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two generously funded PhD positions on Mediating (Semi-)Authoritarianism at Free University Berlin
by Leurs, K.H.A. (Koen) 01 Dec '14

01 Dec '14

CfA: Two generously funded PhD positions at Free University Berlin IMPORTANT NOTE: This is only an unofficial, informal, translated call for applications. The legally binding, official German job announcement is available at: http://www.fu-berlin.de/service/stellen/st_2014/st_20141117.html The Emmy Noether research group on Mediating (Semi-)Authoritarianism – The Power of the Internet in the Post-Soviet World invites applications for two fully funded PhD positions (of up to four years), starting in early or mid-2015. The research group will be based at the Institute for Media and Communications Studies at the Free University Berlin. It is being funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) from October 2014 to September 2019. The five-year project investigates the interrelations of internet-mediated communication and politics in the post-Soviet region, with a strong comparative focus on three countries: Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus. It draws primarily on qualitative methods of communication research, but also employs quantitative approaches. Comparisons are structured around a series of key theoretical concepts, including the decoding of news items, counterpublics, critical news literacy, and political representation. Additional information about the project can be found at www.mediating-authoritarianism.net<http://www.mediating-authoritarianism.net>. Job Description / Duties and Responsibilities · Pursuing independent research: Applicants will be expected to develop, design, and accomplish independent research that will qualify them for the award of a PhD degree. The topic of the candidate’s independent doctoral research should be closely related to the central topic of the research group. Thus, ideally, their independent research will strongly benefit from synergies with research carried out in the framework of the research group. · Contributing to the success of the research group: PhD students will play an important role as members of the Emmy Noether group. They will make strong, creative, and independent contributions to the project by helping to refine the overall research design, as well as by collecting, analysing, and interpreting data. They will contribute as (co-)authors to publications of the research group. One of the two PhD positions announced here will focus on data collection and analysis with regard to Belarus, the other with regard to Ukraine. · Administration, outreach & teaching: The project group will organize a small number of public events (approximately one event per year), seek to host visiting scholars from across the globe, and maintain a website that includes a blog. It will also be involved in teaching at the Institute of Media and Communications Studies at Free University Berlin (one course in each semester). Although routine tasks in these areas will be carried out by a student assistant, PhD candidates will be expected to take on management responsibilities and other leading roles in this work. Person Specification / Selection Criteria · A Masters degree or equivalent in Media and Communications or a related discipline such as Sociology, Political Science, or Psychology (essential). Highly- motivated candidates with or without prior work experience are strongly encouraged to apply. · Experience in qualitative and/or quantitative social science research methods. · Evidence of in-depth knowledge and understanding of the candidate’s own field of study, which will ideally be related to political communication (essential). · Fluency in English (essential), either Ukrainian or Belarusian (essential), and Russian (desirable). Willingness to acquire practical knowledge of German in the course of the project (essential). · Evidence of ability and willingness to work as part of a team (essential). · Evidence of strong self-management skills, as required to successfully complete a four-year PhD project (essential). · Evidence of flexibility, autonomy, and creativity (essential). · Evidence of strong communication skills (desirable). · Evidence of strong analytical and critical skills and clear academic writing (desirable). Salary and Working Conditions · The two PhD positions in the Emmy Noether research group come with an internationally highly competitive salary, which will be stipulated in accordance with the German collective agreement for the public sector (TV-L E 13 at a 0.65 full time equivalent). Depending on the candidate’s work experience, the initial annual salary will thus be at least 26,814 Euros (increase pending). From this gross salary, contributions to the German pension scheme, health assurance, and other social insurances will be automatically deducted. Depending on the family situation, the PhD candidate’s initial net salary will thus amount to at least 1,600 Euros a month (approximately 2,150 USD). · The Emmy Noether group will offer PhD candidates a vibrant and international academic environment with flat hierarchies. In the course of the project, they will receive hands-on training in pursuing internationally competitive communication research. At the same time, they will be intensely supervised and supported by the leader of the research group, members of academic staff at the Free University Berlin, and international scholars affiliated with the project in pursuing their independent PhD research. PhD candidates will be encouraged to pursue their own ideas, make strong individual contributions to the success of the research project, and develop an emerging track record of independent academic publications that will qualify them to pursue a subsequent academic career. · The two PhD positions will have access to generous subsidies for conference travel, fieldwork, and external academic training. How to Apply Additional information about the project can be found at www.mediating-authoritarianism.net<http://www.mediating-authoritarianism.net>. To apply, we recommend providing the following documents: · CV. · Letter of motivation (maximum two pages) stating why you would like to pursue a PhD within the research group, potential topic of your PhD, type of research you could imagine pursuing, and how you think you could contribute to the success of the project. Please also provide evidence with regard to selection criteria listed above. · One to three samples of academic writing (course work, your BA or MA thesis, etc.) · Relevant school certificates and university diplomas (certificate of qualification for university matriculation, BA and MA diplomas, or equivalents). · Contact details and phone numbers of two or three referees (at least one academic). Please send your applications to the group leader Dr Florian Toepfl at f.toepfl(a)fu-berlin.de. The application deadline is 15.12.2014. Ideally, the two PhD candidates will be employed in early or mid-2015. We very much look forward to receiving your applications! Koen Leurs, PhD | Marie Curie Postdoctoral Researcher, London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) | | Affiliated researcher Graduate Gender Studies Institute for Cultural Enquiry (ICON) Utrecht University | www.koenleurs.net <https://mail.lse.ac.uk/ecp/Customize/www.koenleurs.net> <www.koenleurs.net>

