Tag: Germany

Diversity in Transcultural/Int’l Comm conference (Germany)

Diversity in Transcultural and International Communication
October 2-3, 2014
Haus der Wissenschaft, Bremen, Germany

Conference of the International and Intercultural Communication Section of the German Communication Association (DGPuK) in Cooperation with the Creative Unit “Communicative Figurations” at the University of Bremen
Hosted by the Institute for Media, Communication and Information Research (ZeMKI), University of Bremen
Coordination team: Stefanie Averbeck-Lietz, Rebecca Venema, Gabriele Gerber

The conference addresses both the meta-analysis of “diversity” and an analysis of the organization and practice of diversity. Diversity concepts take different sociocultural categories into account and implement these in organizational and institutional contexts. As such “diversity“ can be seen both as a normative concept and as a social phenomenon. Normative ideas can be found in concepts such as “representation“ (e.g. the representation of social minorities in the media), “participation“ (the participation in public communication of diverse layers and groups within the population), “plurality” or “variety” (among communicators, contents and opinions).

Does our discipline provide the appropriate tools for researching diversity in communication processes? Which theories and concepts are available for the research of communication ethics in inter-national and/or transcultural communication with respect to the phenomenon diversity? Which normative and empirical foundations are they based on? This leads to a second, more application-oriented issue and potential key topic of the conference: diversity as an operational instruction, task and/or practice.

Contributions on the following topics are welcomed:
1. Theoretical Concepts of Diversity
•   State of the art: disciplinary, interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches; basic theories and medium-range theories concerning the research of “diversity”
•   Boundaries and overlaps of terms and theories concerning the concepts of “cosmopolitanism,” “multiculturalism,” “interculturalism,” “transculturalism” and “hybridity” among others
•   The typology and analysis of intercultural communication processes and situations from the point of view of communication ethics
•   International comparisons: Which diversity concepts exist and how do other research communities in other countries research “diversity”? Is diversity research euro-centric?

2. Empirical Research on Diversity
•   Public representations and constructions of social differences and equality in mass media content, in (micro-)blogs, social media, event communication, PR etc.
•   Analysis of public and/or academic discourse on “diversity“
•   Diversity in media professions (public visibility of those working in media professions such as journalism, PR, advertising, film, theatre etc.)
•   Diversity as a Norm of communication ethics (e.g. in international/ intercultural communication)
•   Diversity management in media corporations
•   Case studies on diversity as an element and normative control parameter of diverse communication processes (political communication, journalism, PR, company and organizational communication…)
•   Diversity and justice under circumstances of mediatization and globalisation
•   Diversity as a factor in media and communication politics and policies

Submission and selection of papers
Please send your anonymized proposal for a 20-minute presentation in English (preferred) or German to Prof. Dr. Stefanie Averbeck-Lietz no later than JUNE 10, 2014 (using a single pdf file). The abstract should not be longer than 8000 characters (including blank spaces) and should be assigned to the conference topics. Please add a title page to the abstract containing the name(s) and address(es) of the presenter(s) and the title of the presentation. All submissions will be anonymously peer-reviewed according to the criteria of originality, relevance, theoretical foundation, appropriateness of the methods used, clarity of language, and reference to the conference theme. Submitters will be informed about the outcome of the selection process by July 2014.

Anthropocene Campus Berlin 2014

ANTHROPOCENE CAMPUS
November 14–22, 2014
Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin
Call for Applications
deadline: April 30, 2014

Encouraging new forms of transdisciplinary discourse and research the anthropocene project 2013/14 at Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin (HKW) aims to investigate the manifold implications of the Anthropocene hypothesis for cultures of knowledge. If indeed humankind has become the dominant biogeophysical force, effecting changes on a planetary scale, how can the arts, sciences and humanities contribute to a critical awareness, understanding and responsible co-shaping of these transformations? How can creative and problem-oriented modes of knowledge production and educational practices be developed?

The anthropocene curriculum addresses these questions by way of a cross-disciplinary experiment in higher education. Initiated by HKW and the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, Berlin (MPIWG) the project has brought together a group of 27 renowned university teachers from science, the humanities, and art & design. They are collaboratively developing a set of topics relevant to the Anthropocene in an attempt to encourage the integration of cross-disciplinary thinking, mutual learning, and civic commitment in the curricula of universities and research institutions.

