CFP Thinking Critically about Critical Communication

“PublicationCall for Papers: Special Issue on Thinking Critically about Critical Communication, Review of Communication, to be edited by Uttaran Dutta (Arizona State University). Deadline: 15 September 2023.

Critical theories and approaches to human communication are conceptualized, studied, and applied in a variety of ways by the scholars and practitioners. Conventionally speaking, critical perspectives examine and analyze the relationships of power, forms of domination, and the underlying social structures that constrain human freedom, with an intention of overcoming oppressions and transcending contemporary social realities. However, some contemporary scholars, challenge critical theories and their self-reflexive and emancipatory potentials; they question the credibility and rigor of critical studies and label them as ‘grievance studies’ (i.e., according to them, critical theories are less interested in finding truth, and more invested to make complaints), and thereby, they argued that such approaches corrupting the academic research. On the other hand, ongoing debates on critical communication domain oftentimes focus on engaging praxis and applied aspects, specifically on how to bring about meaningful and mindful transformations and societal justice, particularly in the underserved contexts. For example, how can we (re)envision about advocacy, action, creativity (i.e., creative imagination and expression), relationships (between academia and wider societal stakeholders) and transformative practices in practically addressing emerging glocal challenges.

Thus, this themed issue asks us as a discipline to critically rethink and revisit the concepts, scopes and applications of critical communication. The following topics are of particular interest when considering the interdisciplinary nature of critical communication:

  • (Re)-envisioning/-conceptualizing critical communication
  • Review of critical communication literature
  • New paradigmatic thinking on critical communication
  • Interdisciplinary approaches to critical communication
  • Rethinking on engaged and applied critical communication
  • Newer ways of doing advocacy, and action research
  • Reflection on creativity and creative-turn on critical communication
  • Engaging critical research and role of academia in transforming society

MOOC: Intercultural Competency in Education (Iceland but Online)

“MOOCs”MOOC: Intercultural Competency in Education, offered by the University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland, through edX. Free enrollment every 6 weeks.

Instructors: Hanna Ragnarsdóttir, Professor of Multicultural Studies at the School of Education, University of Iceland; Fríða Bjarney Jónsdóttir, Director at Reykjavík City Department of Education, Iceland; and Ingebjørg Lundevall, teacher at Oslo VO Rosenhof, Norway.

“Some of the challenges we are facing in the world today are related to the ongoing trends towards immigration and globalization of education and the labour market. Combined with increased numbers of refugees in many countries, this has led to greater interpersonal cross cultural encounters and heightened cultural concerns. All school levels are facing complex challenges in adjusting their services to an increasingly diverse student population, irrespective of their background. It is therefore of great importance that employees at all school levels are culturally competent and can understand and adapt their services when working with people with diverse cultural backgrounds.

The aim of this course is to help the students develop intercultural competence by broadening their understanding of different cultures and different identities, as well as promoting students´ awareness of their own culture, learning from the experiences of international educators as well as professionals at the municipality level in the Nordic countries. An added value is that the course is open to participants from different parts of the world, which creates a cross-cultural learning and teaching environment.

By the end of this course you should have learned practical intercultural skills and increased your understanding of intercultural competence; how to talk about and address intercultural opportunities and challenges, how to develop strategies to respond to diverse and hybrid identities in a fairer way, and how to promote social justice in education and respect for different languages, preventing conflicts and enhancing societal cohesion.”

The course can be taken for free, or with a variable certificate for $69. It is designed to take 5 weeks, with 2-4 hours/week of time.

New CID Competition/Publication: Student Voices

“Student Voices

This is a reminder the Center for Intercultural Dialogue has invited students to apply for the opportunity to be published in a new publication, to be titled Student Voices.

Students (at any level, high school to doctoral students) may submit entries at any time; they will be judged four times/year. All entries submitted will be reviewed, and the best ones prepared for publication. This is not a competition with just a few winners; all entries passing review will be published. The students whose work is accepted for publication will be given profiles on the website.

