Center for Intercultural Dialogue

ACLS Public Fellows 2014

The American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) has launched the 2014 competition of the Public Fellows program, which will place 20 recent Ph.D.s in two-year staff positions at partnering organizations in the government and the nonprofit sectors. The deadline for the 2014 competition is March 19, 2014.

The 2013 Public Fellows included a Ph.D. in Communication Studies from the University of Minnesota.

In 2014, Public Fellows will have the opportunity to join the following host organizations:

1.     American Refugee Committee – Program Manager, Social Enterprise Projects
2.     Association of Research Libraries – Program Officer for Scholarly Publishing
3.     Center for Public Integrity – Engagement Analyst
4.     Council of Independent Colleges – Communications Officer
5.     Human Rights Campaign – Senior Content Manager
6.     Kiva – Partnerships Evaluation Manager
7.     Lenox Hill Neighborhood House – Research and Partnerships Manager
8.     Museum of Jewish Heritage – Manager of Strategic Initiatives
9.     National Constitution Center – Program Developer
10. New America Foundation – Contributing Editor
11. New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA) – Public Policy Officer
12. The Public Theater – Strategy and Planning Manager
13. San Francisco Arts Commission – Program Manager, Policy and Evaluation 14. Smithsonian Institution, Grand Challenges Consortia – Public Outreach Manager
15. Smithsonian Institution, Office of International Relations – Program Officer 16. Trust for Public Land – Program Analyst, Conservation Research
17. United Negro College Fund – Policy Analyst
18. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – Policy Analyst
19. Wisconsin Public Radio – Digital Producer, To the Best of Our Knowledge
20. Zócalo Public Square – Program Manager

The results of the past three competitions can be found here: http://www.acls.org/research/publicfellows.aspx?id=7006.

Bloomsburg U (PA) job ads

Two new Tenure-Track positions at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania

Bloomsburg University is located in a picturesque small town in beautiful north central Pennsylvania approximately 50 miles southwest of Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and 30 miles west of the Pocono Mountains. It boasts excellent public schools with an affordable cost-of-living and abundant lifestyle opportunities. New York, Philadelphia and Baltimore/Washington D.C. metro centers are within a few hours’ drive. The University is recognized as an outstanding educational institution, having been ranked as one of the “10 Best Public Colleges and Universities in the Northeast” by the U.S. News and World Report. There are 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students in four colleges: Business, Education, Liberal Arts, and Science and Technology.

POSITION DESCRIPTIONS
The Department of Communication Studies seeks outstanding applicants who will complement the current faculty, for two tenure-track positions:

Position 1 (AA # 25-3-266) seeking applicants with teaching and research interests in Intercultural Communication, and can contribute to the department and university commitment to Global and Multicultural Education. An interest in International Communication Processes, Training, Global Communication Strategies, Intergroup Relations, Sexual Identity, LBGTQ Studies and/or Gender Communication would be of added value.

Position 2 (AA # 25-3-267) seeking applicants with teaching and research interests in Leadership and Strategic Communication, who can contribute to the department and university commitment to developing campus leadership and Civic Engagement and one or more of the following areas: Small Group Communication, Leadership and Team Building, Persuasion, Computer Applications for Professional Communicators, Corporate Communication, Training, Interviewing, and/or Business and Professional Communication. The successful applicants for both positions will teach Public Speaking and/or Interpersonal Communication as part of their regular load as well as other courses as the department needs, and will be encouraged to develop additional special topics courses in their area.

Candidates will demonstrate ongoing excellence in teaching/student advisement, research and service. Voluntary summer and winter term contracts may be available. Instructional delivery opportunities available for faculty include developing online and off campus courses. Teaching load is a “four/four.”

QUALIFYING EXPERIENCE/EDUCATION
Earned Ph.D. or doctorate in Communication Studies or related field from an accredited institution with a strong academic background is required by August 22, 2014. Demonstrated ability to work with diverse populations preferred. Finalist(s) for this position must communicate well and successfully complete an interview process and/or teaching demonstration, as judged by the department faculty. Recommendation for hiring is needed from a majority of the regular, full-time faculty within the area or department conducting the search.

