Dr Thomas Wanner
Senior Lecturer
School of Social Sciences
Faculty of Arts, Business, Law and Economics
Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD - email supervisor to discuss availability.
I am a Senior Lecturer in Development Studies within the School of Social Sciences at the University of Adelaide; and the convenor of the Bachelor of International Development, and the Honours program for International Development. As a political economist/political ecologist, my main research interests include the human-nature relationship and socio-cultural change to move towards more ecologically sustainable and equitable economies and societies. I am also researching about teaching and learning in higher education with a particular focus on critical pedagogies, flexible learning and assessment, student as partners, and education for sustainability.
I welcome inquiries from Masters and PhD candidates interested in: Climate Change Governance at international and national levels; Forests and climate change adaptation; Gender and Development; International politics and Sustainable Development Goals; climate change and energy security; Education for Sustainability; Religion and Development; Development theories; Political ecology and Sustainability.
Email me if you need supervision.
- My Research
- Career
- Publications
- Grants and Funding
- Teaching
- Supervision
- Professional Activities
- Contact
- Political economy of environment and development
- Climate Change Governance
- Climate change adaptation with a particular focus on the role of forests
- Gender and Development
- International development and Sustainable Development Goals
- Education for Sustainability
- Critical pedagogies
- Flexible learning and assessment
I am chair of the Sustainability Education Research Group. Email me if you want to join.
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Appointments
Date Position Institution name 2016 - ongoing Senior Lecturer University of Adelaide, Adelaide 2008 - 2015 Lecturer University of Adelaide, Adelaide 2001 - 2007 Lecturer A Flinders University -
Awards and Achievements
Date Type Title Institution Name Country Amount 2024 Award National Citation for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning Universities Australia Australia - 2023 Award School of Education Research Excellence Award - Interdisciplinary Team Award University of Adelaide Australia - 2022 Award Faculty of Arts, Business, Laws and Economics, Award for Teaching Excellence Award University of Adelaide Australia $6,000 2021 Teaching Award Stephen Cole the Elder Award for Excellence in Teaching and Support for Learning University of Adelaide Australia $8000 2016 Teaching Award Teaching Excellence Award University of Adelaide Australia 2,000 2016 Teaching Award Beacon Commendation for Excellence in Teaching University of Adelaide Australia 3,000 -
Language Competencies
Language Competency German Can read, write, speak, understand spoken and peer review -
Certifications
Date Title Institution name Country 2011 Graduate Certificate in Online Learning (Higher Education) University of Adelaide, Adelaide Australia -
Research Interests
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Journals
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Books
Year Citation 2014 Carroll, T., & Jarvis, D. S. L. (Eds.) (2014). The Politics of Marketising Asia. Palgrave Macmillan UK.
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Book Chapters
Year Citation 2021 Wanner, T. (2021). Foreign aid, the soft power of sport, and the Sustainable Development Goals: An analysis of Australia’s sport for development in the Pacific program. In K. Siefken, A. R. Varela, T. Waqanivalu, & N. Schulenkorf (Eds.), Physical Activity in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (pp. 109-126). Abingdon, Oxfordshire, UK: Routledge.
DOI2021 Kidane, R., Wanner, T., & Nursey-Bray, M. (2021). Understanding the Climatic and Non-climatic Drivers of Livelihood Vulnerability in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. In M. Alam, M. Erdiaw-Kwasie, G. Nagy, & W. Leal Fihlo (Eds.), Climate Vulnerability and Resilience in the Global South (pp. 279-296). Switzerland: Springer Nature.
DOI Scopus22020 Wanner, T. K., & Wanner, S. L. (2020). The tensions between philosophies of education and critical pedagogies in neoliberal higher education: implications for learning and teaching practices. In A. Jones, A. Olds, & J. Lisciandro (Eds.), Transitioning Students into Higher Education:- Philosophies, Pedagogies and Practice (pp. 127-136). London, United Kingdom: Abingdon, Oxon; United Kingdom.
