Faculty of Arts and Education

School of Communication and Creative Arts


   Dr. Leonie Rutherford

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Position Senior Lecturer in Literary Studies
Email leonie.rutherford@deakin.edu.au
Area School of Communication & Creative Arts
Phone +61 3 522 71469
Campus Geelong
Location ic1.124
Role and profile Overview

Leonie joined the staff at Deakin in 2008. Prior to that, she taught at the Australian National University, University of NSW (University College, ADFA) , and finally at the University of New England, where she lectured in English, Communication Studies and Writing.

The major themes of Leonie’s research are: media history and cultures, and interdisciplinary childhood studies. Her research has included historicized textual studies of film, literature and television texts, and publishing/ communication history. More recent work has emphasized the role of cultural, policy, industry on the kinds of texts and artifacts produced for children and youth. From an earlier body of work on 18-20th century print and publishing history, which resulted in the first complete scholarly, edition and critical study of the poetry of 19th century Australian feminist, Louisa Lawson (1996) her recent research has focused on children’s media (including print), and use of media by children and youth.

Leonie is the author of a number of national and international book chapters and peer reviewed journal articles on Australian children’s television drama and international co-production, particularly the work of the Australian Children’s Television Foundation, Australian Animation industry and aesthetics, and institutional and socio-legal contexts of children’s culture genres. She was awarded an ARC small grant at the University of New England for a study of Australian children’s television.

In partnership with government and industry partners, Leonie has undertaken research in audience/ user studies, and digital media literacy, with a particular focus on children and youth. She was awarded a Category 2 Grant in conjunction with the Australian Communications and Media Authority, which resulted in a major study of the use of electronic media by children 0-17 years, published as Media and Communications in Australian Families 2007. In 2009, she received another grant to undertake a Focus Paper on media and children 0-8 years, for ARACY (Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth).

Committees
• Deputy Higher Degrees by Research Co-ordinator
• Faculty Research and Research Training Committee
• School Research Committee
• Faculty HEAG Committee
Teaching responsibilities Campus Co-ordinator, Children's Literature, Geelong Campus
ALL 153 (Reading Children's Texts); ALL 154 (Power Politics and Children's Texts); ALL226/326 (Gender and Sexuality in Children's Texts); ALL 230/330 (Race, Place and Children's Texts); Unit Chair ALL 721 (Driven to Write); Unit Chair ALL 784 (Writing and Film)
Research interests • Children’s film, television, graphic genres, literature and new media;
• media / new media institutions and cultures;
• media policy;
• fantasy and romance genres, both film and literature;
• digital literacies;
• animation.
Current research projects Leonie's current projects include:
1. An ARC funded study (ARC Linkage Projects Grant 2009-2012) of children’s digital literacies, entitled ‘Digital Natives: Growing up with Old and New Media in Australia’ (with industry partners, the Australian Children’s Television Foundation (ACTF), the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) and FahCSIA. The project utilizes a number of survey and other data to analyze the range and cultural contexts of children’s use of media.
2. A Deakin Central Research Grant Project on the inception of ABC3, entitled 'Children's Digital Television Culture: Institutions, Texts and Policies', involving qualitative interviews with industry executives, policy stakeholders and children's screen content producers, together with archival research.
(3) A Deakin CRGS funded project, with Dr Helen Skouteris (School of Pyschology) and national and international partner investigators to investigate contextual (ecological) factors influencing preschool children's health and sustainability knowledges and practices.
Service to the University,
discipline or community  		 Service to University

Member of the following committees:

(1) Elected Representative Faculty Board (Arts/Education)
(2) SCCA Research Committee
(3) Faculty HEAG Ethics Committee

Service to Discipline:

1. Expert Assessor of International Standing (IntReader) Australian Research Council (ARC)
2.Expert adviser on media to Raising Children Network (RCN) Australia
3.Panel Selection Committee for International Communications Association (ICA), Children,Adolescents & Media (CAM), Division
Qualifications BA (Hons), University of Western Australia
PhD, Australian National University
Memberships • International Communications Association (ICA)
• Australian and New Zealand Communications Association (ANZCA)
• Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth (ARACY)
• Association of Internet Researchers (AOIR)
• International Society for the Study of Children’s Literature (IRSCL)
• International Association for Communication and Media Research (IAMCR)
• Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI)
Research link View Deakin associated research data

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22nd April 2013