European Communication Research and Education Association
Flow Volume 26 Special Issue
Deadline: August 26, 2019
The summer of 2019 has seen a variety of news reports and stories announcing and celebrating the accomplishments of diversity, inclusivity, and socio-political progress across the entertainment industries. Examples include Ali Stroker’s monumental win at the Tony Awards (as the first wheelchair user to win an award); the casting of Halle Bailey in Disney’s live-adaptation of The Little Mermaid; Marvel Studios’ casting of Simu Liu, Salma Hayek, and Mahershala Ali in lead roles as well as the hiring of non-white and non-male directors for Phase 4 projects; the announcement that the 007 role in the James Bond franchise will now be played by Black woman, Lashana Lynch; the development and production of a queer-centered superhero television series in the upcoming Batwoman on The CW; and the critically-acclaimed and fan-lauded careers of musicians like Lil Nas X and Lizzo taking center stage in the music industry.
This inaugural issue of Flow’s twenty-sixth volume, “New Faces, New Voices, New Bodies: Current Thoughts on Media Representations,” asks cultural and media scholars to consider these recent developments from historical, industrial, political, economic, cultural, and national lenses. Arguably, this phenomenon has occurred before (to name a few, the ‘70s with Blaxploitation, socially “relevant” TV programming, and the popular embrace of funk and soul; the late ‘80s and early ‘90s with Hollywood’s New Black Wave, the flood of Black sitcoms on network television, and the mainstream success of hip-hop and rap; and the late ‘90s and early ‘00s with the rise of Latinx stars in pop music, “multiculti” ensemble casts, and the appearance of LGBTQ characters in primetime). This special issue seeks to understand: What is new about this moment? How can we discuss these developments without losing sight of the economic motives of conglomerates? How can we define and discuss this current wave of diversity, inclusivity, and progressive action in the industries? And to what extent are these industry strategies of diversity and inclusivity sustainable?
Possible topics include, but are by no means limited to:
To be considered for this timely issue, please submit a completed short essay of 1200-1500 words, along with at least three images (.png), video, and/or new media files (GIFs, etc.), and a short bio, to Rusty Hatchell and Selena Dickey at flowjournaleditors@gmail.com by Monday, August 26th, 2019. The Special
Issue will be published at flowjournal.org on Monday, September 16th, 2019.
November 18, 2019
Doha, Qatar
Deadline: September 5, 2019 (23:59 PM Pacific Standard Time)
Workshop website here.
Co-located with Social Informatics 2019, November 18-21, Doha, Qatar.
In recent years, we have witnessed the rise of social media, which have enabled people to virtually share information with a large number of users with little-to-no regulation or quality control. On the one hand, this has enabled anyone with a computer and internet access to rapidly create and disseminate content. On the other hand, it has also opened the door for malicious users, including automated bots, to rapidly spread disinformation, misinformation, and propaganda, which can now reach audiences at an unprecedented scale. This has resulted in the proliferation of false information that is typically created either (a) to attract network traffic in order to secure financial gain through advertising revenue (e.g. clickbait), or (b) to affect individual people's beliefs - something that can ultimately lead to influencing major events such as political elections or views on public health. There are strong indications that false information was weaponized at an unprecedented scale during the 2016 U.S. and the 2018 Brazilian presidential campaigns, among many others. The workshop aims to bring together researchers from both academia and industry to discuss bias, disinformation, misinformation, and propaganda in online news and in social media.
Topics of interest include but are not limited to the following:
Submission Format
We kindly ask you to submit abstracts addressing one of the topics above from the perspective of use cases, tools, resources, and preliminary experimental results.
Abstracts should be in Socinfo format (see here), 1-2 pages long. Abstracts will be reviewed by the workshop organizers and the authors of selected abstracts will be assigned a time slot for a short presentation (15 minutes each) to present their ideas. Selected abstracts will be made available on this website.
Send your submission to socinfo-bias-workshop@googlegroups.com.
