Arts & Social Sciences at ANU

From digitising the Royal Archives for the late Queen Elizabeth II to leading ANU's newest research hub, Professor James Smithies is bringing world-class digital expertise home. 👑💻

Smithies now leads the HASS Digital Research Hub, a new initiative hosted within our College of Arts and Social Sciences. The Hub gives humanities and social science researchers across ANU access to websites, data analysis, visualisations, archives, virtual reality and more, free of charge.

"We provide an intellectual collaboration — the kind you'd have with another academic colleague."

Read the full story 👇
https://cass.anu.edu.au/news/james-smithies-helped-digitise-royal-familys-archives-now-hes-bringing-expertise-anu

Image left: Professor James Smithies
Image right: The HASS Digital Research Hub team
Photo: Jamie Kidston/ANU

From the Press Gallery at Parliament House to the United Nations Refugee Agency, Jade Herron's path through her Master of Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies has been anything but conventional — and she wears every year of it as a badge of honour. 🌏

Balancing full-time work, study, and COVID lockdowns taught her the value of persistence: "It's okay to take your time. Little by little becomes a lot."

Thinking about postgraduate study in humanities, arts or social sciences? Come meet our academics at the ANU Postgraduate Expo 👇
📅 Wed 24 June 2026
🕓 4:30–6:30 pm
📍 The Lobby Bar & Cinema, Lowitja O'Donoghue Cultural Centre

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Finding love increasingly starts with a swipe, but who's responsible when things go wrong? 📱

75% of Australians who use dating apps have experienced harassment or abuse in digital dating contexts. Dr Hannah Robertson from our POLIS: The Centre for Social Policy Research has spent years researching how dating platforms shape experiences of safety, harm and accountability.

"We've historically relied on a model of user responsibility," Robertson says. "But there's a delicate balance to strike, because this victim-centric safety model can perpetuate victim-blaming rhetoric."

Her research is helping inform Australia's world-first Online Dating Code of Conduct, shifting the conversation from what users can do to protect themselves, to what responsibility platforms themselves should bear.

Read the full story 👇
https://cass.anu.edu.au/news/dating-apps-transformed-relationships-regulation-still-catching

Photo by Jack Ellis/ANU

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What kind of impact do you want to make?

ANU alumna Annisa Shabrina Zatalini developed valuable research skills and expertise through her Master of Social Research Methods (Advanced), supporting her aspirations to advance gender equality and inclusive policy development in Indonesia.

If you're interested in building research expertise and creating meaningful change in your field, join us at the ANU Postgraduate Information Evening to learn more about the Master of Social Research Methods and other postgraduate study options.

📅 Wednesday 24 June 2026
🕓 4:30–6:30 pm
📍 The Lobby Bar & Cinema, Lowitja O'Donoghue Cultural Centre

Register now: cass.anu.edu.au/pie

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From global tech to global politics 🌏

After two decades in the tech industry, Mark Shaw made a bold pivot — pursuing a Master of Political Science (Advanced) at ANU, jointly offered by us and Asia & the Pacific at ANU.

For Mark, it's been about pursuing the questions that matter most:"I want to contribute to the discourse on how we overcome the history of colonialism, racism, and discrimination — building inclusive international societies that aren't prescriptive in how countries 'should' develop, and instead support one another."
The program proved a revelation: "It's opened my eyes and given me a language to talk about the phenomena that shape our world. It's an entirely new way of viewing the world."

His advice for anyone considering the leap? "Do it. The faculty are exceptional — highly knowledgeable, but also wonderfully approachable. You'll meet the best cohort in your fellow political science students." Read Mark's story 👉 https://cass.anu.edu.au/profiles/mark-shaw

🌟Thinking about postgraduate study in humanities, arts or social sciences? Come meet our academics at the ANU Postgraduate Expo.

📅 Wednesday 24 June 2026
🕓 4:30–6:30 pm
📍 The Lobby Bar & Cinema, Lowitja O'Donoghue Cultural Centre

Register now >> https://cass.anu.edu.au/pie

ANU has climbed three places to 29th in the prestigious QS World University Rankings 2027 🙌

Proudly ranked in the top 2% of universities worldwide, this result recognises our global standing in research and education, and the exceptional community behind it.

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"Coming out back then meant watching many doors close."

Professor Mary Lou Rasmussen from our ANU School of Sociology grew up in the 1960s, came out in her twenties, and went on to become a political activist — before returning to Canberra to build a career researching the lives of q***r Australians.

Her new book, Q***r Generations, is the first to bring together the experiences of two generations of LGBTQ+ Australians — those born in the 1970s and the 1990s — exploring how kinship, education, health and identity have shifted across the decades.

"One really important thing to remember is that we don't know more about someone just because they identify in a non-normative way. Gender and sexuality don't define us — they might be the least interesting thing about us."

Read the full story 👇
https://cass.anu.edu.au/news/growing-q***r-then-and-now-how-has-australia-changed

Image: Professor Mary Lou Rasmussen. Photo: Jamie Kidston/ANU

Have you applied to the HIST2206 course? This is your opportunity to live an unforgettable experience and learn more about the Great War's Battlefields.
Applications end on 2 July!
More information here: https://history.cass.anu.edu.au/courses/great-wars-battlefields-study-tour-gallipoli-western-front-and-paris

Now open: a brand-new, fully online pathway to a Master of History from our ANU History — fully flexible, world-class.

📚 Draw on expertise across Australian, Indigenous, environmental, ancient, and modern European history
🎯 Tailor your studies to your interests
🌐 Study from anywhere — perfect for working professionals and educators

Build research, writing and presentation skills that open doors — with a globally respected qualification from a university ranked among the world's best for history.*

Ready to start your journey at ANU? Apply now for Semester 2, 2026.
Domestic applications close 17 July 2026
International applications close 14 June 2026

Learn more 👇
https://cass.anu.edu.au/degrees/master-history-online

*QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026

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