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a call - a reminder - texts
by Vasilis Kostakis 01 Dec '14

01 Dec '14

Dear all, Firstly, I would like to remind you about the CfP on the materiality of the digital Commons for a special issue to be published by the open access, peer reviewed journal tripleC: http://www.triple-c.at/index.php/tripleC/announcement/view/23 Secondly, I would like to let you know about a call for visiting scholars & collaborators announced by the P2P Lab, Greece: http://p2plab.gr/en/call Last, here you may have free access to the published work of the P2P Lab collaborators: http://p2plab.gr/en/publications Best, Vasilis -- Dr. Vasilis Kostakis Research Fellow Ragnar Nurkse School of Innovation and Governance Research Director P2P Lab: http://p2plab.org

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Oxford OII-Ruskin Funded DPhil Position / Artists and the Internet
by Eric Meyer 01 Dec '14

01 Dec '14

Please distribute widely, particularly to any potentially interested British or European applicants you might know: http://bit.ly/DACS-OII-Ruskin The Oxford Internet Institute and the Ruskin School of Art in partnership with DACS (Design and Artists Copyright Society) invite applications for a three year doctoral studentship which will lead to a DPhil in Information, Communication and the Social Sciences at the University of Oxford beginning in the academic year 2015-16. The successful student will be located primarily at the Oxford Internet Institute in Oxford, but will also be required to spend periods of time at the Ruskin School of Art in Oxford and DACS in London as part of this Knowledge Exchange (KE) Studentship. The student will also be affiliated with St Catherine's College, Oxford and a member of St Catherine's Middle Common Room (MCR). This three-year doctoral studentship will aim to use a variety of sources and methods to investigate opportunities for transforming the economic and policy-making landscape for artists. In doing so the successful applicant might address some of the following key research themes and approaches: * The relationship between working artists and the public as mediated by the Internet, and how new online markets are altering the traditional roles of artists, arts organisations, art fans, and art buyers * How historic and contemporary data from DACS can be analysed, transformed, visualised, and communicated to understand better the changing economic landscape for working artists * How theories emerging from the aesthetic turn in the social sciences can be applied to understand better the ways DACS and other arts organisations work with artists * How the experiences of various members of the art world are being transformed by uses of the Internet, and what the policy implications of these transformations might be * Policy-related questions concerning artists' revenues, copyright protections and exceptions in the UK, EU and elsewhere, and governmental policy towards art and arts funding * Developing novel approaches to working with quantitative data to contribute to contemporary art discourse * Using qualitative approaches to understand more comprehensively the role of the Internet in the working practices of contemporary artists and arts organisations Applicants are welcome to suggest other areas of research that would capitalise on the unprecedented access to DACS and working artists offered by this studentship. The award pays all tuition and college fees for home (UK) or EU applicants. Those students who satisfy the ESRC residency requirements will receive the full award including a yearly stipend (approximately £14,000 for 2015-16). Students who do not meet the residency requirements will receive a fees-only award. The closing date for applications is noon (UK time) 23 January 2015. For more details, including how to apply and eligibility rules, please see: http://bit.ly/DACS-OII-Ruskin Professor Eric T. Meyer Senior Research Fellow and Associate Professor Director of Graduate Studies Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford Email: eric.meyer(a)oii.ox.ac.uk<mailto:eric.meyer@oii.ox.ac.uk> Web: http://www.oii.ox.ac.uk/people/meyer/ Google Scholar: http://bit.ly/GS-ETMeyer SSRN: http://ssrn.com/author=912385 Twitter: @etmeyer

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Web Sites of Digital Rights Organizations?
by Tim Libert 30 Nov '14