DOI2015 Bonham, J., Bacchi, C., & Wanner, T. (2015). Gender and cycling: Gendering cycling subjects and forming bikes, practices and spaces as gendered objects. In J. Bonham, & M. Johnson (Eds.), Cycling Futures (pp. 179-201). Adelaide: University of Adelaide Press.
DOI2014 Ferguson, L., Elias, J., & Wanner, T. (2014). Gender and development. In H. Weber (Ed.), The politics of development: a survey (1 ed., pp. 69-87). New York: Routledge.
DOI Scopus12014 Wanner, T. K., & Rosser, A. (2014). Building Neo-liberal Markets and Other Agendas: The Politics of Risk Management at AusAID. In T. Carroll, & D. S. L. Jarvis (Eds.), The Politics of Marketising Asia (1st ed., pp. 145-161). Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. 2007 Wanner, T. (2007). The Bank's Greenspeak and Sustainable Development. In David Moore (Ed.), The World Bank: Development, Poverty, Hegemony (pp. 145-170). South Africa: University of Kwazulu Natal Press. - Siefken, K., Varela, A. R., Waqanivalu, T., & Schulenkorf, N. (n.d.). Physical Activity in Low- and Middle-Income Countries. Routledge.
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2024: Faculty of Arts, Business, Law and Economics Interdisciplinary Research Grant: $10,000: Enhancing students' academic skills by embedding the use of generative AI into courses
2023: Faculty of Arts, Business, Law and Economics: Teaching and Learning Grant: $10,000: Enhancing the first-year experience for DEVT 1001 Introduction to International Development.
2022: Higher Education Research and Development Society Australasia (HERDSA) Grant: $5000. Project: Enhancing the Effectiveness of Communities of Practice as Knowledge Sharing and Academic Development tool
2020: Higher Education Research and Development Society Australasia (HERDSA) Grant: $3600. Project: Personalising Student Experience and Learning through Personal Learning Plans: Understanding student approaches to learning.
2019: New Colombo Plan Mobility Grant; Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), Government of Australia: $88,500 for Vietnam Study Tour in 2020.
2018: New Colombo Plan Mobility Grant; DFAT, Government of Australia: $88,500 for Vietnam Study Tour in 2019.
2017: Australia-Vietnam Researcher Exchange Program; DFAT, Government of Australia: $10,000.
2017: Ecoversity Grant, University of Adelaide; Project: Academic Plane travel.
2017: Evaluating Small Group Discovery Experiences in the Faculty of Arts; University of Adelaide grant: $20,000
2016: Faculty Research Active Grant Scheme (FRAGS); Faculty of Arts, University of Adelaide: $5,000. Project: 'Australia's role in Carbon partnerships in Asia-Pacific region'.
2014: Teaching Innovation Grant, University of Adelaide. Project: 'Developing Online Learning Modules'.
Courses taught at undergraduate level:
DEVT 1001 Introduction to International Development
DEVT 2004 Environment and Development (advanced level)
DEVT 2004EX Environment and Development (Online course)
DEVT 3007 Climate Change and Sustainable Development (advanced)
DEVT 3004EX Vietnam Study Tour: International Development in Practice
DEVT 3008 International Development Research Project (capstone)
DEVT 4006 Theories and Contested Concepts in International Development (Honours level)
Previously taught courses:
2010-2018: Geographies of Globalisation (1st year)
2010-2019: Governance & Sustainable Development (advanced)
2008-2018: People & the Environment in the Asia-Pacific region (Master)
2008-2012: Environmental Impact Assessment
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Current Higher Degree by Research Supervision (University of Adelaide)
Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name 2023 Co-Supervisor Will living standards improve if donor agencies prioritise TVET demand driven programs in developing countries over other education sector investments? Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Simon John Fraser 2023 Co-Supervisor Negotiating empowerment inside the Indigenous Rangers Program in the Lake Eyre Basin (Australia). Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Maria Cristina Enjuto Crespo 2023 Co-Supervisor The Roles and Impacts of Small Private Online Courses (SPOCs) for Online Flexible Learning in Chinese Higher Education Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Ms Yali Chen -
Past Higher Degree by Research Supervision (University of Adelaide)
Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name 2021 - 2022 Principal Supervisor The Role of Gender in Post-Disaster Recovery and Disaster Risk Governance in Nepal: Examining Links Between Women, Institutions and Capacity-Building Master of Philosophy Master Full Time Miss Natasha Jane Mackintosh 2019 - 2020 Principal Supervisor State Power and Environmental NGOs in South Australia: Moving Towards a Sustainable Society? Master of Philosophy Master Full Time Mrs Meagan Rosaghna Magnusson 2018 - 2022 Principal Supervisor Sport and Livelihoods of Young People in Suva, Fiji: A Sustainable Livelihoods Analysis Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Steven John Evanson 2018 - 2023 Co-Supervisor Management of Climate-Stressed Wetlands to Create Climate Resilience of Bangladeshi Wetland Communities Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Syed Mohammad Aminur Rahman 2016 - 2019 Co-Supervisor Exploring the Nexus Between Corporate Environmental Responsibility and Regulatory Oversight in Ghana's Upstream Petroleum Industry Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Derrick Martin Adjei Sowa 2016 - 2019 Co-Supervisor Mining, Power and Sustainable Development: Micro-Politics of Benefits Sharing in Ghana Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Jerome Jeffison Yaw Ofori 2016 - 2018 Co-Supervisor Democratic Decentralisation and Good Governance: The Political Economy of Procurement Reform in Decentralised Indonesia Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Mochamad Mustafa 2016 - 2021 Co-Supervisor Grassroots Social Resistance Movements: The Influence of Conflict Narratives in Relation to Mining Policy Development in Australia and the United Kingdom Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Bridie Meyer-McLean 2015 - 2019 Principal Supervisor Smallholder Farmers' Perceptions of Climate Change, Vulnerability and Adaptation in the Context of Multiple Factors in the Tigray region of Ethiopia Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Rahwa Gebremedhine Kidane 2015 - 2018 Co-Supervisor Sustaining Off-Reserve Forests in Ghana: A Game-Theoretic Approach Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Emmanuel Otutei
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Memberships
Date Role Membership Country 2011 - ongoing Member Association for Learning Technology (ALT) United Kingdom 2010 - ongoing Member Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia (HERDSA) Australia 2009 - ongoing Member Higher Education Research Group Adelaide HERGA Australia -
Editorial Boards
Date Role Editorial Board Name Institution Country 2020 - 2021 Associate Editor Sustainability MDPI Open Access Journal Switzerland 2016 - 2017 Editor Ergo University of Adelaide Australia -
Presentation
Date Topic Presented at Institution Country 2023 - 2023 The Effectiveness of Communities of Practice as Knowledge sharing tool HERGA Conference 2023 Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia (HERDSA) Australia 2023 - ongoing Flexible and personalised assessment: lessons from students’ views and experiences Festival of Learning and Teaching University of Adelaide Australia 2023 - 2023 The 7 E-Model of Enquiry-based learning Festival of Learning and Teaching University of Adelaide Australia 2022 - 2022 Personalising Student Experience and Learning through Personal Learning Plans: Understanding student approaches to learning HERDSA Conference 2022 Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia (HERDSA) Australia 2018 - 2018 Student attitudes towards group work HERDSA Conference Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia (HERDSA) Australia 2016 - 2016 From Flipped to Flopped to Flexible classrooms in Higher Education Ascilite Conference Australasian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education (Ascilite) Australia 2015 - 2015 Self-and Peer Assessment: Student views and experiences HERGA Conference Higher Education Research Group Adelaide (HERGA) Australia 2015 - 2015 Flexible pedagogies and practices: Enhancing graduate capabilities and employability through flexible teaching and learning? HERDSA Conference Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia (HERDSA) Australia 2013 - 2013 Parallel Universes: Pedagogies and Student-Teacher Expectations in Online vs On-campus teaching and learning environments HERGA Conference Higher Education Research Group Adelaide (HERGA) Australia 2012 - 2012 The Power of PowerPoint: Enhancing student engagement in higher education through just-in-time teaching and blended learning ALT Conference Association for Learning Technology (UK) United Kingdom
Connect With Me
External Profiles