Fiction Celebrates Common Humanity

Applied ICDEmre, M. (1 November 2018).  This library has new books by major authors, but they can’t be read until 2114. New York Times. 

The Future Library is a work of art that will take an astonishing 100 years to complete:

“In a small clearing in the forests of Nordmarka, one hour outside the city limits of Oslo [Norway], a thousand spruce trees are growing. They will grow for the next 96 years, until 2114, when they will be felled, pulped, pressed and dyed to serve as the paper supply for the Scottish artist Katie Paterson’s Future Library: an anthology of 100 previously unpublished books written by some of the 21st century’s most celebrated writers. There will be one book for every year the trees will have grown, each a donation from a writer chosen by the Future Library’s board of trustees — a gift from the literary gatekeepers of the present to the readers of the future.”

How is this relevant to intercultural dialogue?

“Turkish novelist Elif Shefak [who provided the fourth manuscript in the project]…describes writing a novel for the Future Library as ‘a secular act of faith’ in a world that seems to have gone mad, a world that violently accentuates the differences between people instead of celebrating their common humanity. ‘When you write a book,’ she says, ‘you have the faith that it will reach out to someone else, to someone who is different from you and it will connect us. That you will be able to transcend the boundaries of the self, that was given to you at birth, that you will be able to touch someone else’s reality.'”

Grawemeyer Award for Ideas Improving World Order

AwardsThe Grawemeyer Award for Ideas Improving World Order is given to those who have taken on issues of world importance and presented viewpoints that could lead to a more just and peaceful world. Award: $100,000. Deadline: January 31, 2019.

The Award is presented annually to the winner of a competition designed to stimulate the recognition, dissemination and critical analysis of outstanding proposals for improving world order. Submissions will be judged according to originality, feasibility and potential impact, not by the cumulative record of the nominee. They may address a wide range of global concerns including foreign policy and its formation; the conduct of international relations or world politics; global economic issues, such as world trade and investment; resolution of regional, ethnic or racial conflicts; the proliferation of destructive technologies; global cooperation on environmental protection or other important issues; international law and organization; any combination or particular aspects of these, or any other suitable idea which could at least incrementally lead to a more just and peaceful world order.

U Sheffield Global Challenge Research Postdoc (UK)

PostdocsGlobal Challenge Research Postdoctoral Fellowships, University of Sheffield, UK. Deadline: 14 January 2019.

“Our Global Challenge Fellowships present the opportunity to work on a truly international project, addressing some of the biggest and most challenging problems of our time, and translating cutting edge research into local impact. As one of our fellows you will embark on either a 12- or 24-month project to address problems faced by those in the Global South. This could be, for example, developing access to secure food, sustainable health and wellbeing, inclusive and quality education, clean sanitation or affordable energy. You will work in collaboration with overseas institutions where you will spend between 25-50% of your time. It will be up to you to design and complete a major research project.”

CFP Cultural Histories Creative Futures UK-China (UK)

ConferencesCall for papers /Cultural Histories, Creative Futures 2019/ July 15-16, 2019, University of Southampton, Winchester, UK. Deadline: 31 January 2019.

The Cultural Histories, Creative Futures conference will bring together scholars from the UK and China to engage with the past, present and future of scholarship in culture, history, and creativity.

The conference will play an important role in the further promotion of a UK-China discussion of culture, history, and creativity. It is a major international conference where scholars from two continents will gather to exchange research, views, and insights. Organized and hosted by Winchester School of Art, the Cultural Histories, Creative Futures conference builds on former conferences held every other year in the UK and China. Previous conferences have taken place in Nanjing, China, and Winchester, UK.

A Joint British – Sino International Conference: Winchester School of Art, University of Southampton, UK and Culture Industry Research Centre, Nanjing University, China. Hosted by Winchester School of Art, University of Southampton, UK. Sponsored by Confucius Institute at University of Southampton.

Eleftherios Margaritis Profile

ProfilesEleftherios Margaritis was born in Athens, Greece, but he comes from the island of Lesvos. He has an MA in European Societies & European Integration from the Department of Sociology at the University of Aegean (2018), and a BA in Philosophy & Education from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (2014).

Eleftherios MargaritisHe attended the Padagogische Hochschule Freiburg (Germany) as part in the Erasmus exchange program, where he experienced first-hand the potential of intercultural communication. Later he finished his obligatory military service in Greece with distinction by helping register migrants in 2015, where he experienced the difficulty of intercultural communication with traumatized people. Later, even while working as a manager for Enterprise Car Rental, he continued helping by contributing to research projects like View(points) storytelling project, and by cooperating with UNHCR for the transfer of the vulnerable. The situation on his island makes him feel sad and happy at the same time: sad because of the tragic journey of these traumatized people, yet happy he has had the opportunity to help them in person.

