ECREA WEEKLY digest ARTICLES

Northwestern University

The Institute for Advanced Study in the Global South at Northwestern University in Qatar (#IAS_NUQ) is seeking outstanding candidates for one postdoctoral fellowship focused on the histories, cultures, societies, and media of the Global South. 

Deadline: November 1, 2024.

We are currently accepting applications related to any of our current research themes:

1) Genealogies and Epistemologies of the Global South

2) Arab Media, Culture, and Politics

3) Southern Digitalities

4) Critical Security Studies

We are particularly interested in scholars:

1) Conducting comparative or transnational research on media, culture, and/or politics in or between the Arab world and Latin America

2) Working on "theory from the South," particularly by African or Arab authors

3) Focused on environmental communication in the Global South

We recommend that applicants familiarize themselves with our mission and research themes. Knowledge of language(s) relevant to research context is required. 

This fellowship offers a competitive stipend, housing, health insurance, and access to state-of-the-art facilities. 

We welcome applications from scholars who would have completed their PhD between January 1, 2023 and June 1, 2025

If you have additional questions, please email us at ias@qatar.northwestern.edu. Kindly do not contact #IAS_NUQ staff individually.

Apply today!

September 23, 2024

Ljubljana (Slovenia)

Deadline: September 9, 2024

ECC pre-conference

We invite participants to register for the ECREA preconference, "Exploring the Dynamics of Digital Disconnection: Disruption, Inequalities, and Norms". This event is scheduled for September 23rd, 2024, at the Faculty of Social Sciences, Kardeljeva ploščad 5, University of Ljubljana. 

Registration is open until September 9th, 2024. Secure your spot here: https://nettskjema.no/a/425263#/page/1

The preconference explores the dynamics of digital disconnection, its potential as a form of disruption, and the normative constraints that shape its boundaries. Find more info here: https://www.hf.uio.no/imk/english/research/projects/digital-disconnection/events/conferences/ECREA-preconference-ljubljana.html

Communication and media research is expanding to include artificial intelligence and robotics, and this broadening of the study of communication also has extended to the classroom. Scholars who are integrating human-machine communication into their courses are invited to participate in the Human-Machine Communication Syllabus Project by Andrea L. Guzman, Northern Illinois University, and Jason Archer, Michigan Technological University. 

The purpose of the project is two-fold: First, we aim to study how scholars are conceptualizing human-machine communication and incorporating it as a subject of study within higher education. Second, we want to offer scholars the opportunity to voluntarily share and access HMC syllabi to support education in this emerging area. 

The research portion of the project focuses on how educators are integrating aspects of human-machine communication into courses at the undergraduate (associate, bachelor’s) and graduate (master’s, PhD) levels. Human-machine communication can be defined as meaning-making among humans and communicative machines (i.e. smart assistants, robots, generative AI, automated journalism) and the implications of such technologies for self, culture, and society. Its study draws from and has applications to the full realm of communication and media research and, in particular, encompasses aspects of human-computer interaction (HCI), human-robot interaction (HRI), human-agent interaction (HAI) and critical and cultural approaches regarding technologies articulated as communicators. (See below for additional HMC resources.) 

For the study, we are seeking syllabi for courses that focus primarily on human-machine communication and its applications as well as courses in which at least 25% of the content covered is dedicated to some aspect of human-machine communication and/or its application. 

To support teaching and learning, we are also creating a public repository of HMC syllabi submitted for this project. We are asking submitters whether they would like their syllabi to be included in a publicly accessible online location to assist others in the development of HMC-related courses. Inclusion of an individual’s syllabus in the public repository is completely voluntary and does not affect their ability to participate in the research project. The researchers will destroy all syllabi not included in the repository after the completion of the research project. The repository will be made publicly available at a future date when all syllabi have been received and reviewed.

The deadline to submit your syllabi to the project is September 13, 2024. Please follow all directions on how to submit to the project that can be found below and at https://andrealguzman.net/hmcsyllabusproject.

You can also contact the researchers directly: Andrea L. Guzman, alguzman@niu.edu, Jason E. Archer, jearcher@mtu.edu. 

Thank you.