30 Nov '14

Hi, I’m conducting an analysis of privacy-compromising (i.e. ‘tracking’) code on websites of digital rights organizations. I am writing to ask for help in assembling a list of such sites - if you have suggestions for specific sites, or even better, know of a list of sites, please send to me. In this case, “digital rights" may be broadly understood to incorporate free expression, privacy, FOSS, free culture, etc., and “organization” may be loosely applied to mean sites which are connected to a group which advocates or educates in areas in digital rights. News websites, topical blogs, and the like are out of scope for this project. Thanks in advance, Tim Libert

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Risk awareness and aversion in online spaces
by Ian O'Byrne 30 Nov '14

30 Nov '14

Dear colleagues, I'm working on some research my colleague and we're seeing signs of this form of risk awareness and/or aversion as it relates to digital identity construction and sharing. Our population is pre-service and veteran educators. I'm wondering if anyone else is seeing this in their work...and what citations or literature do you reference. Thanks in advance, -Ian

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Emerald Studies in Media and Communication CFP
by Apryl Williams 29 Nov '14

29 Nov '14

Apologies for cross posting** *Call for Submissions 2015* *Emerald Studies in Media and Communication* *Sponsored by CITASA* Initial Submissions Due: Monday February 23, 2014 midnight GMT By email to editorial(a)emeraldmediastudies.com The 2015 Editorial Team of *Emerald Studies in Media and Communication* sponsored by CITASA is inviting submissions of original, unpublished papers for two volumes to be published in late 2015 and early 2015. The deadline for submissions is Monday February 23, 2014. *Volume 10: Digital Distinctions & Inequalities* We welcome submissions on any facet of digital inclusion, digital inequality, digital differentiation, and/or digital divides writ large. We are interested in these topics as they relate to any communication platform, populations, and kinds of production/consumption of digital media, information technologies, social inequalities, etc. *Volume 11: New Media Cultures * We welcome submissions on any facet of culture and [new] media. Submissions may explore any aspect of culture, communication, and [new] media broadly defined. Themes that come to mind are the interplay between [new] media and any of the following: culture, communication, technology, convergence, the arts, cultural production, cultural change in the digital age—and of course anything else [new] media or communication or culture scholars find intriguing. Please see emeraldmediastudies.com <editorial(a)emeraldmediastudies.com> for more information about the calls, series, editors, guidelines, etc. The series welcomes work from a variety of perspectives from media scholars working in the social sciences, humanities, and related fields such as media studies, information studies, STS, and communication. Submissions may be empirical, theoretical, methodological, or synthetic statements of significant developments in the field. Empirical submissions may make use of any method or approach. Contributions on a wide variety of topics on new media, ICTs, communication, and related themes are welcome from a variety of disciplinary perspectives. Submission Overview Submissions should be 6,000-12,000 words in length inclusive of abstract, references, and notes. British or American spelling may be used. While no special formatting is requested at the outset, upon acceptance authors must format their manuscripts in accordance with the series' guidelines. Contributions will be peer-reviewed through editorial screening and anonymous refereeing by external reviewers. See submission guidelines for details. For more information, please email: editorial(a)emeraldmediastudies.com. We look forward to hearing from you— 2015 Editorial Team Laura Robinson, Shelia Cotten, Jeremy Schulz, Tim Hale, Joy Hightower, & Apryl Williams

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why apologize?
by Barry Wellman 28 Nov '14

28 Nov '14

Dear Prof Pickard, If the book is as good as you and others say it is, why are you apologizing for telling us about it on this list? Undoubtedly, you put your BST into it, and you deserve the readership. "From: Victor Pickard <vpickard(a)asc.upenn.edu> To: "air-l(a)listserv.aoir.org" <air-l(a)listserv.aoir.org> Dear Friends and Colleagues, (Apologies for cross-posting). My new book America's Battle for Media Democracy: " Barry Wellman _______________________________________________________________________ FRSC NetLab Network INSNA Founder Faculty of Information (iSchool) University of Toronto Toronto Canada M5S 3G6 http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/~wellman twitter: @barrywellman NETWORKED:The New Social Operating System. Lee Rainie & Barry Wellman MIT Press http://amzn.to/zXZg39 Print $15 Kindle $9 Old/NewCyberTimes http://bit.ly/c8N9V8 ________________________________________________________________________

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New Book: America's Battle for Media Democracy
by Victor Pickard 28 Nov '14

