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The School of Humanities has a rich research culture. You can sign up for our seminar series here, listen to a selection of talks below, or listen to our podcasts, created by some of our wonderful academics!
Professor James Curran
2021 ‘Battle for Australia’ Oration
The Oration gives a fascinating insight into our nation’s constant fear of invasion since the 1930s, and how successive politicians have attempted to deal with the threat.
Read the full transcript of James Curran’s oration here.

History of University Life seminar series and podcasts
The History of University Life series take up the debate about our public universities: who they are for; what their mission is (or should be); what strong higher education policy entails; and how to cultivate a robust and constructive relationship between government and Australian universities
Register for updates on the seminar series here
Listen to the History of University Life podcast series

Australian Universities: A conversation about public good
Edited by Julia Horne and Matthew A.M. Thomas
Australian Universities: A conversation about public good is a compilation of essays inspired by the ‘History of University Life’ seminar series. It highlights contemporary challenges facing Australian universities and offers new ideas for expanding public good.
Sydney University Press
ISBN: 9781743328705 | Publication: 01 Dec 2022
Series: Public and Social Policy Series
46 mins 38 seconds
Archaeology
Breaking the Wall around Vulnerable Megacities | How the Study of Past Civilisations Can Help the Cities of the Future
Presented by Professor Roland Fletcher
The megacity of Angkor was once the capital of the Khmer nation, an empire which flourished from approximately the 9th to the 15th century. With a population near 1 million and a size of roughly 1,000 square kilometres, Greater Angkor was the largest pre-industrial metropolis in the world. Located in modern-day Cambodia, Angkor is not only a UNESCO World Heritage Site visited by two million tourists per year, but also a historical case of the growth and demise of a human-made urban complex exposed to severe climatic instability.
Gender and Cultural Studies seminar series
Register for the seminar series here
Gender and Cultural Studies seminars can be found on the Department’s YouTube Channel
History podcast series | “How was it really?”
