CFP Brand Jamaica Symposium

CALL FOR PAPERS:
Re-Imagine Jamaica: Unlimited Possibilities
A Brand Jamaica Symposium
July 16-17, 2015

The Re:Imagine Jamaica Project, in association with the Center For Leadership and Governance, University of the West Indies, Jamaica, invites paper proposals for the Brand Jamaica symposium entitled “Re-Imagine Jamaica: Unlimited Possibilities” to be held on July 16-17, 2015 at the University of The West indies, Mona Campus, Kingston, Jamaica.

Nations, regions and cities are today competing with each other for their share of the world’s tourists, investment, aid, students, for buyers of their products and services, for talent as well as for the attention and respect of the media and the global community. Indeed, the new global economy is thus imposing on all states the obligation to develop, manage and leverage their image in order to stand out in this increasingly competitive global marketplace.

Nation branding is the process by which nations construct their distinctive identity, culture and heritage and project their image in the world. This process is particularly important for developing nations as they try to attract investment, boost their economies and offer their citizens a meaningful life. Nigeria, Namibia, the Bahamas, Maldives, Ecuador and Costa Rica are among the countries of the Third World that have been taking steps to aggressively brand their nations. Over the last decade, Jamaica has also been actively engaged in a similar process of creating, positioning and managing its public image.

This is especially important given the dilemma confronting Brand Jamaica. Many aspects of the Jamaican brand exhibit extraordinary presence, influence and promise (e.g. tourism, sports; a vibrant culture and world famous export products). Yet, there are also dangerous deficits, and a prolonged crisis embodied in poor governance – violent crime, breaches of human rights, poverty and rising employment. These negative discourses have simultaneously served to undermine Jamaica in international public opinion, and disrupt its capacity to take full advantage of its moral, social, economic and cultural capital.

The Re-Imagine Jamaica: Unlimited Possibilities symposium aims to explore some of the key trends, issues, challenges and practices that are shaping Brand Jamaica. It aims to provide insights into:
– How Jamaica may define itself on its own terms and makes claim its own identity based on consensus among all stakeholders.
– How to promote and project its national identity and brand in the global arena beyond tourism.
– How Jamaica can make the most of its hugely popular global image and symbols created through sports, music, food and destination tourism.
– How to manage current reputational challenges and stereotypes that undermine and threaten Brand Jamaica, that is, how to develop measures to address, counter and challenge them.
– How different domestic sectors can develop a better understanding of Brand Jamaica and the role they have to play in it.
– Ways to protect Brand Jamaica from dilution, contamination and exploitation.
– How to handle communication challenges during times of crisis (such as natural disasters, political unrest, upsurges of crime, etc.).
– How to reposition the Jamaican brand, create a more complex narrative and project a more positive image of the country.
– How Jamaicans in the diaspora impact Brand Jamaica and how the image of the nation influences how Jamaicans are received and treated abroad.

Interested parties should sent a 300-500 word abstract via email by November 30, 2014. Abstracts should clearly address one or more of the conference themes, and also include affiliation and contact details.

Gulf University of Science and Technology job ad (Kuwait)

Asst/Assoc/Full Prof: PR/Strategic Comm, Broadcasting, or Digital Media 
Gulf University for Science and Technology

The Gulf University for Science and Technology is Kuwait’s first private, American-model university. GUST currently offers programs in Arts and Sciences, and Business—including an MBA.

The Department of Mass Communication and Media (MCM) at GUST invites applications for four full-time positions beginning in Fall 2015 in the following areas:

Public relations or strategic communication (x2): Professional experience and expertise in international/intercultural public relations, advertising, political communication, or rhetoric are highly desirable. Teaching duties include courses in PR and advertising, integrated marketing communication, strategic/political communication, and persuasive writing.

Broadcasting (x1): Experience with audio/video production and broadcast copywriting are expected. Expertise in media law, media theory, journalism, or digital media are highly desirable. Teaching duties include courses in radio and TV production, video and sound editing, media packages, news gathering, public speaking, media theory, and writing for mass media.

Digital or social media (x1): Teaching duties include courses in digital/social media, web design, digital animation, graphic design, visual communication, or visual culture depending on the faculty’s areas of specialization.

Additional duties for all positions include advising students, engaging in scholarship, and providing institutional service.

Qualified candidates will hold a Ph.D. in one of these areas or a related degree in communication by the time of appointment, have evidence of quality teaching, and demonstrated scholarly potential. Review of applications begins December 1, 2014 and will continue until the positions are filled.

