Benito Cao Lopez

Associate Professor Benito Cao Lopez

Associate Prof/Reader

School of Social Sciences

Faculty of Arts, Business, Law and Economics

Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD - email supervisor to discuss availability.

I am an Education Specialist and a member of the Adelaide Education Academy since 2017. This has translated into a shift in my academic profile from research to teaching. However, I remain interested and active in several research areas. I have a particular an ongoing interest in the relation between racism and national identity in Brazil, which was the topic of my PhD, but my main research focus at present is the intersection between environment and citizenship. I am the author of Environment and Citizenship (Routledge, 2015), and the guest editor of a special edition of the Journal of the Indian Ocean Region (JIOR) on Environmental Citizenship in the Indian Ocean Region (2020). I am also active in the field of innovation in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education.

 

I research and have published in the following areas:

 

  • Citizenship Studies, esp. Environmental Citizenship
  • Nation and State, Nationalism, and Multiculturalism
  • Racism, Ethnic Relations, and the Politics of Identity
  • Power, Politics and Popular Culture (Cultural Studies)
  • Innovation in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education
Date Project Funding Body

Amount
2019 Singapore Study Tour Australian Government - New Colombo Plan $66,000
2019 Conference Papers Learning and Teaching Advancement Grant   $4,000
2018 Singapore Study Tour Australian Government - New Colombo Plan $66,000
2018 Curriculum Design Learning and Teaching Advancement Grant $10,000
2017 Singapore Study Tour Australian Government - New Colombo Plan $66,000
2017 Curriculum Design Learning and Teaching Advancement Grant $10,000
2016 Singapore Study Tour Australian Government - New Colombo Plan $66,000

I have been teaching since 2002. I began as a tutor at the University of Adelaide but have also taught at UniSA and Flinders University. I have a special interest in the study and teaching of Politics, but I am interested in all fields of Social Sciences and the Humanities. I have taught in over twenty different courses over the years. Currently, I teach a number of undergraduate courses across all levels in the Department of Politics and International Relations:

In 2020 I had the honour and the pleasure to interview Julia Gillard as part of the course Introduction to Global Politics. In 2022, I will be teaching The Ethics of War and Peace (Semester 1). I will be on long service leave in Semester 2. I will resume normal teaching in 2023, when I hope I will also be able to conduct the Singapore study tour in Term 4: "Inside Singapore: History, Politics, Identity". The content of the study tour is beautifully captured in this student blog from the 2017 edition: Majulah Singapura.

I have received several teaching awards, including: the Executive Dean's Prize for Excellence in Teaching in 2011 and 2016, the Faculty Prize for Excellence in Teaching [Early Career] in 2010, a Faculty Prize for Excellence in Teaching [Continuing] in 2016 and 2020, a Beacon Commendation for the Enhancement and Innovation of Student Learning in 2016, a Student-Led Excellence in Teaching Award in 2019, a Special Commendation: COVID-19 Emergency Teaching Response in 2020, and a Stephen Cole the Elder Award for Excellence in Teaching and Support for Learning in 2020.

My teaching philosophy emphasises student engagement and participation that builds constantly on student feedback. In essence, this philosophy rests on a student-centred approach. This does not deny the crucial role of teachers as mentors, leaders and/or facilitators, but recognises that without paying close attention to the needs and views of students learning outcomes will be compromised. This approach requires the development and implementation of activities that inspire student engagement and participation, effectively treating students as partners in the teaching and learning process. The successful implementation of this teaching philosophy relies also on my ability to coordinate the efforts of tutors working with me in some of the courses I teach. This has allowed me to enable and inspire others to enhance their approach to learning and teaching.

  • Current Higher Degree by Research Supervision (University of Adelaide)
    Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
    2020 Co-Supervisor Citizens or ‘Infiltrators’? Decolonising the Securitisation of Migration and Citizenship in India Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Ms Maggie Paul

  • Past Higher Degree by Research Supervision (University of Adelaide)
    Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
    2020 - 2024 Co-Supervisor Toward a Preventative Protection Regime: the UN Charter, the Refugee Convention and the Responsibility to Protect Doctrine Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Ms Ainoa Cabada
    2019 - 2023 Co-Supervisor Aussies Abroad: An Exploration of Australian Expatriates' Citizenship Practices and Perceptions of National Identity Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Part Time Miss Anna Larson
    2019 - 2024 Co-Supervisor An Investigation into the Factors Influencing Women’s Descriptive Representation in the Republic of Maldives Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Ms Fathimath Shafeega
  • Position: Associate Prof/Reader
  • Phone: 83135745
  • Email: benito.cao@adelaide.edu.au
  • Campus: North Terrace
  • Building: Napier, floor 4
  • Org Unit: School of Social Sciences
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External Profiles