CFP Multilingual & Multicultural Learning (Czech Republic)

ConferencesCall for papers: Multilingual and Multicultural Learning: Policies and Practices, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic, 14-15 December 2019. Deadline: 15 October 2019.

The conference considers all aspects of the linguistic and sociolinguistic competences and practices of bi-/multilingual speakers who cross existing social, cultural and linguistic boundaries, adopting or adapting themselves to new and overlapping linguistic spaces. We invite papers in all areas of research in bi-/multilingualism, whether or not linked directly to the overarching conference theme, including, but not limited to, linguistics, sociolinguistics, psycholinguistics, neurolinguistics, clinical linguistics, education, bi-/multilingual societies and multiculturalism. The language of the conference is English.

Diversity in Children’s Books

Applied ICDChildren’s books reflect the adult world, sometimes in unexpected ways. In a college course on children’s literature, I studied the ways in which children’s books dealt with serious issues (such as death). Since then I’ve paid a lot of attention to children’s books, so when I saw this infographic, I paid attention. You should too.

Full citation: Huyck, David and Sarah Park Dahlen. (2019 June 19). Diversity in Children’s Books 2018. sarahpark.com blog. Created in consultation with Edith Campbell, Molly Beth Griffin, K. T. Horning, Debbie Reese, Ebony Elizabeth Thomas, and Madeline Tyner, with statistics compiled by the Cooperative Children’s Book Center, School of Education, University of Wisconsin-Madison: http://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/books/pcstats.asp. Retrieved from https://readingspark.wordpress.com/2019/06/19/picture-this-diversity-in-childrens-books-2018-infographic/.

This seems to show an over-representation of White children at 50%, but now look at comparable figures for 2015:

Full citation: Huyck, David, Sarah Park Dahlen, Molly Beth Griffin. (2016 September 14). Diversity in Children’s Books 2015 infographic. sarahpark.com blog.
Retrieved from https://readingspark.wordpress.com/2016/09/14/picture-this-reflecting-diversity-in-childrens-book-publishing/
Statistics compiled by the Cooperative Children’s Book Center, School of Education, University of Wisconsin-Madison:
http://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/books/pcstats.asp

Even though the number of white protagonists in children’s books has gone down over the 3 years examined, this doesn’t actually show as much increase in diverse protagonists as it might – the largest gain was in the category of “animals, trucks, etc.”! Obviously there are a lot of children’s books with diverse protagonists still needing to be written, so that all children get to see themselves represented.

Further reading:

Durand, E. S., & Jiménez-García, M. (2018). Unsettling representations of identities: A critical review of diverse youth literature. Research on Diversity in Youth Literature, 1(1 ), Article 7.

Naidoo, J. C., & Dahlen, S. P. (Eds). (2013) Diversity in youth literature: Opening doors through reading. Chicago: ALA Editions.

Wendy Leeds-Hurwitz, Director
Center for Intercultural Dialogue

Stanford U: Research Associate/Project Manager, Education (USA)

“JobResearch Associate and Project Manager, Center to Support Excellence in Teaching, Graduate School of Education, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA. Deadline: Open until filled, posted 8/22/19.

The new Senior Research Associate and Project Manager position will be responsible for leading CSET’s work associated with the development of a comprehensive instructional framework, curricular framework, and model curriculum units in support of opening an innovative new K-12 school in Guangzhou, China. The position will also have project management responsibility for the development and implementation of a comprehensive, multi-year teacher and administrator professional learning program in support of the new school.

Work under the general direction of the Center faculty director and Center executive director, implement, and administer the vision, strategy, and goals of the assigned academic entity/program(s). Participate in entity/program strategy development, long-range planning, and partnership development.

Colorado State U: Rhetoric & Race (USA)

“Job

Assistant Professor of Rhetoric and Race, Department of Communication Studies, Colorado State University. Deadline: September 16, 2019.

The Department of Communication Studies at Colorado State University seeks an assistant professor who specializes in rhetoric and race in the United States. Approaches to rhetoric outside the Western and/or European tradition are welcome and encouraged. Successful candidates will study race through any of a number of rhetorical perspectives (theory, history, criticism, or any combination of these approaches) and will demonstrate race is a central and animating focus of their scholarship and teaching in their application. Possible areas of study include but are not limited to racial rhetorical criticism, antiracism rhetorics, post-racism, race and space/place/borders, intersectionality, whiteness, decolonizing rhetorical scholarship, and Latina/o/x rhetorics, Asian/Pacific American rhetorics, Black and/or African American rhetorics, and Indigenous and/or Native rhetorics, among others.This faculty member will revise and teach SPCM 540: Rhetoric, Race, and Identity; develop new coursework in rhetoric and race at the undergraduate, M.A., and Ph.D. level; and rotate with other faculty to teach and revise current department courses in rhetoric like SPCM 201: The History and Theory of Rhetoric (previously entitled Rhetoric and Western Thought). Candidates will employ humanistic and/or critical methods in their study of rhetoric and race. While CSU welcomes candidates with diverse academic training in rhetoric, they seek applicants whose research and scholarly training is deeply conversant with the Communication Studies discipline.

U Vienna: Media & Intersectionality (Austria)

“Job

Tenure-Track Professorship in Media and Intersectionality, Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of Vienna, Austria. Deadline: 18 September 2019.

