BSc PhD (Alta) MSc (Guelph)Associate Professor in Sociology
Contact Details
Room 5C15, Richardson Building
Tel +64 3 479 8736
Email melanie.beres@otago.ac.nz
My core area of interest is in sexual violence prevention. In particular I am interested in understand how people give consent to sex, and how we might be able to use this information to develop effective educational programming. I am also interested more broadly in constructions of sexuality including queer sexualities. I engage with both qualitative and quantitative methods.
Teaching
I co-ordinate and teach:
I teach sections of:
- GEND 101 Gender in Everyday Life
Postgraduate supervision
- Sexual violence prevention
- Consent
- Sexualities
Current Students
Ola Kattoura PhD
Arab and Jewish Battered Women in Shelters
Seamyi Chung PhD
Anti-aging practices of older Korean women in New Zealand
Mahfuzur Rahman PhD
The causes of plateau in fertility transition in Bangladesh
Nishanthi Perera PhD
Sexual health of international students from South Asia
Bell Murphy PhD
Empowerment beyond the neoliberal self: An autoethnography of a feminist self defence teacher in Aotearoa
Publications
McCall, D., Luu, X., Krogh, C., Phelan, L., Dempsey, A., Acosta, C., … Beres, M. A. (2023). A comparative account of institutional approaches to addressing campus-based sexual violence in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. Violence Against Women. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1177/10778012231183654
Journal - Research Article
Dixon, L., Treharne, G., Pettie, M., Bowden, C., Patterson, T., Beres, M., Mirfin-Veitch, B., Shaw, R., Eketone-Kelly, A., & Ashdown, J. (2023). Male survivors of sexual violence and abuse (SVA): Barriers and facilitators to reporting and accessing services. (pp. 1-110). Wellington, New Zealand: Ministry of Social Development. [Technical/Scientific Report].
Working Paper; Discussion Paper; Technical Report
Wardell, S., Beres, M., Gilmour, F. E., Withey-Rila, C., & Studio Rebeko, including Lazarević, B. (2022, December). Tagging In: A resource for social media admins & moderators. 23p. Retrieved from https://thetagginginproject.com/
Other Research Output
Patterson, T. G., Hobbs, L. D., Treharne, G. J., & Beres, M. A. (2022). Seeking of help and support after experiencing sexual harm: Considerations for cisgender-women, cisgender-men and gender-diverse people. In L. Wilson, H. Harcombe, P. Jayakaran, L. Burga, J. Antony, K. Morgaine, M. Garelja, A. Middleton, M. Anwar & T. Milne (Eds.), Proceedings of the 262nd Otago Medical School Research Society (OMSRS) Meeting: Research Staff Speaker Awards. Dunedin, New Zealand: OMSRS. Retrieved from https://ourarchive.otago.ac.nz/handle/10523/12839
Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract
Beres, M. (2022). Finding the 'why': Institutional responses to sexual violence. In C. Young, H. Briggs, M. Knowler, C. Rhyne & T. Felton (Eds.), Proceedings of the Fourth Annual Te Whare Tāwharau Symposium: Empowering Communities: A Way Forward From Sexual Violence. (pp. 25). Dunedin, New Zealand: Te Whare Tawharau Centre for Sexual Violence Support and Prevention, University of Otago. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/10523/13643
Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract
Kaler, A., & Beres, M. A. (2010). Essentials of field relationships. Walnut Creek, CA: Left Coast Press, 128p.
Authored Book - Research
Beres, M. A. (2018). The proliferation of consent-focused rape prevention social marketing materials. In C. Dale & R. Overell (Eds.), Orienting feminism: Media, activism and cultural representation. (pp. 181-196). Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-70660-3
Chapter in Book - Research
Beres, M. A., & Bird, F. (2016). Qualitative evidence and the development of sexuality education materials: The case of Family Planning New Zealand. In K. Olson, R. A. Young & I. Z. Schultz (Eds.), Handbook of qualitative health research for evidence-based practice. (pp. 173-185). New York: Springer. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4939-2920-7_27
Chapter in Book - Research
Chambers, A., & Beres, M. (2016). Thinking on their feet: Ten PhD graduates negotiate unexpected ethical dilemmas. In M. Tolich (Ed.), Qualitative ethics in practice. (pp. 133-146). Walnut Creek, CA: Left Coast Press.
Chapter in Book - Research
Beres, M. A. (2014). Desire, pleasure, and sex in young adults' heterosexual relationships. In B. Fox (Ed.), Family patterns, gender relations. (4th ed.) (pp. 220-230). Oxford University Press.
Chapter in Book - Research
Beres, M. (2009). Moving beyond “no means no”: Understanding heterosexual casual sex and consent. In B. A. Crow & L. Gotell (Eds.), Open boundaries: A Canadian women's studies reader. (3rd ed.) (pp. 275-282). Toronto, Canada: Pearson Prentice Hall.
Chapter in Book - Research
Beres, M. (2008). ‘It just happens’: Negotiating casual heterosexual sex. In M. S. Kimmel, A. Aronson & A. Kaler (Eds.), The gendered society reader. (pp. 370-382). Toronto, Canada: Oxford University Press.
