Australian Studies Institute: Interdisciplinary Virtual Symposium

Thursday 22 October 2020

9.00am - 5.00pm AEDT

Covid-19 has upended daily life with nations struggling to stop the spread of this deadly virus. The closure of factories, offices, cafes, schools, theatres, sportsgrounds and stores has thrown millions out of work and economies into a tailspin. With no effective treatment identified and a vaccine months or years away – if ever – governments grapple with conflicting priorities and concerns. There are no easy answers and the threat looms of a deep and long-lasting recession.

The virus has changed so much – how we work, play, relate to one another, celebrate milestones, and mourn our dead. It has changed the basic rhythms and routines of life in 2020 and beyond. The virus has reconfigured so many things but has it changed everything? What about existing social divisions and inequalities? Where will the costs and burdens of covid-19 fall now and into the longer term? Will the virus affect other major issues, such as climate change? Will it alter the trajectory of global trends, such as the rise of populism and the alt-right, the retreat from globalisation, or the rise of China? Will we perceive the role and trustworthiness of scientists, politicians, doctors, social media, traditional media, unions and corporations differently? Will there be a travel and tourism industry? Which changes will endure? Which practises will revert to their pre-covid-19 status quo? In short, what does a post-covid-19 future look like?

Please register to join us for the following faciliated panel discussions:

For more information, please download our Symposium Program, below.

Session 1: 9.00 - 9.50am

Preparing for an uncertain future: Research, policy and practice

Professor Barry Bozeman, Arizona State University

Professor Sally Davenport, Victoria University of Wellington & Professor Shirley Leitch, Australian Studies Institute, ANU

Dr Robert Heath, University of Houston, Texas

A/Prof Anneke Blackburn, John Curtin School of Medical Research, ANU; A/Prof Alice Motion, School of Chemistry, University of Sydney, NSW; A/Prof Nikola Bowden, Centre for Drug Repurposing and Medicines Research, University of Newcastle, Hunter Medical Research Institute, NSW; A/Prof Tom Chen, Canberra Business School, Faculty of Business, Government and Law, University of Canberra, ACT & Prof Jennifer Martin, Centre for Drug Repurposing and Medicines Research, University of Newcastle, Hunter Medical Research Institute, NSW

Session 2: 9.55 - 10.30am

Gender in a pandemic

Trish Bergin, Dr Pia Rowe & Professor Kim Rubenstein, 50/50 by 2030 Foundation, University of Canberra

Ms Heidi Lipson, Cooking Circles & Podcast Host

Ms Chay Brown, Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research, ANU

Session 3: 10.45 - 11.35am

Australian politics and democracy

Professor Sally Wheeler OBE, ANU College of Law

Dr Lindy Edwards, Humanities and Social Sciences, University of New South Wales

Mr Nick Falcinella, Politics & International Relations, The University of Adelaide

Professor Mark Kenny, Australian Studies Institute

Session 4: 11.40am-12.30pm

Well-being in a pandemic

Ms Victoria Silton, The University of Melbourne

Mr Nathan Wiltshire, College of Arts & Social Sciences, ANU

Professor Simone Dennis, College of Arts & Social Sciences, ANU & Dr Deane Fergie, LocuSAR

Session 5: 1.00 - 2.00pm

Education and online learning in a pandemic

Ms Samantha Waugh, Dr James Devin & Dr Vinod Gopalan, School of Medicine, Griffith University

Dr. Anna Efstathiadou & Dr Suja Pillai, University of Queensland

Dr Ying Zhu, Adelaide Bio-Tech Development (Hengqin) Ltd

Mr Tom Worthington, Research School of Computer Science, ANU

Dr Alice Garner, Centre for Vocational and Educational Policy, University of Melbourne; Professor Anthony Forsyth, Graduate School of Business and Law, RMIT; Dr Mary Leahy, Centre for Vocational and Educational Policy, Melbourne Graduate School of Education & Ms Renee Burns, University of Melbourne Law School

Session 6: 2.05 - 3.05pm

Society, Culture and Media

Dr Chris Hay, University of Queensland & Dr Jess Carniel, University of Southern Queensland

Ms Xinyuan Xu, Centre for Digital Humanities Research, ANU

Dr Cameron Gordon, Research School of Management, ANU

Dr Meg Foster, Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Cambridge

Dr Rebecca Hendershott, ANU

Session 7: 3.20 - 4.10pm

Public policy and decision making

Professor Peter Whiteford, Crawford School of Public Policy, ANU & Dr Bruce Bradbury, Social Policy Research Centre, UNSW

Mr Alexander Lee, National Security College, ANU

Dr Chris Browne, Colleges of Science; Health and Medicine, ANU

Dr Andrew Burridge, Macquarie University

Closing: 4.10-5.00pm

Sum-up and Closing Drinks

Moderated by Professor Paul Pickering, Director, Australian Studies Institute

Group Discussion

For more information, please download our Symposium Program, below.