PHD Studentship Cinema (UK)

PhD Studentship in British Silent Cinema and the Transition to Sound: 1927-1933

Applications are invited for an AHRC-funded PhD studentship based at De Montfort University’s Cinema and Television History (CATH) Research Centre, Leicester. This full-time, three-year PhD will be fully-funded (fees and maintenance) as part of a major project to research the transition between silent and sound cinema in Britain. The overall project will consider the impact of the arrival of sound cinema looking at new technologies, business models, production practices, solutions in cinema architecture and design, and the impact on musicians, audiences and cinema going, as well as the films produced during this transitional period.

Research and supervision
The successful applicant will work as part of a project team based at De Montfort University, Leicester, in partnership with the University of Stirling (UoS). The PhD will be supervised by Laraine Porter (Project Leader) and Steve Chibnall (Professor of British Cinema), and the successful applicant will have a dedicated work station within the CATH Centre’s accommodation. The Centre is part of the Midlands 3 Cities Doctoral Training Partnership, and is one of the leaders in its field with three major funded projects and over 30 staff, research students and associate research fellows. One of its external partners is The Cinema Museum in London, which will be a vital research resource for the
project.

Other project team members include Senior Researcher, Geoff Brown  (London), Dr Sarah Neely (UoS), Professor John Izod (UoS) and a UoS PhD student ship also to be appointed. The DMU studentship will be based in the Cinema and Television History Research Centre housed within the Leicester Media School.

This PhD studentship will complement the project by considering the impact of the arrival of sound cinema on localised British cinema exhibition, distribution and reception and how new technical demands forced the industry, outside of London, to adapt. Taking account of regional variations in cinema culture and practice, market forces and audience tastes, the student will conduct empirical research on case studies including different cinema chains and associated operations; the impact on subsidiary businesses such as local equipment manufacturers and cinema service industries and the overall effect on local cinema economies, culture and programming. It is expected that the student will open up new avenues of research using resources such as local business and municipal records alongside national cinema business, trades union and associated trades archives. The research will focus on cities and market towns in the Midlands including Leicester, Nottingham, Birmingham, Derby etc.

Indicative areas of research could include:
· The influence of local political, cultural, economic and geographical factors on the speed and nature of the transition to sound cinema and the overall timescales across urban, market town and rural areas
· Local organisations and businesses that thrived or became victims of the new sound technologies and the extent to which national and international factors such as the 1927 Cinematograph Act or the economic depression compounded their fortunes
· What local solutions were deployed, including any localised inventors, manufacturers, architects and suppliers and the kinds of local business models adopted.
· The response of regional audiences to the arrival of sound looking at issues such as regional identity, cultural difference and any localised resistance.

Entry Requirements
· First class or upper second class undergraduate degree or an equivalent overseas qualification in a relevant subject.
· It is expected that applicants will also hold a Masters degree in a relevant subject, or show evidence of achieving this by October 2014
· EU applicants will be required to show proof of English language ability to the level of IELTS 6.5 with at least 5.5 in each component (or equivalent). An undergraduate or master’s degree taught in a majority English-speaking country and awarded in the last five
years would satisfy this requirement.
· Available only to applicants who are UK nationals or other EU nationals who are permanently resident in the UK.
· Available for full-time registration only
· Applicants must be able to start in October 2014

You will have a background in film studies, cultural studies, or historical studies, preferably with an interest in the business and economics of cinema. Applicants will need to demonstrate an aptitude for scholarly research.

This is an excellent opportunity to be part of a major British cinema history project and we welcome applications from interested parties.

