This is a place for graduates to get in touch with each other. When the blackboard unit of study web site ends, students can shift to this one. When I have occasion to contact graduates I will ask them to visit this blog and leave a comment. Open this post and you may find yourself pictured.
I have added class photographs here. I spent far too long scanning the analogue ones and then re-sizing them to fit here. More than two days in all. My hope is that the pictures will generate some interest and comment. I do not always do pictures so some classes will be missing. Some of the pictures are poor quality but I thought interested people can photoshop them better than I can. Double click on the image to open it in a new window.
III Honours Preparation
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
I was on leave this year and did not teach it.
2005
2006
2007
2009
Utopia
1998
1999
2000
2001
Ethics
1999
2000
2004
2005
2006
2009
Leadership
2000
2004
2005
Hi to Michael and 2000 Utopians… great to have a place to get in touch. I hope you’re all well.
One question for the panel – I’ve recently started the search for a post-graduate course and actually attended a few Masters-degree (by coursework) classes across a number of fields to get a feel for them. I found them to be depressingly uninspiring… a far cry from our honours days. Maybe courswork isn’t the way to go. Has anyone undertaken a post-graduate course that they found interesting, well-taught and can recommend?
look forward to hearing from you…
Phil
Hi Michael and any other Power of 2003 students!
I’ve currently relocated to St Andrews in Scotland, just outside of Edinburgh and the home of golf. I’m doing a taught masters in Middle East & Central Asian Security Studies, definitely finding the content from Dr Vromen and the Power units coming into practice.
A couple of Aussies in my IR areas – one doing International Security Studies and another (former USYD!) in my Middle East course.
Och aye
Charles
Michael’s drawn my attention to this site, the photos sure bring back memories! I did the Power course in 1999 and then embarked on a long odyssey of student politics and extra-curricular activities before graduating in law. Have been working as a journo at the Herald but am keen to get back to study, possibly a Masters in Public Policy overseas. Would be interested to hear of ppl’s experiences.
Travelling in the US at the moment. Drop me a line if you’d like to say hi – webalan@lycos.com
Cheers
Alan
Hi Michael & Hons Alumni
Season’s Greetings and all the best for the coming year!
It is nice to have recently touched base with Michael since Syd Uni late 90s early 00s. I trust everyone is seeing theory in practice as we all teach, work, and enjoy the REAL WORLD. It is often enjoyable to SEE power relationships in the workplace and for those of you who have tied the knot–or are living with the better half–in out of hours encounters as well.
Talking about power relations I have been practising law in the private and public sectors in Canberra and have earnt an LLM and a MMgt from ANU. I have also decided to migrate to the USA (I won the US Green Card Lotterry)–arriving Feb 4, 2007. Anyone near North Virginia or Washington DC? I would love to touch base with you and pick up any advice you can offer re living in the USA.
I have agreed with Michael to check this blog from time to time provided he doesn’t record any whistle blowing–those days in Hons 3 sure made me feel like I was at a basketball game!
Thanks for your previous advice re US PhD, Michael.
Kind regards
Mark G Davis
BA(Hons) 2002, LLB 2002
(Hons 3 1998, Hons 4 2000)
Dear Professor Jackson, and hello everyone:
I’m Lindong Miao, your 2004 summer school student (GOVT6301-Government and Business Ethical). Sooooo glad to hear from you. I went to your blog, it’s quite amazing. When I went your blog and read your articles, it seems that I went back your classroom again.
Before I graduated from USYD, I thought what I have learn from your course is the most useful things — when the time passes, it will not fading away like computer, finance or other technique courses— it will guide and influence my whole professional life forever.
I am now working in headquarter of China Banking Regulation Commission, which take in charge all banks in China and more than 90% China financial asset. During my work time, I translated some foreign financial authority’s code of conduct into Chinese last year, such as Federal Reserve’s code, OCC(Office of the Comptroller of the Currency)’s conduct code, FSA(Financial Services Authority)’s code of ethics, OECD Ethics guideline, Transparency International’s core ethics principles etc. One of CBRC’s vice-chairman mentioned it lots times in speech.
It is a quite long time not to write a letter in English, almost two years. I hope my letter can express my happiness and respectfulness to you.
Finally, I hope you have time to come here. We can enjoy the Beijing Duck and beer together…
Best regards!
Lindong
I took ‘Classical Political Theory’ and ‘Power’ in 1997, in my third year of studies in Arts at Sydney. I was fortunate to have guidance and direction from Michael during my honours dissertation and in making choices about postgraduate study in political theory.
Having completed a PhD in contemporary political theory at the University of Edinburgh I have often reflected on the practice of teaching political theory across a broad range of social science disciplines. I often wish I had a special machine that would take me back to the days of the Merewether Building so that I could observe the types of conversations and dilemmas generated by the courses taught by Michael.
There are always spoilers in education, sometimes these come from students and other times they are institutional barriers. In the United Kingdom there is lip-service to excellence and innovation in teaching and learning, but with the research assessment exercise (RAE) the only output that counts is the impact ranking of published research. I would be interested to see how research universities like Sydney manage the balance between ‘teaching’ and ‘research’.