28 Nov '14

Dear Friends and Colleagues, (Apologies for cross-posting). My new book America's Battle for Media Democracy: The Triumph of Corporate Libertarianism and the Future of Media Reform was officially released earlier this month, and it's now available as an e-book and in paperback. Focusing on media activism around radio and newspapers in the 1940s, the book shows how this history holds much contemporary relevance for policy issues like net neutrality and the future of digital journalism. More info here: http://victorpickard.com/book/ Table of Contents Introduction: The policy origins and normative foundations of American media 1. The revolt against radio 2. A progressive turn at the FCC 3. The battle of the Blue Book 4. The origins of the Fairness Doctrine 5. The 1940s newspaper crisis and the birth of the Hutchins Commission 6. Should the giants be slain or persuaded to be good? 7. The postwar settlement for American media Conclusion: Confronting market failure Reviews "Today’s media didn't have to be so bad. Pickard tells a riveting and heretofore largely unknown story of how corporate media had its way with the public interest and trivialized our country’s civic dialogue, despite the efforts of reformers and a once-heroic FCC. Bringing the story right up to today’s high-stakes battle for an Open Internet, this is 'must-must' reading for anyone interested in putting our democracy back on track." Hon. Michael J. Copps, FCC Commissioner, 2001–2012 "America's Battle for Media Democracy is a well-researched, thoughtful, and lucid critique of media policy in the contemporary United States. To make his case, Pickard turns to history. During the 1940s, media activists joined together with government officials, academics, and even some corporate leaders to articulate an expansive, social democratic vision for newspapers and radio. The defeat of this movement hastened the triumph of corporate libertarianism - a tradition whose origin Pickard provocatively traces not to the free market fundamentalism of the recent past, but, rather, to the political settlement that followed the Second World War." Richard R. John, Columbia University "In America’s Battle for Media Democracy, Victor Pickard has produced a landmark work in communication history and media studies. Based on painstaking research, [he] sheds crucial new light on the political debates that created the contemporary commercial media system in the United States, and by doing so he allows us to envision a different and better future. This is mandatory reading for everyone concerned with media and politics." Robert W. McChesney, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign "Victor Pickard is a scholar on the rise. His writing is fine and to the point. There is always need for solid media history based on primary research and good analysis - and this book fulfills both." Christopher Sterling, George Washington University AMERICA'S BATTLE FOR MEDIA DEMOCRACY,<http://www.cambridge.org/us/academic/subjects/politics-international-relati…> Cambridge University Press<http://www.cambridge.org/us/academic/subjects/politics-international-relati…> Victor Pickard, Assistant Professor Annenberg School for Communication University of Pennsylvania 3620 Walnut Street Philadelphia PA 19104 Academia: https://upenn.academia.edu/VictorPickard Website: http://victorpickard.com/ Twitter: @VWPickard <http://twitter.com/VWPickard>

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UPDATES ON INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON COMPUTATIONAL SOCIAL SCIENCE (ICCSS 2015)
by news＠iccss2015.eu 27 Nov '14

27 Nov '14

***APOLOGIES FOR MULTIPLE POSTINGS*** Dear Colleagues, here are some news on ICCSS 2015 (www.iccss2015.eu) 1) We are proud to announce that the City of Helsinki has offered to host a reception in the evening of the opening day of the event, June the 8th. The reception will be at City Hall http://www.visithelsinki.fi/en/sights-and-attractions/city-hall 2) We are seeking continuously funds for the conference, but we can anticipate that the conference fee for early registration will be of about 350 euro for regular participants and around 200 euro for students. 3) Participants who need support are encouraged to send an email to santo.fortunato(a)aalto.fi to get an update on the situation. Best regards, the ICCSS Team

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Call for Arabic and Japanese-speaking researchers to collaborate on VISTAC project
by connexions journal 27 Nov '14

27 Nov '14

Dear all, I was told the link in my previous email was incorrect. My apologies. I am reposting the call with the correct link. Rosário Durão "The VISTAC - Science & Technology Visuals in Translation team is looking for Arabic and Japanese-speaking researchers to collaborate with the project. The project seeks to understand (a) how important translating S&T visuals is for translators, translation companies and publishers, and (b) how S&T documentation is prepared for translation. To read the call and learn about about the project, please see attachment, or the project website: http://act.nmt.edu/humanizingtechnology/cluster-i/visualizing-science-and-t… Applications accepted until December 5, 2014. Please distribute widely! Thank you. Rosario Durao and Marta Pinto" Rosário Durão and Kyle Mattson Editors *www.connexionsjournal.org <http://www.connexionsjournal.org/>**connexions •** international professi**onal communication journal *(ISSN 2325-6044) *Dept. of Communication, Liberal Arts and Social Sciences - **New Mexico Tech, and *Dept. of Writing - University of Central Arkansas

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