How to apply
The following documents are required to complete your application:
– A completed Application Form for Admission to a Research Degree Programme
– A completed Annexe to Application Form for Admission to a Research Degree Programme
– Two academic references
– Copies of your highest degree certificate and transcripts
– For EU applicants, proof of your English language qualifications (described above)
– A copy of your CV
– A 2 page personal statement that
a) Demonstrates your excellent academic performance in a field related to the proposed research, with explicit reference being made to your undergraduate and postgraduate research.
b) Explains why you want to undertake this research and what approaches you might take
c) Demonstrates your experience of working with primary and secondary historical sources including archival research.
d) Demonstrates your ability to organise and work independently

Please contact Morgan Erdlenbruch to receive copies of the application, annexe, and reference forms. Completed applications should also be submitted by email to this address. Informal enquiries should be directed to Laraine Porter.

Closing date for applications 5pm Friday 18 July 2014. Interviews will be held at De Montfort University in mid-August.

American Academy in Berlin fellowships

Residential Fellowships, American Academy in Berlin

The American Academy in Berlin invites applications for its residential fellowships for 2015/2016, as well as early applications for the academic years 2016/2017 and 2017/2018. The deadline is Monday, September 29, 2014 (12 pm EST or 6 pm CET). Applications may be submitted online or mailed to the Berlin office.

The Academy welcomes applications from emerging and established scholars and from writers and professionals who wish to engage in independent study in Berlin. Approximately 25 Berlin Prizes are conferred annually. Past recipients have included historians, economists, poets and novelists, journalists, legal scholars, anthropologists, musicologists, and public policy experts, among others. The Academy does not award fellowships in the natural sciences.

Fellowships are typically awarded for an academic semester or, on occasion, for an entire academic year. Bosch Fellowships in Public Policy may be awarded for shorter stays of six to eight weeks. Fellowship benefits include round-trip airfare, partial board, a $5,000 monthly stipend, and accommodations at the Academy’s lakeside Hans Arnhold Center in the Berlin-Wannsee district.

Following a peer-reviewed evaluation process, an independent Selection Committee reviews finalist applications. The 2015/16 Berlin Prizes will be announced in late February 2015.

LSE Fellow: Media Governance & Policy (London)

LSE Fellow (Media Governance & Policy)

Department of Media and Communications
The London School of Economics and Political Science

Location: London
Salary: £32,794 to £39,669
Fixed term 12 months
Application deadline: July 5, 2014

Applications are invited from outstanding candidates in the field of media and communications. The successful candidate will join an established and successful department, on grade point average ranked third in the UK in the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise.

Applicants should demonstrate research excellence and a commitment to critically assessing claims about ways to theorise and empirically research mediated relationships between media and communications technologies and the social world.

We particularly welcome applications from those with expertise that contributes to understanding the social, political, economic and/or cultural dimensions of social and technological change in today’s complex mediated environment.

We would seek someone who works at the intersection of media policy and ethics, especially with regard to issues around public media and media policy such as regulation, journalism, governance, and law. They would be expected to connect with the Department’s journalism think-tank Polis and the Media Policy Project.

You will have (or will have submitted) a PhD in a relevant discipline by the post start date. You will also have a proven record of research published in key journals; or evidence that such a record is being developed.

You will also demonstrate the ability to teach on a range of courses currently on offer within the Department of Media and Communications and to contribute to areas not currently covered.

The other criteria that will be used when shortlisting for this post can be found in the person specification which is attached to this vacancy on the LSE’s online recruitment system. To apply for this post, or see those details, please go to www.lse.ac.uk/jobsatlse and select “Vacancies”.

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CFP Centre for Global Cooperation Fellowships (Germany)

The Käte Hamburger Kolleg / Centre for Global Cooperation Research (University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany) invites applications for fellowships roughly beginning in April 2015. Fellows will join the Centre for a period of six to twelve months. The fellowships provide a working space in fully equipped offices and a competitive stipend commensurate with applicants? level of professional experience. In order to maximize their engagement with the community at the Centre, during their fellowship terms fellows are expected to routinely spend time in and conduct much of their work from Duisburg, in most cases requiring residency in Duisburg or the Rhein-Ruhr region. They should show interest in contributing to the Centre?s overall line of research and enthusiastically embrace its inter- and multidisciplinary research environment. A successfully completed PhD is required for eligibility for a fellowship.