Workshop Organisers:
June 3-5, 2020
Braunschweig, Germany
Deadline: September 30, 2019
GEI Annual Conference 2020
Organizer: Georg Eckert Institute for International Textbook Research, Member of the Leibniz Association (GEI)
Trust is a basic condition – or more precisely an underlying condition – of human coexistence and yet one of its defining characteristics is that it usually remains implicit or latent, as something apparently taken for granted. As soon as trust is explicitly addressed in institutional contexts or in interpersonal relationships, the suspicion may arise that trust itself is lacking.
In today’s modern society, frequently described as a (digital) knowledge and information society, trust seems to be both an indispensable requirement and a fundamental challenge. This is manifest in the prevalence of buzzwords such as ‘fake news’ or ‘fake science’ in current social debates on the undermining of trust in politics, (social) mass media, science, academia and economics as well as in institutions and organisations. On another level, beyond this primarily content-related dimension, trust is also becoming increasingly socially significant in terms of technical and digital infrastructure.
The GEI’s annual conference, ‘In Education We TRUST?’ takes up a relatively new debate within educational research. Different (trans-)disciplinary perspectives on the manifold dimensions of trust within school education and educational media will be brought together in order to illuminate, in fresh contexts, the varying significance and potentially conflicting assessments of trust – such as, for example, ‘necessary trust’ or ‘blind trust’ – as well as its perceived contingency or absence.
We welcome papers on the conference theme that focus particularly on the following topics:
1. Trust in schools and educational media for schools as state-approved examples of socialisation and knowledge transfer. This refers to the central institutions of school education as well as the actions and experiences of agents and subjects.
2. Trust in knowledge disseminated through school education and educational media. This questions trust as a discursive resource for self-assurance and self-assertion (also in relation to others or to external agency) – whether related to knowledge accepted as having a scientific basis, implicitly accepted and socialised conventions, and traditional world views or in the sense of convictions justified by religious belief or ideology.
3. Trust in the context of the appropriation or reception of education in schools and educational media. In addition to addressing the different ways in which school knowledge is appropriated, papers on this topic should explore the diverse processes of knowledge authorisation, legitimisation and delegitimisation, relating to the competing agents and media forms used in the dissemination of knowledge and acquisition of information.
4. Trust in the control, evaluation and quality assurance of the education process and educational media. The challenges presented by (post-)digitality and datafication in schools are a key element of this.
5. Trust in research, its processes and findings. This refers to the infrastructures used in research and the data obtained, the validity of findings and of their publication and dissemination.
Papers addressing the general theme of the conference are, of course, also welcome.
The conference will employ a range of formats: from ignite presentations to interactive discussion formats. Preferred formats may be suggested in the submitted abstract.
In order for us to select contributors we request that an abstract (max. 2,000 characters, including bibliography) and CV (max. 1 page) is sent no later than 30 September 2019 to trust@leibniz-gei.de. The final decision on contributors will be made by the end of November 2019.
The conference will take place in Braunschweig, Germany from 3 to 5 June 2020. Conference languages will be German and English. Speakers’ travel and accommodation costs will be covered by the Georg Eckert Institute.
To enable in-depth discussions of the topics and to facilitate the publication of the conference papers in an edited volume in the GEI’s peer-reviewed book series Schriftenreihe, we request that all accepted contributors submit a full article (of between 44,000 and 68,000 characters) by 31 March 2020.
If you have any further questions please contact Dr Marcus Otto (otto@leibniz-gei.de).
The University of Zurich
Deadline: October 2, 2019
The position should be filled at the earliest opportunity. After two temporary three-year contracts the position will become tenured on the condition that the candidate passes the evaluation process. Applicants should distinguish themselves through excellent research on strategic communication and/or media management. Strategic communication means controlled communication to internal and external stakeholders and target audiences of an organization. The desired focus is on the communicator and content side (i.e. on strategies of advertising, public relations, marketing and campaign communication in the digital environment), potentially with references to effects. Media management uses precise knowledge of media markets and media consumers to make strategic decisions about designing and marketing media products and other communications offerings to meet the needs of their target audiences and the goals of the organization.
