Dr Nigel Starck

Executive Responsibility

Program director for:

MA (Communication Management), Kuala Lumpur

BA (Communication & Media Management), Singapore

Professional Vocation

*Specialist lecturer in creative writing, journalism, public relations, organisational communication;

*Former journalist, broadcaster, television/documentary producer;

*Experience as communication media practitioner in all states of Australia, S/E Asia, Europe.

• Creative writing, particularly features and reviews for mainstream media;
• Research, with an emphasis on journalism history.

International Association of Obituarists

Independent Scholars Association of Australia

The Anthony Trollope Society

Doctor of Philosophy (English), Flinders University

Master of Arts (Communication Studies), RMIT University

Diploma, National Council for the Training of Journalists (UK)

Certified Practitioner, Public Relations Institute of Australia

• International journalism practice
• The art of the obituary
• Journalism history
• Military history
• The travel memoirs of Anthony Trollope

Refereed Journal Articles [sole author]

1995 : ‘The NSW invasion: interstate internships’, Australian Journalism Review 17 (1): 148 – 153

2001 : ‘Capturing life – not death’, Text 5 (2)

2002 : ‘The obituary art in Australia: time to bury the posthumous parallax’, Australian Journalism Review 24 (1): 117 – 129

2003 : ‘Maxim and aphorism on the death beat’, Australian Studies in Journalism 12: 150 – 161

2004 : ‘The forgotten dead: women find obituary recognition elusive’, Australian Journalism Review 26 (1): 133 – 143

2005 : ‘Posthumous parallel and parallax: the obituary revival on three continents’, Journalism Studies [UK] 6 (3): 267 – 283

2006 : 'Trial by media: Anthony Trollope in Australia', Australian Studies in Journalism 17: 2 – 16

2007 : 'Revelation, intrusion, and questions of taste', Journalism Practice [UK] 1 (3): 372 – 382

2008 : 'Obituaries for sale: wellspring of cash and unreliable testimony', Journalism Practice [UK] 2 (3): 444 – 452

2009 : 'Sex after death: the obituary as an erratic record of proclivity', Mortality [UK] 14 (4): 338 – 354

Books [sole author]

2005 : 'Obituary' [definitive entry], 'Routledge Encyclopedia of Narrative Theory', Routledge: 407

2006 : 'Life After Death', Melbourne University Press

2008 : 'Obituaries' [definitive entry], 'Encyclopedia of American Journalism', Routledge: 367 – 368

2008 : 'Obituaries' [chapter], 'Pulling Newspapers Apart', Routledge: 91 – 101

2008 : 'Remembrance in columns: the newspaper obituary as an instrument of military record' [chapter], 'Writings of War', Lythrum Press: 179 – 190

Refereed Conference Proceedings [sole author]

1995 : 'How to become a journalist in 15 weeks’, South Pacific Journalism 1995 (refereed abstract), JEA Conference, NZ

1997 : ‘Universities: shaping the right image’, Confédération Européene des Relations Publiques conference , Helsinki

2001 : ‘Teaching global, thinking local – an offshore education challenge’, Offshore 2000 Conference (Centre for Enhancement of Learning, Teaching and Scholarship, University of Canberra)

2001 : ‘Taste, style, and the obit’, Proceedings of Style Council, Dictionary Research Centre, Macquarie University (refereed abstract)

2003 : ‘Matters of judgment: a better class of death on the obituaries page’, Fifth Great Obituary Writers’ Conference (International Association of Obituarists, USA): URL: www.obitpage.com

2003 : ‘Posthumous precautions: if it’s not on, maybe it’s not on’, When Journalism Meets History: Refereed Papers from the Australian Media Traditions Conference (RMIT) 2004 : ‘Resurrection of a dying art: Australian newspapers revive the obituary’, Best Australian Journalism Conference (RMIT): URL: www.rmit.edu.au

2004 : ‘Posthumous reflections: the newspaper obituary as the first verdict of history’, Journalism History Conference (Association for Journalism Education, UK)

2007 : 'Obituaries for sale', Future of Newspapers Conference, Cardiff University

2007 : 'Dead but alive: how the newspaper obituary serves the cause of history', 8th International Conference on the Social Context of Death, Dying, and Disposal (Bath, UK)

Other Conference Papers [sole author]

1988 : ‘The pursuit of non-judgmental language’, Journalism Education Conference (University of Southern Queensland)

