Arts and Society
Influencing the cultural conversation
Arts and Society
Influencing the cultural conversation
Dracula at the Sydney Theatre Company: review
Dracula, the new and final instalment in Kip Williams’ Gothic trilogy for Sydney Theatre Company is the latest production in a long history of adapting this most famous of vampire tales. The show is fresh and enthralling, summoning the spectre of this Victorian novel for the 21st century technological era.
Life in a New Language: how migrants face the challenge
A new book by a team of linguists led by Distinguished Professor Ingrid Piller shows what it means to live one’s life through the medium of a new language, and where policy needs to shift to better shape those lives.
New NAPLAN targets a postive step for individual schools
Opinion: Following the NSW Government's scrapping of existing NAPLAN targets to report on student improvements, Dr Janet Dutton examines the advantages of the new plan where principals have the power to choose the achievement goals that work best for their own schools.
How sexuality and gender has influenced citizenship in modern Australia: new book
Historian and co-author Associate Professor Leigh Boucher explains how campaigning on a platform of personal politics has influenced law reform and human rights in Australia over the past 50 years.
Vulnerable preschoolers slipping through the cracks: new research
Many preschoolers are missing out on the early childhood education they are entitled to. A report led by Professor Linda J Harrison, from Macquarie School of Education, explains why.
Bewitched by Bridgerton? Why Regency Era romances capture our hearts
The countdown is on for the season three premiere of the Netflix hit on May 16. Macquarie University Associate Professor of Literature Stephanie Russo explains why the years between 1811 and 1820 are universally acknowledged as the most popular British period in history in which to set a love story.
Shot! A review of 400 Australian moments captured on film
A photograph is more than an image: it is an event, sometimes an object, always a fragment of a broader story. Photography researcher Dr Jane Simon reviews the NSW State Library's exhibition, Shot, which showcases 400 intriguing Australian images captured across three centuries.
Good eggs: 2024 Chocolate Scorecard unwraps responsible producers
Shoppers on the hunt for eggs this Easter can choose to spend their chocolate budget with companies who have plans in place to pay farmers a living wage and eliminate child labour, says Macquarie Business School Professor John Dumay.
What if Juliet didn't die at the end of Romeo and Juliet?
Associate Professor of Literature Dr Stephanie Russo reviews the new musical reimagining of Shakespeare's tragedy Romeo and Juliet, on now at the Sydney Lyric Theatre.
IVF 'add on' treatments: Fair choice or false hope?
Many Australians using Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) to conceive are paying for costly ‘add-on’ treatments that lack high-quality evidence that they will improve their chances of taking home a healthy baby.
Are conspiracy theories a cultural art form?
Why do people buy into conspiracy theories when they don’t necessarily believe them? In a recent paper, Macquarie University Professor of Philosophy, Neil Levy, looks at society’s complex relationship with evidence, the desire to suspend disbelief and the role of gamification in conspiracy theory.
Why Shakespeare's plays remain relevant in the 21st Century
A new book by English literature scholar Dr Roberta Kwan argues that Shakespeare's tales remain a powerful influence more than four centuries after his death partly because they tackle our need to know what to do in tricky situations.