This exemplary curriculum will be put into teaching practice at the anthropocene campus taking place november 14-22, 2014 at HKW in Berlin. One hundred international participants will be given the opportunity to engage in this curricular experiment, contributing their own perspectives and expertise. The campus provides a transdisciplinary co-learning space for young scholars from a wide range of disciplinary, academic, and professional backgrounds and opens up a forum for exploring the scopes, scales, and designs of Anthropocene relevant knowledge. The anthropocene campus will be a central component of a series of public events at HKW–including lectures, workshops, exhibitions, screenings, and artistic events – by which the two-year anthropocene project will come to its close.

Applicants should be strongly committed to interdisciplinary collaboration and demonstrate a broad interest in Anthropocene related research questions. Active participation is expected both during the Campus as well as in pre- and postwork to be assigned by the instructors.

An essential part of the output of the anthropocene curriculum will be the collaborative production of an anthropocene coursebook. The online platform will serve as central tool for the development and communication of syllabi, coursework, and the coursebook, and provide a long-time discussion space for all participants.

More information on the background of this project, seminar contents, the instructors, selection criteria and the application procedure can be found here.

Applicants
The call primarily addresses doctoral students (or equivalent) from a wide range of disciplinary backgrounds in the sciences, humanities, engineering, design, and the arts. However, excellent final-year master’s degree candidates as well as postdocs are also encouraged to apply. Moreover, the call extends to researchers and actors from outside of academia, including research oriented institutions from civil society, the arts and politics (e.g. think-tanks, NGOs).

Working language
The working language will be English.

Procedure
All applications must be made using the online application form on our website:
anthropocene-curriculum.org, and submitted no later than April 30, 2014. Applicants must submit a CV, a brief description of their interest in the Anthropocene–as well as the anthropocene curriculum project in particular–and name a reference person.

Acceptance
Letters will be sent out until May 30, 2014. Registration for the campus begins on June 16, 2014 on the website, where participants will have the opportunity to choose their individual course from among the series of seminars.

Registration & funding
The registration fee of € 100 covers meals and accommodation. The participants are expected to procure their own travel funding. A very limited number of need-based travel grants can be provided. Please indicate and specify your necessity in the application form.

Contact
For further questions or information contact us.

The Anthropocene Curriculum is part of the Anthropocene Project. The Anthropocene Project is an initiative of Haus der Kulturen der Welt in cooperation with the Max Planck Society, Deutsches Museum, the Rachel Carson Center for Environment and Society, Munich and the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies, Potsdam.

Int’l Colloquium on Comm 2014 Germany

International Colloquium on Communication 2014

University of Muenster (Germany)
Sunday, 27. July 2014, 18:00 h to Friday, 1st. August 2014, 12:00 h

Theme: “Communication as Performance and the Performativity of Communication”
The International Colloquium on Communication (ICC) is an interdisciplinary conference that invites scholars from the U.S. and Europe to present and discuss new results of research on communication. The ICC was founded in 1968 and takes place every other year. A specific feature of the ICC is its small size, with only about 25 participants. Each scholar presents a paper that is followed by a discussion among the entire group. The length of the colloquium allows additional time for interaction and dialogue. The conference will be held in English.
The general aim of the ICC is to discuss current results of research on communication and to emphasize a critical view on institutional and political contexts.

A specific aim of ICC 2014 is to stimulate research on performativity and the performative turn in communication scholarship.  The focus on performance and performativity emphasizes communication as behavior, acting, and event.  This focus brings attention to the material practice of doing communication, what is done in communication, and the difference it makes in our lives and institutions.  The focus on Performance and Performativity can include such topics for presentation as:

(1)  Performance as technical term for “actio” in the field of rhetoric: e.g. research on verbal and non-verbal communication and factors that construct meaning, and  linguistic research on patterns of behavior in communication.

(2)  Performance as cultural performance: to broaden the research on social interaction as cultural performance (Goffman) as well as the research on the concept of habitus by discourse analysis (Foucault, Bourdieu).
a.     Investigations on the role of the Internet and social media such as Facebook and blogs in the performance of the self and social movements.
b.     Investigations in journalism, photography, and in health communication drawing on the performative turn, such as alternative news sites on the Internet, interactive news discussions on the Internet, health care communication through interactive modules, discussion boards, and blogs, performativity and intercultural health communication
c.     Investigations on the performative in political discourse, especially as influenced by the new media.