Applications from candidates whose previous work focused only on one of the two fields mentioned above are also explicitly welcome. Expertise in strategic communication is an advantage. In the medium term, the professorship should cover both fields. Applicants are therefore asked to submit a development plan of at least two pages in which they explain how they would like to shape the content of the two fields in research and teaching. All applicants should be familiar with the subject of Communication Studies and Media Research in its breadth; they are expected to participate in teaching introductory Bachelor's and Master's classes as well as methods classes. Special attention will be paid to relevant methodological skills for strengthening the socialscientific, empirical-analytical profile of the discipline at the University of Zurich.
Candidates should hold a PhD degree at the time of application and have an excellent record of academic achievements in the relevant field. Teaching may initially be carried out in English. Non-German speaking candidates are expected to acquire a working knowledge of German within the first three years of appointment. The University of Zurich is an equal opportunities employer and in particular strives to increase the percentage of women in leading positions. Therefore, qualified female researchers are encouraged to apply.
The closing date for applications is October 2, 2019. Details on the application procedure are available on http://www.phil.uzh.ch/jobs.html.
For further information, please contact Professor Mark Eisenegger at m.eisenegger@ikmz.uzh.ch.
Tobias Eberwein, Susanne Fengler, Matthias Karmasin
Bringing together both leading international scholars and emerging academic talent, Media Accountability in the Era of Post-Truth Politics maps the current state of media accountability in Europe and provides fresh perspectives for future developments in media and communication fields.
As the integrity of the international media landscape is challenged by far-reaching transformations and the rise of “fake news,” the need for a functional system of media regulation is greater than ever. This book addresses the pressing need to re-evaluate and redefine the notion of accountability in the fast-changing field of journalism and “information provision.” Using comparative research and empirical data, the book’s case studies address the notion of media accountability from various perspectives, considering political and societal change, economic, organisational and technological factors, and the changing role of media audiences. By collecting and juxtaposing these studies, the book provides a new discussion for the old question of how we can safeguard free and responsible media in Europe – a question that seems more urgent than ever.
Media Accountability in the Era of Post-Truth Politics is an essential read for students and researchers in journalism, media and communication studies.
ECREA members can get 20% off and free shipping - more info can be found on ECREA intranet.
Purchase here.
University of Tartu
Deadline: September 16, 2019
ORGANISATION/COMPANY: University of Tartu
RESEARCH FIELD:
RESEARCHER PROFILE: Recognised Researcher (R2)
APPLICATION DEADLINE: 16/09/2019 23:00 - Europe/Athens
LOCATION: Estonia › Tartu
TYPE OF CONTRACT: Temporary
JOB STATUS: Full-time
HOURS PER WEEK: 40
OFFER STARTING DATE: 01/11/2019
Measuring Industrial Modernity (1900-2018)
A research group in a University of Tartu, Estonia, is looking for a postdoctoral researcher to join us in studying the evolution of industrial modernity. The project is based on the Deep Transitions framework (Schot & Kanger, 2018; Kanger & Schot, 2018) that aims to conceptualize the 250-year developmental trajectory of industrial societies through the co-evolution of socio-technical systems. The key questions our team seeks to answer are as follows: 1) What are the foundational features of industrial modernity, characterizing almost every industrial society to date, that have shaped its evolution? 2) Do we see some significant ruptures along these dimensions in recent decades?
The candidate will be a part of the team tasked with measuring long-term trends in the historical evolution of industrial societies along multiple dimensions (ideas, institutions, and practices) and on multiple scales (national, global). The project seeks to combine data from existing databases with analysis of digitized text corpora. Therefore, we are looking for a candidate with 1) competence in data analysis skills applicable to the analysis of large historical text collections; 2) methodological creativity in finding ways to utilize text corpora for tracking long-term societal trends.
The research group is highly interdisciplinary, involving (among others) experts from sustainability transitions studies, digital humanities, history and environmental sociology. As such applicants from diverse backgrounds are welcome to apply.
The position is funded by the Estonian Science Council and is part of the project “Reshaping Estonian energy, mobility and telecommunications systems on the verge of the Second Deep Transition”.
