
PhD MA Princeton University, BA (Hons) Australian National University
Helen Pringle is a Senior Lecturer at the School of Social Sciences, Faculty of Arts, Design & Architecture, UNSW.
Helen’s research interests are in human rights and justice (with a focus on questions of sex and women's rights), and in political theory (with a focus on 17th and 19th centuries). She is working on a project concerning the place of pornography within considerations of free speech, entitled ‘Practising Pornography’, and on a project concerning the regulation of religious speech. Helen is also involved in an international research project on ethnography, including a consideration of sexual slavery in early 20th century Queensland.
Research Areas
Human rights and justice (with a focus on questions of sex); Political theory (with a focus on 17th and 19th centuries; Freedom of speech
Current Research Projects
Practising Pornography
A project concerning the place of pornography within considerations of free speech, which works by taking the notion of speech-acts seriously. Parts of the research project concern discrimination in the workplace, child pornography, and “ethno-pornography” in Australia.
John Stuart Mill and freedom of speech
This project reconsiders Mill’s classic defence of freedom of speech in light of his concerns about subordination and slavery.
Blasphemy and religious speech
This project involves a revisioning of the regulation of religious speech in Western secular contexts through laws against blasphemy and blasphemous libel, and anti-vilification provisions of discrimination laws.
Postgraduate Research Supervision
Areas of Supervision
Human rights, sex and women's rights (discrimination, abortion, pornography, prostitution and trafficking, sexual violence and assault), freedom of speech, ethics in public life, religion and politics, political theory and intellectual history (17th and 19th centuries in particular)
Recent Postgraduate Research Completions
Current Postgraduate Research Supervision
Teaching
Helen has received a number of awards and honours for teaching, including the Minister for Education & Training and Australian College of Educators NSW Quality Teaching Award (2010), UNSW Lecturer of the Year (2008), and the UNSW Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Teaching Excellence (2007 and 1998)
Teaching areas
Sex, human rights and justice; freedom of speech; political theory
Current teaching
ARTS2845 Sex, Human Rights and Justice
ARTS3843 Modern Political Thought
POLS4000 Honours Seminar in Politics, Law and Justice
Teaching Awards & Honours
My Research Supervision
Current Postgraduate Research Supervision
Recent Postgraduate Research Completions
My Teaching
Courses Convened
ARTS2845 Sex, human rights and justice
ARTS2818 Australian politics
POLS5125 Politics of international law
Supervision Areas
Human rights, sex and gender (discrimination, abortion, pornography, prostitution and trafficking, sexual violence and assault), freedom of speech, ethics in public life, religion and politics, political theory and intellectual history (17th and 19th centuries in particular)
Recent Postgraduate Completions
Current Postgraduate Research Supervision