(3)  Performativity as a linguistic term: research on performative utterances (Austin/Searle) to understand utterances which have performative functions in language and communication.

(4)  Performance and Performativity as terms in theatre and art:
a.     Research on Performance Art from the perspective of Performativity: The “Esthetics of Performativity” (“Ästhetik des Performativen”, Fischer-Lichte) turns the involved audience into participants and brings about a transformation for both, the performer as well as the audience. This is due to the process of their experiencing the performance.
b.     To investigate communication as Performance with the analytical tool of performance analysis used by dramatics (see the keywords “staging – physical presence/ corporeality – perception – representation”) and Performativity as paradigm used by cultural studies to focus on the processes of semiotic expression, action, perception and constructing reality. What new ideas are provided by this paradigm for research on patterns of communication?

(5)  Didactics of communication, connected with “Pedagogics of Performativity” analyzes processes of interaction and dramatic actions as well as physical presence, media, and texture of the materials in education. How does this research influence the understanding of communicative competence?

Those interested in presenting a paper at the ICC should submit an abstract of 150-200 words to the Program Chairs listed below, by 31 January, 2014. U.S. based scholars are asked to submit to Kevin Carragee, while European scholars are asked to submit to Annette Moennich.

Submission opening: 20 January 2014
Submission deadline: 1 March 2014

Contact:
Prof. Dr. Kevin Carragee, Program chair (USA) (Department of Communication and Journalism, Suffolk University, Boston, MA, USA)

Dr. Annette Moennich, Conference and program chair (Europe) (Germanistisches Institut, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Germany) 

CFP Religious others, schooling, civic identities

Religious ‘Others,’ Schooling, and the Negotiation of Civic Identities

Interdisciplinary Symposium
25.06. – 28.06.2014
Hannover, Germany

The symposium will explore the relationship between hegemonic discourses of citizenship, religio-cultural belonging, and the negotiation of civic identities among religio-cultural minority youths in educational settings. The question of how non-dominant youths negotiate their civic identities as citizens in light of their coexisting religio-cultural identities has been at the center of a heated debate in many modern societies. The ongoing public concern about the resurgence of the religious  – and here especially the religious ‘other’ – in the public sphere has led to the emergence of a public debate over how to handle the ‘religious’ in the institutions, civic society, and public sphere of ‘postsecular’ society. The symposium will explore how societal master narratives about secularity, religion/ the religious ‘other,’ and citizenship are instantiated in the everyday practices of schools and classrooms, and how students from religious minority groups in turn come to navigate their identities as citizens.

These questions will be theorized and explored empirically in presentations and discussion workshops focused on 1) the macro-level of hegemonic formations of citizenship and belonging that characterizes classrooms across a variety of settings, with particular attention to the role of the religious ‘other’ in these formations, 2) the micro-level of everyday practices through which these formations are enacted in curricula and in the classroom, 3) the personal experience of moments of inclusion, exclusion, and silencing, and 4) the policy level of ongoing transformations and mutual openings that allow for the construction of a shared civic identity among youths as future citizens.

Researchers from a range of disciplines, including, but not limited to, education, anthropology, religious studies, philosophy, linguistics, sociology, and political science, are invited to participate.

Application deadline with short statement of interest: July 10, 2013

Call for Participation

Travel cost and lodging will be covered for all accepted participants. At this point we are solicitating informal statements of interest of academic researchers who would be interested in contributing to the symposium by giving paper presentations or leading workshops on particular topics. Please send your letter of interest together with a short CV, contact information, and a specification of your research interest in relation to the theme of symposium to: Dr. Julia Eksner by July 10, 2013.

A full proposal will be submitted to the Volkswagen Foundation. If funded, doctoral and post-doctoral students will be invited to participate during fall 2013.

Symposium Organizers:

Julia Eksner, Ph.D.
Freie Universität Berlin
Institute of Social and Cultural Anthropology/ Institute of Intercultural Education
Landoltweg 9-11
14195 Berlin
eMail: julia.eksner AT fu-berlin.de

Zvi Bekerman, Ph.D.
School of Education, Melton Center
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Mount Scopus
Jerusalem
Israel, 91905
eMail: zvi.bekerman AT mail.huji.ac.il

Andreas Pöllmann Profile

ProfilesAndreas Pöllmann (Ph.D., 2008, M.A., 2004, Department of Sociology, University of Essex, UK) is a full time researcher and lecturer in intercultural education at Paderborn University in Germany.