TERM OF APPOINTMENT
Full-Time Tenure-Track

APPOINTMENT DATE
Beginning Fall 2014

SALARY
Commensurate with experience.

APPLICATION PROCESS
Application materials may be sent electronically in PDF format to kdiltz@bloomu.edu, or as hard copies to James E. Tomlinson, Ph.D., Chair – Search and Screen Committee, Department of Communication Studies, Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania of Pa., 400 East Second Street, Bloomsburg, PA 17815-1301. Applicants must provide a letter of application, vitae, evidence of effective teaching, a one page statement of teaching philosophy, unofficial graduate transcripts, and three professional letters of recommendation. Completing this search is contingent on available funding. Prior to final offer of employment the selected candidate will be required to submit to a background check including but not limited to employment verification, educational, and other credential verifications and criminal background check.

APPLICATION DEADLINE
For full consideration, applications should be received by March 3, 2014 at which time review of applications will begin. Positions will remain open until filled.

Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania is committed to equal educational and employment opportunities for all persons without regard to race, religion, gender, age, national origin, sexual orientation, disability or veteran status.

U Waterloo (Canada) job ads

One Assistant Professor Position and One Associate Professor Position in Speech Communication at University of Waterloo

The Department of Drama and Speech Communication at the University of Waterloo invites applications for one Assistant Professor position and one Associate Professor position in Speech Communication. Based in a liberal arts faculty in a research intensive university, the Speech Communication program currently serves approximately 150 majors and offers eight different degree programs, including three and four year regular and honours programs, an Arts and Business degree plan, and a minor. The program offers courses in four primary areas: Interpersonal/Organizational Communication; Intercultural Communication; Performance Studies; and Public and Digital Communication. The formal relationships between Speech Communication and other programs (especially Digital Arts Communication and Drama) provide regular opportunities for interdisciplinary collaborations in teaching, research, and creative work.

The successful candidates will have a strong research profile as well as demonstrated teaching experience. Strong applicants for the Assistant Professor position will have a PhD in hand or be ABD with dissertation near completion. Successful candidates will bring a specialization in one or more of the four programmatic areas articulated in the previous paragraph; as well as an expertise (Associate Professor applicants) or demonstrated interest (Assistant Professor applicants) in communication education (in areas such as, for example, course design, liberal arts education, assessment, technology, and/or critical pedagogy). Additional areas of focus related to communication studies may include intercultural communication, gender and sexuality, communication theory, and cultural/critical studies. Those hired into these positions will teach courses in the Speech Communication program and perform service within the Speech Communication program and in the Department of Drama and Speech Communication; and will contribute to the design and delivery of Speech Communication courses for students outside of the Faculty of Arts. A demonstrated pedagogical commitment to theoretically-informed practice, student-centered learning, and engagement of broad public concerns is desirable. Expertise in qualitative and/or creative work is welcome. Duties include research, teaching, and academic service. Salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience.

All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and Permanent Residents of Canada will be given priority. The University of Waterloo encourages applications from all qualified individuals, including women, members of visible minorities, native peoples, and persons with disabilities. These appointments will remain open until a suitable candidate has been hired. Send letters of application, complete CV, and three letters of recommendation to: Dr. Jennifer S. Simpson, Chair, Department of Drama and Speech Communication, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1. Appointments begin July 1, 2014. Review of applications will begin March 1, 2014.

Building bridges from theory to practice

I’m currently teaching a course on communication theory. It’s an undergraduate class, one of those that’s designed to recruit majors. Recently, one of my students, Joel, raised his hand in class. You know the type: he’s talkative, friendly and bright, a bit overbearing, and trying to figure out ‘what does it all mean’. And that is precisely what he asked in the middle of a lecture/discussion on the importance of communication theory: “But Miriam, what’s the point? How does this stuff work in the real world? Why should I care?”

