Java Grant
|
Java Grant
Java in 2024, adventuring around Te Pūnaha Matatini's annual hui |
|
|---|---|
|
|
|
| Born |
Auckland, New Zealand
|
| Nationality | New Zealand |
| Education | University of Auckland |
| Known for | Student Activism, Research, Teaching, Community Organising, Computer Programming. |
| Notable work | Contradiction
in the Neoliberal Academe (Hons Dissertation, 2022) We Are The University (revival) (Student org, 2024) Whose university? Co-producing Community-First Futures in New Zealand Universities (PhD Thesis, forthcoming). |
| Interests | Higher Education, Open Education, Housing, Social Mobility, Community Wellness, Governance, Technology, Freedom of Information, Social Psychology |
| Websites | javagrant.com wearetheuniversity.org |
Java Grant (he/they)(/ˈdʒɑː.və/ JAH-və; born 1999) is a New Zealand student, researcher, teacher, and community organiser known for their work in and on higher education leadership, governance, participation, and futures.
Education
Java, a first-generation university student, graduated from Kerikeri High School in 2018.
Java pursued a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Auckland, majoring in Sociology and Communication and graduating in 2021 with placement on the Dean's Honours List. They were the first in their family to attend university, and completed the Arts Scholars programme, which included a dissertation on educational pedagogy in online videos. Their academic record includes top-of-class grades in courses such as Sociology of Violence and Death, New Media and the Future of Communication, and The Sociology of Disasters. Java continued to obtain a first-class honour's degree in sociology after completing a dissertation on the 2022 University of Auckland pay negotiations and staff strikes and is currently working on a PhD thesis about the future of universities in Aotearoa.
Undergraduate Achievement
| Semester | Subject | Class | Grade | Title | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019/1 | Arts Scholars | 100 | A | Arts Scholars 1 | |
| 2019/1 | Computer Science | 101 | A+ | Principles of Programming | |
| 2019/1 | Sociology | 105 | A | Cultural Studies and Society | |
| 2019/2 | Communication | 204 | A | Social Media | |
| 2020/1 | Arts Scholars | 200 | A | Arts Scholars 2 | |
| 2020/1 | Communication | 302 | A | Visual Communication | |
| 2020/1 | Sociology | 200 | A- | Sociological Theory | |
| 2020/1 | Sociology | 206 | A+ | Sociology for Auckland | |
| 2020/2 | Communication | 300 | A+ (1st) | New Media and the Future of Communication | |
| 2020/2 | Communication | 301 | A+ | Digital Communication and Practise | |
| 2020/2 | Sociology | 208 | A- | Economy and Society | |
| 2021/1 | Economics | 151 | A+ | Understanding the Global Economy | |
| 2021/1 | Arts Scholars | 300 | A | Arts Scholars 3 | |
| 2021/1 | Sociology | 310 | A | Researching Social Problems | |
| 2021/1 | Sociology | 326 | A+ (1st) | Sociology of Violence | |
| 2021/2 | Education | 100 | A+ | The Creative Process | |
| 2021/2 | Sociology | 203 | A+ | Social Reality and Ideology | |
| 2021/2 | Sociology | 333 | A+ | Sociology of Health, Illness, and Medicine | |
| 2022/1 | Sociology | 718 | A+ | Research Projects: Design and Practice | |
| 2022/1 | Sociology | 706 | A+ (1st) | The Sociology of Disasters | |
| 2022/2 | Sociology | 790 | A+ | Research Project | |
📄 Assignments
|
Title |
Grade |
Feedback |
Link |
|---|---|---|---|
|
🤦♀️ Facelist |
10/10 |
"Amazing work. This is really biting in its critique, and your reflection as you walk through your project is really insightful. The amount of detail you have taken in altering Facebook is incredible." -Tutor "Ahhhhh facelist is amazing!!" -Lecurer |
|
|
🚫 Anti-bullying Programme |
39/40 |
"One word: Sophistication If you explicitly talked about the interconnection between the Role Strain and HM, it would be even better." –Tutor. |
|
|
🔮 The Past, Present and Future of Labour Facilitation |
25/25 |
"This is a well researched and well written piece of work. While you present a wide array of technologies and businesses as examples, you manage to package them in a clearly structured and coherent essay that works to analyze technological progress through an economic determinist view. You demonstrate a wealth of knowledge and understanding when it comes to the processes of labor and the impacts caused by the systems that facilitate these processes. Also how technology and the 'Uber' model could be playing into those ideas under capitalism and the exploitation of automation. I am deeply impressed and highly commend you on your work and efforts with this assignment. Well done!" -Tutor |
|
|
🏠 Ethnicity & Place Stratification in Auckland |
20/20 |
"Well done Java on an insightful paper. This is the type of data analysis that is important to begin conversations on discrimination and racism. Congratulations on an outstanding paper." -Lecturer |
|
|
🏡 Autobiography – My Role in Gentrification |
30/30 |
"Thank you for sharing your experiences with me Java. As always, you have written a wonderfully critical paper. Your ability to weave not only the personal with theory but also Auckland city with broader national concerns is to be commended. I have enjoyed getting to know you this semester through your writing, and I look forward to having you in my classes again in the future." -Lecturer |
|
|
⚒️ Marxist Theory for Ihumātao |
19/20 |
"Well done Java on an intellectually stimulating analysis of Ihumātao. I look forward to reading more of your work." -Lecturer |
|
|
