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  • 04.12.2019 20:55 | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    Edited by Katrin Voltmer, Christian Christensen, Irene Neverla, Nicole Stremlau, Barbara Thomass, Nebojša Vladisavljević and Herman Wasserman

    This book investigates the role of media and communication in processes of democratization in different political and cultural contexts. Struggles for democratic change are periods of intense contest over the transformation of citizenship and the reconfiguration of political power. These democratization conflicts are played out within an increasingly complex media ecology where traditional modes of communication merge with new digital networks, thus bringing about multiple platforms for journalists and political actors to promote competing definitions of reality. The volume draws on extensive research in South Africa, Kenya, Egypt and Serbia to highlight the ambivalent role of the media as force for democratic change, empowerment, and accountability, as well as driver of polarization, radicalization and manipulation.

    Purchase here: https://www.palgrave.com/gp/book/9783030167479

  • 27.11.2019 22:05 | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    April 23-24, 2020

    Malmö, Sweden

    Deadline: January 15, 2020

    Call for papers attending to the actors, logics and/or cultures behind digital technologies

    A conference co-organized by Malmö University Data Society research program (http://www.mau.se/en/research/research-programmes/data-society) & the Weizenbaum Institute for the Networked Society *in Berlin (http://www.weizenbaum-institut.de ).

    Funded by the Swedish Foundation for Humanities and Social Sciences (http://www.rj.se/en) and the above organizing institutions Behind Data and Algorithms.

    Objective

    Data and algorithms are on the agenda today. Examples are abundant: How Facebook manually controls the algorithms by tweaking them, the debate whether Amazon is homophobic, whether Google is racist, or the scandal over Microsoft’s chat program Tay that quickly turned to obscene and inflammatory language after having interacted with Twitter users. Studies have also found gender biases as a consequence of image search algorithms and that black people are not recognized as humans in face-recognition algorithms. And then we have the whole Cambridge Analytica scandal and the debate on how data and algorithms can be used to manipulate elections.

    There is much need for a socio-cultural approach to research on data and algorithms, by focusing on the actors and their culture(s) behind these technologies. Engineered by humans, data and algorithms embody rules, ideals and imaginations. They are encoded with human intentions that may or may not be fulfilled. Studying humans, logics and culture behind data and algorithms is therefore pivotal if we intend to have an informed discussion of power, and shifting relations of power, in contemporary data society. Here we draw upon the argument that algorithms should be understood as massive and networked, sometimes with hundreds of hands reaching into them, tuning, tweaking and experimenting with them. Still, computer programmers, software engineers and their circumstances have largely been ignored in empirical studies. In this conference we therefore aim to gather researchers exploring questions such as what logic, or combination of logics, informs the practices of designing and programming algorithms. And how the data that these algorithms base their calculation, is constructed?

    We seek papers discussing any of the following exemplary questions:

    Actors: Who are the people and organizations that create and maintain algorithms and other digital technologies behind the communication interfaces of platforms, apps, search engines or games? What about diversity and diversity challenges in the software industry? Under which working conditions is software produced? What are the professional norms and values of software designers, programmers and engineers?

    Logics: What are the processes and rules of the game in the production of algorithms and digital technologies? What are criteria for “good” code? What are the business models behind algorithms, “big data” and artificial intelligence? How do monopolies or hegemonic actors influence the production and the design of digital technologies?

    Cultures: Which norms and values inform the production of algorithms and digital technologies? Are there any specific views, ideas, narratives or imaginations of the world that inform the creation of technologies? Is there a specific culture of software creation? Are there critical, Marxist, feminist or queer approaches, and what are their contributions?

    Date and Location

    This conference is organized around invited presentations and an open call for papers. We invite up to 16 presentations of original and unpublished research. Selected participants are expected to attend the full conference (starting 10 am April 23 and ending 5 pm April 24).

    Abstracts: maximum 500 words Deadline: Jan 15, 2020

    Notification of acceptance: (around) Feb 20, 2020

    Please send abstracts to team@behindthealgorithm2020.de

    The conference is free of charge (thanks to our funders) and lunch will be provided presenting authors during the two days. The accepted paper presenters will have to arrange travel and accommodation themselves.

