[Commpsych] (no subject)

Thu Jun 21 08:16:48 WST 2007

Dear David and other list members

I first read this email a couple of hours ago, early in the morning. My opinions have not changed.

To me, the email is an insult to Lizzie and her work, and an insult to Brian (noting my earlier email of congratulations is in there). Brian's email was a celebration of a great achievement, not a value judgement on other theses that were not submitted or did not receive and award.

What really gets to me is a lack of understanding of the context in which such awards are sought and the meanings that they may have in the location -- especially the importance of international recognition.

Why have I nominated students for SCRA awards? Why will I in the future, if I think the theses are good enough? Why will I encourage other student and supervisors to nominate? 

1 There are no local awards, nor are there any other international ones that I know of that are relevant. Perhaps if the European Association had an open award Australians could win that too.

2 Such awards do provide recognition of the work of the student, and can assist them in their career progression.

3 In a marginalised area such as community psychology in Australia, such awards are extremely important in the organisational politics. They provide the supervisor with kudos from an international jury -- so important in most of our psych departments where we are often not seen as core business. In some universities there is big news made of a student paper receiving an award at a conference, here we can celebrate a PhD being judged in an international context.

4. For community psychology in Australia, marginalised within the profession, such awards provide international backing for the quality of the work done. It is the type of news that is spread around to demonstrate that here is an area working world standard.
It helps community psychology in positioning itself in the political argy bargy of things like the APS.

At another level, nominating for awards from SCRA is a political move. It is aimed at showing those in the US that there is a vibrant, active, and creative community psychology outside from which they can learn. Good enough to take their prizes.

So, again congratulations to Lizze on her thesis and to Brian on his supervision. Congratulations to Chris Sonn and Iain Butterworth on their earlier awards, congratulations to me as the supervisor of Iain and Chris, and congratulations to the students and supervisors who will nominate and win these awards in the future

Adrian

Adrian Fisher PhD
Associate Professor
School of Psychology -- Footscray Park Campus
Victoria University
PO Box 14428
Melbourne VIC 8001
Australia

Phone:   +613-9919-5221
Fax:       +613-9919-4324
Website: www.staff.vu.edu.au/commpsych

-----Original Message-----
From: commpsych-bounces at lists.curtin.edu.au on behalf of David Fryer
Sent: Thu 6/21/2007 7:44 AM
To: Adrian Fisher; Brian Bishop; commpsych at lists.curtin.edu.au; Anna Warne (E-mail); Chantal Nel (E-mail); Contos and Heath Warren Natalie (E-mail); Costello Diane (E-mail); Dave Vicary (E-mail); Jennie Price (E-mail); Karen Johnson (E-mail); Kendra Swaine (E-mail); Laura Willis (E-mail); Lizzie Finn (E-mail); Melinda Jeffs (E-mail); Peta Dzidic (E-mail); Ron Baker (E-mail); Simon Colquhoun (E-mail); Susan Griffiths (E-mail)
Subject: Re: [Commpsych] (no subject)

Dear Lizzie (and all on the list),

A message from a critical ally in Europe . . . I have not yet had the chance to read your thesis, Lizzie, but I have enjoyed our occasional conversations and hope you will read the following message as NOT about your thesis but as an expression of concern about multifaceted United Statesian military, economic, cultural; intellectual, ideological global domination. . . and what US military have referred to as the US drive for 'full spectrum dominance' in every sphere. Amongst many other domains, via its domination of community psychology textbook production, cp journal publishing, cp faculty employment, postgraduate training course mounting and its  outreach activities, there is a real danger in my view of diverse community psychologies around the world being colonised by United Statesian CP. 

I am reluctant to leave unchallenged the positioning of your work to support an implication that US CP has any legitimacy at all in setting criteria of excellence in community psychology against which community psychology around the world in general or Australia in particular should be judged. In my view community psychologists around the world need to resist having their work compared against a US CP measuring stick. 

I am also loathe to leave unchallenged the implication that other PhD thesis which never in a million years receive a SCRA award  are not 'good' . . . on the contrary I think that the type of  innovative critical community psychology praxis, which I see as very good indeed, amongst the best community psychology in Europe, would not stand a chance of winning a SCRA award. 

In my view community psychologists around the world have to be constantly vigilant that rather than it being the case that it is non United Statesian community psychologists "who have shown the USA what a good thesis looks like", the opposite is more often the case.   

Surely Australian community psychology does not have to be measured for quality against a US yardstick?

David

________________________________

From: commpsych-bounces at lists.curtin.edu.au on behalf of Adrian Fisher
Sent: Mon 6/18/2007 02:41
To: Brian Bishop; commpsych at lists.curtin.edu.au; Anna Warne (E-mail); Chantal Nel (E-mail); Contos and Heath Warren Natalie (E-mail); Costello Diane (E-mail); Dave Vicary (E-mail); Jennie Price (E-mail); Karen Johnson (E-mail); Kendra Swaine (E-mail); Laura Willis (E-mail); Lizzie Finn (E-mail); Melinda Jeffs (E-mail); Peta Dzidic (E-mail); Ron Baker (E-mail); Simon Colquhoun (E-mail); Susan Griffiths (E-mail)
Subject: Re: [Commpsych] (no subject)

Hi

Big congratulations to Lizzie on the award, it is a major achievement.

Also, contrats to Brian as the supervisor.

adrian

Adrian Fisher PhD
Associate Professor
School of Psychology
Victoria University -- Footscray Park
PO Box 14428
Melbourne VIC 8001
Australia

PH: +613-9919-5221
Fax: +613-9919-4324
www.staff.vu.edu.au/commpsych

-----Original Message-----
From: commpsych-bounces at lists.curtin.edu.au
[mailto:commpsych-bounces at lists.curtin.edu.au] On Behalf Of Brian Bishop
Sent: Thursday, 14 June 2007 1:50 PM
To: commpsych at lists.curtin.edu.au; Anna Warne (E-mail); Brian Bishop
(E-mail); Chantal Nel (E-mail); Contos and Heath Warren Natalie
(E-mail); Costello Diane (E-mail); Dave Vicary (E-mail); Jennie Price
(E-mail); Karen Johnson (E-mail); Kendra Swaine (E-mail); Laura Willis
(E-mail); Lizzie Finn (E-mail); Melinda Jeffs (E-mail); Peta Dzidic
(E-mail); Ron Baker (E-mail); Simon Colquhoun (E-mail); Susan Griffiths
(E-mail)
Subject: [Commpsych] (no subject)

Dear All
Dr Lizzie Finn won the Emory Cowan Memorial Thesis for 2006 for her
thesis entitled  "Mutual help groups and psychological wellbeing:
A study of GROW, a community mental health organization". I was able to
collect the award on her behalf and the reception for her award was
overwhelming.
She joins the list of Iain Butterworth and Chris Sonn as Australians who
have shown the USA what a good thesis looks like.
Brian

Brian Bishop
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