The MCM Department offers a B.A. degree with concentrations in public relations and advertising, visual communication, and radio/TV broadcasting. The department hosts approximately 500 majors in a university of over 3,500 students.

GUST offers generous salaries and an excellent package, including a housing allowance, educational allowances for dependents, medical and dental plans, as well as annual return airfare home. Kuwait is also a tax-free country. Interested applicants are requested to send a cover letter, complete CV, and the names and contact information for at least three references to Dr. Ali Ansari, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. In the subject of the email please state “Position applied for: Public Relations.” Kindly note that only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

CFP Communication and Ethnic Conflict

Call for Chapter Proposals on Communication and Ethnic Conflict

This is a call for submissions of proposals for chapters to include in a collection about Communication approaches to Ethnic Conflict. Chapter proposal submission requires a 500-1100 word abstract by October 31, 2014. If you have interest please contact the editors or submit a proposal online.

Editors:
Steven Gibson (Northcentral University, USA)
Agnes Lucy Lando (Daystar University, Kenya)

The book, titled Impact of Communication and the Media on Ethnic Conflict will be published by IGI-Global and will present scholarly research on various approaches to how communication studies, media studies and information systems tools can model, reflect and guide understandings of national and international experiences of ethnic conflict. The included chapters will be interdisciplinary, with cultural studies and media studies as two included frameworks. Proposals may focus on a variety of aspects, including (but not limited to):
*Issues in ethnic relations
*The role of identity in conflict
*Genocide case studies and analysis
*Racial and ethnic impacts on conflict
*Conflict resolution programs
*Religious or sectarian conflict case studies
*The effect of media on international relations
*The role played in conflict by information systems
*How media reflects ethnic differences
*Simulated approaches to conflict and conflict resolution
*Communication technology’s role in ethnic relations
*Case studies in ethnic relations

Assessing Intercultural Competency – Part II – by Trudy Milburn

Guest PostsAssessing Intercultural Competency – Part II
by Trudy Milburn

Hello.
(Hi)
What’s your name?
(Response)
Where did you go to school?

If your student produced this as evidence of a cultural practice, how would it rate on this AAC&U Intercultural rubric criterion?

“Demonstrates sophisticated understanding of the complexity of elements important to members of another culture in relation to its history, values, politics, communication styles, economy, or beliefs and practices.”

At first blush, the interaction sequence might seem part of any typical introduction between two people who are meeting one another for the first time. Therefore, a student who produces this might appear to be “developing” on the low end of a graduated scale with a “target” level on the higher end. An instructor may evaluate the statement as evidence of a student’s initial awareness of an interactional pattern, but as lacking a nuanced understanding that its production may indicate a culturally significant pattern. However, perhaps there is more going on with this interactional sequence than one may initially assume.

If we heed Yep’s (2000) suggestion and consider both personal and broader social histories and how these intersect, we might re-consider the produced interaction from different subject positions. Consider these additional contextual features.

While traveling with students in Northern Ireland, we heard tour guides describe a greeting ritual that included the following parts: first asking, “What’s your name?” and then, “where did you go to school?” The guide explained that learning as much as you could about your interlocutors during introductions was very important throughout the tensest moments of the Conflict. It was considered vitally important to be able to quickly position a newcomer within an appropriate category, as Catholic or Protestant. Knowing relevant category could produce fear or solidarity. One guide described that he believed people with saint names were denied access to jobs. Therefore, upon meeting someone, if one heard (or did not hear) a saint name, the follow up question was used to ascertain if the individual attended a Catholic School or not. It was this practice that led one to know on which side of the Conflict the new person was most likely to be. It may have also led to further discriminatory practices.

Coming back to the notion of assessing intercultural competence, how, then does one evaluate a student who attempts to demonstrate intercultural competence by producing such an interactional sequence? While the rubric criterion above includes many features that are valuable to consider, including the social, historical and political contexts of various communicative practices, it leads us into the same trap that Yep (2000) warns about, creating cultural “others.” Even if one notices the interaction sequence from the vantage points of the interlocutors who enact it, where does the student stand in relation to this sequence? One suggestion is that as instructors, we can help students to reflect on how noticeable practices might illustrate a belief within the student’s own culture. It may be that this interaction sequence may be so typical within one’s own culture as to initially go unnoticed. In fact, as instructors who are conducting intercultural assessment, perhaps we should consider our own potential biases towards such practices and consider how our cultural beliefs influence both how we instruct as well as how we assess intercultural competency.

In my next post, I will consider the types of methods used for assessing intercultural competence as well as the role of assessors in this work.