As an undergraduate, he majored in Education, learning multicultural/intercultural content. His Master’s thesis was about migration, specifically intercultural education in Greece and its European dimension. Currently he attends two seminars, one through the University of Thessaly on the Teaching of Greek as a Foreign Language, and another through the Kapodistrian University of Athens on Inclusive Education. He now lives in Norrkoping, Sweden, where he is considering pursuing a PhD at Linkoping University through the Department of Ethnic and Migration Studies.

Work for CID:
Eleftherios Margaritis translated KC55: Stereotypes into Greek, together with Anastasia Karakitsou.

Queen’s U Job Ad: International Relations (Northern Ireland)

“JobProfessor of International Relations, Queen’s University Belfast, Northern Ireland. Deadline: 22 February 2019.

The School of History, Anthropology, Philosophy and Politics seeks to appoint a Professor of International Relations of the very highest international standing. The appointment is to undertake high quality research, deliver excellent teaching, enhance international connectivity and provide significant academic leadership in line with the School’s research strategy. The Professor will make significant contributions to the mentoring and development of early-career staff, support and enable the development of large-scale externally funded research projects, and support and enhance the ongoing production of significant and impactful research outputs of the highest quality.

U Hong Kong Job Ad: Applied Linguistics (Hong Kong)

“JobAssistant Professor/Senior Lecturer in Applied Linguistics, Centre for Applied English Studies, University of Hong Kong. Deadline: 7 January 2019.

A Ph.D. degree in Applied Linguistics or a closely related field is needed for Assistant Professor and highly preferred for Senior Lecturer. Applicants for both should have the experience of teaching Applied Linguistics/TESOL courses and supervising students at the postgraduate level. The Centre is ideally seeking expertise in teaching and researching one or more of the following areas: second language acquisition, pronunciation/phonology, vocabulary teaching & learning, or intercultural communication. Other areas of expertise that can complement the Centre’s strengths may also be considered. 

CFP TESOL Teacher Education in a Transnational World

“PublicationCall for Book Chapters: TESOL Teacher Education in a Transnational World, Edited by Osman Barnawi & Sardar Anwaruddin. Chapter Proposal Deadline: December 31, 2018.

The editors invite you to critically examine transnational practices in contemporary TESOL teacher education. They are particularly interested in explorations of how the learning of teaching, the content, and the discourses of language teacher education are taking place in today’s transnational world. What sorts of curricular and pedagogical innovation are needed for TESOL teacher education in transnational spaces? In what ways the issues of LTE pedagogies, identities, and different forms of capital (i.e., cultural, linguistic, social, symbolic or economic) are negotiated in such spaces?

Postdoc Vienna School of International Studies (Austria)

PostdocsPostdoctoral Fellows in International Studies, Vienna School of International Studies. Deadline: 20 January 2019.

The Vienna School of International Studies (Diplomatische Akademie Wien) is proposing the appointment of three Postdoctoral Fellows in International Studies for two years, from 23 September 2019. Geared towards promoting the professional development of the appointee, he/she will focus on his/her own research and do a limited amount of graduate teaching.

The successful candidate must hold – or have evidence of the imminent completion of – a doctorate in Economics, History, Law or Political Science. The School interprets International Studies broadly. Applications from all these disciplines, including candidates with area expertise (such as European Studies) are welcome. A record of research achievement at the international level, a strong agenda for future research and previous teaching experience – preferably at graduate level – are essential.

 

Study Abroad in Greece 2019

Study AbroadStudy abroad: Rhetoric and Performance in Greece, Villanova University, May 19-June 24, 2019. Deadline: Open until filled.

The Department of Communication at Villanova University announces its 2019 Summer Study Abroad in Greece program–and invites applications from undergraduate students across the United States. Admission is competitive; admissions are rolling and ongoing, and space is limited! Interested students should contact the 2019 Program Director, Dr. Bryan Crable, as soon as possible.

This five-week, 6-credit summer program is specifically designed to give Communication students important insights into the origin of the discipline and its relevance to contemporary public discourse. The program travels throughout Greece as it focuses on the history of the spoken word–and its relation to epic storytelling, oratory, drama, and the life of the polis. The program, run annually since 2001, welcomes students who are majoring & minoring in Communication and closely related fields, such as English, Classics, Humanities, Honors, etc.

This year’s program consists of two team-taught courses, one focusing on ancient Greek rhetoric and democracy, and the other on the rhetorical function of myth. The courses take place on ancient archaeological sites and on hotel grounds (including, often, the beach). The size of the program is also ideal, since two faculty members are accompanied by 20-22 students, from universities across the country. This creates a unique learning environment, one that fosters a close intellectual and personal bond between students and faculty.