It’s an age-old question, and one that students and teachers alike often struggle with, particularly in the social sciences and the humanities: what is the connection between abstract, above-the-clouds theory and the pragmatic, day-to-day life we lead in the world? But the question is, really, neither mundane nor naïve. Indeed, I would argue that, in intercultural communication, this question is particularly important and yet woefully under-addressed. We come up with all of these amazing theories to describe alienation, assimilation, identity processes, cultural difference—but we publish them in reputable journals and exorbitantly-priced textbooks and provide ‘in real life’ examples primarily at the undergraduate level. Meanwhile, interculturalists who work in the world (outside of academic research), in such areas as refugee counseling, immigration, study abroad, international business, etc., are often working with little-to-no theoretical training, or with outdated approaches to difference such as the U-Curve or Iceberg models.

Where is the dialogue between theorists and practitioners? What’s the point of doing such great and important work, on theories such as cosmopolitanism, hybridity, critical race theory, and others, if they are only accessible to other academics? Those of us who identify as critical intercultural scholars are constantly talking about teaching others that difference should be embraced rather than feared, and yet here we are, talking in a language that is only accessible (literally, in terms of access to academic articles; and figuratively, in terms of being able to translate the academese we learn in graduate school) to a small portion of the population: those most like us.

In a discussion of intercultural dialogue, we would do well to listen to questions like Joel’s—the “how does this work” and “why should I care” questions. If we are the idealists that the field really demands, then shouldn’t we be taking our work outside of the academy and applying it to those who need it, such as those who work with migrant populations, underserved urban youth, patients without health insurance, and on and on? How can we build bridges between the important work that is done by university researchers and the communities we intend to serve?

I don’t propose that we stop building intercultural theory. I think the work we do in intercultural research, particularly with today’s critical and postcolonial turns, is imperative to thriving in a world in which difference is coming closer to our doors rather than farther away. However, with this divide between town and gown, between theory and practice, particularly in intercultural communication research, too much is lost in the translation. I’d like to call for creative ways of applying academic theory to real world contexts, in ways that get our students jazzed about life beyond college, to see futures for their intercultural understandings of the world they learn in the classroom. Programs such as Dr. Amy Stornaiuolo’s work with adolescent literacy, called Space2cre8, are heeding such calls, but there is room for so much more. Students like Joel, those who understand that there could be more to theory than just memorization and regurgitation on an exam, can start to build these bridges, but only once we realize that our work needs to go further. Let’s get this conversation moving outward, starting by answering Joel’s question: “You should care because this work is essential to living in a multicultural world.” This is the opening of our dialogue.

————————————————————–
Miriam S. Sobre-Denton
Assistant Professor | Intercultural Communication
Southern Illinois University Carbondale

CFP Pragmatism & Communication conference

Conference: Pragmatism and Communication
University of Helsinki
4-5 June, 2014

From the sign-theoretical approach of C. S. Peirce to the pragmatic analyses of Robert Brandom, matters of communication have figured prominently in pragmatist thought. Beginning with John Dewey and Robert E. Park, pragmatism has also directly influenced communication scholarship; and interest in pragmatist ideas is currently on the rise in media and communication studies. But what roles does ‘communication’ actually play in pragmatisms of various stripes? What are the
distinctive contributions of pragmatism to our understanding and study of communication?

This two-day interdisciplinary conference aims to explore these and closely connected questions. The organisers welcome proposals for papers discussing any aspect of the relationship between pragmatism and communication, ranging from philosophical discussions of the nature and scope of communication to applications of pragmatist ideas in communication studies. Suitable topics include (but are not restricted to):

– Different pragmatist perspectives on communication
– The historical/contemporary contribution of pragmatist thought to the development of communication theory
– The relationship between inquiry and communication in pragmatist philosophy
– Limitations of symbolic communication
– Pragmatism and scientific communication
– Pragmatism and deliberative communication
– Pragmatist philosophy of journalism and the media
– Pragmatic grounds for the possibility or impossibility of objective communication
– Pragmatist ethics of communication and media
– The role of communication in democracy
– Criticisms of pragmatist approaches in communication studies

Please send an extended abstract of 500-1000 words to Aki Lehtinen by 1 March 2014. The submitters of the selected proposals will be informed of acceptance by 15 March 2014. A time slot of 30 minutes will be allotted for each accepted paper.

