Associate Professor Mary Griffiths

Biography/ Background

Dr. Griffiths has held teaching positions in the UK, Canada, Australia (including off-shore program delivery to Singapore, Malaysia and South Africa in Monash's international communications program), and New Zealand, before taking up her current position at the University of Adelaide in mid-2006. As Head of Communications and Writing at Monash U, she was instrumental in setting up Monash's Research Unit in Work and Communications, and worked as a Visiting Research Fellow in The Institute for Regional Studies, Monash Gippsland, and as an Honorary Visiting Fellow on the Media Governance Panel, School of Business, Caulfield, Monash U. Among the visiting research fellowships held are:  The Institute for Regional Studies (Monash University), School of Communication (Napier University) and the Teledemocracy Centre (Napier, Edinburgh) and in 2009, at the Institute of Communications, the University of Leeds. At the University of Waikato, as research coordinator of Screen and Media, Dr. Griffiths initiated the interdisciplinary Faculty Research Network, and co-convened Digital Futures, a cross faculty research group drawn from sciences, arts, education and creative media.At the University of Adelaide, she has acted as the Discipline of Media's research leader, responsible for capacity-building in an identified area of emerging Faculty strength. She served on Faculty Research Committee from 2007-2010.She is is on the Editorial Board of EJEG: The Journal of Electronic Government; Associate Editor with The International Journal of Media and Cultural Politics, and has been an Editorial Board member for Communication, Politics and Culture (CPC), formerly Southern Review since 1996. She is reviews editor for Ethical Space. She has guest-edited five special international refereed journal issues on new and transformative media. She will co-edit a special issue for CPC: China, 45.2, 2012. She reviews for international books, journals and for conferences in the fields of e-democracy and e-participation. 

Qualifications

BA Hons (Wales), PGCE (Bristol), M.Litt (UNE), PhD (Monash)

Teaching Interests

Dr.Griffiths led the redevelopment of the B.Media's program in digital and participatory media (from 2006 onwards), and the establishment of the independent Discipline of Media. As Program Convenor (2006-2010), she served on the Faculty's Education Committee and chaired the B. Media Award Committee. Membership of the cross-tertiary state government Creative Industries and HESS working parties began in 2007. The latter successfully positioned secondary education Media Studies as a higher status university matriculation course. Her teaching philosophy is based on the heuristic, and she regularly experiments in elearning and pedagogy.  Areas of expertise include: participatory media and communications theory; qualitative media research methods, especially their ethical dimensions; globalising media and the local; the social, political and creative impact of digital and mobile technologies; digital story; realist cinema, film noir and the gothic; writing techniques, and postcolonial cultural production.

For the revised B.Media, the new courses she designed and wrote include: Introduction to Media : Digital Revolutions (2007); Directed Studies in Media (2007); Advanced Theory: Mobile Mediations (2008); Story/Technology (2008); Spark & Remix: Media Writing (2009); Media Democracies and E-Participation (2009). She redesigned Media Industry Placement and has guest lectured in Media Research Methods and Professional Practice.In 2012, she will be co-teaching a postgraduate course, Politics of the internet.

in 2010 Media Democracies and E-participation was chosen for the Enhanced E-Learning and Teaching Project.

Research Interests

Emerging technologies, and the ways that they enable and/or constrain participatory, democratising practices in Australia and elsewhere. This field includes the topics: e-democracy and e-citizens; uses of Web 2.0 and 3.0; social media forms and prosumer literacy, content and platforms; governance and government/citizen relations (from communication policy and regulatory issues, to analyses of innovation in making community and institutional relationships); open e-learning.

Research Fellowships Held

Visiting Research Professor, International Communications and E-Democracy. University of Leeds, UK, Nov-Dec, 2009.

Visiting Research Associate, Institute for Regional Studies, Monash University.

2003-2004

 

Honorary Research Associate, Media Governance Panel, Faculty of Business and Economics, Caulfield Campus, Monash University, 2003-2004.

 

Visiting Professor, School of Communication Arts and the International Teledemocracy Centre, Napier University, Edinburgh, UK, May-June 2002.

Current Research Projects

1) Creative Tactics: Emerging Technologies, Techniques and Practices 

2) Design for Online Policy Deliberation (Contentious Issues especially Practices of Living and Climate Change)

3) Negotiated Learning and Authentic Online e-Activities (with Online, Centre for Learning and Professional Development) related to digital journalism, political culture  and the public sphere

4) Working Across the Arts: Multimedia, Poetry, Fragrance and Taste: Integrated Datawerk, Tasting the Digital', 2005; and 'Internettraces_Original Orifice', 2010, with Raewyn Turner, multimedia artist (Auckland, NZ)

5) Digital Images and Regulation 

International: After chairing the mini-track on e-democracy at the annual European Conference on E-Government for six years, Dr Griffiths now serves on the program committes of several e-democracy conferences. Recent government research includes a study of online relations in secured government intranets, and the potential transferability of social media protocols to the civic space.

