Tag: University of the West of England

CFP iMean 5 Conference: Language & Change (UK)

iMean 5 Conference, UWE Bristol, 6- 8 April 2017
CALL for Papers (by 5 January 2017)
Papers are invited for the iMean5 conference to be held at the University of the West of England, Bristol, 6- 8 April 2017

The fifth iMean conference maintains its traditional focus on meaning in social interaction, with a thematic orientation to Language and Change.

We will be considering changes at the linguistic level but also how changes at a societal level affect language use and our conceptions and analysis of it. Our increasingly interconnected and fast-moving world has led to an upsurge in mobility and to the possibility of greater variation, language contact and change. The linguistically diverse nature of contemporary societies has implications for social justice, with potentially differential access to the public sphere. Different contexts of use and new media may also bring new styles and manners of expression. As society changes, so must our conceptual and epistemological models and old questions and concepts require new approaches and angles.

The conference welcomes papers which focus on Language and Change, on norms and/or shifts in language use and, more generally, on theoretical and methodological developments in research on sociopragmatics.

iMean5 aims to  take a critical approach to current conceptions of ‘language and change’, focused around (but not restricted to) the following themes:
• The impact of globalisation, population mobility and the growth of cities on language use
• How identities are constructed and negotiated through language in the 21st. century
• Norms and variations in im/polite language behaviour
• Language change at different levels of linguistic analysis
• New media and language use

Invited plenary speakers (confirmed):
• Gisle Andersen, University of Bergen
• Christine Béal, Université Paul Valéry Montpellier 3
• Jenny Cheshire, Queen Mary, University of London
• Michael Haugh, University of Queensland
• Barbara Johnstone, Carnegie Mellon University
• Zuraidah Mohd Don, University of Malaya

In line with the iMean tradition, the conference aims to encourage multidisciplinary thinking and to create new pathways in linguistic research.

The conference will, as usual, include two specialist Colloquia, an Atelier AFLS and a summative Round Table at which the keynote speakers are invited to debate the conference theme.

Atelier AFLS
Participants who would like to present in French or present specifically French data are invited to join the Atelier AFLS which will take place as part of the conference.
• Round table: What’s new in Language and Change?

Submission Details for Individual Papers:

Abstracts of no more than 350 words (max and including references, if absolutely necessary) are invited. They should be submitted online.

The deadline for receipt of abstracts is 5 January 2017. Abstracts should NOT include the name and affiliation of the author(s). If your submission is part of a Panel, or the Atelier AFLS, or you would like to propose your paper as part of one of the Colloquia, please state this clearly at the top of your submission.

Watershed Professor of City Futures (University of the West of England job ad)

Watershed Professor of City Futures
University of the West of England, Bristol – Film & Journalism
Closing date: 31 March 2016

An ambitious university, UWE Bristol is committed to advancing knowledge, inspiring people and transforming futures.

The Faculty of Arts, Creative Industries and Education is seeking to appoint a Professor who will investigate the inter-relationships between Bristol’s citizens, its public spaces, and the digital creative interventions allowed by the context of ubiquitous and pervasive computing. Embedded within the city, in dialogue with partners and projects, the post-holder will bring an insider vantage-point to a critical examination of the practices and impacts of digital media in the city region and beyond.

The Watershed Professor of City Futures will be based at the Digital Cultures Research Centre in the Pervasive Media Studio, within UWE’s City Campus, but will engage in an interdisciplinary dialogue across the University. The postholder will work closely with the Watershed’s digital innovation processes, including the Playable City initiative and the growing international network of partners in that project.

The Digital Cultures Research Centre (DCRC) enables, supports and promotes world-leading research into innovative creative practices – economies, pleasures, publics – in a context of rapid digital transformation. We study the application, practices and politics of emerging technologies; we critically reflect on their ethics, values and aesthetics.

The current focus of the DCRC is on four broad research themes: Playable Media, Future Documentary, The Automation of Everyday Life and Creative Economy. 2015/2016 sees the Centre hosting research seminar series on Cultural Value and the Anthropocene, and holding the fourth i-Docs Symposium – the UK’s only conference on interactive documentary. The Rooms festival marks the culmination of the REACT project, with evaluation and publication underway. Meanwhile, a new MA in Creative Producing is in development for 2016, in collaboration with Pervasive Media Studio.

If you would like an informal discussion, please contact Peter Rawlings.

Salary details:
UWE Bristol operates a competitive merit pay scheme for its professors which can significantly extend the baseline salary.