The goal is to invite a wide range of students to tell the story of their own experience with intercultural dialogue, or what they have learned about intercultural dialogue, or what they want to share with others. As made clear on our website, intercultural dialogue is jointly constructed by participants, requiring cooperation to engage in new and different ways of interacting. This series is designed to publicly amplify the voices of students who have engaged in intercultural dialogues. Those dialogues do not have to have been successful; we can learn as much from things that go wrong as when things go right.

There will be several deadlines per year, to accommodate different schedules. The first deadline is August 31, 2023. Details about Student Voices can be found by reading the original post.

Simon Wiesenthal Center: Associate Director, Tools for Tolerance for Educators (USA)

“Job
Associate Director, Tools for Tolerance for Educators, Simon Wiesenthal Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA. Deadline: Open until filled; posted 21 July 2023.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center (SWC) is a global Jewish human rights organization that confronts anti-Semitism, hate, stands with Israel, defends the safety of Jews worldwide, and teaches the lessons of the Holocaust for future generations. It is an accredited Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) at the United Nations, UNESCO and the OSCE, the Organization of American States, the Latin American Parliament, and the Council of Europe. The SWC is headquartered in Los Angeles with offices in New York, Chicago, Miami, Toronto, Paris, Jerusalem and Buenos Aires. The Museum of Tolerance Los Angeles, founded in 1993, is the educational arm of the SWC. Moriah Films is the Center’s two-time Academy Award®-winning film division and the Museum of Tolerance Jerusalem is scheduled to open in 2024.

The Museum of Tolerance is seeking an experienced education professional to be responsible for the successful administration and implementation of all activities of Tools for Tolerance® for Educators. Tools for Tolerance® for Educators is an acclaimed interactive, experiential professional development program at the Museum of Tolerance designed to help California educators fulfill their potential both as people and professionals. Over 100,000 educators have successfully completed programs both virtually and on-site since 1996. These dynamic professional development programs provide customized workshops, facilitated dialogue, and teacher guide resources for creating inclusive and equitable schools and are designed to address the challenges facing educators today in K-12 and beyond. Programs are currently being offered in-person and virtually.

U Penn: Global Programs Manager (USA)

“Job
Global Programs Manager, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA. Deadline: open until filled (posted 17 July 2023).

Reporting to the Associate Director, the Global Programs Manager (GPM) is responsible for the coordination and administration of Penn Abroad’s outbound programming and advising on a portfolio of semester abroad programs. In close collaboration with on-campus academic partners and overseas partners, the GPM administers the student application, selection, and admissions related to the semester abroad portfolio. The GPM coordinates and delivers student advising, outreach, and info sessions for semester abroad, leads student pre-departure programming, and manages student communications and support at all phases of their experience, from pre-departure through their return to campus. With oversight from the Associate Director, this position manages partner engagement and relationships within their assigned portfolio. The GPM is also a member of the faculty-led programming team and manages a small portfolio of Penn Global Seminar programs including support and coordination of travel itineraries, logistics, student advising, admissions, pre-departure orientations, and group health consultation, and other related duties. Under guidance from the Associate Director, the GPM will work alongside faculty to develop robust courses and respond to crises during travel periods.

NTU: Linguistics & Multilingual Studies (Singapore)

“Job
Assistant Professor in Linguistics and Multilingual Studies, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. Deadline: 17 September 2023.

The School of Humanities invites outstanding academics to apply for two tenure-track positions in Linguistics and Multilingual Studies at the rank of Assistant Professor. Successful candidates must have PhD at the time of appointment. The Linguistics and Multilingual Studies programme strongly encourages and supports interdisciplinary research and welcomes applicants who pursue research in an empirical theoretical framework. Successful applicants can look forward to a research-stimulating environment. The teaching load is typically 2/2. This appointment is expected to begin in July 2024.