At the postgraduate research level, Dr. Griffiths currently supervises HDR students on a range of internet-based topics.

Publications

Selected

Griffiths, M. (forthcoming, 2013) Empowering citizens: A constructivist assessment of the impact of contextual and design factors on the concept of shared governance. In E-government success factors and measures: Concepts, theories, experiences, and practical recommendations. Ed. J. Ramon Gil-Garcia.  IGI: Hershey, Penn.

Griffiths, M. and S. Chinnasamy (in print, 2013) Malaysia's Internet governance dilemma. In Developing E-Government Projects: Frameworks & Methodologies. Ed. Z. Mahmoud. IGI, Hershey, Penn, pp 248-266.

Griffiths, M. (2012) Real time political news:Designing information flows in an online scenario. eLC Research Paper Series, Communication In the Digital Age. http://elcrps.uoc.edu/ojs/index.php/elcrps/ pp 41-52

Griffiths M, Y.Jiang & M.Griffiths, (2012), eds. ' China: Challenges, change & collaborative research'. Editorial, special issue, 'China', Communications, Politics and Culture. 45 (2) pp 168-173,  http://www.rmit.edu.au/browse;ID=k8fudaq7t1o3z

Griffiths, M. (2012) 'The digital, participatory and international turn: Media at the University of Adelaide'. In The History of the Faculty of Arts at the University of Adelaide, 1876-2012, eds Harvey, N., Fornasiero, F., McCarthy, G. MacIntyre, C., & C. Crossin.pp 299-323.

Chinnasamy, S & M. Griffiths (2012) 'Emerging forms of Internet-enabled political participation in Malaysia'. Conference Proceedings of MediAsia2012, Osaka, Japan, 2 Nov. 2012, pp 482-496.

Griffiths, M. (2012) Climate change policy in Australia: Contexts, and consultation on the Clean Energy Legislative Package (2011). Proceedings of the 12th European Conference on e-Government, ESADE, Barcelona, 14-15th June, 2012, pp 320-328. 

Griffiths, M.(2012) Issues involved in adopting a Work-Integrated-Learning approach in a media internship course. Proceedings of the International Conference on Education and New Learning Technologies. EDULearn12, July 2, 2012, Barcelona, pp 2737-2745.

Griffiths, M. (2012) Democratic play: Understanding media industry change and its impact on political culture through a blended online and offline learning scenario. Proceedings of the International Conference on Social E-xperience, BCN Meeting 2012, July 3-4, 2012, Barcelona.

Griffiths, M. and S. Cubitt (2011) 'Mobile/audience: Rethinking the contradictions' in The Mobile Audience: Media Art and Mobile Technologies, ed. M. Reiser with a foreword by Howard Rheingold, Amsterdam/New York, pp 81-96.

Griffiths, M. (2011) The potential advantage in the nexus of technologies, businesses, infrastructure and culture, 3rd Cultural & Creative Industry and City Branding International Forum, 'Culture and Science Merging and City Industry Upgrading'. Conference Thesis Compilation. Renmin University, Beijing, PRC. 13-14th November, 2011, pp. 52-65.

Griffiths, M. (2011)  The Digital information flows e-sim: Role-play as media democracy education  in an era of Gov 2.0 and wikileaks. Media, Communication, and Democracy Conference: Global and National Contexts, EU Centre, RMIT, September 2.  Slides http://www.rmit.com.au/browse;ID=49g59cm3qkgi

Griffiths, M. and Y. Park (2011) 'Digital citizens: Young people's online and offline political participation'. Media, Communication, and Democracy Conference: Global and National Contexts, EU Centre, RMIT, September 1.

Griffiths, M. (2011) Photographs of the young/ young photographers: Generation and the generative power of digital images. International journal of media and cultural politics, 7: 2, 155-72.

Griffiths, M. (2011) 'Crowdsourcing techniques: Citizens’ policy input at Community Cabinets and strategic planning ‘dotmocracy’ tables. Conference Proceedings,  ECEG 2011, Ljubljana, Slovenia, June 16-18, 2011.   

Griffiths, M. (2010) 'Open government, populism, social media, and citizens.' merz: medien + erziehung, zeitschrift fur medienpadagogik. 5/2010.

Griffiths, M. (2009) 'eDemocracy design: Citizen consultation on contentious issues.' Proceedings of EDEM 2009 Conference on Electronic Democracy, Sept 7-8, 2009, Vienna, eds Prosser, A & P.Parycek, Osterreiche Computer Gesellschaft, pp 51-59.

Griffiths,M.(2008) 'Godzone?: NZ's classification of explicit material in an era of global fundamentalism', in Feminist Interventions in International Communications: Minding the Gap. eds. Sarikakis, K and Leslie Shade, Rowman and Littlefield.

Griffiths,M.and M.Griffiths (2007) 'The pastoral in virtual spaces: A tale of two systems and how e-learning practitioners remake them', in Case Studies in Global E-learning Practices: Successes and Pitfalls, eds Sharma R.C. and S. Mishra. Idea Group.