Confirmed speakers include: Robert T. Craig (University of Colorado, Boulder), Eli Dresner (Tel Aviv University), Klaus Bruhn Jensen (University of Copenhagen), John Durham Peters (University of Iowa), Stephen J. A. Ward (University of Oregon), Merja Bauters (Aalto University), Ahti-Veikko Pietarinen (University of Helsinki / Tallinn University of Technology), and Sami Pihlström (University of Helsinki /University of Jyväskylä).

Organising committee: Mats Bergman, Aki Petteri Lehtinen, Henrik Rydenfelt

Co-organised by:
– The research project Pragmatic Objectivity
– The Philosophy of Communication Section of the European Communication Research and Education Association
– The Nordic Pragmatism Network
– The Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies

Cyclists for Cultural Exchange – grants

Cyclists for Cultural Exchange provides grants for projects that support their mission statement (“furthering peace and international understanding through exchanges between people with a common interest in cycling”). CCE is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization located in Santa Cruz County, California. The organization runs one major fund-raising event each year, the Strawberry Fields Forever Bike Ride, that provides the funds distributed in support of its Mission.

Grant amounts of any size up to $2,500 will be considered. While most grants will be given for a single year, CCE will consider the possibility of up to three years of support for worthy projects.

Grant applications are considered in March and September; details and a link to applications available on their grant application page.

Activities may include, but are not limited to, the following:

Exchange Programs – Bringing bicyclists to America and taking American bicyclists to other countries to experience the people, cultures, and history of our neighbors in this world. Our intention in the time we have together is to discover our differences, find our common ground, become familiar with the language, customs, and traditions of the host country and share our visions, hopes and dreams for cooperation and world peace.

Projects – Supporting projects and programs, locally and abroad, which promote community development and economic improvement through the use of bicycles as primary or alternative transportation, and for recreation.

Activities – Supporting cycling-related groups in other countries to foster friendship.

Education – Educating others about the power and possibility of interpersonal exchanges between people of different countries and cultures, locally and abroad. Encouraging others to find their own avenues to appreciate and understand the diversity of our world.

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Int’l Youth Media Summit 2014

International Youth Media Summit
July 14-27, 2014

The teen delegates will:
*Explore the 7 Summit Issues with dynamic leaders who are making a difference in non-profits and NGO’s around the world.
*Train with Professionals in the Hollywood Filmmaking Industry.
*Create powerful public service announcements inspired by the 7 Summit Issues.
*Develop individual resolutions of action to present to the United Nations and to their own governments.
*Create study guides to accompany completed PSA’s for use in their home countries by teachers, workshop leaders, and themselves.
*Learn to work with a variety of people from many diverse cultures, religions, and economic and social backgrounds.
*Learn how to organize international teen media exchange projects and find partners from other countries
*View film projects created by delegates and Summit partners.
*Visit Southern California cultural landmarks.
*Celebrate their vision of a united world with art, music, dance and food from other cultures

By the end of the 9th Summit, delegates will be motivated and equipped to shape the future through media and action.

Our Host
SOKA UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA – Aliso Viejo, CA

The mission of SUA is to foster a steady stream of global citizens committed to living a contributive life. –Daisaku Ikeda, Founder

SUA is founded on the belief that student-centered education is the best way to promote peace and human rights by fostering a global humanistic perspective on the world in which we live.

The culminating event of the 9th IYMS will be a “Celebration of Youth Voices” to be held on Saturday, July 26th, in the University’s beautiful new 1,000-seat Performing Arts Center.

Click here to apply to be a delegate to the 2014 Summit!

The International Youth Media Summit (IYMS) is headquartered in Belgrade, Serbia and is managed by Executive Director Miomir Rajcevic. IYMS is a yearly event which brings together teen filmmakers and teen diplomats from around the world to explore ways to inspire and empower their generation to shape the future through media and action.

Digital humanities grants

Transatlantic program for collaborative work in the field of Digital Humanities

CC http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:GoldenGateBridge-001.jpg

The Fondation Maison des Sciences de l’Homme (FMSH) is pleased to announce the launch of a new grant program in digital humanities. Thanks to a generous grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, FMSH will co-finance transatlantic collaborative projects in the field of the digital humanities.

