Upcoming Student Events

Take a ‘brain break’ from study and meet Sphero the robot at your campus library in week 11 and 12. Test your skill, program Sphero or just have fun on the robot racing obstacle course. Use one of the library provided iPads or bring your own device with the 'Sphero EDU' app available on iPhone and Android. Library Brain Breaks runs at each campus library in weeks 11 and 12. See below for session dates and times at a campus near you. BANKSTOWN Week 11: Wednesday 22 May @ 12:30pm - 1:30pm Week 12: Thursday 30 May @ 12:30pm - 1:30pm CAMPBELLTOWN Week 11: Monday 20 May @ 1:30pm - 2:30pm Week 12: Friday 31 May @ 10:00am - 11:00am HAWKESBURY Week 11: Monday 20 May @ 11:00am - 12:00pm Week 12: Wednesday 29 May @ 12:00pm - 1:00pm LIVERPOOL Week 11: Thursday 23 May @ 10:00am - 11:00am Week 12: Friday 31 May @ 10:30am - 11:30am NIRIMBA Week 11: Thursday 23 May @ 1:00pm - 2:00pm Week 12: Tuesday 28 May @ 12:00pm - 1:00pm PARRAMATTA CITY Week 11: Monday 20 May @ 11:30am - 12:30pm Week 12: Tuesday 28 May @ 2:00pm - 3:00pm PARRAMATTA SOUTH Week 11: Tuesday 21 May @ 2:00pm - 3:00pm Week 12: Wednesday 29 May @ 11:30am - 12:30pm PENRITH Week 11: Tuesday 21 May @ 12:00pm - 1:00pm Week 12: Monday 27 May @ 1:00pm - 2:00pm.

The Rise of Cool Christianity in Australia: Pentecostalism, Branding and Youth Cultures Presented by Professor Cristina Rocha Professor in Anthropology, Director of the Religion & Society Research Cluster, WSU School of Social Sciences and Psychology 13th June 2019 12.00pm - 1.00pm WSU - Liverpool Campus - Level 9 RSVP: SSAP-research@westernsydney.edu.au by 6/6/2019 Throughout most of the 20th century proponents of the secularisation thesis argued that religion would decline or become privatised. However, in the 21st century the opposite has happened. Religion has gained renewed visibility in the public sphere (Casanova 1994), and the boundaries between the public and private spheres are continually transgressed (Knoblauch 2011:7). In this presentation, Prof Rocha will address the rise of Cool Christianity -- a type of Christianity that blurs the private and public spheres through the intense use of digital media, and the adoption and setting of new trends in fashion, music and youth culture. Pentecostal churches have been at the forefront of this phenomenon. In particular, Prof Rocha will explore the growth of Pentecostalism in Australia, a country that has seen its national narrative of secularism dented by the astonishing growth of the megachurch Hillsong, one of the most powerful Australian youth brands and global cultural exports, and the rise to power of the country’s first Pentecostal PM, Scott Morrison. Prof Rocha will argue that as Pentecostals became more aspirational and middle class, they made efforts to engage with the world through youth culture creating the phenomenon of Cool Christianity. At the same time, they, at least in public, ditched aspects of Pentecostalism not palatable to middle-class sensibilities, such as speaking in tongues, and rituals of healing and exorcism. In this effort they have had to walk a tight-rope between Pentecostalism’s traditionally conservative values (e.g., against same sex marriage, abortion, women’s liberation) and worldly progressive values (e.g., inclusivity and acceptance of LGBT people). BIOGRAPHY: Professor Cristina Rocha is an anthropologist and the Director of the Religion and Society Research Cluster, SSAP. She is the President of the Australian Association for the Study of Religion. She co-edits the Journal of Global Buddhism and the Religion in the Americas series, Brill. Her research focuses on the intersections of globalisation, migration and religion. Her publications include: John of God: The Globalization of Brazilian Faith Healing (Oxford University Press, 2017), The Diaspora of Brazilian Religions (with M. Vásquez, Brill, 2013), Buddhism in Australia (with M. Barker, Routledge, 2010), Zen in Brazil: The Quest for Cosmopolitan Modernity (Hawaii University Press, 2006).

School of Humanities and Communication Arts Postgraduate Conference 2019 11th Annual Interventions and Intersections Conference Making Academic Research Count 27-28 June 2019, Parramatta City Campus The annual Humanities and Communication Arts Higher Degree Research Students Conference is a critical forum for all postgraduate researchers to present their ideas in light of a timely theme. This year, it’s all about “making academic research count.” The theme’s a perfect complement to the current buzz in the higher education sector about “impact” and “engagement,” making for a great opportunity for all postgraduates to consider their own position in relation to this thing called “academic research.” Join the discussion, meet some people, strengthen existing relationships, benefit from some advice, and get some feedback—all you need to do is present a paper at the conference. And, before you present on the day we’ll help prepare you with valuable advice about presenting your ideas at the conference, and we’ll help you write an engaging abstract too! Papers are welcome from all students in every year of their candidature (you might present ideas from your CoC). All disciplines in humanities are welcome, for example, languages, linguistics, philosophy, design, music and more. Seize the opportunity to get feedback from colleagues outside your direct area of research.