Western Sydney University - School of Arts

Western Sydney University - School of Arts The creative heart of Western Sydney University and the Parramatta region.

Our students have once again made us enormously proud at the 25th Global Chinese Bridge Competition, the most prestigiou...
26/05/2026

Our students have once again made us enormously proud at the 25th Global Chinese Bridge Competition, the most prestigious Chinese language competition for non-Chinese university students.

First Prize: Eva Greenaway
Second Prize: Song Oanh Le

Eva delivered a beautifully structured speech integrating Quiet Night Thoughts and a Chinese tongue-twister, and wowed the audience with a Chinese folk song on saxophone. She will now represent Australia at the Global Final in China, competing against elite contestants from over 120 countries, and has been awarded a Chinese Government Scholarship.

Song Oanh Le demonstrated remarkable command of Chinese pronunciation and tones, reciting five idioms and classical Tang poetry before moving the audience with a Chinese song performance.

This year's competition involved three gruelling rounds across nearly three hours, with strong competition from the University of Sydney, UNSW, UTS, and Macquarie University.

What makes this even more remarkable? Eva achieved this after just one and a half years of study at WSU.

The December 2025 New Colombo Plan China Study Tour, co-led by Dr Qiang Guo, played a key role in building her confidence and bilingual capabilities.

This result is also a testament to 18 years of sustained excellence. 28 WSU students have now won or placed in the top three at this competition. Deepest thanks to A/Prof Ruying Qi for decades of outstanding leadership, and to coaches Dr Qiang Guo and Lijiang Zhao for their extraordinary dedication.

Watch Eva's speech: https://youtube.com/shorts/s8PCGdy7YRM?feature=share
Watch Song Oanh Le's speech: https://youtu.be/7RbBzsGs_Us?si=KMem4F7j8wkEvGdU

Congratulations to the whole Giramondo team, and to Lee Lai, whose graphic novel Cannon (Giramondo, 2026) was announced ...
21/05/2026

Congratulations to the whole Giramondo team, and to Lee Lai, whose graphic novel Cannon (Giramondo, 2026) was announced as the winner of the 2026 Stella Prize!

Worth $60,000 and awarded annually to 'the most excellent, original and outstanding book written by an Australian woman or non-binary writer', the Stella Prize this year made history — Cannon is the first graphic novel ever to receive the top honour.

The judges wrote: 'Cannon is an incontestable reminder that – in the hands of a masterful artist and storyteller – the very best graphic novels can do what prose alone cannot. And Cannon is absolutely one of the best.'

Lai will commence a brief tour of Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney. Public events include a conversation with Prize Judge Benjamin Law tonight, an event at RMIT in Melbourne on Monday, and a Queerstories and prize-winners panel at the Sydney Writers’ Festival next week. See more here: https://giramondopublishing.com/books/

WSU researchers have found that Australia's social media ban is cutting young people off from the news — not pushing the...
19/05/2026

WSU researchers have found that Australia's social media ban is cutting young people off from the news — not pushing them toward better sources.

A new report from Western Sydney University, QUT, and the University of Canberra reveals that 26% of 10–16 year olds have already felt the impact of December's restrictions. More than half report getting less news about world events and local issues as a result.

Nearly 2 in 5 young Australians have no formal news source at all beyond social media. For them, the ban doesn't mean switching to TV or news websites — it means disengaging from news entirely.

"Our data suggests that, for many young people, blocking their social media access doesn't redirect their news engagement — it ends it," says lead researcher Professor Tanya Notley from WSU's School of Arts and Institute for Culture and Society.

The researchers are calling for news engagement to be part of the policy conversation, and for investment in initiatives that help young Australians stay informed.

Read the full report here https://apo.org.au/node/334363

Our final-year Journalism students from the School of Arts – Media and Communication recently went behind the scenes at ...
15/05/2026

Our final-year Journalism students from the School of Arts – Media and Communication recently went behind the scenes at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation Parramatta newsroom!

As part of the Digital Story Production subject (COMM3055), students explored the ABC’s high-tech broadcast and studio facilities, met with the ABC News team, and received valuable industry insights and career advice from NSW News Editor Mark Davies, Deputy Editor Cassandra Bedwell, and working journalists across the newsroom.

The visit was an incredible opportunity for our aspiring journalists and media professionals as they prepare to launch their own careers — especially with several recent Western Sydney University journalism graduates now working at the ABC.

The ABC also offers internship opportunities to our students throughout the year, helping build important industry connections and real-world experience.

Western Sydney University is excited to announce that Wakefield Press has acquired ANZ rights to Saltblood, the debut YA...
12/05/2026

Western Sydney University is excited to announce that Wakefield Press has acquired ANZ rights to Saltblood, the debut YA novel by Nicole Lenoir-Jourdan, via Martin Shaw of Shaw Literary. Nicole is a PhD candidate at Western Sydney University, where her creative thesis explores the female surf protagonist in Australian fiction — and Saltblood is the creative component of that project.

