Might be of interest to some on the list. Applications dues Monday, April, 28 http://www.concordia.ca/research/lifestyle-addiction/training/summer-school2... Main objectives

How can we explain the appeal of the "virtual" in social media, gaming, gambling? This technological revolution, that is the Internet, brought major changes in our self-perception as humans and our relation to society. By combining "real" space (offline) to a "virtual" one (online), new parameters are now structuring individuals' lives, identity and interactions with others and society, as well as their relation to leisure and work. However, are we taking a wrong turn by adopting this binary presentation of the “real” and the “virtual”? This new online game environment calls for a discussion on research modalities necessary to investigate it.

The Summer School “Research 2.0: The Virtual Stakes”, hosted at Concordia University, from June 3rd-6th 2014, will be held in English and French. It seeks to offer a collegial space for exchange and interaction and to find solutions to the challenges in the study of online games, either gaming or gambling. “Research 2.0: The Virtual Stakes” will address the following questions: How does the internet redefines, or not, our relation to games? What are the limits of its (apparent) unlimited potential? What are the limits of our research methods used until now? Gaming in a “virtual” environment prompts us to examine the epistemological, methodological and ethical aspects of a research on games and virtuality.

At the end of their training at the Summer School “Research 2.0: The Virtual Stakes”, students will have:

- Developed skills in the field of games and virtuality research;

- Acquired tools allowing them to find solutions for the challenges presented in research on games and virtuality;

- Developed multidisciplinary scientific collaboration networks.

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PhD Film Studies [Game Studies] Université de Montréal Montreal, QC BA / MA Sociology [Social Theory, Digital Culture] Concordia University Montreal, QC Association Coordinator Association of Internet Researchers www.aoir.org