Andrea & Jason

Participation Instructions

Required: All syllabi submitted to the project must include the following. If the syllabi do not already include some of the information, then please add this information at the top.

1. University name
   
2. Course title 
   
3. Department/School in which the course is offered
   
4. Indicate whether the course is for undergraduate (associate, bachelor’s), graduate (master’s, PhD), or both
   
5. Date: The term in which the course is being or was last taught (i.e. Spring 2024).
   
6. Course description
   
7. Course objectives/outcomes
   
8. Reading list identifying all readings AND/OR course schedule including all readings
   
9. Be written in English or translated into English by the author
   

There is no limit to the number of syllabi an individual can submit. For recurring courses, submit ONLY the most recent version of the syllabus.

Participants do NOT have to format the syllabi a certain way or remove extraneous information from the syllabi; although, they may want to remove personal or sensitive information if submitting to the public repository.

Voluntary Inclusion in Public Repository

The format of the public repository will be dependent upon the number of syllabi received. Possible distribution options include a folder in Google Drive or a dedicated page on an existing website.  

All syllabi to be included in the repository will be posted “as is” and will be available to the public (i.e. anyone on the internet). Participants voluntarily submitting to the repository are responsible for removing any information they do NOT want shared publicly such as their name, contact information, office/student-meeting hours, links to online learning systems, policies, etc. 

The syllabi of participants who do not want to contribute to the repository will be stored separately and only be available to the researchers. Syllabi will be deleted once the project is completed.

Syllabi submission: 

To participate, please e-mail your syllabi to hmcsyllabusproject@gmail.com. In your e-mail, please indicate whether you want your syllabi shared publicly via the online repository. The deadline to participate in the project is September 13, 2024.

HMC Resources:

Fortunati, L., & Edwards, A. (2020). Opening space for theoretical, methodological, and empirical issues in Human-Machine Communication. Human-Machine Communication. https://doi.org/10.30658/hmc.1.1 (open access)

Guzman, A.L. (2018). What is Human-Machine Communication, anyway? Human-Machine Communication: Rethinking communication, technology, and ourselves (link to chapter author copy)

Human-Machine Communication Interest Group of the International Communication Association. https://humanmachinecommunication.org/

Human-Machine Communication journal

The SAGE Handbook of Human-Machine Communication edited by A.L. Guzman, R. McEwen, S. Jones (2023). (link to Table of Contents)

Göran Bolin, Jairo Ferreira, Isabel Löfgren, Ada C. Machado da Silveira

Between 2019 and 2023, media researchers from Södertörn University in UNISINOS and Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (UFSM) in Brazil, engaged in a collaborative effort to explore Scandinavian and South American perspectives on mediatisation, connecting universities from opposite sides of the world.

The project aimed to promote a nuanced understanding of mediatisation theory from different cultural perspectives and media studies traditions, dismantle epistemological barriers, and provide new insights into societies undergoing the process of mediatisation.

The chapters presented in this volume are grounded on the mobility of researchers across both countries where a productive knowledge exchange contributed to diversify epistemological, empirical, and methodological approaches to mediatisation theory, and provide new perspectives on mediatisation theory in contested media scenarios in Sweden, Brazil, and beyond.

https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/record.jsf?aq2=%5B%5B%5D%5D&c=117&af=%5B%5D&searchType=SIMPLE&sortOrder2=title_sort_asc&query=Bolin%2C+G%C3%B6ran&language=en&pid=diva2%3A1888278&aq=%5B%5B%5D%5D&sf=all&aqe=%5B%5D&sortOrder=author_sort_asc&onlyFullText=false&noOfRows=50&dswid=-3804

Journal of Advertising

Deadline: November 30, 2024

The Journal of Advertising seeks papers for a special issue dedicated to “Contributions of Biometrics to Advertising Research,” guest-edited by Robert F. Potter, Steve Bellman, and Glenna L. Read. Biometrics (e.g., fMRI, EEG, EDA, ECG, fEMG, ET) have been used for decades, but what have they revealed about how audiences respond to advertising? We invite you to submit your articles by the deadline, November 30, 2024. The link for accepting articles will be available from November 1st.

