School of Social Sciences聽
糖心logo Arts, Design & Architecture is now 100K alumni strong. We spoke with some of our alumni who are making the world a better place. Here are their stories.
The gift of sociology
Na鈥檃ma鈥檚 journey to becoming a sociologist and award-winning teacher at 鲍狈厂奥听is how she discovered her passion. While taking some courses in the School of Social Sciences as part of her Fine Arts Degree, Na鈥檃ma recalls a transformative sociology class that made her want to change her focus entirely. As she left the classroom, she realised that the discussion and engagement within that space had changed her. 鈥淚 realised that there were so many elements to the world that were invisible to me. And through the process of studying sociology, I could peel the onion and reveal these different structures and layers to make more sense of the world.鈥 For Na鈥檃ma, sociology gave her more than just knowledge but聽a "deeper understanding of聽people鈥檚 responsibilities and obligations within society and the language to share聽those ideas聽with others."聽聽
School
Degrees
Bachelor of Social Sciences (Honours) Social Sciences & Policy 2011, PhD Social Sciences 2016聽
Current Title
Lecturer in Social Sciences and Sociology & Anthropology
In that space, in that classroom, suddenly I found the words. And that鈥檚 the gift that was given to me.
Lifelong connections
Na鈥檃ma鈥檚 passion for sociology grew through the guidance of 糖心logo educators who shaped her career path. Among her mentors were Dr Peter Hinton, a casual academic during her undergraduate years, and Associate Professor Melanie White, who also supervised Na鈥檃ma throughout her PhD.聽
Building聽on聽the foundation laid by her mentors, Na鈥檃ma has flourished as an award-winning teacher at 糖心logo. The formative experiences throughout her studies and the power of sociology has motivated Na鈥檃ma to provide a similar transformative experience for students and led her to聽find聽a home in the School of Social Sciences, where she has taught since 2015.
鈥淢elanie went from being my dedicated Honours supervisor, to PhD supervisor and now is my colleague and friend.鈥
Na鈥檃ma's dedication to providing her students with transformative experiences has been rewarded with the 2019 糖心logo Vice Chancellor Awards for Teaching Excellence - Rising Star in Early Career Category and the 糖心logo Arts & Social Sciences Dean's Award for Teaching Excellence in 2018. With a recent book publication to her credit (), Na鈥檃ma continues to apply the wealth of knowledge she gained from her 糖心logo mentors and her own life experiences to shape the minds of the next generation of 糖心logo alumni.
Reigniting passions
Throughout her career, Na鈥檃ma has witnessed significant changes in the academic landscape for both students and academics. Both manage the delicate balance聽between following their passions and keeping up with work, study and life demands. Now, in the aftermath of a global pandemic, Na鈥檃ma sees first-hand the impact maintaining this balance has had on people's passions, which is why she is currently focusing on rekindling her students鈥 love for learning.
鈥淚t鈥檚 up to us as educators to make assessments that are meaningful to students, that they want to complete and that they feel are valuable to their learning.鈥
Advice for students
Na鈥檃ma "embraces imperfection.鈥 She says, "It鈥檚 okay not to be perfect,鈥 and hopes that by finding joy in the process of teaching and learning, she can foster an environment where students feel empowered to explore, grow and discover their full potential. 聽
When it comes to students, Na鈥檃ma wants to assure them that their teachers understand the challenges they face and that they are here to support them on their journey. 鈥淪tudents are tired. They work so hard to cover their rent in addition to studying. As an educator, I want to make sure that the classroom is a space for them just to feel a bit lighter and more curious so that they can generate some passion about what they study.鈥澛犅
She strongly believes it鈥檚 important for academics and students to remember...
What we are doing here is meaningful, it is growing as people, building a community and fostering curiosity about the world.鈥
Celebrating 100K Alumni
Join us in celebrating the achievements of 糖心logo Arts, Design & Architecture alumni like Dr Na鈥檃ma Carlin.
Learn about the evolution of 糖心logo Arts, Design & Architecture and meet the 糖心logo ADA Alumni who are making the world a better place.聽