1989 : ‘Outcomes from the teaching of practical skills in journalism’, Journalism Education Conference (South Australian College of Advanced Education)

1990 : ‘Journalism texts: a comparative study’, Journalism Education Conference (Bond University)

1993 : ‘Instructional videos in the teaching of television journalism’, Journalism Education Conference (Queensland University of Technology)

1994 : ‘Industry placements at NSW regional newspapers’, Journalism Education Conference (Australian National University)

1997 : ‘Public relations initiatives in Australian universities’, European Association for Public Relations Education (University of Helsinki)

2002 : ‘Revival of a dying art’, Fourth Great Obituary Writers’ Conference (International Association of Obituarists, USA): keynote address: URL: www.obitpage.com

2005 : ‘The tomayto-tomahto factor: contrasts in US-UK obituary style and practice’, Seventh Great Obituary Writers’ Conference (International Association of Obituarists, USA): URL: www.obitpage.com

2005 : ‘What do I say?’, National Federation of Civil Celebrants Conference [Australia], keynote address

2006 : 'Remembrance in columns', Writings of War Symposium, University of South Australia

2007 : 'Malignity, mendacity, and general fiendishness: Anthony Trollope's Australian trial by media', Anthony Trollope Society of America annual lecture, New York

Other Publications [sole author]

2000 : ‘Monsoons, powerpoint – and Aussie “racism”’, Opinion (Journal of the SA English Teachers Association) 44 (1): 34 – 35

2002 : ‘The revival of a dying journalism craft’, The Canberra Times: Panorama section 24 Aug.: 8

2002 : ‘Debate in offshore class’, Campus Review 12 (14): 43

2002 : ‘Revival of a dying art’, Opinion (Journal of the SA English Teachers Association) 46 (4): 43 – 48

2005 : ‘Tales of life, not death’, Eureka Street 15 (1) Jan. – Feb.: 24 – 25

2006 : 'Fanatacism focuses us on appraising ordinary lives', The Canberra Times: 11 Sep.: 9

2006 : 'Breathing life into a dying art form', The Independent Weekly: 16 – 22 Sep.: 10

2006 : 'Legal sage was in tune with nature' [obituary], The Advertiser [Adelaide]: 28 Oct.: 88

2007 : 'Nyakul Dawson' [obituary], The Guardian [UK]: 5 Feb.: 32

2007 : 'Triumph and trial in Australia's press', Trollopiana: the journal of the Trollope Society [UK]: 76, Mar.: 7 – 15

2007 : 'Stoic and principled student' [obituary], The Advertiser [Adelaide]: 14 Jul.: 74

2008 : 'Anthony Trollope's travels and travails in 1871 Australia', National Library of Australia News xix (1) Oct.: 19 – 21

2008 : 'Me and my Trollope', The Independent Weekly [Adelaide]: 21 Nov.: 14

2009 : 'Death in the press', Jane Austen's Regency World [UK]: Mar./Apr.: 36 – 41

2009: 'The Mind of Russell Braddon', National Library of Australia, The Library Magazine 1 (3) Sep.: 12 - 15

Creative Works [sole writer-director]

1998 : ‘35 degrees south’, UniSA corporate video

1999 : ‘Our graduation video’, UniSA corporate video

2000 : ‘Going south’, UniSA corporate video

Recognition of Scholarship in Popular Journals

2002 : ‘The death beat’, The New Yorker, 8 July: 28 – 32

2003 : ‘The death noticers’, Time, 17 March: 56 – 57

2003 : ‘Obituarists went west’, Daily Telegraph [UK], 13 June: 21

2003 : ‘Dead lines’, Smithsonian, October: 85 – 90

2004 : ‘A matter of life and death’, The Guardian G2 [UK], 9 June: 4

2004 : ‘Death sentences’, The Bulletin, 15 June: 10

2004 : ‘Resurrection of dying art’, Times Colonist [Canada], 27 June: C9

2004 : ‘Finding life in last words’, Guardian Messenger [SA], 29 Sept.: 14

Broadcasting

1995 – Media commentator (ABC & commercial radio/television)

2002 – Principal interviewee/presenter Radio National ('Late Night Live', 'Life Matters', 'The Europeans', 'The Deep End' [as ‘Masterclass’ presenter])

I am able to provide media comment in the following areas of expertise:

Discipline: Communication; Popular Culture; Screen Literacy; New Media

• Newspaper history
• Media/publishing practice
• Military history (media emphasis)