The researcher is expected to engage in the following tasks, some of which involve close collaboration with other team members:
See also the general job requierements for the University of Tartu (Research Fellow, pages 6 and Annex 8, page 20).
Benefits
By offering a comprehensive and multi-dimensional assessment of the evolution of industrial modernity the results of the project will be of interest to multiple research communities (e.g. sustainability transitions studies, sustainability science, sociology, cultural evolution). Therefore, the successful applicant will have the possibility to engage in cutting-edge research on the long-term dynamics of industrial societies, enabling to build a substantive skill and publication portfolio boosting further career development. The project also foresees annual funding for participation in international conferences. The research team at the University of Tartu provides a vibrant and supportive work atmosphere.
Selection process
In order to be considered for the position, the candidate must submit to the UT Human Resources Office (email: personal@ut.ee) following documents (in English, pdf format)):
Candidates will be contacted after September 16 and Skype interviews will be conducted. Final selection will be made by October 10 and work is envisioned to start from Nov 1, 2019.
Additional comments
The successful applicant will be employed by the University of Tartu which has been ranked as the top university in New Europe (Times Higher Education New Europe Ranking 2018). The Institute of Social Studies is an interdisciplinary research and teaching unit comprising areas from sociology to information science and communication studies. For additional information about the university see https://www.ut.ee/en/welcome.
Required Research Experiences
RESEARCH FIELD: Sociology › Macrosociology
YEARS OF RESEARCH EXPERIENCE: 4 - 10
RESEARCH FIELD: Cultural studies
RESEARCH FIELD: History › Economic history
RESEARCH FIELD: Geography › Economic geography
Offer Requirements
REQUIRED LANGUAGES
ENGLISH: Excellent
Skills/Qualifications
Essential
Experience in at least two of the following areas:
In addition:
Desirable but not essential
Deadline: October 25, 2019
Editors: Sara Bannerman (McMaster University) and James Meese (University of Technology Sydney)
In January 2018, Facebook declared that it would no longer prioritise news content in its NewsFeed. Instead, it would surface posts from ‘friends and family’, with the goal of bringing ‘people closer together’ (Mosseri, 2018). Facebook had stopped promoting particular forms of news before (like clickbait headlines) but they had always retained a broad commitment to distributing news content. However, the change in 2018 represented a major pivot for a platform that had increasingly become a central intermediary for online news distribution. In response, digital-first publications, who had staked their business model on Facebook’s ability to surface news to audiences, started to lay off staff in significant numbers. These new disruptive news enterprises (like Buzzfeed and Mic) were supposed to usher in a new future for news. However, it appeared that their business models were as unstable as those of their print predecessors.
These recent developments have not gone unnoticed by governments. Policymakers and politicians across the world are starting to examine the role that platforms and algorithms play in the distribution of news. Inquiries in Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada and elsewhere have explored the consequences of the algorithmic distribution of news.
Alongside these national inquiries, a broader international discussion has focused on the apparent rise in disinformation and the increasingly partisan nature of political discourse. This discussion has intensified recently, leading to the formation of an International Grand Committee on Big Data, Privacy and Democracy composed of elected officials from governments around the world.
This edited collection will respond to this international policy moment and examine the challenges posed by the algorithmic distribution of news. It will critically assess recent media policy developments in this space and explore the broader economic, political and industrial transformations associated with algorithmic distribution. In doing so, we aim to offer a comprehensive account of this moment of institutional change, which has significantly altered the distribution and consumption of news (see Nielsen 2018).
The book will be split into two sections. The first section will consist of thematic chapters (5 - 6,000 words) and the second section will feature shorter case studies (3 - 4,000 words) describing and analysing recent policy developments related to algorithmic distribution in particular countries. We are currently in discussions with interested publishers and seeking contributions for both sections.
Possible topics include (but are not limited to):
If you are interested in contributing to either section, please send a short chapter or case study proposal (of about 400 words) and a biography (150 words) by the 25th of October 2019 to james.meese@uts.edu.au and banners@mcmaster.ca.