Andreas PöllmannHe is a member of the International Sociology Association (i.e., Racism, Nationalism and Ethnic Relations, Sociology of Education, and Sociology of Migration Research Committees). His works have appeared in Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education, Educational Studies, European Societies, and SAGE Open – focusing on feelings of national and supranational attachment, inclusive forms of national identity, intercultural education, and the notion of intercultural capital. He is currently conducting conceptual and empirical research on sociocultural inequalities in the realization of intercultural capital, with a particular interest in the (unfulfilled) potential of schooling and school management. Further regularly updated information will be available on academia.edu

Selected publications:

Pöllmann, A. (2017). Intercultural education and the realization of intercultural capital in Mexico. iMex Revista: México Interdisciplinario, 6(12), 80-93.

Pöllmann, A. (2016). Habitus, reflexivity and the realization of intercultural capital: The (unfulfilled) potential of intercultural education. Cogent Social Sciences, 2(1), 1-12. DOI: 10.1080/23311886.2016.1149915.

Pöllmann, A. (2013). Intercultural capital: Toward the conceptualization, operationalization, and empirical investigation of a rising marker of socio-cultural distinction. SAGE Open, 3(2), 1-7. DOI: 10.1177/2158244013486117.

Work for CID:

Andreas Pöllmann wrote KC6: Intercultural Capital and translated it into German and Spanish. He has also reviewed translations into Spanish and French.

Gutenberg U Mainz job ad

JOHANNES GUTENBERG UNIVERSITY OF MAINZ
Department of Communication Sciences (Institut für Publizistik)
Professor – Political Communication

The Faculty 02 – Social Sciences, Media and Sports – at Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, Germany, invites applications for the position of a University Professor for Communication Sciences with a Focus on Political Communication (successor of Prof. Dr. Hans Mathias Kepplinger) of the Department of Communication Sciences (Institut für Publizistik) to be filled by October 1, 2013.

The candidates are expected to provide evidence of broad empirical and theoretical research experience in the field of political communication. In teaching, they shall cover core fields, among them at least two of the following: methods, media history, media politics, public opinion, news communication, communicator research, or media effects. Besides a doctorate, evidence of outstanding scientific achievements has to be provided. Teaching duties may also be fulfilled in English.

The Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz supports the concept of intensive supervision of the students and thus expects high presence of the teaching staff at the University. It also aims to increase the share of women in the scientific field and thus asks female scientists to apply. Preference will be given to severely disabled candidates in case of equal qualifications.

Candidates with completed studies and doctorate are asked to send their application in German or English, accompanied by the usual documents (publications only on request), to the Dean of Faculty 02 – Social Sciences, Media and Sports – Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, 55099 Mainz, Germany, by March 1, 2013 (date of postmark).

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European Intercultural Forum

The European Intercultural Forum e.V., a NGO based in Berlin, operating in the fields of youth participation, European Citizenship, conflict management and intercultural learning is looking for new partners in the fields of the Action 2 of the Youth in Action Programme: European Voluntary Service.

We are registered as a sending organisation under reference 2010-DE-31 on the EVS database and are looking for EVS hosting placements in various countries for motivated young volunteers from Germany (including fewer opportunities profiles).
Please contact us in case you would like to host volunteers from Berlin on short-term and/or long-term EVS projects and discuss possible partnerships.

EVS coordinator: Tiphaine Coulardeau
European Intercultural Forum e.V.
Prenzlauer Allee 176, Berlin
eif.germany@…

—
European Intercultural Forum e.V.
Address | Prenzlauer Allee 176, 10409 Berlin – Germany
Mail | eif.germany@…
Website | www.european-intercultural-forum.org

Iris I. Varner Profile

ProfilesIris I. Varner is Professor Emeritus for International Business at Illinois State University where she was a professor and the Director of the International Business Institute.

Varner is a past President of the Association for Business Communication (ABC). She has won the ABC’s Outstanding Teaching Award and was named Fellow of ABC, and Distinguished Member of ABC. She received several departmental research and teaching awards. She is a native of Germany. She earned the Staatsexamen at the Albert-Ludwigs-Universitaet in Freiburg, Germany. She received her Ph.D., an M.A. in German literature and an MBA from Oklahoma University.

