School of Languages and Linguistics - Research Publications
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ItemLanguages at Work: Defining the Place of Work-Integrated Learning in Language Studies(Springer, 2020)This chapter makes an argument for the place of Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) in tertiary language studies, with specific reference to the Spanish and German programs at the University of Melbourne. Incorporating WIL into our curricula has enabled us to connect students with local communities and cultural institutions, as well as provide them with work-relevant skills, in particular intercultural competence. Providing students with opportunities to develop work-relevant skills has seen us focus our energies not just on the more advanced-level language subjects where students are clearly suited to placements and internships, but also on beginner- and intermediate-level language subjects. An advantage of this whole-of-curriculum approach is that students understand the contemporary relevance of language study from the outset of their degree. Language study is often seen as something that adds value to another core degree and, as we incorporate WIL into our curriculum, it is our hope that we are able to articulate more clearly the value of language study to our diverse cohort of students.
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ItemCultural Indigestion in Multicultural Australia: Fear of ‘‘Foreign’’ Foods in Australian Media(University of California Press, 2015)In Australian public discourse food multiculturalism has been celebrated as a sign of the country’s openness to migrant cul- tures. Yet, as we show in this article, this apparent celebration of Australia’s ethnically diverse foodscape has emerged alongside a vir- ulent culinary xenophobia at the level of public discourse. In par- ticular, we identify how fears about Asian immigration are often expressed in a distaste for foreign food in the Australian media and official discourse. First, we demonstrate how an advertising campaign jointly funded by government and Australian industry deployed a xenophobic fear of contamination to encourage consumers to avoid food imports and buy Australian foods instead. We then look at how newspaper and television coverage of food poisoning in restaurants and food courts suggests a link between ethnicity and contamination. This analysis of a range of public attitudes to ‘‘foreign’’ foodstuffs highlights that the mainstream enjoyment of ethnic cuisines is not a panacea for long-standing xenophobic discourses.