📣 Anti-Union Rhetoric and Structure: It’s time for unions to re-brand |
28/30 |
"Good use of examples, excellent work, moves a bit fast at points and could benefit from slower more methodical explanation, but otherwise a very strong essay. Well done!" -Tutor |
|
|
👨👩👦 Analysis of Intimate Partner Relationships in The Tattoo |
18.5/20 |
"Java, excellent job. All 3 of us (Tutor1, Tutor2 and me) read your essay. Tutor2 described it as "beautiful" and although we assume you put a good deal of work into it, they said it read as if it was written effortlessly. Our only critique is you cut back on digging into one theoretical perspective. Your application of the theories are great, but a bit more describing selected theories would have helped. You do a good job with hegemonic masculinity. With coercive control, you introduce and bring out a detailed aspect of Starks' perspective with safety zones. But you don't define it thoroughly and you had some word count space to do so. Still, your application of CC and HM is great. Good job also bringing in Foucault. Overall, a very sophisticated analysis." –Lecturer |
|
|
👊 Essays on Violence |
37/40 |
No feedback was given for final assignments. |
|
|
📋 Data Gathering Instrument |
25/25 |
"Kia Ora Java, I enjoyed reading your assignment as it eloquently offers a refined data gathering instrument and literature review. Your literature is insightful and offers nuance to your research question. Great incorporation of graphs. Well done!" –Tutor |
|
|
🔎 Research Proposal: The Needs and Desires of Tasmin and Southland Retail Workers |
36/40 |
No feedback given for final assignments. |
|
|
🎭 The Contested Definition of Culture |
17/20 |
"Kia ora Java, This was an interesting and well articulated essay, which followed a clear narrative progression, however this could have been outlined more clearly in the introduction. Discussion of the conservative scholars covered some important aspects of their work, and engaged well with critiques. This is contrasted well with that of Williams, however the discussion included the perspective of so many scholars that the essay could not address these in detail. Nonetheless, as the different definition are discussed, the implications are acknowledged for most of these. Narrowing the scope of the essay to allow for more detailed analysis would have allowed for a higher mark, but nonetheless this was great work." –Tutor |
|
|
💿 The Right to Remix: Lessons from Pirate Cinema |
27/30 |
"Kia ora Java, This was an engaging project essay, with the cultural text and essay question chosen aligning well. The discussion of the text is contextualised well within debates around copyright law, acknowledging the differing perspectives on this. While this is important contextual information, a lot of the essay was dedicated to exploring this issue, meaning that there was less opportunity for focus on the analysis of the cultural text at hand, or the work of Jenkins as the subject of the essay question. Nonetheless, when these subjects are explored in the essay they are done so well, demonstrating a good understanding of the appropriate theory. Overall, this was an excellent essay." –Tutor |
|
|
🎞 GIF Project |
10/10 |
"Excellent work. Your reflection is really insightful and shows some keen consideration. Your Flappy Bird GIF is particularly charming." –Tutor |
|
|
🤖 Meme Twitter Bot |
15/15 |
"This is SO GOOD. The Tracery grammar developing the text, as you note, could be improved, expanded, developed in different directions, but even in this kind of raw dadaist version, the mashup is great! Would be curious to hear about that bug and why you chose url.me instead of memegen? Holler!" –Lecturer |
[todo link reflection] |
|
🎬 Review of In the Age of AI |
25/25 |
"Kia ora Java, This is a very well-written and insightful review that delves into the complexities of your text while also addressing the ways in which an audience can absorb this information. I particularly enjoyed the way in which you infused your own background in sociology to articulate how the documentary comments on the economic impacts of automation. You've also interestingly pointed out the documentary's shortcomings in how it frames its subject through the consequences of misusing technology to hard company profits, while rightly pointing out concern for those same companies to suffer no backlash under the pretense of creating jobs. I found this to be a very thought-provoking piece that explored the various facets of technological determinism and the ways in which it can lead to an increase in unemployment with the rise of automation. Well done!" –Tutor |
|
|
👟 Postmodern Advertising: The role of brands as a cultural resource for identity signalling |
17/20 |
"Java, Your essay shows a good understanding of the essay question and Holt's discussion on cultural resource versus cultural blueprint. The approach you have taken in focusing L&P as a brand is a great strength to your essay and indicates a great-level of engagement with course content. The main point of feedback I have for you is your application of concepts. While you have identified and included a number of key terms, they are needing some further unpacking in order to consider their significance and the effect upon the ad itself in taking this approach. By doing this you will be able to strengthen your argument as a whole and allow for a smoother flow of ideas. This essay is a great start and clearly shows your strong understanding of the content and ability to successfully undergo independent research. Nice work! If you have any questions or if any of my feedback needs clarifying please don't hesitate to let me know." –Tutor |