Reference
Yep, G. A. (2000). Encounters with the ‘other’: Personal notes for a reconceptualization of intercultural communication competence. CATESOL Journal, 12(1), 117-144.

Download the entire post as a PDF.

UNC Charlotte multicultural postdoctoral fellowship

The University of North Carolina Charlotte invites applications for our new Multicultural Postdoctoral Fellowship program to support its commitment to diversity, inclusion, and building a strong intellectual community of scholars from different backgrounds. The purpose of the Multicultural Postdoctoral Fellowship Program is to support the early development of scholars who show promise of distinguished research careers and who are from historically underrepresented groups.

Postdoctoral fellows will be engaged full-time in research and may teach up to two courses per academic year as part of their appointment. Fellows are required to be in-residence each semester during their appointment. The postdoctoral fellow will receive extensive university and program mentoring throughout their appointment.

Applications for study in any discipline represented on campus are welcome. STEM applications are strongly encouraged. Please specify your discipline of interest when applying.

Applicants must have completed their doctoral degree within the past five years and no later than July 1st of the current year. The primary criterion for selection is evidence of scholarship potentially competitive for tenure track appointments at a research university. A critical secondary criterion is the support of prospective departments.

All applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents at the time of application; The University of North Carolina at Charlotte strongly encourages applications from African American, Native American and Hispanic scholars. Selection is contingent on the availability of an appropriate mentoring environment.

Please include the following materials with your application:  curriculum vitae; a statement of research plans (1-3 pages) (this should describe your commitment to pursuing an academic career); graduate transcripts; a personal statement on why you should be selected for this program (1-3 pages); Writing samples (e.g. publications and/or dissertation chapters); three letters of recommendation. One letter should be from the applicant’s dissertation advisor or faculty mentor.

Applications are taken on-line, position #POST40.The application deadline is December 1, 2014 at 5:00 PM EST.  Please contact Dr. Shawn D. Long  if you have any questions.

UNC Charlotte is North Carolina’s urban research university and has an enrollment of approximately 26,000 undergraduate and graduate students. Located in the state’s largest metropolitan area, UNC Charlotte is among the fastest growing universities in the UNC system.

The University of North Carolina at Charlotte is an EOE/AA employer and an ADVANCE Institution that strives to create an academic climate in which the dignity of all individuals is respected and maintained. Therefore, we celebrate diversity that includes, but is not limited to ability/disability, age, culture, ethnicity, gender, language, race, religion, sexual orientation, and socio-economic status.

Applicants are subject to criminal background check.

CFP Communication and Conflict Transformation

Book chapter proposals call–communication and conflict transformation

Tom Matyok and Pete Kellett invite brief chapter proposals for our upcoming co-edited book with the working title: Communication and conflict transformation: Leading-edge thoughts, practices, & engagements. If contracted, the book will be published by Lexington Books as part of their new Peace and Conflict Studies Series. They would like to create a book that captures current leading-edge, and emerging thoughts/ideas, practices/ techniques, and engagements/ contexts/ applications around communication as it contributes to the broader (interdisciplinary) discussion of conflict transformation. The book is envisioned as a mix of shorter (3000 word) think pieces and reports on practices and techniques, as well as longer (up to 7500 word) research studies, and as representing the breadth of research paradigms and methodologies, and the novel, valuable, and provocative work currently being done in Communication/Communication Studies regarding conflict transformation and welcome proposals that speak to this goal. They envision completing the contract process by end of this calendar year and will be in touch with a writing timeline for spring at that point. Please email Pete Kellett a working title; name (s) of author (s); and a 75-100 word abstract of your proposed chapter by October 20, 2014.

U Denver job ad: Culture and Communication

The Department of Communication Studies at the University of Denver seeks to hire a tenure track Assistant Professor in Culture and Communication (Critical Intercultural Communication) for the 2015-2016 academic year. The Department of Communication Studies grants B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. degrees. The graduate program is focused on three areas of inquiry: Culture and Communication, Interpersonal and Family Communication, and Rhetoric and Communication Ethics. The area of Culture and Communication investigates the communicative constitution and intersection of difference in its various codifications as culture, race, class, religion, ethnicity, nationality, gender and sexual orientation. Its vision is to promote an ethic of inclusivity, racial and social justice, reciprocity, and mutual transformation in the encounter of difference. Courses reflect this emphasis, focusing on the social and performative construction of identity, the politics of representation, performances of affect, identity, and community and vernacular and embodied rhetorics, all informed by critical, feminist and queer perspectives on cultural communication.

