Sarah McDonald

Professor

20032020

Research activity per year

Personal profile

Biography

As the Deputy Dean (Education) for the Faculty of Arts, I utilise my expertise in transdisciplinary learning and cultural literacy to lead the development and delivery of innovative learning and teaching experiences that support students to become truly global, mobile and flexible graduates able to operate efficiently across diverse cultural and professional contexts. My discipline area is Latin American Studies with a special focus on the development and representation of popular culture within contemporary Latin American Cinema, specifically as it relates to representations of women and marginal social groups. I was previously the Director of the Bachelor of Global Studies, and have coordinated work integrated learning for the Faculty, as well as serving as Deputy Head of School (Education) for the School of Lanugages, Literatures, Cultures and Linguistics. My ability to teach across and between disciplines, while drawing on expert input from a range of areas has become increasingly crystallised in my own pedegogic stance. My research interests include the development of cultural literacy practice in Higher Education curriculum, representation and construction of gender in popular culture, and teaching innovation. Since 2012, I have been working in collaboration with colleagues at the University of Warwick on a suite of undergraduate modules co-taught between Monash and Warwick Universities via the International Portal, an innovative space that allows students to come together as one cohort in a transnational, transdicsiplinary space. 

Research interests

  • Cultural literacy practice in Higher Education 
  • Representation and construction of gender in popular culture
  • Innovation in curriculum development
  • Cross-cultural communication
  • Transnational transdisciplinary practices in Higher Education

Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals

In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):

  • SDG 5 - Gender Equality
  • SDG 16 - Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

Education/Academic qualification

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Auckland

Award Date: 6 May 2005

Master of Arts with First Class Honours, University of Auckland

Award Date: 4 May 2001

Bachelor of Arts, University of Auckland

Award Date: 28 Aug 1997

External positions

Honorary Associate Professor, Institute for Advanced Teaching and Learning, University of Warwick

2014 → …

Research area keywords

  • Cultural Literacy
  • Intercultural Education
  • Cultural Competency
  • Latin American Studies
  • Brazilian Studies
  • Cinema Studies
  • Popular Culture
  • Identity
  • Portal Pedagogy
  • Transdisciplinary Learning
  • Internationalisation
  • Cultural Linguistics
  • Intercultural Communication
  • Representation