Call for Papers: https://think.taylorandfrancis.com/special_issues/biometrics-advertising-research/

Faculty of Humanities, University of Copenhagen

The Department of Communication, Faculty of Humanities, University of Copenhagen (UCPH), invites applications for three postdoctoral positions in digital media and communication research beginning 1 January 2025, or as soon as possible thereafter.

The positions are fixed term positions for three years.

Introduction 

The successful applicants will become part of the project entitled, GREENWATCH – Green Surveillance: Imagining a Sustainable Internet of Things, funded through a European Research Council Advanced Grant, 2025-2029. The project examines the potentials and challenges of employing the Internet of Things (IoT) as a communication system monitoring the effects of human activities of Earth’s ecosystems, which further entails surveillance of human individuals and social institutions. The positions represent a unique opportunity to participate in interdisciplinary and culturally comparative work covering China, Europe, and the United States, and to contribute to theory development on a strategic issue with global ramifications.

Duties and Responsibilities

Postdoc # 1 – China

The successful applicant will undertake, first, document analyses of product information, legislation, and other materials regarding IoT in China. Second, the postdoc will conduct fieldwork in China. Third, the postdoc will contribute to collaborative and comparative analyses of what IoT is, in different world regions, and what it could become in the future.

Postdoc # 2 – Europe

The successful applicant will undertake, first, document analyses of product information, legislation, and other materials regarding IoT in Europe. Second, the postdoc will conduct fieldwork in Europe. Third, the postdoc will contribute to collaborative and comparative analyses of what IoT is, in different world regions, and what it could become as part of the green transition.

Postdoc # 3 – United States

The successful applicant will undertake, first, document analyses of product information, legislation, and other materials regarding IoT in the United States. Second, the postdoc will conduct fieldwork in the United States. Third, the postdoc will contribute to collaborative and comparative analyses of what IoT is, in different world regions, and what it could become as part of the green transition.

Qualification requirements and assessment criteria

Employment as a postdoc requires academic qualifications at PhD level.

Applicants must have specific theoretical and methodological competences in research on digital media and communicative practices. Other things being equal, applicants with previous experience in qualitative fieldwork, document analysis, or both of these approaches, will be preferred.

Applicants for the position as Postdoc # 1 – China must be fluent in speaking and writing both English and Mandarin.

Applicants for the position as Postdoc # 2 – Europe must be fluent in speaking and writing English.

Applicants for the position as Postdoc # 3 – United States must be fluent in speaking and writing English.

More information on careers at UCPH and the requirements for different academic positions is available at: Career at The University of Copenhagen – University of Copenhagen (ku.dk)

For more about postdoc positions and qualification requirements, see the Job Structure for Academic Staff at Universities: Ministerial Order on Job Structure for Academic Staff at Universities (ufm.dk)

Applicants will primarily be assessed in relation to their research qualifications, including their publications, ability to conduct independent research and participate in research collaborations, and their experience with research management. In addition, the applicant’s research plan and research potential will be assessed in relation to the GREENWATCH project described above. 

Application

Applications must be submitted online in PDF or Word format. Click on the “Apply now” button at the bottom of this advertisement to apply. Applications must be written in English and must include the following attachments:  

• Letter of motivation
  
• CV
  
• Documentation of qualifications (exam certificates and PhD diploma) 
  
• Complete publication list (attached publications must be marked with an asterisk).
  

The list must be structured systematically and divided into the following categories:

• Peer-reviewed publications:
  
• • Monographs and anthologies
  • Articles in journals
  • Book chapters/anthology contributions, etc.
• Non-peer-reviewed publications:
  
• • Publications disseminating research findings, etc.

Applicants can attach a maximum of 3 publications. The publication dates must be clearly marked on the list. The selected publications must be uploaded as attachments and numbered 1-3. 

• Research plan
  
• Documentation of other work on the dissemination of research.
  

Only documentation in English will be assessed.  

