Avoiding the subject media, culture and the object

"This is a collection of inter-related essays on the postmillennial mediascape. Focusing on the neglected significance of the object within today's discourse networks, Avoiding the Subject extends the formal possibilities of cultural criticism by highlighting feedback loops between philosophy, technology, and politics. Students and teachers of visual culture, critical theory, cultural studies, film theory, and new media will find a wealth of ideas and insights in this fresh approach to the electronic environment."--BOOK JACKET.

Modelling the marketing of place by local government in Australia

Much of Regional Australia is suffering from an overall decline in population with a specific loss of young adults (16-30 year olds). A decline in population, linked with the Australia-wide problems of ageing populations and diminishing birth rates, is leading to a social and economic malaise in many regional cities and towns that threatens their long-term sustainability due to the lack of skilled workers and professionals. This paper examines the concept of “place” marketing, and the approach of local government to market regions, cities, and towns to attract targeted population to help maintain the sustainability of Regional Australia.

Pretend play and parents' view of social competence: the construct validity of the Child-Initiated Pretend Play Assessment.

Background and Aims: Play is the primary means through which children develop skills and socially interact with other children. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between pretend play and social competence in 4–5-year-old typically developing children, thereby adding further knowledge to the construct validity of the Child-Initiated Pretend Play Assessment (ChIPPA). Procedure: The pretend play ability of 35 preschool children aged 4–5 years was assessed using the ChIPPA. Parent/guardians of the children were interviewed regarding their child's social competence using the Vineland Social–Emotional Early Childhood Scales (Vineland SEEC Scales). Main Findings: No significant correlations were found between the children's play scores and their Vineland SEEC Scales scores. A significant and negative relationship was found between cooperation and sharing and elaborate play scores, suggesting that children who scored poorly on the play assessment were rated as cooperative by parents. Principal Conclusions: Parent report of social competence cannot be inferred from play scores. Reasons for the negative and significant finding are put forward and clinical implications of the findings are discussed. Additional investigations are necessary to further explore the construct validity of inferring social competence using the ChIPPA.

Regional development through the enterprise of arts leadership

The literature in the field suggests that a community without arts-practice risks its future. Contemporaneously, evidence suggests that the future of some communities, specifically regional or rural communities, are at risk because of the withdrawal of essential services, which leads to economic and social decline. There is also evidence that arts practice has revived economic and social activity (and performance measures) in regional cities and towns. In this article, I argue that the arts foster regional sustainability, and I propose that an arts leadership that is collective in nature and associated with vision and creativity is needed if the arts are to achieve regional sustainability.

Class act : Melbourne Workers Theatre, 1987-2007

Celebrates the company's artistic achievements and successes over the last two decades through interviews, essays and high quality images of key productions, and recounts its history, its evolving relationship with the embattled trade union movement, and its on-going engagement with working class, indigenous and migrant communities.