For this call, the Centre is especially interested in the following topics:
* Global diasporas and regional movements
* Experimental analyses of international negotiations
* Micro-politics of negotiation processes
* Democracy and post-democracy in a global age
* Dynamics of legal pluralities

Applications (in English) should contain a cover letter, your CV, a concise research proposal (3-5 pages) plus one relevant publication. Please indicate your preferred period of stay. Please submit your application electronically using our website. The deadline for application is the 2nd of July 2014. We particularly encourage female researchers and scholars from the Global South to apply.

For further questions, contact Matthias Schuler.

Post-doc position Karlstad U (Sweden)

Career opportunities in media and communication studies, Karlstad University
Research in media and communication studies at Karlstad University is pursued at the Department of Geography, Media and Communication (GMK) in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Media and communication studies at Karlstad University is an attractive education and research environment with interdisciplinary contacts and global perspectives as integral parts of our activities.

Undergraduate studies are offered in the two degree programmes Information & PR and Media and Communication, the latter with the options Communication and Global Media and Visual Communication and Design. The overarching research perspective is global media studies, including global media industries and journalism as well as the daily media routines in a multifaceted mediascape. The research pursued under this umbrella has an emphasis on two areas: (1) Communication, culture and identity, and (2) Media, democracy and citizenship. Researchers in the department are used to publishing internationally and attracting research funding. The environment is internationally orientated and in an expansive phase. We are recent recipients of a major research funding from the Ander Foundation to institute The Ander Centre for Research on News and Opinion in the Digital Era (NODE), which means that we now need to recruit a number of new academic staff to strengthen the research and teaching capacity in our two profile areas, including: a postdoc position (2 years) in media and communication studies: news, public opinion, and digital media (linked to NODE).

Duties for the postdoc position in media and communication studies with emphasis news, public opinion, and digital media.
This postdoc position offers the opportunity to work for two years on a research project of relevance to one or both of the NODE research projects, i.e. (1) how audiences access political information (in a wide sense of the word) in a media landscape where journalism no longer necessarily has a given role, and (2) how organisations, businesses, and public authorities act and think in relation to the gradual weakening or even outright disappearance of investigative journalism; to what extent alternative forces such as citizen journalists, activists and public authorities are perceived to fulfil similar functions to investigative journalism; and what communication strategies are used by businesses and public authorities (and other organizations with an interest in public opinion formation) when many citizens cannot be reached via traditional mass media. The postdoc is also expected to contribute to the NODE research environment and to departmental research activities generally by participating in seminars, conferences, meetings, etc. Postdoc duties are mainly linked to research. Partly, but not exceeding 20%, duties may include teaching, supervision, examination, course responsibility and development.

Eligibility
A PhD in media and communication studies/related field or equivalent qualifications from abroad is required for this postdoc position. The doctoral degree must have been earned within three years before the application deadline. An applicant holding a degree older than three years may still be considered if there are special reasons e.g. parental leave och sick leave.

Assessment criteria
Beyond the eligibility requirements, the following qualifications and skills will be considered: 
Special weight is given to the innovativeness and feasibility of the project proposal, and its international relevance.
Special weight is given to the project’s relevance to one of the following themes:
*1) how audiences access political information (in a wide sense of the word) in a media landscape where journalism no longer necessarily has a given role,
*2a) how organisations, businesses, and public authorities act and think in relation to the gradual weakening or even outright disappearance of investigative journalism; to what extent alternative forces such as citizen journalists, activists and public authorities are perceived to fulfil similar functions to investigative journalism,
*2b) what communication strategies are used by businesses and public authorities (and other organizations with an interest in public opinion formation) when many citizens cannot be reached via traditional mass media.
Considerable weight is given to the considered and realistic publication plan submitted (preferably with specification of substudies, planned publication channels/journals etc)
Considerable weight is given to documented research skills in one of the following areas: journalism, news media, media consumption, public opinion, political communication, strategic communication.
Weight is given to the fact that research skills are primarily documented through peer reviewed journal publications – at least one such international journal publication is required.
Weight is given to the high degree of research skills demonstrated in respect to problem formulation, theory and methodological awareness, and analytical capacity.

