The 2012 TRIP survey of international relations in Australia: one problem to rule us all

The Promise and Perils of Interpretivism in Australian International Relations

“…In the classroom, the 2008 TRIP Survey found, Australian students of IR encountered fewer texts by US authors than they would in almost every other major centre for the study of the field (Sharman and True : 158). About the same proportion of IR scholars in Australia self‐identify as ‘positivist’ in their epistemological orientation (only 30% in the 2008 TRIP survey; 35% in the 2012 version) as they do in Britain (33% in 2008; 27% in 2012), but far fewer than they do in the US (65% in 2008; 59% in 2012) (Sharman and True : 152; Morgenbesser : 223). Fewer regard themselves as realists or liberals (24% in 2008; 22% in 2012) than their American peers (41% in 2008) or the global average (35% in 2008) (Sharman and True : 153).…”

“…When asked in 2008 if informing policy should be a purpose of scholarship in the field, 75% agreed (Sharman and True : 162). When asked in 2012 if there should be closer connections between academics and policymakers, 85% agreed (Morgenbesser : 229). But when asked if they had consulted for government or other non‐university organisations, only 21% said that they had engaged in such work in the past year, while 48% said they had never consulted for any such agent (Morgenbesser : 230).…”

“…When asked in 2012 if there should be closer connections between academics and policymakers, 85% agreed (Morgenbesser : 229). But when asked if they had consulted for government or other non‐university organisations, only 21% said that they had engaged in such work in the past year, while 48% said they had never consulted for any such agent (Morgenbesser : 230). While the number of Australian academics doing such work is higher than it is in the US or UK, there is still a sense that it could be higher and that better links with policymakers should be forged.…”

Curriculum reform: a transformation or consumption model for politics and international relations?

“…In terms of the methodology of the article, the data is taken from a survey of the programs of a range of universities using their published websites. The top five Australian universities in the field were selected using the Teaching, Research & International Policy (TRIP) survey as a guide (Morgenbesser 2013). These are: the Australian National University (ANU), University of Queensland (UQ), University of Sydney (USyd), University of Melbourne (UMel) and Griffith University (GU).…”

“…The content of these subjects would also be interesting to study givenMorgenbesser's (2013) conclusions that the focus on standard IR paradigms has increased in introductory IR courses over recent years.…”