October 25, 2019
University of Nottingham Ningbo China
Deadline: September 20, 2019
From fake news to the deepfake, the digital era’sexpanded possibilities for fabrication and falsehood are bedevilling the fourth estate as its parameters expand to include a host of new and often concealed sources, spreading via manipulable social media algorithms.
Media scholars have called on us all to reject the pejorative term “fake,” which is used to conduct mistrust and accusations toward institutions that we have traditionally relied upon to shine a light on powerful interests. However, we are at the same time being ushered into a more generalised media-critical thought, as unreliable reportage proliferates in many of the places we turn to for trustworthy information. How do we balance acknowledgement of media fakery with our need for reasonable information that we can trust?
This one-day symposium aims to address some of the more urgent philosophical issues arising in an era marked by proliferating resources for media fakery.
Potential topics include, but are not limited to:
* fake news
* the deepfake
* post-truth politics
* public trust in journalism and politics
* social media and journalism
* Facebook and Twitter bots
* emotions, cognitive biases and media psychology
* satirical news websites
* hoaxes and literary fraud
* identity theft, catfishing and online identities
* “truthiness,” pseudoscience and pseudo-communications
* astroturfing and front organisations
* advertorial
* public relations and propaganda
* authenticity
* data mining and targeted content
* algorithmic aggregators and generators of news
Confirmed keynote speaker: Professor Terry Flew, Queensland University of Technology
Please send the following to the symposium organisers Drs Filippo Gilardi (Filippo.gilardi@nottingham.edu.cn), Celia Lam (celia.lam@nottingham.edu.cn) and Wyatt Moss-Wellington (wyatt.moss-wellington@nottingham.edu.cn) by Friday 20 September 2019.
Successful abstracts will be considered for inclusion in a Special Issue proposal to be submitted to /C//ontinuum Journal of Media and Cultural Studies/(TBC)
Key dates:
Karlstad University, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Department of Geography, Media and Communication
Deadline: August 18, 2019
The successful candidate will primarily teach subject courses, courses on study programmes, as well as commissioned courses, if applicable. The position includes teaching, supervision, examination, course coordination and course development, as well as active participation in the development work done at the discipline and department in the areas of teaching and community cooperation. According to the working hours agreement, senior lecturers are allotted 20% for professional development, which may be used for research and may be extended through external funding.
Why choose Karlstad University?
Karlstad University is forward-looking, and this is evident in everything we do. We always provide space for ideas and enthusiasm. Our high-regarded teaching and research are characterised by close community cooperation. The university is international and here you will meet staff, students and guests from around the world. The university is engaged in systematically promoting socially, financially and environmentally sustainable development. A position at Karlstad University offers many benefits, such as lunch training at the on-campus gym. For further information, see https://www.kau.se/en/work-us/jobb/benefits. If you want to work in a young and exciting university environment, Karlstad University is ideal!
Qualification requirements
The eligibility requirement for appointment as senior lecturer is a doctorate in Media and Communication Studies or a related area applicable to the advertised position, and documented teaching expertise. A completed course in higher education pedagogy, or an equivalent qualification, is required for appointment as senior lecturer. Under special circumstances, this course may be completed within two years of employment as part of the professional development commitment.
Assessment criteria
Special weight is given to broad and specialised knowledge as well as documented teaching experience of Media and Communication Studies. The successful applicant is expected to teach and supervise on many different course at bachelor and master levels. Special weight is further given to theoretical and practical knowledge of computer-assisted digital analysis of media contents and use. Special weight is also given to good ability to cooperate, since many duties are performed in different teams.
Considerable weight is given to a research profile related to the area digital media and analysis or related areas such as information systems, digital humanities, or science and technology studies, as well as ability to teach on digital cultures, social media and web production. Considerable weight is further given to experience of independently using qualitative and quantitative research methods, as well as knowledge of and playing a role in current methodological developments in the areas of data collection and analysis in digital environments (e.g. automated content analysis, data visualisation, network analysis and digital ethnography).
Considerable weight is also given to teaching expertise and experience of participation in pedagogical development work. Since teaching is offered in Swedish and English, considerable weight is also given to good written and spoken skills as well as teaching experience in these languages.