Varner’s research interests focus on the interaction between business management, culture, and communication. Varner is co-author of the book, Intercultural Communication in the Global Workplace. Varner has done research on expatriation, cultural adjustments for successful expatriation, and criteria determining expatriate success. She has also examined the composition of corporate boards in Asia, Europe and North America, focusing on gender representation and international preparedness. Varner is an adjunct professor at the University of Lugano, Switzerland and a visiting professor at the University of Dresden, Germany. In addition, she has given lectures and seminars in New Zealand, Hong Kong, China, Japan, Belgium, France, Russia, and Poland. She serves on the editorial board for the Journal of Business Communication, and the Business Communication Quarterly.

Bremen University Fellowships

“The Bremen International Graduate School of Social Sciences (BIGSSS) invites applications to its Ph.D. and postdoctoral programs. BIGSSS is an inter-university institute of the University of Bremen and Jacobs
University and is funded by the German Excellence Initiative. The program provides close supervision of dissertation work within a demand-tailored education and research framework. Fellows are expected to choose Bremen as their place of residence. BIGSSS is part of an international network of highly acknowledged graduate programs. It supports its doctoral and postdoctoral fellows in achieving early scientific independence and provides funds for the conduct, presentation, and publishing of their research. The language of instruction is English, and non-German students are encouraged to apply.

Successful applicants for the Ph.D. and Preparatory Fellowships will pursue a topic in one or more of BIGSSS’ five Thematic Fields:
– Global Integration
– Integration and Diversity in the New Europe
– Social Integration and the Welfare State
– Attitude Formation, Value Change, and Intercultural Communication
– Life-Course and Lifespan Dynamics.

15 Ph.D. Stipends/Fellowships: BIGSSS seeks candidates with strong academic abilities and a Master’s degree (or equivalent) in political science, sociology, or psychology.

2 Preparatory Fellowships for BA Graduates: Additionally BIGSSS offers 2 stipends of € 850/month for particularly talented BA graduates. After fulfilling some course requirements and having their proposals accepted within the first year, candidates can switch into the regular three year program.

2 Postdoctoral Stipends/Fellowships: We seek candidates pursuing English-language publication projects based either on their dissertations (by making findings available to an international audience through a book or journal article) or new research. Postdoctoral stipends of € 1750/month may run for between 6
and 24 months.

Ph.D. fellowships will start September 1, 2011, Postdoctoral fellows may plan their stays to begin later. Non-German students are strongly encouraged to apply. BIGSSS strives to increase the share of women in
the university and hence also strongly encourages women to apply. Applicants with disabilities who are equally qualified will be favored.”

More information can be found at the Bremen University site.

German Turkish University established

“On 22 October 2010 [Germany’s] Federal President Christian Wulff and [Turkey’s] President Abdullah Gül jointly laid the foundation stone for the new University. The Turkish President had previously appointed Prof. Ziya Şanal its first President, thereby officially founding the University. During his visit to Ankara in January 2010, Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle had emphasized that the German-Turkish University was something in which he took a keen personal interest, adding: “We believe it is important the University embarks on teaching activities as soon as possible.”

Courses are due to begin at the University’s initially five faculties in autumn 2011. The planned faculties are: law, natural science, engineering, humanities and cultural studies, economics and social science. The University will offer Bachelor, Master and PhD degrees. These qualifications, as well as the curricula and associated quality assurance, are to be based on European education standards (the Bologna Process). German-Turkish courses aimed at fostering intercultural cooperation will be the University’s special hallmark. Students will also have the option of earning German degrees and learning the German language.

The German-Turkish University hopes to cooperate closely with Turkish and German companies. It aims to meet the growing need for well-trained specialists in Turkey, whose economy is experiencing dynamic growth.

The Turkish side will provide land, buildings and infrastructure and assume the recurring costs. The University hopes to cater for up to 5000 students in the medium term.

German contributions include, among other things, the secondment of senior and junior lecturers, the development of curricula and the provision of equipment and materials for the planned new language centre.

The Federal Ministry of Education and Research is providing major support to help make the German-Turkish University a reality. The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) is responsible for coordination among the participating German universities.”

For further information, see the original posting on the German Foreign Office site. This university is one result of the Ernst Reuter Initiative for Intercultural Dialogue and Understanding, between Turkey and Germany.

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