[Air-l] researchers ???

[Matthew Allen]

As the evil genie who unleashed the BA course ET is doing on the
unsuspecting public, including saying 'Internet researcher' as one of the
outcomes.... I should probably add a few words here :)

One of the problems we in Internet Studies faced at Curtin Uni is the
history as a technical college that became an institute of technology that
became a university. As a result, for complicated reasons, there's no point
ni, nor capacity to, offer a traditional 'cyberculture' or similar major
within a BA, to be taken alongside and overlapping with majors such as
history, english lit, media studies. Nor, because of the boundaries between
schools and faculties, could we create the 'perfect' new media/new social
network course  - too many players and complications.

We also wanted to embody something of the 'new' about the Internet - a
course/program that was about a new kind of professional 'net-worker' who
would have an array of skills and abilities, depending on what electives
they choose - marketing, computing etc - underpinned by a deep consciousness
about social technology, scepticism about 'technofetishism', appreciation of
the power of the network etc etc. A kind of valuable arts-major in Internet
Studies, embedded in a degree that permitted choice and recognised prior
experience, leading to a professional status, in a field where there are no
'professions'.


What we ended up with is not for me to judge...I think we do well at it, but
mostly because we have students *like* ET :)

Matt


Dr Matthew Allen 
Associate Professor Internet Studies
Associate Dean Teaching and Learning, Humanities
Curtin University of Technology, CRICOS 00301J Australia
m.allen at curtin.edu.au
http://smi.curtin.edu.au/netstudies/allen.htm
+61 8 92663511 (v) +61 8 9266 3166 (f)
Vice-President, Association of Internet Researchers http://www.aoir.org 
-----Original Message-----
From: ET [mailto:et at tarik.com.au] 
Sent: Tuesday, 11 May 2004 4:44 PM
To: air-l at aoir.org
Subject: re:[Air-l] researchers ???

Bram wrote...
"But then I became a regulator; now I'm a law student: things change. 
What motivates your interest, Eero?"

Hi Bram,
I am currently engaged in a tussle with an internet studies degree course
and had noted that one of the career outcomes suggested for graduates is
internet researcher.

Since I couldnt remember coming across this position description in the job
ads I thought I would ask if anyone is specifically engaged in such a
position :-)

The replies have been interesting.

regards,
Eero Tarik
Adelaide


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