In addition, the following are useful qualifications:
*besides academic qualifications, experience of practical communication work (journalism, information etc)
*experience of developing and leading projects and activities
*international experience and experience of teaching in English
*experience of course development and web-based teaching
*experience of external cooperation

Terms of employment
This is a two-year fixed-term employment full-time. Expected starting date in the autumn of 2014.

Application should include the following items:
*A project plan (2,000 words) presenting the applicant’s ideas of how the postdoc project fits into the research field of news, public opinion, and digital media as well as into the applicant’s own research profile.
*Publication plan
*CV (with verified copies of certificates, references, degrees etc.)
*Submitted academic publications – doctoral thesis,
*Research articles or books/book chapters –  displaying the applicant’s research skills.
*An account of practical experiences of relevance to the position
*A brief (1,000 words) personal letter with background, reasons for applying, and view on research.
*Two letters of recommendation and contact information to  two references.

Application should be made electronically via the university’s web-based recruitment tool MyNetwork. Documents that cannot be sent electronically, such as books, publications, software, should be delivered in two copies to:
Karlstads universitet
Personalavdelningen
651 88 Karlstad Sweden
Referensnumber REK2013/101

For information on all the vacancies, please contact
Solveig Nilsson Lindberg, Head of Department
Christer Clerwall, Director of Studies
Professor André Jansson
Professor Henrik Örnebring.

Last day of application: 23 May 2014

Karlstad University has around 16 000 students and a staff of over 1 200 members. Democratic principles, equality and diversity are cornerstones of the University. We value the enriching presence of diverse backgrounds and competencies among students and staff.

CFP – ICREA Chair at UNU-GCM

The United Nations University Institute on Globalization, Culture and Mobility (UNU-GCM) can host an ICREA Chair. ICREA stands for La Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats. Expressions of interest should be made to UNU-GCM by Friday 2nd May 2014.

ICREA SENIOR CALL GUIDELINES 2014
ICREA opens 10 senior research positions.

Minimum requirements are a Ph.D. degree obtained preferably before 2010, with at least four years of international exposure at pre-doctoral and/or post-doctoral level. Only very strong candidates with an outstanding research record and excellent leadership capabilities will be considered. Successful applicants will have a permanent contract with ICREA and will work at universities or research centres in Catalonia. ICREA researchers are required to make substantial contributions to their own areas of research and have a strong impact in the Catalan research system by becoming active members and leaders of the Catalan research community. The ICREA position is not compatible with a part time permanent contract outside the Catalan research system. Scholars who have held a permanent position in the Catalan research system for longer than 12 months on the deadline of this call will not be accepted as candidates. Successful candidates will be required to join the host institution no later than September 2015. Salaries will be in line with those paid at Catalan universities. ICREA research professors will be subject to an evaluation of their research progress and general performance after a three-year period and subsequently every five years. The evaluations will be carried out by external evaluation committees that will assess scientific production as well as research activity. A positive evaluation will lead to a salary increase.
Applications must be submitted electronically via the ICREA Chair website before 2:00 pm (local time) on Tuesday, 6 May 2014.

The application requires all the following items:
1. on-line form for personal and professional data, a statement on research interests (2000 characters maximum), a list of the 5 most relevant publications, a statement of purpose (3000 characters maximum).

2. A single .pdf file (maximum 15 pages and up to 4 Mb in size) containing the candidate’s CV in English.

3. Two to four reference letters in English in .pdf or .doc format. The candidate should directly ask the scholars listed in the application form to upload a reference letter using the link provided by the applicant. The reference letters must be attached before 2:00 pm (local time) on Tuesday, 6 May 2014. Referees may also be contacted directly by ICREA.

