Arts Scholars

Koi te hinengaro, koi te arero, koi te mahi!
Sharp of mind, tongue, and work!

Keep up with the latest discussions and thoughts from our Arts Scholars whānau

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Databases: Unlocking the Potential of Computers in The Arts

Victoria Munn and Erin Griffey’s presentation on the use of databases to aid research merged two of my interests: Computer Science and the Arts. One of the areas I’m most interested in is computer vision and machine learning. Unlike other areas of computer science,...

WAR…WHAT IS IT GOOD FOR???

Welcome to Arts Scholars! The lyrics to this protest song have been detached from the conflict of its origin and become both meme and memory and I thought it a fitting way to begin. I am so glad to be going on this journey with you all this year, I wonder what kind of...

It’s a cutthroat business

Yes I googled ‘CEO stock photos’ what about it?

The need to see the context of conflicts, or, Why does Team Defence Fort Two have so much lore?

When engaging with media the essential nature of context to conflicts becomes obvious as context follows conflict even when not, arguably, needed. An excellent example of this is found in Valve's Team Fortress Two which, despite the game being America's #1 war-themed...

Meditations on Positionality; A Game of Faces.

I am not usually one for sentimental blog posts; emotions can be tedious and robust motivators for the academic drives but messy to express amidst robust research and detailed critical thinking. Kate Hannah’s and Dr. Madhavi Manchi’s lectures impacted the idea that...

The Need to Reflect on Youth Voting Rights.

Professor Jennifer Frost research on youth voting rights and the 26th amendment lead me upon a reflection of what it means to be youth in today's society. The young people who were involved in her research were activists that promoted social change in society. They...

The Remains Of The Day As Context For World War Two

I recently watched the film The Remains Of The Day. Although  my love for Hugh Grant served as my motivation to do so . It struck me as a possible film within which to explore our theme, conflict in context.  The Remains Of The Day follows Stevens, a  devout Butler in...

Having a yarn not having a yawn.

Ok, so I’m about to summarise some truth handed down from Patrick Thomsen. So this man rocks up onto the stage and immediately I’m enthralled. Was he talking about a data set vaguer than UoA’s marking schemes? No. He came onto the stage and started yarning, chewing...

Learning to Learn

While the panel on power inequity in research presented many ideas to consider, I was particularly drawn to think further about the risks of failing to be reflective about our own positions as researchers. As having the ability and resources to conduct a research...

Cemetery Gates

I’m finding dealing with the global pandemic fallout difficult. The idea that I’m living through a challenging historical event repeats in my brain like The Smiths song 'Cemetery Gates'. These uncertain times have often made me anxious. I’m aware this is a global...

Useful or nah?

Stephen Winter's research is undoubtedly useful. When asked about how he became interested in his research on abuse, he answered because of its relevance. His research is immediately useful for the whole world. It is a live political issue, as there are still post...

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Less is more, in research especially

As a researcher, it is often easy to lose your goal during research as you become exposed to more knowledge. The staggering amount of sources that are available for study can at times seem overwhelming, and against this vastness, it is unsurprising that researchers...

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Beauty’s ‘Golden Ratio’

Beauty’s ‘Golden Ratio’

A scientific study published recently by Harley Street physician Dr. de Silva was, unfortunately, reminiscent of the topic of Erin Griffey and Victoria Munn’s research seminar “Beauty Cultures”. In this study, which left an unsurprisingly sour aftertaste, de Silva...

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Quiet Political Acts

What does it mean to be “of age” or to be deserving of political inclusion? Kiwis who are too young either to vote or to be taken seriously by adults often undertake actions which are quietly political anyway.  For example, climate-conscious teens have started...

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Pretty People Get the Job

Erin Griffey’s research showed Renaissance women were obsessed with ‘natural beauty’, wanting clear, luminous skin, healthy hair and a slim yet curvy figure. What I found really interesting was how these feminine beauty ideals continue to remain the same for women...

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Tell a story for fun

Patrick Thomsen’s seminar on genealogies of knowledge and the construction of research questions made me reflect on why I even want to do research. He described the complexities of the social world, such as how the several intersecting aspects of his ex-partner’s...

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Truth is Uncomfortable

Research by Stephen Winter aimed to tell the stories of people who made claims of historic abuse in New Zealand state care and to investigate New Zealand’s monetary redress program.    I found this research intriguing as a psychology student, but rather than...

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Is History Really Relevant?

Jennifer Frost is a researcher who is currently writing a book about the 26th amendment which allowed voting at age 18 in the United States. The inspiration behind Frost’s work was to correct the  mis-interpretation of youth involvement, and people who brought about...

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Age is but a number

"[It] is not that 18-year olds are old enough to fight - it is because they are smart enough to vote." In Frost's lecture on the Youth Voting Rights Movement in America, this quote summarises Nixon's argument for lowering the voting age to 18-years old. As Frost...

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