In teaching political theory – whether in international relations or social theory – I am always reminded of the experience of taking Classical Political Theory and being directed to negotiate the classic texts on your own terms. No secondary literature. No lazy scholarship. No final reading of the texts.
I’m also reminded of the importance Michael placed on peer-review in these courses. The suggestion of students swapping their work – in most universities – is always regarded as encouraging plagiarism. Universities still treat knowledge as a private affair, something that ranks students through objective measurement rather than through collaborative endeavour.
I’m a big fan of courses taught via workshop and small groups. I recently introduced a task-based approach to tutorials in the first year Politics course – and the student feedback for tutorials went from 55% approval for tutorials to 90%. I guess we learn through tasks – sitting around waiting for a question to emerge or allowing the most articulate student to dominate a discussion is not education.
As I plan for my return to Sydney – looking for new things to do in the UK/Australia or beyond – it was really good to stumble upon this blog.
And, by the way, the weirdest thing that a student has given me was a headband with silver pom-poms on it. She wore it to a tutorial one day and, being a tolerant wee soul, I completely overlooked it. This student is now doing a PhD in political theory… and now the chain of learning continues…
Hello everyone,
It is great to have a place for ex-students, and current students for that matter, to correspond. Thanks Michael for setting this up and for your honest posts throughout your blog.
In response to fellow Utopia 2000 student Phil Tapsall’s post, I have also had trouble finding a decent post-grad course to consider. I would love to know more about people’s post-grad experiences and where it led them. Has anyone undertaken a Masters in a pol sci related area after finishing honours?
John
Something that came in a while ago might be of interest.
Dear Michael,
I’m not sure whether this counts as a success or failure as a government honours graduate (1998), but I’m writing to let you know that I recently completed a Ph.D. Your teaching has stood me in good stead over the years. I found myself referring back to my notes on your explanation of what made a good political science essay when I was writing my diss. (I can’t say all my quotations were as fully embedded as you recommended, but I did think about it each time.) Government 290 and 390 were absolutely critical to my academic development, getting me to think critically about producing and communicating social scientific knowledge in a way I had not before.
Ben
Hi Michael
Just to let you know that I did Hons IV in 2001–not 2000 (sorry, I had thought otherwise when first posted).
Mark
On a purely aesthetic note, the Power class of 2006 is clearly the most attractive.
They also have the best costumes.
Probably all incredibly intelligent too.
Just putting it out there.
If there is anyone here from Honours Preparation 1997, or Utopia 1998, I’d like to hear from you.
Dale
Hello alumni – I completed Honours stream Government advanced in 1984 and did the then “new” MPP over 1988-90 at the Newtown Grad Business School site with Martin Painter et al. From those dinosaur days, is anyone still in touch? Also what is the PhD program like at the moment – I am considering applying. Cheers Noel
Good to hear from you, Noel. Michael
Hello MJ and all 2005 power students.
Hope you are all well and finding you way in the world of international relations. Just letting people know that I did manage to finish my Honours year at Macquarie Uni and wrote my thesis on Australian Defence and Security Policy towards South East Asia.
I am now over in England hoping to continue my study and obtain a intership at Westminster.
Hope all is well and would love to hear from other 2005 Power people.
Hello Michael,
Thank you for your valuable insights and stimulating discussions during the Classical Political Theory classes. I have crtainly learned a lot from this class and continue to read and engage with the ideas explored during the classes. I am currently employed as a researcher – projects with the National Electrical and Communications Association (member of Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry) on various projects chief of which is research in skills shortages.
I plan to go to my homeland of Bosnia and Herzegovina next year and will likely stay there for a while if I get some opportunities in the NGO sector. The ideas I learned in your class will certainly help to this end.
Best wishes to you and all the aspiring philosophers attending your classes.
Dario
Hi Everyone,
I stumbled across this entry while searching for something completely different. Opened a familiar-ish looking URL and what do I find? a photo of me!
You can see my head poking around from behind the column on the right in the 2002 honours photo. Siobhan – very tall, very pale, with glasses 😉 Sadly, I’m no longer in contact with anyone from that photo so if anyone does stop by, please free to contact me – I’d love to hear from you!
A bit about me: following Honours I went on to complete a Master of International Studies at USyd, which gave me both the opportunity to torture undergrads as a tutor, and to spend a semester on exchange at George Washington University in Washington DC. After that I fulfilled my duty and moved to London for a short period, before returning to Washington to work for DFAT (original for a GOVT grad eh?) at the Australian Embassy. I work as a Research Officer in the Trade Branch, covering trade, energy and climate change issues.
Studying government and IR, and completing Honours has everything to do with where I am today, so thank you Michael, and everyone else in the Government faculty (wherever they may be these days!).
cheers,
Siobhan Purcell
sio.purcell(at)gmail.com
Hi Michael & everyone else,
I did the 2007 Power course, and what a course it was!
I’m sure everyone here is familiar with the energy and passion the good professor puts into his lectures.
A big hello to anyone out there from my year – chime in and let us know where you are!