Griffiths,M.(2007) 'Oxygen:Social intranets, collective intelligence and government practices.' EJEG : the Electronic Journal of E-government. 5: 2, 177-190 http://www.ejeg.com/issue-current.htm

Griffiths,M. (2007) Review Article. 'Future assemblies: Theorising mobilities and users.' New Media Society. 9: 1029-1036.

Griffiths,M.(2007) 'Media-savvy professionals and reinventing government.' Conference Proceedings. 7th European Conference of E-Government, Den Haag, June 21-22.

Doyle,W. and M.Griffiths (2006) Editorial. 'Caricature and an ethics of discomfort.' Special Issue. "Media and Belief in an Inter-related World." Southern Review: Communication, Politics and Culture. 39.1, 1-7.

Griffiths,M.(2005) Editorial. 'E-citizens and the challenge of e-democracy.' E-Citizens. Special Issue. EJEG : the Electronic Journal of E-Government. http://www.ejeg.com/volume-3/vol3-iss2/vol3-iss2-papers.htm

Griffiths, M.and G.Lealand (2005) Editorial. 'A clever little country?' in A Clever Little Country? Cultural Change and Identity in New Zealand. (eds) M. Griffiths and G.Lealand. MIA, 117. 5-10.

Griffiths, M.and A.Hardy (2005) 'NZ Christian churches online: Models of authority and participation.' Colloquium : The Australian and New Zealand Theological Review. 143-156. http://www.colloquiumjournal.org/back-issues/37-2/index.htm

Geiselhart, K, M.Griffiths,and B. Fitzgerald. (2004) 'What lies beyond service delivery - An Australian perspective'. The World of E-Government. (eds) Curtin, G, M.Sommer and V. Sommer. Haworth: NY. 213-233.

Invited Presentations

'New communicative power: 'Entitlement', and the why and how of social media engagement'. Guest speaker, Public Sector Leaders Series. CPA Australia: Adelaide, 12/10/12 and Hobart, 24/10/12.

'Creative Citizen-Government Policy Consultations', Closing Keynote, Design, Interaction, Culture, OZCHI, ANU, Canberra, 2/12/11.

'Digital information flows, media and politics', Citizens, freedoms & the Internet, University of Adelaide Public Forum, K.Lumley College, Adelaide, 7/11/11.

'Governing Sexuality: Policy and the Generative Power of Images'. (2011) Console-ing Passions Conference, UNISA, July 21-24, Adelaide.

‘ "Authentically South Australia": Re-imagining, and Re-imaging, a City and a State.'  5th Annual International Conference, Harmonious World, Communications University of China, Beijing. October 8-9, 2010.

'A Civil and Confident Australia Online: Digital Economy Policy Consultations', Research Seminar, Media and Journalism, University of Huddersfield, UK (Dec 1, 2009)

'Creative Tactics: Can Social Media Change the Ways Things Are Done?' Research Seminar, Institute of Communication Studies, University of Leeds, UK (Nov 11, 2009)

'The Great Australian Firewall...Maybe:Internet Filtering and other Digital Policy-Making'. Masters Policy Seminar, ICS, University of Leeds, UK (Nov 4, 2009) .

'Peers and Other 'Non-Experts': What's the Promise of New Kinds of Participation and Governance?' Keynote, RMIT Graduate Research Conference, Melbourne (June 12, 2008) 

Recent Interviews

 It's all polly tweet: Twitter 101 for polticians. ABC Riverland with Jessica Swann. 30/11/11

http://blogs.abc.net.au/sa/2011/11/its-all-polly-tweet-twitter-101-for-politicians.html?site=riverland&program=riverland_morning

Is Democracy Failing? Radio Adelaide Morning Show with Tim Brunero. 29/07/11

http://radioadelaidebreakfast.wordpress.com/2011/07/29/is-democracy-failing-interview-with-dr-mary-griffiths-head-of-the-discipline-of-media-adelaide-university/

 

Community Engagement

Dr.Griffiths has worked as a member of several local and state government planning committees. She was involved in training Melbourne city councillors about potential civic uses of the internet, worked on a strategic communications planning group for a regional city in Victoria and participated in planning a media business incubator in the City of Hamilton, NZ which involved a city/tertiary institutions partnerships.

In Adelaide she has served on the HESS Media Taskforce and involved Media at the University in support for, and sponsorship of, the Mobile Entertainment Growth Alliance South Australia (MeGaSA). This cross-tertiary and industry organisation is developing the first digital content incubator course nationally. B.Media students are eligible to apply and can count the course as part of their degree. As coordinator of Media Industry Placement, she enjoys her regular conversations with representatives of local businesses, media institutions and state agencies.

Dr.Griffiths served on the Boards of C31 (2007-2011) and Radio Adelaide (2008-). She expanded the membership of the University's Media Advisory Board from 2006-2011 as part of Media's industry and community engagement. She chaired the working parties on the University's Short Film Festival in 2007, 2008 and 2009.

 

Entry last updated: Thursday, 11 Apr 2013