To strengthen its activity in the broad sphere of Digital Humanities, the FMSH seeks at present to implement a new international program of “digital philology”. To date, funded interactions in this area have been limited to exchanges within Europe. The purpose of this proposal is to create a formal organizational and funding structure for collaboration between the US and Europe in « digital literary studies ». For too long, Europe’s major projects in the digital humanities have been on a different track, as it were, from American projects. The present initiative is intended to help US and European researchers work together in an entirely new way in the field of digital literary studies, to share knowledge and methods, disseminate common practices and tools, and publicize their works.

The Program will support only research projects whose goal is to set up or to strengthen collaborations between US and European universities. It will co-finance up to 60% of the total cost of the research project per year.

Eligibility:
Grants are available to European and US universities willing to set up transatlantic collaborations. The competition is open to senior and junior researchers. The European groups will be asked to co-fund 40% of the total cost (total cost of the project can vary between $50,000 and $100,000 per year. While the whole of Europe and North America is included in this call, priority will initially be accorded to applications originating in the U.S., France, Italy, Spain, Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland. Expenses for which grant funds may be requested include the following:

Visiting lectureships
Doctoral and postdoctoral fellowships
International seminars, symposia
Honoraria, travel and meeting expenses
Publications

Coverage of other expenses will be subject to negotiation with the FMSH.

Deadlines:

Applications due – March 31, 2014
Notification given – June 2014
Grant period commences – September, 2014

Before submitting a proposal, potential applicants are encouraged to contact the FMSH program secretary.

Application Form here

Transformative Power of Dialogue

Review of:
Stephen W. Littlejohn & Sheila McNamee (Eds.). (2014). The coordinated management of meaning: A festschrift in honor of W. Barnett Pearce. Madison, NJ: Fairleigh Dickinson University Press.

by Robyn Penman

In 1980, Barnett Pearce and his colleague, Vern Cronen, published Communication, Action and Meaning, a seminal work introducing scholars to the theory of the coordinated management of meaning (CMM). Over the ensuing decades, CMM theory has continued to grow, reaching a wider and wider audience as the practical and theoretical relevance of Barnett’s work became increasingly acknowledged.

In recognition of Barnett’s outstanding scholarship, a conference, entitled the Transformative Power of Dialogue, was held in his honour in January 2011. The essays in this book collection emerged from that conference. I am one of the contributors to this volume and, as such, this review is more of a commendation than any conventional critical review.

The book opens with an essay written by Barnett shortly before his death, reflecting on what it could take for personal and social revolution to be brought about. As he put it, he has “bet my professional life” on following the risky, high stake path that this evolution “could be promoted by explicit attention to what we are making together in the forms of communication in which we engage” (p. 44).

Barnett’s bet has reaped its rewards, not the least of which is the extent to which he has inspired, encouraged and collaborated with an extraordinary range of scholars and practitioners, a sample of which is contained in the current volume. The very breadth, scholarship and wide-ranging practical import captured in the 15 essays bear witness to the rich offerings to be found in CMM and its broader communication perspective.

For those interested in intercultural dialogue, the central importance placed on dialogue in Barnett’s work, and in the essays in this volume, makes the book especially pertinent. One part of this volume is specifically devoted to the theme of dialogue. The topics include the role of systemic questioning (Victoria Chen), moral conflict and managing difference (Stephen Littlejohn), framing and conflict transformation (Linda Putnam), and generative community dialogue (Stanley Deetz).

Dialogue also emerges as a powerful theme throughout the other parts in the book. For example, I (Penman) consider the core relationship between dialogue and presence and what this means for understanding participation in mediated life. John Lannamann explores the key role of dialogue and its practice in cosmopolitan communication in making better social worlds. And Kim Pearce sums up the volume by talking about the pathway to personal and social evolution in terms of the “life of dialogue…that holds in tension, and compassion, the various stories, actions and people who loves us, or don’t, who are like us. . . . , or aren’t and who may challenge us to the core to remain civil and open” (p. 328).

For anyone interested in dialogue and its role in making better social worlds, this book should be a rewarding read.

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