    Conference venue is Malmö University, Niagara building (2 min by foot from Malmö Central Station which is located 10 minutes by train from Lund Central Station, 25 min by train from Copenhagen Airport and 40 min by train from Copenhagen Central Station), see https://mau.se/en/contact/niagara/

    Attending as audience

    There is a possibility to attend as audience. In case of high demand, priority will be given to students and faculty affiliated to Malmö University and Weizenbaum Institute as well as to audience committing to attend the full conference.

    Conference chairs

    Jakob Svensson is Full Professor of Media and Communication Studies at Malmö University, School of Arts & Communication (K3). He obtained his PhD in 2008 from Lund University (under the supervision of prof. Peter Dahlgren), and was promoted to associate professor at Karlstad University in 2014. Jakob Svensson has worked extensively on topics of political participation and digital media communication. Today his research is focused on two areas: 1) digital media and empowerment with a special focus on LGBTQI in contexts of state-sanctioned homophobia, and 2) socio-cultural approaches to data and algorithms. He is currently leading the research project Behind the Algorithm, funded by the Swedish Research council.

    Ulrike Klinger is Assistant Professor for Digital Communication at Freie Universität Berlin and head of the research group “News, Campaigns and the Rationality of Public Discourse” at the Weizenbaum Institute for the Networked Society in Berlin. After her dissertation, which won the best dissertation award by the German Political Science Association 2012, she joined the IKMZ Department of Communication and Media Research at the University of Zurich. Research visits at the University of California at Santa Barbara, the HIIG Humboldt Internet Institute in Berlin and Zeppelin University in Friedrichshafen followed. Her research focuses on political communication, social media, and transformations of the public sphere.

  • 27.11.2019 22:02 | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    The University of Arizona

    The University of Arizona invites candidates for a one-year non-renewable Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow. Discipline is open. The fellow will participate in a Mellon-funded Sawyer Seminar titled “Neoliberalism at the Neopopulist Crossroads.” This seminar will pursue the question of neoliberalism’s relationship to the rise of right-wing populist movements around the world. The project involves a comparative focus between three border zones: The United States and Latin America; the European Union and North Africa/Middle East; India and Pakistan. The Sawyer program includes participating UA faculty from Anthropology, English, Film Studies, Gender and Women’s Studies, Geography, Government and Public Policy, Latin American Studies, and Spanish and Portuguese, among others. It will also involve the participation of community members, artists, and activists from Tucson, a dynamic and diverse city that sits just 60 miles north of Nogales on the U.S.-Mexico border.

    We seek a candidate interested in interdisciplinary research and comparative studies. The position will be appointed in an appropriate unit at the University of Arizona depending on the academic training and focus of the successful candidate. Regional focus or area specialization in one of our three border zones is not required.

    Outstanding UA benefits include health, dental, vision, and life insurance; paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays; UA/ASU/NAU tuition reduction for the employee and qualified family members; access to UA recreation and cultural activities; and more

    To see the posting click here: https://uacareers.com/postings/42603

  • 27.11.2019 21:59 | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    June 15-16, 2020

    Institute of Latin America Studies, Stockholms University

    Deadline: January 30, 2020

    The 5th conference Media and Governance in Latin America, with the theme Communication in Contested Political Scenarios will take place on June 15-16, 2020 at the Institute of Latin America Studies. The itinerant conference is held since 2014 in different European locations.

    The conference’s goal is to promote an intellectual debate on the role of the media in the promotion of good governance in Latin America. By bringing together senior scholars and young researchers, this initiative seeks to provide a space of exchange about the theoretical and methodological relevance of current debates. This conference aims to address academic debates in the field of global media, media and development, and the de-westernization of media studies. It will provide international scholars the opportunity to discuss theoretical and methodological approaches, country-based case studies, comparative projects and academic collaborations in a transdisciplinary setting.