|
|
🩺 Reflections on New Zealand Health Inequalities Amplified by Housing, Isolation, and Stratification |
18/20 |
Extension provided: no feedback. |
|
|
🤳 ADHD Discourse on TikTok: Relatable Disease or Normal Behaviour? |
22/29 |
"Hi Java, You've picked an important topic to study, and were quite thorough in your description and analysis of the Tik Tok videos. As well, you do a good job of articulating why the information discrepancies matter. One area that could have been stronger is the introduction. While you do a good job of introducing TikTok and why its coverage matters, it would have been helpful to articulate your rationale for choosing ADHD. Also, you should always end your introduction with a roadmap, which describes what you will be covering in your paper. Regarding the content, while your discussion of the videos was thorough, I would have liked to see a discussion about the sources of the problems. Nevertheless, this was a fine effort overall, and I hope analysing the TikTok content has helped you see the discrepancies that exist between the medical literature and the media portrayals of disease. take good care of yourself and I wish you the best of luck with all your future endeavours, Lecturer :)." –Lecturer |
|
|
🧹 Does tidying bring you joy? The distinction of minimalism as ideology |
28.5/30 |
"This is a good piece; cogent and the sections are well balanced. The show and/or its philosophy is kept central to the analysis, and acts as a thread that links content. The "debunking" aspect of this is compelling. The correspondence between distinction and ideology is clearer toward the end, a little less clear up front." –Lecturer |
|
|
🧱 An Evaluation of Ideology and Radical Constructivism |
19/20 |
"This is well-written and shows a good understanding of the concepts. Good to see someone grapple with Luhmann and do it well. The analytic paragraph does something novel, which is also good to see." –Lecturer |
|
|
🎞 Scenefinder |
20/20 |
"Kia ora, Java. What an awesome project! Both your documentation and essay are sound and unique. You demonstrate an excellent understanding of course content; your arguments are strong and well-developed. Brilliant work, really. It is always a pleasure to read such insightful writing." –Tutor |
|
|
💪 Resilience vs Resilience; How to utilise disruption for change |
19/20 |
Extension provided: no feedback. |
|
|
🎞 Article Review: “Top-down reconstruction and the failure to “build back better” resilient communities after disaster: lessons from the 2009 L'Aquila Italy earthquake” |
28/30 |
Extension provided: no feedback. |
|
|
📚 Literature Review: The Conflicting Expectations of Waipapa Taumata Rau |
15/20 |
"This great literature review spanned several key texts and ideas that will make critiquing and engaging an exciting and straightforward project in the next semester. However, I think the shift in the topic may have disadvantaged you in terms of time. This could have been a fantastic literature review with more time, as I have seen your previous work. The main thing missing in this is how each idea is essential to your overall question. So in each idea/term paragraph, you needed to include: Understanding academic capitalism allows us to track how capital influences the academy; this is particularly important in a New Zealand context where universities source revenues from government, commercial operations, students and charity. Otherwise, you essentially have a dictionary. You also needed to have the context and neoliberal shifts in NZ universities at the front; this would have made it easier to understand why these key concepts are appropriate to New Zealand." –Lecturer |
|
|
🔬 Research Proposal: The Conflicting Expectations of Waipapa Taumata Rau/The University of Auckland |
38/40 |
"Fantastic work Java that reflects your capability. Great literature review that was much more cohesive and wove things together. There were moments the relation to the overall question could have been clearer. Perhaps we can discuss some techniques for this over the semester. Your writing is improving and once you nail the clear communication piece we can start to weave your voice into the work again - the joy of PG is making, unmaking and remaking our writing so that it walks that fine balance between clearly communicated and reflective of the author. You have some brilliant one-liners in here that you build to with evidence and examples, well done. You have carefully through your proposal and as a result, have a really solid proposal here." –Lecturer |
Contradiction in the Neoliberal Academe: A Critical Case Study of the University of Auckland Administration (Honours Dissertation)
Examiner Comments
Overall this thesis shows an incredible depth of research and tying together of different ideas. As Java has worked to answer the question: “if neoliberal university administrations are a reliable source of self-reflective discourse through a case study of discourse around the University of Auckland” they have walked the reader through possible purposes of the university (wellness, capitalist structures, and social good) while also reflecting on neoliberalism as a key structure of the university and possible ways to push back against neoliberalism. These ideas are then applied to the UoA and current strike actions with eventual conclusion that the “UoA administration is an unreliable narrator, which is also contradictory to the values the administration claims to hold”.