4.  An expression of interest document from the host institution(s)

The candidate must directly contact each institution (university or research centre in Catalonia) that he/she is interested in and obtain the institution’s acceptance. The host institution’s expression of interest form must be downloaded directly by the institution using the link provided by the applicant. At the link, the institution will find the information needed to submit the form (both electronically and by post). The form (in both formats) must be received by ICREA before 2:00pm (local time) on Tuesday, 6 May 2014.

The candidate may seek acceptance at more than one institution. In this case each institution must submit a separate expression of interest form to ICREA (both electronically and by post).

Additional information:

1. New applicants may register at www.icrea.cat. Old applicants simply log in using their username and password. Candidates are requested to safely store their username and password. They will be needed to access and edit applications.

2. Applications can be edited and saved as many times as necessary before submission. Submitted applications may also be edited but please note that once submitted information in the fields Name, Surname, Date of birth, and the information about referees cannot be modified.

3. After submission of an application, the system will display a list of Host institutions and Referees with their corresponding links. The same information will be sent by e-mail to the candidate to be distributed.

4. The system allows monitoring of file uploading by referees and host institutions. Incomplete applications will not be considered for evaluation.

CFP European Institutes for Advanced Study Fellowships

The European Institutes for Advanced Study (EURIAS) Fellowship Programme is an international researcher mobility programme offering 10-month residencies in one of the 16 participating Institutes: Berlin, Bologna, Budapest, Cambridge, Delmenhorst, Edinburgh, Freiburg, Helsinki, Jerusalem, Lyon, Marseille, Paris, Uppsala, Vienna, Wassenaar, Zürich. The Institutes for Advanced Study support the focused, self-directed work of outstanding researchers. The fellows benefit from the finest intellectual and research conditions and from the stimulating environment of a multi-disciplinary and international community of first-rate scholars.

EURIAS Fellowships are mainly offered in the fields of the humanities and social sciences but may also be granted to scholars in life and exact sciences, provided that their proposed research project does not require laboratory facilities and that it interfaces with humanities and social sciences. The diversity of the 16 participating IAS offers a wide range of possible research contexts in Europe for worldwide scholars. Applicants may select up to three IAS outside their country of nationality or residence as possible host institutions.

The Programme welcomes applications worldwide from promising young scholars as well as from leading senior researchers. The EURIAS selection process has proven to be highly competitive. To match the Programme standards, applicants have to submit a solid and innovative research proposal, to demonstrate the ability to forge beyond disciplinary specialisation, to show an international commitment as well as quality publications in high-impact venues.

For the 2015-2016 academic year, EURIAS offers 44 fellowships (22 junior and 22 senior positions).

All IAS have agreed on common standards, including the provision of a living allowance (in the range of € 26,000 for a junior fellow and € 38,000 for a senior fellow), accommodation (or a mobility allowance), a research budget, plus coverage of travel expenses.

APPLICATION
– Applications are submitted online via www.eurias-fp.eu, where, you will find detailed information regarding the content of the application, eligibility criteria, selection procedure.
The deadline for applications is June 5th, 2014, 12 PM (noon) GMT. Late applications will not be considered.

SELECTION PROCEDURE
– Scientific assessment by two international referees
– Pre-selection by the EURIAS international Scientific Committee
– Final selection by the IAS Academic Boards
– Publication of results: January 2015

For further information on the Programme, please consult our website: www.eurias-fp.eu
For further information on the IAS and their specific working conditions: www.eurias-fp.eu/ias

EIUC (Italy) 2 job ads

EIUC jobs
The European Inter-University Centre for Human Rights and Democratisation (EIUC) is advertising two job opportunities:
1) E.MA Fellow in International Relations for the academic year 2014/2015
2) Event Manager for the research project “FRAME” – 2014

1) E.MA Fellow in International Relations for the academic year 2014/2015

The European Inter-University Centre for Human Rights and Democratisation (EIUC) is looking to appoint a highly qualified individual as E.MA Fellow in International Relations for the academic year 2014/2015 in Venice-Lido, Italy.