    The Call for Papers to the 5th Conference Media and Governance in Latin America is now open and can be accessed here. The deadline for submissions of abstracts is January 30

    Important Dates:

    • Submission deadline: 30/01/2020
    • Decision on acceptance: 28/02/2020
    • Registration opens: 02/03/2020*
    • Program release: around 20/05/2020

    Contact: conference.mediagovla@gmail.com

    http://lai.su.se/MGLA2020

  • 27.11.2019 21:55 | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    The 2nd Biennial Conference on Food & Communication

    September 23-25, 2020

    Ljubljana, Slovenia

    Deadline: January 15, 2020

    Keynote speaker: Prof. JOSÉE JOHNSTON, University of Toronto

    Food is a key means through which we construct and represent ourselves discursively. Food features as a powerful cultural signifier, often evoking associations with issues of gender, class, race and power. Food-related activities, such as grocery shopping, meal preparation, and eating, along with the public and private spaces in which these activities occur, provide the basis for many of our complex daily communicative practices. Food also is located at the core of many of the most challenging social issues of our time, often manifested in oppressive relations of inequality, and in the placement of food at the center of calls for social justice.

    We are witness to major changes in how the relationships between food systems and consumers are constructed discursively.

    Not surprisingly, food has been an important focus of research across the humanities and social sciences, from history to sociology, cultural studies, political studies and beyond. This conference extends that focus by providing an international platform that foregrounds the role of communication in the production, distribution and consumption of food. The aim of the conference is to address discourses, texts and communication evolving in relation to both widespread dissatisfaction with existing food systems and to visions for a more sustainable and regenerative future of food.

    Scholars are invited to explore the cultural and discursive construction of food. This may include analyses of political and policy texts on food sovereignty, and security, food safety and nutrition, food waste, sustainability and climate change; texts produced by the food industry, including advertising, packaging, labeling, menus, social media and other means of food marketing; consumer and media narratives on “the pleasures of the table”; and texts promoting gastronomic tourism, to name just a few.

    Today, cumulative food-related crises and controversies have become central to ongoing attempts to address the health of the global population and the planet. As a result, we are witness to major changes in how the relationships between food systems and consumers are constructed discursively.

    In response to these issues, scholars are welcome to explore narratives about the emergence of alternative solutions to, and new imaginaries about, the future of food.

    1

    • Food as cultural signifier / text / medium, including food as:
    • Expression of cultural identity
    • Cultural capital
    • Object of commodity activism
    • Expression of cultural appropriateness
    • Expression of cultural appropriation
    • Basis of ritual and community bonding

    2

    • Representations of food, including:
    • Journalistic and documentary coverage of the food and agricultural industries
    • Food as the focus of entertainment television (narrative cinema, reality TV, celebrity programs, etc.)
    • Food in social media
    • Commercial communication about food (advertising, PR, lobbying, industry narratives)
    • Political discourses (e.g., food safety, sovereignty, security; sustainability; regenerative agriculture; access to food; food deserts; animal welfare; etc.)
    • Scientific and technical communication

    3

    • Public knowledge (and lack of knowledge) about food, including:
    • Food literacy (health, nutrition, safety and risk, etc.)
    • Environmental impacts (e.g., waste, pollution, climate change)
    • Cultural origins, history, appropriation

    4

    • The mediation of food activism:
    • Communication for direct action (protest, demonstration, petition, boycott, etc.)
    • Commodity activism

    5

    • Imaginaries about the future of food, including:
    • New sources (e.g., insects, algae, in vitro meat)
    • Genetic engineering of plants and animals
    • Hydroponics
    • Aquaculture
    • Transparency, traceability, blockchain, etc.

    Abstracts of 300-500 words and queries can be submitted to: foodandcommunication@fdv.uni-lj.si

    Abstracts may also be submitted via the web page below where further information can be found.

    http://www.foodcommunication.net

    Notifications of acceptance will be sent out in March 2020.

    Associated costs Fee

    Fee for conference attendance is 120 EUR and will cover the cost of food and drink during the conference plus materials.