The person hired will teach five courses over three quarters in critical intercultural communication at the graduate, and introductory and advanced undergraduate levels, with possibility to teach in their areas of specialization; maintain an active scholarly research/creative activities agenda related to critical intercultural communication; and perform departmental, university, or disciplinary service.

The university and department are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive educational environment. Applicants are requested to include information about how they will advance this commitment through their research, teaching, and service. Likewise, candidates should demonstrate knowledge and experience with a variety of teaching methods and/or curricular perspectives to effectively engage diverse populations and learning styles.

Required Education and Qualifications:
Ph.D. in Communication Studies required, ABD in Communication Studies considered Publications and research agenda in critical intercultural communication Excellent university level teaching experience in critical intercultural communication is expected Potential to mentor graduate students Demonstrated service to academic institutions or the discipline.

Instructions for candidates:
Candidates must apply online to be considered. Only applications submitted online will be accepted. Once within the job description online, please click New Resume/CV at the bottom of the page to begin application.

Interested persons should submit:
A letter of application that describes your pre-tenure research agenda, articulates yourself in relationship to the department, and demonstrates how your interests are complementary to existing faculty A curriculum vitae Evidence of teaching effectiveness including teaching philosophy, sample syllabi, teaching observations, and course evaluations relevant to this position A statement demonstrating how you will contribute to the department’s commitment to inclusive excellence Names of three references, letters only needed upon request
*We recommend combining documents to avoid the 5 document upload limit

Review of applications will start October 15, 2014. If you have questions regarding this position please contact: Dr. Bernadette Marie Calafell, Search Committee Chair.

The University of Denver strives to create an inclusive and welcoming community for all. We are committed to diversity and recognizing and valuing the rich views of our community members. The University is proud to offer health and wellness plans that are inclusive to all same-gender domestic partners of our benefited employees. You can read more about our rich benefit package.

The University of Denver is committed to enhancing the diversity of its faculty and staff and encourages applications from women, minorities, members of the LBGT community, people with disabilities and veterans. The University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.

LSLP Micro-Papers

The LSLP Micro-Papers are a series of conceptual, one-page papers intended to introduce key elements of literacy and how they fit within our frameworks. This series, edited by CID affiliated researcher Dr. Raúl A. Mora, drew inspiration from our Key Concepts in Intercultural Dialogue series. These micro-papers are authored by student researchers and other affiliated researchers from the Literacies in Second Languages Project at Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana in Medellín, Colombia, as a space to promote their research in the field of alternative and 21st century literacies.

We invite you to check out both the LSLP Micro-Papers and the Literacies in Second Languages Project website.

U Vienna job ads: Text Analysis

UNIVERSITY OF VIENNA
Department of Methods in the Social Sciences
Text Analysis

The Department of Methods in the Social Sciences at the University of Vienna has two positions open in the area of text analysis (PhD and a Postdoc). Applicants hold relevant degrees in either the Social Sciences or in Computer-linguistics/ Media-informatics and show knowledge of computer-assisted content/text analysis methods. The positions will cooperate with the Department of Communication Science at the University of Vienna. More information can be found at:

PhD position (German and English)

Postdoc position (German and English)

The application deadline is October 14, 2014. If you have further questions about the advertisements, please contact Prof Hajo Boomgaarden.

Key Concept #35: Media Ecology by Casey Man Kong Lum

Key Concepts in ICDThe next issue of Key Concepts in intercultural Dialogue is now available. This is  KC35: Media Ecology by Casey Man Kong Lum. As always, all Key Concepts are available as free PDFs; just click on the thumbnail to download. Lists organized  chronologically by publication date and number, alphabetically by concept in English, and by languages into which they have been translated, are available, as is a page of acknowledgments with the names of all authors, translators, and reviewers.

kc35-sm

Lum, C. M. K. (2019). Media ecology. Key Concepts in Intercultural Dialogue, 35. Available from: https://centerforinterculturaldialogue.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/kc35-media-ecology-rev.pdf

(NOTE: this was originally published in 2014, but revised in 2019 – the revised PDF is what is now available.)

The Center for Intercultural Dialogue publishes a series of short briefs describing Key Concepts in intercultural Dialogue. Different people, working in different countries and disciplines, use different vocabulary to describe their interests, yet these terms overlap. Our goal is to provide some of the assumptions and history attached to each concept for those unfamiliar with it. As there are other concepts you would like to see included, send an email to the series editor, Wendy Leeds-Hurwitz. If there are concepts you would like to prepare, provide a brief explanation of why you think the concept is central to the study of intercultural dialogue, and why you are the obvious person to write up that concept.

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.