Prime Minister’s Science, Engineering and Innovation Council.