    An optional conference dinner costs 35 EUR (three courses of local dishes and local wine). Dinner will take place on Thursday evening, September 24th 2020 atGostilna na Gradu.

    Travel and accommodation costs will need to be covered by participants themselves.

    Dr. Andreja Vezovnik, University of Ljubljana, Chair of Local Committee (contact person)

    Dr. Ana Tominc, Queen Margaret University Edinburgh, Chair of Program Committee

  • 27.11.2019 21:48 | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    Special Dossier of Comunicação Pública No. 28 (June 2020)

    Deadline: February 10, 2020

    Editors: Patrícia Silveira (IADE – Universidade Europeia, FCH – Universidade Católica, CECS – Universidade do Minho) and Inês Amaral (FL – Universidade de Coimbra, CECS – Universidade do Minho)

    Languages: Portuguese; English; Spanish

    Issues inherent to the dynamics of production, distribution and consumption of news content have in recent years been the subject of numerous academic studies. It is, however, of significant import that we should have, today, more scientific production in those fields of research that specialise in examining and understanding the new digital-born media and information scenes. These scenes co-exist alongside analogical outlets, with clear implications both for the typical operating mode of media and newspaper organisations and the ways we access information and for the uses and perceptions that inform the concept of ‘news’. It is within this context that the proposal for our Special Dossier is set.

    In the current communication ecosystem, the media have been generalising the assumption of informed audiences. Several issues have been examined in the newsmaking field which explores the apparent potential of the new media to promote a larger public debate and to foster a more informed political engagement, while at the same time questioning the permanence of the media as privileged managers of the information public sphere.

    Such topics have clear implications for citizens’ everyday lives, particularly for the lives of younger generations (who, by definition, find themselves in the process of learning, acquiring knowledge and interpreting the world) who are increasingly choosing digital platforms as their preferred means of access to news content. The everyday life of the younger generations is nowadays inextricably linked with these tools that shape what these individuals are, how they act, how they socialise and how they get to know the immediate and the mediated world (Silveira & Amaral, 2018).

    It is thus in the context of the mentioned issues that we would like to propose a few lines of inquiry and debate, focusing the approach on furthering the current scientific understanding of the (present and future) dynamics of media and news reception, with an emphasis on the development and acquisition of management, comprehension and critical thinking skills to address the media and current news. In recent years, research developed in this field has become salient. With this Special Dossier, our aim is to contribute to a more robust knowledge, drawn from academic studies and texts that favour a scientifically sound analysis on how citizens – and among these, Generation Z in particular – are nowadays consuming information via digital platforms. Additionally, it finds it pertinent to explore how such practices are impacting those citizens’ understanding of the world, their awareness of societies’ “serious” issues, and their civic participation; it would be especially pertinent to shed some light on how the variously sourced information with which they are permanently in contact (and we would here highlight their exposure to ‘fake news’) is ultimately shaping their worldview.

    The knowledge gathered in our Special Dossier may come to work as a basis for the development and implementation of effective strategies in promoting intellectual autonomy and interpretation skills to address news content. In the area of media literacy, News literacy becomes all the more relevant in a media landscape where fake news is propagated – the truth being questioned and disinformation being instigated is one the biggest challenges journalism is now facing. The present state of affairs can have serious repercussions for society in general, and for its younger (thus likely more susceptible) members in particular.

    We would, therefore, like to encourage a debate on the interaction dynamics that develop between audiences and current affairs/news, with an emphasis on the younger generation audience segment. We are especially interested in research that examines the younger generation’s perceptions of, and interactions with, news content and online information consumption, while also taking into account alternative sources of news, such as Instagram or WhatsApp. It is necessary that those new trends be placed in the wider context of studies on news content emission and reception. With this goal in mind, we aim at contributing to a wider debate which, and in light of the landscape just outlined, we also welcome proposals which put forward and strengthen strategies designed to provide citizens with those skills that give them the ability to be more critical of their own worldview – and of the worldview, they receive from the media – so that they at the same time develop their civic and political values.