Considerable weight is further given to experience of successfully applying for external research funding as well as participation in national and international networks.
Weight is given to the ability to work independently and take own initiative.
Weight is further given to:
If applicants have similar qualifications, those who can teach in Swedish will be ranker higher.
Terms of employment
This is a full-time, non-fixed-term position with starting date at the earliest convenience, as per agreement. A probationary period may be required.
Application
Applications are submitted via Karlstad University’s web-based recruitment system Varbi and should include:
* documented CV with the contact details of two references
* descriptive account of teaching and research experience
* certificate of course in higher education pedagogy, or account of equivalent qualification
* account of other experience, and experience of leadership, cooperation and administration
* future research and teaching plans
* list of publications (indicate your own role in cases of co-authorship)
* copies of degree certificates and other transcripts and certificates documenting qualifications
* a maximum of ten academic publications, as well as five works designed to convey knowledge, such as textbooks, educational software or popular science articles.
All documents and publications should be attached to the electronic application (do not provide links only). More information is available in the document “Application Guidelines” on our homepage (https://www.kau.se/en/about-university/working-karlstad-university/work-here/jobs-and-vacancies) where Karlstad University’s Regulations for the Appointment and Promotion of Teaching Staff also may be found.
Three copies of each document that cannot be submitted electronically, such as books and publications, should be sent to:
Karlstads universitet, Registrator, 651 88 KARLSTAD, Sweden.
State ref. no REK2019/151
Application deadline: 18 August 2019
We look forward to receiving your application.
Further information: https://kau.varbi.com/en/what:job/jobID:276357
Special issue on Cultural Literacies in Transition
Deadline: August 31, 2019
Guest editor: Kris Rutten (Ghent University)
On-going public and academic debate has focused on the importance of knowledge about culture and the arts, what is generally referred to as “cultural literacy”. Often the debate focuses on an alleged “lack” of such knowledge. Whereas traditional approaches to cultural literacy emphasized the importance of a shared national culture, the reading of books and the literary canon, in recent years there has been an increasing focus on what cultural “literacies” can imply within our current globalised, pluralized and media saturated societies. While the conception that the arts constitute (Western) High Culture has for a long time already been strongly criticized from a broad range of perspectives, this idea is still reflected in more traditional approaches to the importance and functions of culture and the arts.
However, contemporary societal transitions raise a number of important questions about the specific content of cultural literacies (i.e. what is still considered to be relevant and valuable knowledge about culture and the arts?), about the potential functions of culture and the arts for society (i.e. what is considered to be the societal and educational value of knowledge about and engagement with the arts?) and about the specific role of cultural institutions today (i.e. how do cultural institutions address their roles as mediator and go-between of knowledge about the arts?).
For this special issue, we therefore seek contributions that explore how cultural literacies are currently defined, practiced, contested and negotiated in relation to different contexts by focusing on the following discussions:
Submission guidelines:
Deadline for abstracts: Please send your abstracts of 300 words by August 31st 2019 to Kris.Rutten@UGent.be .
Notification of selected abstracts by: September 15th 2019.
Deadline for article submission: based on the selection of the abstracts full papers will need to be submitted by: *December 15th 2019.
Information and instructions for authors: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/RCRC
All completed manuscripts MUST be uploaded onto the online manuscript portal Scholar One. Go to Critical Arts on the Taylor and Francis site. There is an option on the top left pane of the screen that says ‘submit’, select this then click ‘submit online’ and follow the prompts.
Further inquiries about the special issue: Kris.Rutten@UGent.be
Alternatively, contact the Critical Arts editorial office at criticalarts@ukzn.ac.za or the editor-in-chief, Keyan Tomaselli at keyant@uj.ac.za
Critical Arts prides itself in publishing original, readable, and theoretically cutting edge articles. For more information on the history and the orientation of the journal, as well as guidelines for authors, and legal and editorial procedures, please visit: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/authors/rcrcauth.asp
Critical Arts is now published six times annually and is indexed in the International Bibliography of Social Sciences (IBSS) and the ISI Social Science Index and Arts & Humanities Citation Index and other indexes.
SUBSCRIBE!
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