[Commlist] PhD Scholarship in Australian Performance Comedy as an Agent of Change

PhD Scholarship in Australian Performance Comedy as an Agent of Change
Job No.: 655761

Location: Monash University, Caulfield campus

Employment Type: Full-time

Duration: 3.5-year fixed-term appointment

Remuneration: The successful applicant will receive a Research Living 
Allowance, at current value of $33,000AUD per annum 2023 full-time rate 
(tax-free stipend), indexed plus allowances as per RTP stipend 
scholarship conditions at: 
www.monash.edu/graduate-research/study/scholarships/scholarship-policy-and-procedures. 
Domestic applicants will be prioritised, however, a tuition fee 
scholarship and Single Overseas Health Cover (OSHC) will be provided for 
a successful international awardee.

The Opportunity

This PhD scholarship is funded as an important part of an ARC funded 
Linkage project Comedy Country: Australian Performance Comedy as an 
Agent of Change, conducted by Associate Professor Tony Moore and 
Professor Steve Vizard.

Funding is for a PhD scholarship on the topic of political, social and 
cultural impact of Australian performance comedy, both live and 
mediated. The PhD will form an important part of the ARC Linkage Project 
Comedy Country, that investigates the development of comic performance 
across stage, cinema, radio, television and streaming, focussing on its 
transformational relationship with, and impact on, Australian society, 
culture and the creative industries from the aftermath of World War 2 
until the present. The project’s key hypothesis is that since the 1950s 
comic performance has not merely reflected a changing Australia but 
helped drive social and cultural change and the generation of national 
and other identities, including Indigenous. Led by Monash, the four-year 
interdisciplinary project brings together leading media, cultural and 
performance studies academics, from three Australian universities, in 
partnership with two festivals, six cultural collecting organisations 
and a media production company to build interdisciplinary Humanities and 
industry collaborations in digital methods for archive research and 
transmedia communication. As well as publications, Comedy Country is 
producing an online text and audio-visual hub that presents findings and 
original digitised archive material, short documentaries, podcasts, data 
visualisations and content for a travelling digital exhibition.

Undertaking this PhD as part of a larger project has several advantages. 
First, the successful candidate will be integrated into an already 
successful research agenda that has been funded by the Australian 
Research Council, and will have access to funding to support fieldwork, 
transcription, travel, and conference attendance. Second, the candidate 
will benefit from expert supervision from research leaders in cultural 
and media studies, performance studies, and cultural history, and from 
entering a PhD with a pre-existing structure. Finally, the candidate 
will benefit from being part of outcomes from the research, which may 
include co-authored publications (where the candidate’s contributions 
will be recognised through co-authorship), as well as some of the 
multimedia outputs such as short documentaries and exhibition content, 
funded symposia, school-engagement exercises, and future grant 
applications. As the project partners with Arts Centre Melbourne, the 
Melbourne International Comedy Festival, the State Libraries of Victoria 
and South Australia, the Adelaide Festival, the Adelaide Fringe, the 
South Australian History Trust and media production company Roar Film 
the successful applicant will benefit from industry experience and be 
eligible for an internship hosted by one of these partners.

Monash University is the largest university in Australia and regularly 
ranks in the top 100 universities worldwide. Monash has six globally 
networked campuses and international alliances in Europe and Asia. The 
applicant will be based at the Caulfield campus in Melbourne. The School 
of Media, Film and Journalism (MFJ) where Lead Chief Investigator Tony 
Moore and Chief Investigator Steve Vizard and the PhD candidate are 
based has a strong record in ARC funded research, a robust PhD program, 
and enjoys productive partnerships with government and industry and in 
publicly accessible outputs such as documentaries. The School of MFJ has 
established purpose-built studios and editing facilities for translation 
of research into community-engaged media, spearheading its leadership in 
digital story-telling research and practice.

Candidate Requirements

The successful applicant will have an excellent academic track record in 
Media Studies, Cultural Studies, Performance Studies, Humour Studies, 
Cultural History, or other relevant discipline (e.g., Indigenous 
Studies, Film Studies, Cultural and Creative Industries, Literary 
Studies,). The successful candidate will have experience of archive or 
interview research methods or and evidence of expertise (such as 
publications or media practice) in one of the above disciplines.

In its assessment, the selection committee will prioritise applicants 
who hold an Australian (or equivalent international) Honour’s or 
Master’s degree (both in a relevant field), with a significant research 
component and with first-class honours/H1 awarded.

Details of eligibility requirements, including English-language 
proficiency skills, to undertake a PhD in the Faculty of Arts are 
available at www.monash.edu/arts/graduate_research/how-to-apply. 
Applicants should ensure they familiarise themselves with these 
requirements before deciding whether they should apply.

Scholarship holders must be enrolled full-time and on campus. Please 
note: applicants who already hold a PhD will not be considered.

The successful applicant will be expected to enrol by December 2023. 
However, there may be some flexibility as to the date of commencement.

Enquiries

Associate Professor Tony Moore, School of Media, Film and Journalism, 
(tony.moore /at/ monash.edu)

Submit an Expression of Interest

EOIs shall comprise:

A cover letter that includes a brief statement of the applicant’s 
suitability
A brief research proposal not exceeding 750 words in length that fits 
within the broad project aims and objectives, and demonstrates some 
understanding of the area of research
A curriculum vitae, including a list of any published works, conference 
presentations and relevant work experience
A full statement of academic record, supported by scanned copies of 
relevant certified documentation
English language proficiency test results (if applicable)
Contact details of two academic referees
Copy of your current passport (if available)
Once you have discussed your EOI with Associate Professor Tony Moore 
please submit your Expression of Interest Form and indicate that you are 
applying for a “Special Scholarship Scheme – PhD Scholarship in 
Australian Performance Comedy as an Agent of Change”.

Shortlisted candidates will be interviewed by Zoom video call. The 
interviews will be conducted in English.

Closing Date

Wednesday 20 September 2023, 11:55pm AEST

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