Humanities 

Unit 4 Global Politics Workshop – Dr Jay Song, University of Melbourne  

On Thursday 2 September, our Year 12 Global Politics class were fortunate enough to be afforded the chance to participate in an online workshop conducted by Dr Jay Song. Currently a Korea Foundation Senior Lecturer in Korean Studies and Research Coordinator for Migration, Gender and Environment at the Asia Institute of the University of Melbourne, she specialises in North Korea and migration. Dr Song also boasts an illustrious career background, including previously working as the Director of Migration and Border Policy at the Lowy Institute (Sydney), a Consultant for the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (Geneva), and Human Rights Officer at the National Human Rights Commission of South Korea (Seoul). 

Given her wealth of knowledge in the field of human rights and people movement that complemented our Unit 4 content, Dr Song spoke to us about the 1951 Refugee Convention along with the history and current situation of the Korean Peninsula. She also touched on her experiences working for the United Nations in Geneva and her observations of international law, which proved to be of great insight. Although one hour was certainly only enough to scratch the surface of Dr Song's expertise in these deeply complex topics, our class are so thankful to have been able to engage with an academic working in the field of international relations. 

It served as an important reminder of how fortunate we are to be receiving an education and afforded opportunities such as these. 

We would like to express our gratitude to Dr Song for her willingness to take time out of her schedule and share her wisdom with us. A huge thanks also to Mr Clark and Ms Mackin for facilitating the session and organising it technically, ensuring that everything ran seamlessly. 

Lily Lunder & Ee Shane Lim 

Year 12