Call for Expressions of Interest for PhD Scholarships: ‘Policing Australian Popular Music’

We invite scholars to submit expression of interests for a PhD (or DMA) candidature attached to the project ‘Policing Australian Popular Music’, funded by an Australian Research Council Discovery Project grant.  The successful candidate would receive a stipend of $37,206pa, supervision from members of the research team, and access to the facilities and support offered by the University of Sydney.

This project examines the relationship between policing and popular music in Australia.

It has an interdisciplinary approach and brings together scholars and expertise from criminology, music, history, social work, artistic research and education in order to understand the processes by which certain popular music styles and their affiliated communities have been criminalised in Australia, and to understand the ways in which music and musical communities have voiced resistance to police and state powers.  Three chief investigators on the project are from the University of Sydney –  Prof Murray Lee (criminology), Dr Toby Martin (music and history) and Prof Jioji Ravulo (social work) –   and one is from Griffith University – Dr Alexis Kallio (music and music education).

PhD candidates will have the freedom to pursue their own projects as standalone lines of inquiry, as long as they relate to the themes of the central project. PhD topics might include, but are not limited to, the criminalisation of First Nations music, the criminalisation of music by people of colour, banned or censored music, ways in which music has spoken back to power, music in detention, and music in schools. Research methodologies can include traditional research (ie archival work, interviews, data collection) and practice-led research (creating music). We are hoping that at least one of the PhD candidates will be Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, and particularly encourage applications from people identifying as such.

Eligibility

a. The Scholarship is offered subject to the applicant having an unconditional offer of admission or being currently enrolled to study full-time in a PhD within the University of Sydney Law School or Conservatorium of Music.

b. Applicants must be willing to conduct research across the inter-disciplinary fields covered by the project including criminology, sociology of music, cultural history, indigenous and first nations studies.

c. Applicants must also hold at least one of the following in the social of human sciences, criminology, music, musicology, cultural studies, history, law, or an discipline, such as political science, international relations or equivalent:

I. an Honours degree (First Class or Second Class Upper) or equivalent, or

II. a masters degree, or

III. an equivalent degree.

d. Applicants primary  supervisor will be Professor Murray Lee (Chief Investigator) and Dr Toby Martin (Chief Investigator) at the University of Sydney: either within the law school or, depending on the proposed research, or the Conservatorium of Music.

Selection Criteria

a. The successful applicant will be awarded the Scholarship on the basis of:

I academic merit,

II research proposal aligned to the area of research

III curriculum vitae including previous research experience and achievements and

b. personal statement which demonstrates the applicant's motivations for pursuing a postgraduate research degree in criminology, cultural studies, cultural history music or other related discipline.

c. Preference will be given to applicants of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait background in line with the research topic.

d. The successful applicant will be awarded the Scholarship on the nomination of the Sydney Law School Associate Dean (Research Education), or their nominated delegate(s).

For more information please email murray.lee[at]sydney.edu[dot]au or toby.martin[at]sydney.edu[dot]au