Postgraduate Profile
Joyleen Christensen
PhD Candidate, School of Humanities & Social Science
Lecturer, English Language & Foundation Studies Centre
Faculty/Division: Education and Arts
Phone: + 61 2 4348-4190
Discipline: Film, Media and Cultural Studies
Email: Joyleen.Christensen@newcastle.edu.au
Location: Humanities Offices, Room HO.1-69
Campus: Ourimbah Campus
Current Research
PhD Thesis title: Where in the world is Andy Lau? Putting the 'popular' back into studies of Hong Kong popular entertainment.
Supervisors: Dr Hamish Ford and A/Prof David Boyd
The thesis surveys the career of Hong Kong superstar, Andy Lau Tak-Wah, as a way of considering some of the complex cultural foundations underlying notions of contemporary stardom. The discussion centres around two key modes of inquiry:
- An examination of the ways in which Andy Lau mediates his celebrity status in the star-based Hong Kong entertainment industry through individual performances as well as through a conscious projection of a positive public persona;
- An attempt to reconcile Lau's tremendous success in the Pan-Asian arena with the relative under-representation of his work in English-language texts that focus on contemporary Asian entertainment industries.
The central aim of this study is to shed light on the ways in which the notion of a 'star' - typically a local phenomenon - operates on a global scale in a unidirectional manner (almost exclusively) from West to East.
Qualifications
- PhD Candidate, The University of Newcastle, currently enrolled
- Graduate Certificate (Practice of Tertiary Teaching), The University of Newcastle, 2008
- Graduate Diploma (Theatre Studies), The University of New South Wales, 2003
- Bachelor of Arts (Film Studies/History) (Honours - First Class), The University of Newcastle, 2002
- Bachelor of Economics, The University of Newcastle, 1998
Awards
- Award for Best RHD Research Poster (Completion Stage), Faculty of Education and Arts Research Festival, 27 July 2011.
- Vice-Chancellor's Award for Teaching Excellence and Learning Support, The University of Newcastle, 2006
- Australian Postgraduate Award, The University of Newcastle, 2004
- Summer Scholarship, The University of Newcastle, 2002
Research Activities
- Structured study support project for enabling students, Project Leader, 2012
- Pilot project for introducing PASS sessions for enabling students, Project Team Member, 2012
- Interfaculty research into social inclusion in higher education, Workgroup Member, 2010-2011
- Peer review of teaching project, Research Assistant, 2009
- Open Foundation distance mentor project, Project Team Member, 2009
- Student retention and attrition workgroup, Workgroup Member, 2009
- Compilation of a bibliography on contemporary Australian cinema for the book Australian Cinema after Mabo by Therese Davis and Felicity Collins, 2003
- Research work and production assistance for an educational history film made about Old Sydney Town, 2003
Research Interests
- Popular culture
- Asian studies
- Stardom and celebrity
- Audience and reception studies
- Fandom
Conference/Seminar Presentations and Papers
Presentation of paper, 'City on fire (or a low boil?): The Hong Kong entertainment industry, 1982-2012', School of Humanities & Social Science RHD Symposium, 12 June 2012
Presentation of paper, 'Charisma, Celebrity, and the Function of Cultural Instability', Ourimbah Research Seminar Series, 17 May 2012
Presentation of paper, 'We are all the same, we are all unique': The paradox of using individual celebrity as metaphor for national (transnational) identity' at NewMac Humanities Postgraduate Symposium, University of Newcastle, 25 February 2012
Presentation of paper, 'Enabling efficacy: Promoting self- and collaborative efficacy within enabling education programs' at 1st International Australasian Conference on Enabling Access to Higher Education. University of South Australia, 5-7 December 2011
Presentation of paper, 'What more can I do? Linking learning to proactive lecturer practices', at the New Zealand Bridging Educators Conference, Wellington, New Zealand. 29 September - 1 October 2010
Presentation of 'Engaging sessional staff' session at the Teaching and Learning Week. University of Newcastle, 19 March 2010
Presentation of paper, 'Deconstructing a star: The Andy Lau phenomenon', at Asia Pacific Week. Australian National University, 8-11 February 2010
Presentation of co-authored paper, 'Social inclusion in a distance education context', with Dr. Keryl Kavanagh, at 3rd National Enabling Educators Conference. University of Southern Queensland, 25-27 November 2009
Presentation of co-authored poster with Dr. Keryl Kavanagh and Peter Hill at 'Peer review of teaching and student transition to university' Project Grant Showcase. University of Newcastle, 24 November 2009
'Big fish/little fish: Perceptions of celebrity', Humanity - Journal of the Macquarie-Newcastle Humanities Postgraduate Symposium, Macquarie University, 24 February 2007, [Online journal] Available from: http://www.humanities.mq.edu.au/humanity/2007/contents.html
Presentation of paper, 'Man on a mission: Porous borders and Andy Lau Tak-wah's urgent regeneration of Chinese cinema', at The Future of Chinese Cinema Conference. University of New South Wales, 1-3 April 2006
Presentation of paper, 'Ge-Ying-Shi and the mechanics of the Hong Kong entertainment industry' at Postgraduate Research Symposium. University of Newcastle, 10 November 2005
Presentation of paper, 'Made in Hong Kong: Alternate readings of the 1997 Hong Kong Handover', at Postgraduate Research Symposium. University of Newcastle, 10 November 2004
Essay published in University of Newcastle History Department Superscripts, Vol. 2., 1998
Academic Activities
Academic Appointments
- EPHUMA144/244 English Literature & Film, Course Coordinator, 2008-2012, Lecturer, 2006-2007
- EPHUMA306 English Literature & Film, Course Coordinator, 2008-2012, Lecturer, 2005-2007
- EPHUMA122 Newstep English, Tutor, 2008
- EPHUMA160 Film Studies, Tutor, 2008
- FILM1002 Contemporary World Cinema and Its Contexts, Tutor, 2008
- FILM1010 Film and Television Studies, Tutor, 2006-2008
- FILM1910 Introduction to Film and Television Studies, Tutor, 2007
- FILM3020 The Australian Cinema, Tutor, 2006
- FILM3001 Television in Australia, Course Coordinator, 2005
- FILM3004 Contemporary European Cinema, Tutor, 2005
- FILM3100 Genre Study: The Horror Film, Course Coordinator, 2005
- ENGL1040 Australian Literature: Narratives of Identity, Tutor, 2003
Academic Skills Support
- Bridging Course (Writing Academic Essays), Lecturer, 2010-2012
- Bridging Course (Academic Survival Skills), Lecturer, 2009-2012
- Bridging Course (Cessnock Community Bridging Program), Lecturer, 2010
- Learning Support workshops for International students studying Communications courses, 2008
- Open Foundation Essay-Writing Workshops, Lecturer, 2007-2008
- Casual English language assistance and practical academic skills tutor for international students, 1999-2002
Mentor Coordination
- Foundation Studies, Mentor Coordination, 2009-2012
- Open Foundation by Distance, Mentor Coordination, 2009-2012
- Foundation Studies, Mentor Coordination, 2008