Applicants are invited to familiarize themselves with the Faculty of Humanities’ strategic landmarks here: Strategic landmarks – University of Copenhagen (ku.dk)

Salary and terms of employment

Terms of appointment and salary will be in accordance with an agreement between the Ministry of Finance and The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (AC). The salary range for Postdocs starts at DKK 38,575 (roughly EUR 5,170) + a 17.1 % contribution to the pension scheme. It is possible to negotiate salary supplements on an annual basis.

The recruitment process

Once the deadline for applications has expired, the Head of Department will consider advice from an appointment committee and select applicants for further assessment. All applicants will be notified whether they have been shortlisted. The Head of Department then sets up an expert assessment committee to consider the applications. The selected applicants will be informed who is serving on the committee, and will be offered the opportunity to comment on the committee’s assessment of their application before an appointment is announced.

Further information on the recruitment process at University of Copenhagen can be found here: Recruitment process – University of Copenhagen (ku.dk)

An Equal Opportunity Workplace

The University of Copenhagen is committed in its pursuit of academic excellence to equality of opportunity and to creating an inclusive working environment, and therefore encourages all qualified candidates to apply, regardless of personal background, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, ethnicity, etc. For more on the diverse working place environment at the University and the University’s participation in the HRS4R HR Excellence in Research, please see HR Excellence in Research – University of Copenhagen (ku.dk)

International applicant?

The University of Copenhagen offers a variety of services for international researchers and accompanying families, including support before and during relocation and career counselling for expat partners. Please find more information about these services as well as information on entering and working in Denmark here: For international researchers at the University of Copenhagen – University of Copenhagen (ku.dk)

Contact information

Further information about the recruitment process is available from HR, email: hrsc@hrsc.ku.dk. Please refer to ID number: 211-1891/24-2I #1.

Additional information about the position, including an outline of the GREENWATCH project, can be obtained from the PI of the GREENWATCH project, Professor Klaus Bruhn Jensen, email: kbj@hum.ku.dk.

The deadline for applications is 15 September 2024 at 23:59 CEST (Central European summer time).

Any applications or additional material submitted after the deadline will not be considered. 

Link to application system: https://employment.ku.dk/faculty/?show=162210

Deadline: August 31, 2024

The Professional Wresting Studies Association invites original scholarly articles and book reviews for upcoming issues of the Professional Wrestling Studies Journal. A peer reviewed and rigorous scholarly publication, we welcome work from any theoretical and methodological lens that expands our audience’s understanding of professional wrestling past or present as a cultural, social, political, and/or economic institution.

Professional Wrestling Studies Journal: Call for Articles, Book Reviews

The Professional Wresting Studies Association invites original scholarly articles and book reviews for the Professional Wrestling Studies Journal. A peer reviewed and rigorous scholarly publication, we welcome work from any theoretical and methodological lens that expands our audience’s understanding of professional wrestling past or present as a cultural, social, political, and/or economic institution.

Article Submission Guidelines

All articles submitted must be original scholarly work and free of identifying information for blind review. Written articles should be submitted as Word documents and no more than 8,000 words, inclusive of a 200-word abstract and a reference list. MLA citation style is required: articles not written in MLA style will be returned. Please do not use the "Insert Citation" function in Word when citing sources. Any images not belonging to the author(s) require copyright clearance. Articles will be converted into PDFs for publication, so hyperlinks should be active. For multimedia productions and experimental scholarship, please contact Chief Journal Editor Dr. Christopher J. Olson (chrstphrolson@gmail.com) to verify length and proper format in which to send the piece. To see the full style guide, please visit this page.

The PWSJ publishes in November to coincide with the annual AEW Full Gear PPV. To be considered for inclusion in the November issue, articles must be received by the editor before the end of May. Blind peer review will take place over the ensuing months, and final revisions will be due by the end of October. Any work not published will be kept in consideration for subsequent issues.

The PWSJ is open to suggestions for special issues on a variety of topics pertaining to professional wrestling. Proposals for special issues should be sent to Chief Journal Editor Christopher J. Olson at chrstphrolson@gmail.com.

Book Review Submission Guidelines

The PWSA invites detailed and insightful book reviews of scholarly and popular texts. Book reviews should be no more than 750 words in length and must be written in MLA style. Please begin all book reviews with the following information: 

LastName, FirstName. Title. Publisher, Date. ## pp. $xx.xx pbk/hdc.”