    This Special Dossier aims at advancing the existing scientific knowledge on the consumption of news content, particularly digital-born news content. For this purpose, manuscripts addressing the topics below (but not limited to them) are welcome.

    • News content consumption practices and digital platforms
    • New generations and news literacy
    • Online media and future trends in news consumption
    • The era of ‘fake news’ and critical skills in information analysis
    • New media, engagement and civic participation
    • ‘Alternative’ narratives and post-truth
    • Social media, algorithms and disinformation
    • Critical literacies

    KEY DATES:

    • 1st Call for Papers: 28 October 2019
    • Deadline for Submissions: 10 February 2020
    • Deadline for Notification of Acceptance: 30 April 2020
    • Deadline for submitting final version of accepted paper: 15 May 2020
    • Publication date: 30 June 2020

    Submission guidelines:

    Manuscripts should follow the preformatted template (https://static.escs.ipl.pt/old/pdfs/investigacao/comunicacao_publica/CPublica-ESCS-Modelo.docx) and be submitted by e-mail (sent to: cpublica@escs.ipl.pt). Please include ‘Dossiê temático 03_NPENM’ in the subject of your e-mail.

    Papers can be written in English, Spanish or Portuguese, always using Microsoft Word. They are to include an abstract of up to 900 characters, five keywords written in both the language of the paper and in English, and the author’s details (name, affiliation, position, contact information and field of study). The full paper, with reference list, annexes and citations should not exceed 50.000 characters (including spaces, endnotes, reference list, tables, images, etc.). Studies, Notes and Book Reviews should not exceed 10.000 characters. (For more information, please see https://www.escs.ipl.pt/investigacao/revista-comunicacao-publica/normas-de-publicacao ).

    Upon acceptance of a paper for publication, the individual or collective author(s) will be asked to assign copyright to Comunicação Pública.

  • 27.11.2019 21:46 | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    Young Harris, GA, USA

    Deadline: January 15, 2020

    Description:

    Young Harris College invites applications for a full-time, tenure-track Assistant Professor of Communication Studies and Psychology position beginning August 1, 2020. All applicants should share a strong commitment to teaching at a liberal arts institution. The successful candidate will hold a doctorate in Communication Studies, Psychology, or a closely related field by the time of appointment and possess the requisite knowledge and experience to lead courses in both Communication Studies and Psychology. The ideal candidate will have a doctorate in Communication Studies with a minimum of 18 graduate semester hours in Psychology and can teach a variety of interpersonal communication classes and psychology classes. Preference will be given to candidates able to support one or more of the following areas: Organizational Communication, Strategic Communication, Persuasion, Health Communication, I/O Psychology, Statistics, Research Methods, or other topics in the candidate's area of specialization. An active program of research in the candidate's area of expertise is encouraged and supported by the institution.

    Applications:

    Candidates should apply electronically at https://recruiting.myapps.paychex.com/appone/MainInfoReq.asp?R_ID=2778535

    Applications should include a cover letter, C.V., teaching philosophy, evidence of teaching effectiveness, and three professional references. Questions can be sent to the Co-Chairs of the Search Committee, Dr. Jennifer Hallett and Dr. Joe Tiu. Additional information that applicants wish to submit can be sent electronically to HumanResources@yhc.edu or by mail to Human Resources Director, Young Harris College, P.O. Box 68, Young Harris, GA 30582. Review of applications will continue until the position is filled with applications submitted before January 15, 2020 given priority. The selected candidate must successfully pass a background check.