In research and teaching, this position should cover the role of media for the intersection of various categories of difference, especially with regard to gender but also ethnicity, class, nationality, sexuality, and/or age. Knowledge on theories and methods of communication science as well as in Gender respectively Intersectionality Studies is required. The position is open to the full range of epistemological approaches within the area of communication research.

Successful candidates should have the following qualifications:

  • Doctoral degree/PhD and at least two years post-doctoral experience at a university or other research institution; as a general rule, applicants must have gained research experience outside the University of Vienna for a total of at least two years during or after their doctoral studies

  • Outstanding achievements and potential in research, excellent publication record, international reputation

  • Experience in designing and participating in research projects, ability to lead research groups, willingness to acquire third-party funding

  • Enthusiasm for excellent teaching, teaching experience at universities or a teaching concept. Candidates are expected to be willing to teach students at all levels (bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral level), to supervise academic theses and to promote junior colleagues

The University of Vienna expects the successful candidate to acquire, within three years, proficiency in German sufficient for teaching in bachelor’s programmes and for participation in university committees.

Early ICD in Serbia

Applied ICDGorman, J. (20 August 2019). An archaeological puzzle on the Danube. New York Times.

This article reports on a fascinating example of early intercultural dialogue; the archaeological evidence found is in Serbia.

“The faces are haunting. About 8,000 years ago, over a period of perhaps 200 years, artists that lived in this settlement on the banks of the Danube carved about 100 sandstone boulders with faces and abstract designs. The faces are simple, with wide round eyes, a stylized nose and down-turned open mouths…

Researchers still debate the precise dating of different settlements at Lepenski Vir and nearby sites, but agree on the essential fact that the sites capture a record of the meeting and mixing of two cultures and peoples…

Another indication of the merging of two cultures is a change in burial practices. Throughout Europe, the Mesolithic foragers laid a body down stretched out. The migrant farmers from the Near East brought another way of treating death, setting the body in a crouched or fetal position.

Both practices are found at Lepenski Vir. And when the burial practices are combined with DNA profiles, the picture is richer still. Some of the dead of Near Eastern heritage are buried in the way of the foragers. And others of foraging heritage are buried in the way of the farmers.”

CFP ECA: Voices of Diversity and ICC (USA)

ConferencesCall for Papers, Panels, and Innovative Submissions: Voices of Diversity Interest Group, Eastern Communication Association, Baltimore, MD, April 1-5, 2020. Deadline: October 15, 2019.

Conference Theme: Harboring Innovation

“In the spirit of communicative innovations and the work required to kindle new insights to impact our lives and our relationships, communities and world, the Voices of Diversity Interest Group of ECA invites you to submit your communication related work enveloping the concept of “Harboring Innovations.” With so many powerful events surrounding diversity, inclusivity, and social change, particularly those in Baltimore itself, our voices as communication scholars become more imperative in our actions, relationships, cultures, and communities.”

Intercultural Communication Interest Group of ECA has also issued a call for the same conference:

“The Intercultural Communication Interest Group is requesting paper and panel submissions for the 111th Annual ECA Convention in. The convention theme, Harboring Innovation, aims “to showcase how we are innovating, and to deliberate the ways in which we must innovate to ensure that the communication discipline continues to make an important impact at all levels of society.” The Intercultural Communication Interest Group is devoted to the study and practice of representing, performing, and negotiating cultural identities in face-to-face interaction and mediated communication in cross-cultural and international contexts. The interest group welcomes submissions from scholars at all stages in their academic career, especially those interested in integrating theory and practice in intercultural communication research.”

CFP Advertising in Hospitality, Tourism & Travel

“PublicationCall for papers: Special Section of the Journal of Advertising dedicated to Advertising in Hospitality, Tourism and Travel, to be edited by Marla Stafford. Deadline: February 29, 2020.

Advertising is critical to building a brand, attracting new customers, and maintaining loyalty, yet no systematic effort has brought together advertising as an integral part of hospitality, tourism, and travel (HTT) scholarship even though connections could serve to strengthen existing research.

The HTT industry is one of the largest industries in the world, and dominates the service arena… This Special Section intends to extend the subject of advertising to HTT, and explain, in theoretical and practical terms, what it is and what it means for the HTT industry. As the name indicates, the goal is a cross-fertilization of research in advertising and HTT in the broadest sense. By “advertising,” is meant “a message from an advertiser” with the “intention to remind, inform or persuade.”

CFP International Listening Assoc: Embrace the World (USA)

ConferencesCall for papers: International Listening Association: Embrace the World: Listen to Build Relationships, March 26-28, 2020, Seattle, Washington, USA. Deadline: October 20, 2019.

I believe that the key to creating society that is nourishing, empowering and healing for everyone lies in how we relate [and listen] to one another. — Martin Buber

Recognizing the significant benefit of listening to build and strengthen our relationships across the world, ILA seeks to create a space for open dialogue across countries and cultures. Participants will find energetic curiosity, respectful attention, and critical thinking, in a mutually shared environment, where people intentionally seek to listen and be listened to giving us greater capacities to connect and relate to one another.

Translation x90 (Scotland)

Applied ICDTraveling in Scotland, I visited the Church of the Holy Rude in Stirling. At the entrance, they have handouts outlining the history of the site – translated into 90+ languages!

Church of the Holy Rude, Stirling

I have never seen so much effort put into documentation for international visitors. If only all tourist attractions were so thoughtful.

Wendy Leeds-Hurwitz, Director
Center for Intercultural Dialogue