The PWSJ also seeks reviews of wrestling-related films, games, podcasts, or any other popular works that have been published, released, performed, or posted in the last two years. If you wish to review a popular media text, you must submit a brief rationale for the relevance of the review. A short paragraph outlining why you think the text is worthy of review in the journal will suffice.

Please submit reviews to Reviews Editor David Beard at dbeard@d.umn.edu by August 31 for full consideration. For more information on the Professional Wresting Studies Association and the current and past issues of Professional Wrestling Studies Journal, please visit https://prowrestlingstudies.org.

Deadlines:

Expressions of interest/Initial abstracts (max. 300 words) and short biographical note (max. 100 words) are due on: 25 August, 2024.

Submission of full papers: 25 January, 2025

Final versions with the amendments suggested by reviewers are due: 31 April, 2025. 

Scope:

“My men do not fear death, they welcome it and the rewards it brings”

In recent decades, digital games have become an increasingly ubiquitous medium for popular engagement with history. For many players, these digital representations provide a deeper level of engagement with the past than the scientific and scholarly interpretations presented in academic monographs and journal articles.

The above quote is how players of Assassin’s Creed are first introduced to the so-called “leap of faith”, an important gameplay mechanic and navigational element where characters jump from implausible heights, before landing unharmed in carts filled with hay. It has since developed into a signature feature of the franchise, which encourages players to climb culturally and architecturally significant buildings to obtain more information about the surrounding area. Yet many players do not realise that the episode represented in the opening scene of this hugely popular game is adopted almost verbatim from a 13th-century Old French chronicle (Daftary, 1990: 6). Likewise, Assassin’s Creed: Mirage, set in 9th century Baghdad, actively engages with controversial historical subjects such as the ‘Islamic Golden Age’, the Zanj slave rebellion, and the ‘translation movement’ from Greek to Arabic that was patronised by the Abbasid Caliphate.

These and many other tropes in digital games raise questions about how historical imageries and imaginaries are developed for the medium. Inquiries include the extent to which game designers want to recover, select, update, and re-enact multifaceted, contested aspects of the past. Similarly, so-called Serious Games have been traditionally designed for education and training purposes across disciplines, but what are the implications of drawing upon historical leitmotifs within this format? Putting these questions into a broader perspective of the digitisation of culture and knowledge practices, this special issue of Digital Culture & Society addresses how knowledge about the past is crafted and curated in and for digital games.

In addition to developing deliberate visions of the past through narrative design and gameworld imagery, the embedded practical interactive experience provided by gaming has become an important means of making historical material accessible to wider audiences. This possibility, which has evolved over at least the past three decades through numerous genre codes into more multisensory experiences, led contemporary history-themed games to be compared to a form of historical tourism (Schwarz, 2024).

Therefore, while addressing sensitive historical themes, digital games are also expected to serve as new drivers of popular history. Consequently, they incorporate contemporary cultural debates into the historical settings they recreate. This phenomenon is not unique to gaming. Other mass media, from literature to cinema, have grappled with similar issues when representing the past. However, digital games highlight the need to update these discussions, as computer simulation, rule structures, and user-oriented media affordances can offer features to engage players through particular narrative architectures (Jenkins, 2004), procedural rhetoric (Bogost, 2007), and affective experiences (Jagoda & McDonald, 2018). Computer games exhibit similarities but also very significant differences to how other means, including traditional institutional structures and pedagogical platforms, propose engaging with history and heritage (Houghton, 2023). Therefore it is relevant to understand how these differences influence the representation of the past in digital games, especially in games that advert fidelity or realism as hallmarks of their worldbuilding.

As the scope of themes in digital games stretches to the past, gameworld imaginations paint vivid pictures of transcontinental expeditions, previous civilisations, and political or religious conflicts. Yet, while the representation and the immersive experiences based on these motifs raise several important epistemological questions, the concrete social contexts in which these historical images are created have received comparatively little attention. The social studies concerning the practical production of historical games remain only marginally explored (Sotamaa & Švelch, 2021). Observing how the decision-making process in historical games is tailored between developers, narrative designers, and historical advisors, one can better understand the importance placed on historical knowledge within the gaming industry, especially when questions of so-called historical ‘authenticity’ collide with the demands of user-oriented digital media.