Java covers an extensive literature base and is able to effectively synthesise ideas. I would have liked to have seen some analysis within the literature but this maybe reflective of covering such extensive ground. The methodology section reflected a level of deep thought not often seen at this level, in that Java was in-depth about the paradigm that they wrote from. Through creative problem solving Java has created an interesting ‘desk top’ research. that has enabled them to weave extensive theory with a contemporary moment. Importantly, this is a novel project that analyses a very contemporary moment given that the strikes are still ongoing. Java shows clear evidence of a scholarly stance, including a high level of independent and critical thinking by weaving together extensive literature with primary and secondary sources. The sources that Java selects shows an ability to gather evidence from multiple sources and documents. This project demonstrates Java’s ability to conduct independent research and I hope they intend to continue on their graduate journey.
Assessor Comments
The thrust of this study is to determine if the University of Auckland’s administration practices the very principles it espouses. Read as a broad critique of the neoliberal university, the work offers insights into the very purpose of the institution, and whose interests it ultimately reflects and serves. Amongst other things, institutional tensions between public good and private profit, between colleague and employee, and between citizen-to-be-educated and consumer-to-be-satisfied, are explored. Are we in the business of being critics and conscience of society or are we in the business of skills provision? Are we a business? Should we be?
There is an extensive literature review (I counted 124 bibliographic entries), a great deal of methodological sophistication (using Twitter as the key source of data), and some appropriate theoretical framing. Obviously not one to make things easy for themselves, the candidate has chosen to study of a real-time emergent situation, covering the ongoing strike action at UoA.
While I am sympathetic to the arguments being made, and while I think the work justifies a good grade, I have to say that I was frustrated on a number of occasions by big statements that ended up being throwaway lines. Let one example stand for many: ‘Such attempts reframe human well-being as eating fruit while being exploited, particularly when it alliterates.’ I know exactly what is being referred to here: Faculty’s Fruity Friday, which is one of a number of demeaning ventures designed to offset poor Professional Staff wages. But a naïve reader would not know this. Moreover, it is not the job of the reader to make the appropriate connections. These should be established by the author. This is how intelligence is demonstrated. And indeed, if one were to re-read the Dissertation one would see far too many occasions when a big statement is made to stand alone without recourse to any attempt at elaboration or the provision of appropriate evidence.
This criticism aside, it is hard to take issue with the arguments being made. The university does not practice what is preaches. Casualisation, wage suppression and wage theft have been constituent features of its ongoing operation, while senior management enjoy ever-inflated salaries seemingly unconnected to any obvious performance metrics.
Projects
Computer Programming
Java’s work spans creative, academic, and technical domains:
-
Art Jam (YANZ): Organised monthly creative workshops for local artists at Shore Junction.
-
Visualiser.js: Developed a JavaScript framework for audio visualisers in the browser, supporting 2D/3D graphics.
-
Course Invaders
Art
[todo]
Events
[todo]
Community Organising & Leadership
2024 – Critical University Studies Reading Group
[todo]
2024 Arts Student of the Year Awards
I’m very grateful to receive an honourable mention for Leadership and Mentorship in the arts student of the year award. The description given was "for being brave and having strong beliefs in what the university can and should be – for pursuing and supporting others to achieve a collective goal". Congratulations particularly to Amelia Orr for being recognised as the overall Arts Student of the year for her great work with Arts+ and many more initiatives for students at UoA.