Chapter in Book - Research
McCall, D., Luu, X., Krogh, C., Phelan, L., Dempsey, A., Acosta, C., … Beres, M. A. (2023). A comparative account of institutional approaches to addressing campus-based sexual violence in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. Violence Against Women. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1177/10778012231183654
Journal - Research Article
Beres, M. A. (2022). From ignorance to knowledge: Sexual consent and queer stories. Feminism & Psychology, 32(2), 137-155. doi: 10.1177/09593535211059003
Journal - Research Article
Bird, R. J., Wibowo, E., Fitzgerald, R. P., Murray, K., Beres, M. A., & Girling, J. E. (2022). Teaching reproduction, gender and sexuality: Broad, multidisciplinary and nuanced. Sex Education, 22(2), 228-241. doi: 10.1080/14681811.2020.1845643
Journal - Research Article
Patterson, T., Hobbs, L., Treharne, G. J., & Beres, M. (2022). Seeking of help and support after experiencing sexual harm: Considerations for cisgender women, cisgender men and gender-diverse people. New Zealand Medical Journal, 135(1562), 56-62. Retrieved from https://journal.nzma.org.nz/
Journal - Research Article
Graham, K., Potterton, H., Mihaere, T., Carrington, B., Treharne, G. J., & Beres, M. A. (2021). Balancing community input and established research: Findings from the development of a sexual violence prevention campaign. Journal of School Violence, 20(3), 288-300. doi: 10.1080/15388220.2021.1897017
Journal - Research Article
Graham, K., Treharne, G. J., Liebergreen, N., Stojanov, Z., Shaw, R., & Beres, M. A. (2021). A qualitative exploration of barriers to university students’ willingness to attend sexual violence prevention workshops. Sex Education, 21(2), 148-160. doi: 10.1080/14681811.2020.1772225
Journal - Research Article
Hayward, M., Treharne, G. J., Liebergreen, N., Graham, K., & Beres, M. (2021). Residual rape myth acceptance among young women who have recently completed a sexual violence prevention workshop. New Zealand Journal of Psychology, 50(2), 46-54.
Journal - Research Article
Stojanov, Z., Treharne, G. J., Graham, K., Liebergreen, N., Shaw, R., Hayward, M., & Beres, M. (2021). Pro-social bystander sexual violence prevention workshops for first year university students: Perspectives of students and staff of residential colleges. Kōtuitui, 16(2), 432-447. doi: 10.1080/1177083X.2021.1906712
Journal - Research Article
Beres, M. A., Stojanov, Z., Graham, K., & Treharne, G. J. (2020). Sexual assault experiences of university students and disclosure to health professionals and others. New Zealand Medical Journal, 133(1523), 55-64. Retrieved from https://www.nzma.org.nz/journal
Journal - Research Article
Beres, M. A., Terry, G., Senn, C. Y., & Ross, L. K. (2019). Accounting for men's refusal of heterosex: A story-completion study with young adults. Journal of Sex Research, 56(1), 127-136. doi: 10.1080/00224499.2017.1399978
Journal - Research Article
Beres, M. A., Treharne, G. J., & Stojanov, Z. (2019). A whole campus approach to sexual violence: The University of Otago model. Journal of Higher Education Policy & Management, 41(6), 646-662. doi: 10.1080/1360080X.2019.1613298
Journal - Research Article
Beres, M. A., Treharne, G. J., Stewart, K., Flett, J., Rahman, M., & Lillis, D. (2019). A mixed-methods pilot study of the EAAA rape resistance programme for female undergraduate students in Aotearoa/New Zealand. Women's Studies Journal, 33(1/2), 8-24.
Journal - Research Article
Treharne, G. J., & Beres, M. A. (2016). Writing survey questions to operationalise sex, gender identity, and sexual orientation in New Zealand: Perspectives from psychological and sociological research with the LGBT community. New Zealand Sociology, 31(1), 173-180.
Journal - Research Article
Beres, M. A., & MacDonald, J. E. C. (2015). Talking about sexual consent: Heterosexual women and BDSM. Australian Feminist Studies, 30(86), 418-432. doi: 10.1080/08164649.2016.1158692
Journal - Research Article
Beres, M. A. (2014). Points of convergence: Introducing sexual scripting theory to discourse approaches to the study of sexuality. Sexuality & Culture, 18(1), 76-88. doi: 10.1007/s12119-013-9176-3
Journal - Research Article
Beres, M. A. (2014). Rethinking the concept of consent for anti-sexual violence activism and education. Feminism & Psychology, 24(3), 373-389. doi: 10.1177/0959353514539652
Journal - Research Article
Beres, M. A., Senn, C. Y., & McCaw, J. (2014). Navigating ambivalence: How heterosexual young adults make sense of desire differences. Journal of Sex Research, 51(7), 765-776. doi: 10.1080/00224499.2013.792327
Journal - Research Article
Beres, M. (2010). Sexual miscommunication? Untangling assumptions about sexual communication between casual sex
partners. Culture, Health & Sexuality, 12(1), 1-14. doi: 10.1080/13691050903075226
Journal - Research Article