Therefore, with this special volume of Digital Culture & Society, we wish to explore the epistemological, political, and practical issues that arise through the intermingling of digital games and history across multiple dimensions. We aim to do so by being open to multiple branches of research, ranging from the representational gameworlds and playful experiences about the past to the paratexts surrounding historical game releases, from the diverse methodological approaches applied to study the intermingling of games and history to the game production aspects that play a decisive role in how such games are shaped.

The special issue is led by a set of questions concerning the practical and conceptual intricacies of developing and presenting games about historical themes to a global audience:

• How are the imageries of in-game historical conflicts or cross-cultural ‘tolerance’ developed?
  
• How does the categorisation of digital games into different genres influence how we analyse historical aspects of this medium?
  
• In which ways are history-based games serious?
  
• How are game logics and structures used as engagement tools by organisations, companies, and states?
  
• What are the different implications of digital games for the reception of historical knowledge when history is meant to be played as a user-oriented medium?
  
• What are the benefits that can be gained from analysis of paratexts, and which insights can they provide into these processes?
  
• How is the decision-making process tailored between developers, concept designers, and historical advisors?
  
• What are the game studio dynamics that play a role in shaping how historical games are developed?
  
• What interdisciplinary methods can be developed to study the intersection of digital games and historical knowledge?
  

We encourage historians, designers, anthropologists, sociologists, and researchers from other disciplines engaged with history-related topics in digital games to contribute to this special issue.

Journal Sections:

When submitting an abstract, please state to which of the following issue sections you would like to submit your paper:

Field Research and Case Studies (full paper: 6.000 – 8.000 words)

We welcome articles that explore empirical findings on the relationship between games and history. These articles may examine aspects ranging from gameworld representations and game paratexts to the processes involved in game production or reception. These studies might be based on empirical investigations or autoethnographic research.

Conceptual/Theoretical Reflection (full paper: 6.000 – 8.000 words)

conceptual and theoretical dimensions of intertwining historical knowledge with digital games. This may involve examining the challenges posed to the discipline by the format of games, employing comparative media approaches to address the potential and pitfalls of engaging with the past through digital games, or exploring the inherent complexities of dealing with the past through this medium.

Entering the Field (2.000 – 3.000 words; experimental formats welcome)

This experimental section presents initial and ongoing empirical work in historical game studies. The editors have created this section to provide a platform for researchers who would like to initiate a discussion concerning emerging (yet perhaps incomplete) research agendas and plans, as well as methodological approaches to historical game studies. Contributions may also include discussions about the handling of sources or archival work conducted specifically for developing digital games.

Publisher and Open Access: 

DCS is published by transcript. All articles will be published as open access on our website 12 months after the initial publication. Previous issues are available here: http://digicults.org/issues

Edited by: 

Eduardo Luersen (Zukunftskolleg/Department of Literature, Art and Media Studies, University of Konstanz) and James Wilson (Zukunftskolleg/Department of History and Sociology, University of Konstanz)

Please send expressions of interest/initial abstracts and short biographical notes to Eduardo Luersen (eduardo.luersen@uni-konstanz.de) and James Wilson (james.wilson@uni-konstanz.de).

Selected References:

Bogost, Ian (2007) Persuasive Games: The Expressive Power of Videogames. Cambridge: MIT Press.

Daftary, Farhad (1990) The Isma’ilis: Their History and Doctrines. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Houghton, Robert (2023) ‘Awesome, but Impractical? Deeper Engagement with the Middle Ages through Commercial Digital Games’, Open Library of Humanities 9(2).

Jagoda, Patrick and McDonald, Peter (2018) ‘Game Mechanics, Experience Design, and Affective Play’, in Jentery Sayers (ed.) Routledge Companion to Media Studies and the Digital Humanities. New York: Routledge, pp. 174–182.