2020 UoA Cuts to Social Sciences
Disorientation
https://burn-it.github.io/Disorientation/
ATLAS on Campus
https://wearetheuniversity.org/blog/2024/09/20/atlas-on-campus/
2024 UoA Fast-tracked Course Cuts
[todo]
Student Consultation Facilitation
Following their honours research into the 2022 University of Auckland strikes, Java supported other concerned students to arrange a student led open forum to hold the university administration accountable for their authoritarian management of academic concerns.
https://wearetheuniversity.org/blog/2024/08/02/are-you-in-a-small-course/
https://burn-it.github.io/Disorientation/small-classes/
https://wearetheuniversity.org/blog/2024/08/31/student-opinions-cuts/
Reporting
https://wearetheuniversity.org/blog/2024/08/30/more-cuts-coming/
Student led open forum
https://wearetheuniversity.org/blog/2024/08/16/provost-invite-to-forum/
https://wearetheuniversity.org/blog/2024/08/16/ausa-invite-to-forum/
https://wearetheuniversity.org/blog/2024/08/24/student-led-open-forum-writeup/
https://wearetheuniversity.org/blog/2024/08/24/student-led-open-forum-minutes/
Supporting Senate Motion
https://wearetheuniversity.org/blog/2024/08/12/open-senate-letter/
https://wearetheuniversity.org/blog/2024/08/24/resources-for-senate-members/
https://wearetheuniversity.org/blog/2024/08/26/email-to-senate-members/
https://wearetheuniversity.org/blog/2024/08/29/senate-special-meeting/
2024 UoA Merger of Arts, Education and Social Work, and Creative Arts and Industries
2024/25 UoA Staff Strikes
https://wearetheuniversity.org/blog/2024/09/26/teu-strikes-sept-2024/
2024/25 University Wellness Campaign/$320m+ University Gym
2025 UoA Merger of Law and Business Schools
https://wearetheuniversity.org/blog/2024/12/19/uoa-law-business-econ-merger/
https://wearetheuniversity.org/blog/2025/03/17/uoa-law-business-econ-merger-back-down/
2024 National Coalition Government Attacks on Social Sciences
https://wearetheuniversity.org/blog/2024/12/11/marsden-open-letter/
Education
High School
Graduating Kerikeri High School in 2018 with NCEA Level 3 and a NZQA photography scholarship, Java earned recognition for academic excellence. They served as a prefect, led the school’s debating team (champions of the Russell McVey Debating Tournament 2013–2015), and mentored peers through the Kiwi Buddy Programme, connecting 50+ international students with Kiwi culture. Their high school accolades include the Elite Honours Award, Top Scholar (2013–2016), and notable results in ICAS Competitions (e.g. 3rd percentile in Computer Skills, 7th in English).
Career and Professional Experience
Teaching
Java has served as a Teaching Assistant for the COMMS 301 – Digital Communication and Practice course at the University of Auckland, co-led by Dr. Ethan Plaut. Their responsibilities included hosting interactive workshops and tutoring students in programming concepts. They later became a Graduate Teaching Assistant for the new COMMS 103 – Digital Communication and Practice course, marking assignments, leading tutorials, and managing computer science labs for many students.
They also participated in the University of Auckland Business School’s Idea Bootcamp, where they honed skills in creative problem-solving, business modelling, and data analysis.
Volunteer Work and Community
Java has done work in youth mentorship and community development:
-
MATES Mentoring: Guided high school students from Southern Cross Campus, Auckland Girls Grammar School, and Finlayson Park School in creative subjects and tertiary education transitions.
-
Youth Arts New Zealand (YANZ): Volunteered in hands-on and consultative roles, including organising Art Jam, a monthly creative workshop at Shore Junction. Their work with YANZ and MATES reflects their passion for fostering creativity and inclusion in youth communities.
-
VIBE Youth Arts Festival (2019): Served as a volunteer for live music, workshops, and graffiti battles in Henderson.
Leadership
Java has held many leadership roles, including:
-
Arts Scholars Orientation Leader: Assisted new students in adjusting to the programme and university life.
-
Student Representative: Advocated for student interests through class representations (e.g., Arts Scholars 100/200/300, Sociol 203, 208, 310, 333) and consultations with faculty and the Arts Faculty.
-
Campaign for Social Sciences Funding: Led a successful campaign to raise awareness about funding cuts despite rising enrolments, transferring momentum to the Arts Students’ Association (ASA).
Academic Achievements and Awards
-
WAKA Excellence in Attitude (KKHS),
-
NZQA Photography Scholarship,
-
and recognition for their Arts Scholars dissertation on digital education pedagogy.
Sporting
This section about a Java's sporting achievements is a stub. You can help Java by expanding it.