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Social science SOS
UWA ’ s save social sciences petition approaches 10,000 signatures .
By Wade Zaglas
A petition to rescind the proposal to make significant cuts to the University of Western Australia ( UWA ) school of social sciences has nearly reached its goal of 10,000 signatures , but whether it will have an impact remains uncertain .
In July students at UWA – a member of the GO8 and a top 100 university globally – learnt that a proposal had been drafted to dissolve the disciplines of anthropology and sociology . This , plus other measures including the dismissal of 16 staff , was done with the intention of saving the university $ 40 million .
The petition , drafted by postgraduates of the school of social sciences , argues that the school is critical to solving a number of the “ most urgent challenges of today ”, including international affairs in our region , public health concerns and education .
Cutting anthropology and sociology , in particular , would be “ completely outrageous ”, particularly given the disciplines ’ “ contribution to Indigenous affairs over the past 50 years ,” the petition says .
“ We fundamentally disagree with the proposal ’ s implication that a robust and diverse education in the social sciences limits student employability . It reveals a profound lack of understanding of what higher degree social science research can offer society .”
On July 6 , Professor Amanda Davies , head of the school of social sciences presented the School for Social Science
Proposal for Change Consultation Paper , which was put out for a two-week consultation period . The paper argued that sociology and anthropology majors were untenable and a significant downsizing was expected for the entire school of social sciences , spanning subjects including Asian studies , international politics , geography and planning , as well as archaeology .
Several arguments were put forward for why a restructure of the school was necessary , covering research activity and impact , teacher-student ratios , student experience , and Indigenous enrolments , to name a few . For instance , in the realm of research impact , the paper states : “ Between 2015 and 2020 , more than 80 per cent of the School ’ s total external research funding was secured by Geography and Archaeology .”
The proposal also argues that UWA social sciences and humanities graduates experience an unenviable unemployment rate upon graduation .
“ The Good University Guide ( 2021 ) notes that , amongst the Go8 , social sciences and humanities graduates from The University of Western Australia have the lowest rate of full-time employment 4 months after graduation , which is 45 per cent lower than the University of Sydney and 32 per cent lower than the Australian National University .”
However , a detailed rebuttal of the proposal was also released , arguing that a “ number of data sources are used to reveal the selective and misleading statistics that underpin the proposal ”.
The authors of the rebuttal also allege that “ a number of requests to access data were made and not all have been granted ”. ■
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