The suitable applicants should have PhDs in Linguistics or related fields and be able to contribute to the Linguistics programme by teaching core courses. The appointees will also be expected to offer electives in one or more areas of specialization. They seek applicants with one or more of the following specializations:
1. Language documentation
2. Pragmatics
3. Cognitive linguistics
4. Intercultural communication
5. Applied linguistics
6. Computational or digital linguistics

Seeking Support for New Sub-Saharan African Caucus (USA)

“Collaborative

Seeking Support for New Sub-Saharan African Caucus, National Communication Association, USA. Deadline: 31 July 2023.

Communication scholars representing and studying the Sub-Saharan African region are organizing an effort to create a Sub-Saharan African Caucus at the National Communication Association (NCA, based in the US). This caucus will serve as a dedicated space to share and promote the Sub-Saharan African scholarship covering a range of communication subfields. This will be the first Sub-Saharan African Caucus at a major communication association.

Following the procedures laid out by NCA to consider caucus proposals, the organizing committee is seeking support from the NCA membership. If you are an NCA member and are willing, please indicate your support at the link below. We also ask to please distribute the link and its purpose widely.

Thank you for your consideration and support!

Prisca S. Ngondo, Texas State University
Anna Klyueva, University of Houston-Clear Lake
Dane Kiambi, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

 

Indiana U: Postdoc in Race & Ethnicity in Society (US)

Postdocs
Two Postdoctoral Fellowships, Center for Research on Race and Ethnicity in Society, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA. Deadline: 5 October 2023.

The Center for Research on Race and Ethnicity in Society (CRRES) at Indiana University, Bloomington, invites applications for up to two CRRES Postdoctoral Fellowships. These fellowships provide support to scholars studying race and ethnicity from a broad range of fields in the social sciences and humanities, including education, criminal justice, environmental studies, international studies (e.g., climate, human rights, and development), gender/sexualities, public health, and media (e.g., consumer culture, game design, film, social media activism, and sports media). They are particularly interested in candidates whose research intersects with African American and African Diaspora Studies, Native and Indigenous Studies, Latino Studies, Asian American Studies, African Studies, Latin American Studies, and/or Global Indigenous Studies. Fellows will be placed in one of IU’s sixteen degree granting schools, and are expected to pursue research activities associated with their primary area of work, as demonstrated by conference presentations and published works. CRRES fellowships are designed to advance the careers of new scholars by providing opportunities to research, teach, and connect with mentors and with faculty in host departments. Strong applicants will demonstrate evidence of scholarly potential that will make them competitive for tenure-track appointments at Indiana University and other research universities.

Fulbright/IMéRA Fellowship in Migration Studies 2024-5 (France)

Fellowships

Call for applications: Fulbright/IMéRA Fellowship in Migration Studies 2024-5, IMéRA Institute for Advanced Study at Aix-Marseille University, France. Deadline: 15 September 2023.

Conduct research in any discipline relating to migration studies at the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) of Aix-Marseille Université in Marseille, and participate in one or two day-long seminars on campus on the theme of the research project. Iméra is the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) of Aix-Marseille University, the largest Francophone university in the world. Iméra welcomes scholars from around the world who are engaged in cross-disciplinary research projects for short-term stays. They expect applicants to solicit an invitation from an appropriate contact at Aix-Marseille University. Research activities must begin in September 2024 or February 2025.

UNESCO Intercultural Competencies for Peacemaking III

“UNESCO”

Third Regional Expert Consultations on Intercultural Competencies for Peacemaking: Africa, UNESCO, 27 July 2023, 15:00 to 17:00 GMT+2, (Paris, France, but online).

UNESCO’s Social and Human Sciences Sector has launched the UNESCO Series of Regional Expert Consultations on Intercultural Competencies for Peacebuilding. Through these consultations, UNESCO aims to explore the potential of the development of intercultural and socio-emotional skills to serve as an enabler for peace in fragile, conflict-affected and post-conflict contexts.

The third edition will bring together experts and practitioners to discuss the main challenges to intercultural understanding in Africa, the role of intercultural skills in building trust among different parties, and ways of improving intercultural competence to better promote peacebuilding efforts, paying particular attention to the role of women and youth. The consultations are open to the public. Simultaneous interpretation in English and French will be provided for the third edition.

To register for the online event on 27 July, please click here.