Jenkins, Henry (2004) ‘Game Design as Narrative Architecture’, in Noah Wardrip-Fruin and Pat Harrington (ed.) First Person: New Media as Story, Performance, and Game. Cambridge: MIT Press, pp. 118–130.

Schwarz, Angela (2024) ‘Discovering the Past as a Virtual Foreign Country: Assassin’s Creed as Historical Tourism’, in Erik Champion and Juan Francisco Hiriart Vera (ed.) Assassin’s Creed in the Classroom: History’s Playground or a Stab in the Dark? Berlin: De Gruyter, pp. 169–187.

Sotamaa, Olli and Švelch, Jan (2021) Game Production Studies. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press.

History of Media Studies

History of Media Studies is pleased to announce an open access Special Section on “History of Communication Studies across the Americas,” which features six articles, each of which considers the history of communication studies within and across North and South America. 

History of Media Studies is a peer-reviewed, scholar-run, diamond OA journal dedicated to scholarship on the history of research, education, and reflective knowledge about media and communication.

Special Issue Contents:

“The History of Communication Studies across the Americas: An Introduction,” by David W. Park, Jefferson Pooley, Peter Simonson, and Esperanza Herrero

“Coloniality and Resistance: The Revolutionary Moment in Communication Study in the Anglophone Caribbean,” by Nova Gordon-Bell

“Elizabeth Fox: Intellectual Biography and History of a Field of Study,” by Yamila Heram and Santiago Gándara

“Borderline Cases: Crossing Borders in Canadian Communication Studies, 1960s-1980s,” by Michael Darroch

“Notes for Historicizing the Disintegrated Internationalization of Communication Studies in Latin America,” by Raúl Fuentes-Navarro

“‘Western Communication’: Eurocentrism and Modernity: Marks of the Predominant Theories in the Field,” by Erick R. Torrico Villanueva

“Media, Intellectual, and Cultural Imperialism Today,” by Afonso Albuquerque

History of Media Studies is published by mediastudies.press, a non-profit, scholar-led OA publisher. The journal is affiliated with (1) the Working Group on the History of Media Studies and (2) the History of Media Studies Newsletter, which contains updates on the journal, among other relevant news.

Questions? Contact us at hms@mediastudies.press.

Department of Communication, Faculty of Humanities, University of Copenhagen (UCPH)

Applications are invited for a PhD scholarship in digital media and communication research at the Department of Communication, University of Copenhagen. The successful candidate will be employed at the Faculty of Humanities and enrolled in the PhD School at the Faculty of Humanities.

The scholarship is for 3 years starting 1 January 2025, or as soon as possible thereafter.

Introduction

The successful applicant will become part of the project entitled, GREENWATCH – Green Surveillance: Imagining a Sustainable Internet of Things, funded through a European Research Council Advanced Grant, 2025-2029. The project examines the potentials and challenges of employing the Internet of Things (IoT) as a communication system monitoring the effects of human activities of Earth’s ecosystems, which further entails surveillance of human individuals and social institutions. The position represents a unique opportunity to participate in interdisciplinary and culturally comparative work covering China, Europe, and the United States, and to contribute to theory development on a strategic issue with global ramifications.

The successful applicant will undertake quantitative content analyses and qualitative discourse studies of advertising campaigns and other strategic communication by IoT companies in China, Europe, and the United States, and will contribute to collaborative and comparative analyses of political and commercial imaginaries of IoT as part of the green transition.

The PhD program is a study program training PhD students, at an international level, to undertake research, development, and teaching assignments. These qualifications open a window of opportunity to a variety of careers within the private and public sectors. The program includes the production of a PhD thesis, active participation in local and global research networks, PhD courses, teaching, and other forms of knowledge dissemination. The standard duration of the PhD program is three years of full-time studies, which equals 180 ECTS credits.

Qualification requirements

Applicants must hold a two-year master’s degree (120 ECTS) or equivalent and must, as a minimum, have submitted a master’s thesis for which they have received pre-approval at the time of application.

The qualifications of applicants with a non-Danish master’s degree will be assessed to determine whether they correspond to those of a Danish master’s degree. For further information, please refer to the website of the Danish Ministry of Education and Research: General assessments for specific countries — English (ufm.dk)

Applicants must have specific theoretical and methodological competences in digital media and communication research. Other things being equal, applicants with previous experience in combining quantitative and qualitative studies of media and communication will be preferred.

