The aim of the Master of Philosophy (MPhil) program is to provide research training in a manner that fosters the development of independent research skills in candidates. On completion of the period of research, the student should possess the ability to formulate a significant problem, mastery of appropriate conceptual and methodological frameworks, and the capacity for articulate and critical analysis. The MPhil thesis provides evidence of significant research as the culmination of 1.5-2 years full-time equivalent study and research training. Art History and Curatorship Art History staff has a wide range of research expertise, including in Indigenous Australian art, contemporary art and critical theory, Renaissance and Baroque art, and the arts of the Asia-Pacific. Current research projects include books and exhibitions on art and melancholia; contemporary art and science fiction; Indigenous Australian art historiography and body art; contemporary Japanese art; a history of ‘un Australian’ art; screen technologies and the public sphere, and the politics of utopia in contemporary art of the documentary mode. Film and Television Studies Research at UQ The University of Queensland’s School of Communication and Arts boasts one of the strongest research profiles in Film and Television Studies in all of Australasia, as demonstrated by our record of success in the Australian Research Council’s 2012 Excellence in Research for Australia (4), publishing in the field’s top Film and Television Studies journals and lists, attracting major external funding, and graduating HDR students. Media and Cultural Studies In Media and Cultural Studies our major research foci are: Television, especially nationally inflected studies and studies considering various intersections between television and lifestyle; Studies of everyday life and popular culture; National and industrial aspects of cinema and on-line media; Communication Communication at UQ has research strengths in communication and social change; political communication; intercultural communication; science communication and communication research methods (including computational methods for communication research). Journalism Journalism at UQ has particular strengths in communication and social change; political communication and discourse; media representations of ethnic minorities, refugees, Indigenous people and less privileged people; citizen journalism; media ethics; visual journalism and the impact of social media. Writing Writing research in the School of Communication and Arts is a creative and critical discipline committed to the creation, dissemination and critical reception of works of artistic merit. Researchers work individually and collaboratively across a wide range of literary genres, including fiction, nonfiction, poetry and plays. The School's creative outputs are critically acclaimed and have made significant contributions to the shape and conception of the Australian literary canon. Drama and Theatre Studies Performing Arts research in the School of Communication and Arts is committed to critical engagement with theatre studies and live performance through time and across cultures. Literary Studies The strength of literary study at UQ was recently recognised when the discipline was awarded the highest possible ranking in a national research assessment exercise. We contribute to some of the most exciting developments in the field including: Current debates in Australian literature The intersections between literature and the history of ideas (especially in the early modern period)