Nicole shared: "Having Felicity and Rachel as my supervisors has been like winning the Lotto twice. I am deeply indebted to them for their marvellous support, and to Western Sydney University for championing my work. I would describe Saltblood as Puberty Blues meets Looking for Alibrandi, reimagined for a contemporary audience."

We congratulate Nicole and her supervisors Dr Felicity Castagna and Dr Rachel Morley on this wonderful achievement.

Constraint as Catalyst— Rethinking Filmaking Practice.Join Adam Daniel, Clinton Gill & Vincent Tay for a double screenin...
30/04/2026

Constraint as Catalyst— Rethinking Filmaking Practice.

Join Adam Daniel, Clinton Gill & Vincent Tay for a double screening and panel on how creative limitations spark cinematic innovation, turning obstacles into your greatest opportunities.

Find the link in our bio to RSVP!

PR@WESTERN- 79 attendees. 7 expert speakers. Countless connections made.We recently brought together over 60 students al...
27/04/2026

PR@WESTERN- 79 attendees. 7 expert speakers. Countless connections made.

We recently brought together over 60 students alongside industry professionals and Western staff for an Industry Connect session focused on innovations and best practice in digital and social communication.
Spanning government, transport, tourism, food and beverage, sport, and agency perspectives, our speakers sparked lively discussion around emerging trends and graduate opportunities — and the energy in the room was something else.

The impact has been immediate: students are following up internship pathways, applying for part-time roles, and connecting with industry leaders on LinkedIn.

But perhaps the most meaningful moment came from a student reflecting on meeting peers face-to-face for the first time as an online student — a reminder of how much these spaces matter for community and belonging.

As one guest speaker put it: "Your students really blew us away — excited for the future of the industry!"
Thank you to our seven incredible guest speakers and everyone who made the day possible.

Celebrating World Music Therapy Week with Culture DayLast Wednesday, the MusicTherapy@Western community came together fo...
24/04/2026

Celebrating World Music Therapy Week with Culture Day
Last Wednesday, the MusicTherapy@Western community came together for a truly special Culture Day in honour of World Music Therapy Week — a global initiative led by the World Federation of Music Therapy and supported by the Australian Music Therapy Association.

Across three sessions, our HDR students and graduate guests offered diverse perspectives on culture-centred music therapy, grounded in research, practice knowledge, and lived experience. It was a powerful reminder of the depth and richness that emerges when we centre cultural humility, pluralism, and relational practice in our teaching and learning.

We were honoured to hear from Ashish Thapa, Anuudari Enkhnasan, Sijun Wu, Sydney-Rella Pihema, Hernán Alarcón Rodarte, Samantha Lee-Shipley, George Zhao, and Geena Cheung — each sharing perspectives shaped by their practice as Registered Music Therapists (RMTs) across a range of cultural and community contexts.

A highlight? Our shared cultural lunches — where students, guests, and the teaching team exchanged food, music, stories, and connection. These informal moments were just as meaningful as the formal presentations.

This day reflected the heart of our Master of Creative Music Therapy: a learning environment where multiple perspectives, ways of being, musicking, and caring are recognised and valued.

Thank you to everyone who contributed so generously — and a special mention to Dr Oliver O'Reilly, Lauren Bortolazzo, Lene Jeffrey, and Alex Frendo for making the day possible.

On Friday 10th April, students of Screen Media and Music had the privilege of attending “Foundations of freelancing”, ru...
20/04/2026

On Friday 10th April, students of Screen Media and Music had the privilege of attending “Foundations of freelancing”, run by Launch Pad’s Si Dikkenberg. Si’s valuable insights into how to develop both a portfolio of creative work and real-world experience – while completing a degree – inspired students to reframe their current employment options and aspire to greater cohesion between work and study. With everything from ABNs to networking, interspersed with bursts of Qigong to ensure a connection to one’s life force, there was no better way to end the week!

16/04/2026

Recently the School of Arts hosted the premiere screening and panel event for the ’s The Matter of Facts series. The three-part series explored how we might navigate our way safely in a post-truth digital world. After the film, we spoke to WSU staff, students and community members about their thoughts on how they are thinking about the impact of misinformation and what advice they have for students grappling with this issue.

Included in the video: Tosca Looby, Northern Pictures; Paula Kruger, Media Diversity Australia; Julie Hanna, Commissioning Editor, ABC; Tanya Notley, WSU; Maryella Hatfield, WSU; Jennifer Allan, School Teacher Librarian; and WSU post-graduate students Alex Wharton, Julia Bell and Nicole Campbell

Thanks Mark Keiller for video production — and Daisy De Windt for doing the interviews.

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Western Sydney University, Locked Bag 1797
Penrith, NSW
2751

Telephone

1300 897 669

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