The E.MA Fellow in International Relations will work as a member of the academic and administrative unit of the E.MA Programme in cooperation with the E.MA Fellow in International Human Rights Law and under the supervision of the E.MA Programme Director. The position involves a combination of academic and administrative responsibilities connected with the E.MA Programme.

The closing date for receipt of applications is Saturday 3 May 2014 at 6 pm (CET).

Read full vacancy here.

2) Event Manager for the research project “FRAME” – 2014

With reference to its research activities, European Inter-University Centre for Human Rights and Democratisation (EIUC) is looking to appoint a highly qualified individual to participate in the unique large scale FP7 research project “FRAME” involving 20 universities in the EU and worldwide on the topic of human rights in EU external relations and internal policies.

The FRAME Event Manager will work as a member of the academic and administrative unit dedicated by EIUC to the FRAME project. He/she will work under the direction and supervision of the EIUC Secretary General, and coordinate its work with the Leuven Centre for Global Governance Studies (coordinator of the project) as well as with other key partners.

The closing date for receipt of applications is Friday 9 May 2014 at 6 pm (CET).

Read full vacancy here.

Migration Post-doc UNU-GCM (Barcelona)

Visiting Researchers Programme

UNU-GCM is currently offering THREE places of three months each to post-doctoral researchers in the Humanities and Social Sciences with expertise in the area of statelessness and transcontinental migration. Their Visiting Researchers Programme gives qualified researchers an opportunity to research topics related to the ongoing research programme on Statelessness and Transcontinental Migration, and to participate in UNU-GCM activities. Visiting Researchers will be expected to reside in Barcelona and work from our office in the Sant Pau Art Nouveau Site in Barcelona.

Download the full details here:  icon Visiting Researchers Programme (UNU – GCM) (135.92 kB)

Postdoc U Utah in critical comm pedagogy

Postdoctoral Fellow in Critical Communication Pedagogy
University of Utah, Department of Communication

The Department of Communication at the University of Utah seeks to appoint a postdoctoral fellow for the 2014-2015 academic year, with possibility for renewal. The fellow’s primary obligation will be to conduct research in the fellow’s area of expertise and to pursue publication of that research. Possible research areas in which successful candidates might work include: critical pedagogy, critical race theory, postcolonial studies, and race and media. In addition, the fellow would be expected to provide instructional mentoring of current graduate instructors and teach two existing courses. Possible courses include: Teaching Speech and Communication, Teaching Mentorship, and Media and Diversity. Applicants must have a Ph.D. in hand by the time the appointment begins. Applicants should have a degree in communication or a related field (e.g., education). In order to ensure full consideration, complete applications should be received by March 15, 2014. Application materials include a cover letter, a CV, a teaching statement, teaching evaluations, and three letters of recommendation. To apply click on this link. Please direct any and all questions to Kent A. Ono, Department Chair, Department of Communication, University of Utah.

The University of Utah is a member of the Pac 12. The Department of Communication has a long and distinguished tradition of excellence in graduate education. Our nationally acclaimed graduate program is the driving force of our department. As an integrated communication department, we provide training across a range of areas, with particular strengths in the following areas: Media and Communication Technology; Communicating Science, Health, Environment and Risk; Rhetoric; Critical/Cultural Studies; and Organizational/Interpersonal Communication.

The Department is committed to removing barriers individuals from underrepresented groups have traditionally encountered; strives to recruit faculty who will further enhance our diversity; and makes every attempt to support their academic, professional, and personal success.  The University of Utahrecognizes that a diverse faculty benefits and enriches the educational experiences of the entire campus and greater community. The University of Utah is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer and educator.  Minorities, women, and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply. Veteran’s preference. Reasonable accommodations provided.  The University of Utah values candidates who have experience working in settings with students from diverse backgrounds and who possess a demonstrated commitment to improving access to higher education for historically underrepresented students. Full benefits are available to same-sex and opposite-sex domestic partners.