    Applicants who would enrich the diversity of the campus community are strongly encouraged to apply. EOE M/F/D/V

    Contact: Human Resources Director, Human Resources, Young Harris College

  • 27.11.2019 21:43 | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    Young Harris, GA, USA

    Deadline:

    Description: January 15, 2020

    Young Harris College invites applications for a full-time, tenure-track Assistant Professor of Communication Studies position beginning August 1, 2020. The successful candidate will hold a doctorate in Communication Studies or a closely related field by the time of appointment and share a strong commitment to teaching at a liberal arts institution. The candidate will possess the requisite knowledge and experience to lead courses in the major such as Introduction to Media Communication, Critical Approaches to Communication Studies, and Communication Theory. The ability to teach courses in relation to one or more of the following areas is desirable: Cultural Studies, Emerging Media, Industry Studies, Political Communication and Media Campaigns, and/or Screen Studies. An active program of research in the candidate’s area of expertise is encouraged and supported by the institution.

    The Department of Communication Studies offers classes in the broad subfields of Interpersonal Communication and Media and Cultural Studies. It explores its subjects through rigorous analysis in a diverse range of qualitative and quantitative methods, employing critical and empirical approaches.

    Applications:

    Candidates should apply electronically at https://recruiting.myapps.paychex.com/appone/MainInfoReq.asp?R_ID=2778522

    Applications should include a cover letter, C.V., teaching philosophy, evidence of teaching effectiveness, and three professional references. Questions can be sent to Chair of Communication Studies Department Dr. Chris Richardson. Additional information that applicants wish to submit can be sent electronically to HumanResources@yhc.edu or by mail to Human Resources Director, Young Harris College, P.O. Box 68, Young Harris, GA 30582. Review of applications will continue until the position is filled with applications submitted before January 15, 2020 given priority. The selected candidate must successfully pass a background check.

    Applicants who would enrich the diversity of the campus community are strongly encouraged to apply. EOE M/F/D/V

    Contact: Human Resources Director, Human Resources, Young Harris College

  • 27.11.2019 21:37 | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    Vaia Doudaki and Angeliki Boubouka

    Examining the news coverage of the economic crisis in Greece, this book develops a framework for identifying discourses of legitimation of actors, political decisions, and policies in the news.

    This study departs from the assumption that news is a privileged terrain where discursive struggles (over power) are represented and take place. Incorporating systematic analysis of news texts and journalistic practices, the model contextualises the analysis in its specific socio-political environment and examines legitimising discourse through the prism of the news. Ultimately the book recognises the active role played by journalists and media in legitimating economic crisis related policies and decisions, and how they help dominant actors establish and legitimate their authority, which in turn helps journalists legitimate their own role and authority.

    CONTENTS

    Introduction: assumptions and foundations, Vaia Doudaki

    1. The economic crisis in Greece: short account of events and actors, Angeliki Boubouka

    2. Media and representations of the economic crisis, Angeliki Boubouka and Vaia Doudaki

    3. Discourses of legitimation in the news: concepts and dimensions, Vaia Doudaki

    4. Analysing discourse: legitimation and its mechanisms in the Greek bailout news, Vaia Doudaki

    Concluding reflections, Vaia Doudaki

  • 27.11.2019 21:31 | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    Eva Nowak (ed.)

    Baden-Baden: Nomos, 2019

    How is journalism education in Europe accredited and assessed? State organisations and the media industry influence the objectives, content and structures of such education and trainings through their accreditation. They set quality standards and, at the same time, interfere with the autonomy of journalism education. Through studies of twelve countries, this volume shows how accreditation influences journalism education in Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, the Netherlands, Romania, Russia, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

    A second part of the book provides a comparative analysis of these studies including an overview on accreditation in higher education in Europe and the European Higher Education Area, EHEA. Another chapter deals with the ACEJMC’s more than seventy years of experience in journalism studies accreditation in the USA.

    The volume contains contributions by Maarit Jaakkola, Pascal Guénée, Tina Tsomaia, Ana Keshelashvili, Andrea Czepek, Tibor Mester, Annamária Torbó, Catherine Shanahan, Nico Drok, George Prundaru, Elena Vartanova, Maria Lukina, Carlos Barrera, Manuel Martín Algarra, Guido Keel, Deborah Wilson David, Joe Foote and Eva Nowak.

    The editor, Eva Nowak, is a professor of journalism at Jade Hochschule in Wilhelmshaven, Germany. Her research focuses on journalism education and media freedom.

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