Applicants must be fluent in written and spoken academic English. In addition, applicants must be fluent in written and spoken Mandarin. If deemed necessary, the Department may request that applicants document their English and Mandarin proficiency.

For further information about the guidelines for PhD studies at UCPH, please refer to: PhD Programs - Guide to studies and admission – University of Copenhagen (ku.dk)

For further information about the structure of the PhD programme, please refer to: https://phd.humanities.ku.dk

Applicants are also invited to familiarize themselves with ongoing research at the Faculty of Humanities: Research – University of Copenhagen (ku.dk)

Equal Opportunity Workplace

The University of Copenhagen wishes to reflect the diversity of society, and welcomes applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of their personal backgrounds. For more information on the diverse workplace environment at the University and the University’s participation in the HRS4R programme, please see: HR Excellence in Research – University of Copenhagen (ku.dk)

Application

To be awarded a PhD scholarship the applicant must enroll as a PhD student at the Faculty of Humanities, cf. the rules of the Danish Ministerial order No 1039 of 27 August 2013.  

How to apply

Applications must be submitted online. Click on the “Apply now” icon at the bottom of this advertisement to apply. The application must be written in English, and must include the following enclosures in PDF or Word format:

• Project abstract (please fill in the “Project abstract” box in the application form. Maximum of 1,200 characters).
  
• Cover letter detailing your motivation and background for applying for this specific PhD scholarship.
  
• Project description (description of content analyses and discourse studies of advertising campaigns and other strategic communication by IoT companies, with reference to the outline of the GREENWATCH project, available from its PI, Professor Klaus Bruhn Jensen, email: kbj@hum.ku.dk.
  
• CV   
  
• Diploma and transcripts of records (bachelor and master’s degree)   
  
• Other information for consideration, e.g., list of publications, documentation of language proficiency, etc.
  

Please note that it is only possible to upload one document per attachment category. If more than one document must be uploaded in the same category, please scan and collect these in one file.

The recruitment process

The following criteria are applied when assessing PhD applications:

• Research qualifications as reflected in the project description and CV 
  
• Qualifications in digital media and communication research. 
  
• Performance (grades obtained) in graduate and post-graduate studies. 
  

After the deadline for applications, the Head of Department considers advice from an appointment aommittee and selects applicants for assessment. All applicants will be notified whether they have been shortlisted. Next, the Head of Department sets up an expert assessment committee to assess the shortlisted applications. The selected applicants will be informed who is serving on the committee. Applicants will be offered the opportunity to comment on the committee’s assessment of their application before the appointment is announced.

Terms of employment

PhD students are paid a salary in accordance with the agreement between the Ministry of Finance and The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations on Academics in the State. Depending on seniority, the monthly salary starts at approximately 32,900 DKK/roughly 4,400 EUR (April 2024-level) plus 17.1% pension. The PhD student has a work obligation of up to 840 hours over the 3-year period without additional pay. The work obligation can include, for instance, teaching and research dissemination. 

International applicant?

The University of Copenhagen offers a variety of services for international scholars and accompanying families, including support before and during your relocation, and career counselling to expat partners. Please find more information about these services as well as information on entering and working in Denmark here: For international researchers at the University of Copenhagen – University of Copenhagen (ku.dk)

Contact information

Further information about this position, including an outline of the GREENWATCH project, can be obtained from its PI, Professor Klaus Bruhn Jensen, email: kbj@hum.ku.dk

For further information about the structure and rules of the PhD programme, please email the PhD Administration at Søndre and City Campuses, email: phd@hrsc.ku.dk.

Information about the recruitment process is available from HR South and City Campuses, email: hrsc@hrsc.ku.dk. Please refer to case number: 211-1872/24-2H #1.

The deadline for applications is 15 September 2024 at 23:59 CEST (Central European summer time).

Any applications or additional material submitted after the deadline will not be considered.

Link to application system: https://employment.ku.dk/phd/?show=162206