ECREA WEEKLY digest ARTICLES

Diana Garrisi

• The book constitutes an original interdisciplinary contribution to the media history of the human body
  
• It explores the cultural and historical foundations of wound representation in Western media
  
• The case study approach generates an in-depth examination of the connection between dermatology and the Victorian press

About this book

Drawing on a wide range of primary sources, this book explains what made skin newsworthy in Victorian Britain. It represents a unique contribution to the media history of the human body by delving into the cultural and historical underpinnings of wound representation in Western culture. Employing a case study approach, the book provides a comprehensive exploration of the interplay between dermatology and the Victorian press. This work suggests that there was a mutually constitutive relationship between skin reporting and the formal evolution of news discourse during the nineteenth century. Narratives related to skin, such as wounds caused by corporal punishment, plagues resulting from neglect in workhouses, and occupational skin diseases, emerged as defining features of Victorian newspapers. Notably, media coverage of wounded skin assumed a central rhetorical position in debates pertaining to discipline, abuse, poverty, labour, and social norms, a legacy still discernible in contemporary journalism. Analysing the mediation of the wounded body in Victorian Britain offers a unique insight into the foundations of modern journalism. It sheds light on the impossibility of maintaining an objective framework when observing and reporting on bodies in pain. Paradoxically, news writers and commentators of that era navigated this challenge by encapsulating such narratives within rhetorical constructs that provided a template for the evolution of contemporary news values.

https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-75368-8

September 17-19, 2025

Karlstad (Sweden)

Deadline: April 14, 2025

Passion is a multifaceted concept that encompasses not only joy and intense emotional investment but also pain and suffering. Passion’s significance in the realm of media, visual cultures and artistic practices serves as a driving force behind the relationship people develop with technologies, platforms, content, and forms of creation, as well as with places, territories and other spatial formations. The rise of digital media has amplified a cultural turn to passion, as individuals and communities increasingly pursue activities they love, often translating personal interests into online expressions, creative projects, and even careers. Likewise, new media platforms serve to foster and channel various forms of spatial attachments and engagements, ranging from local entrepreneurship to geo-political battles. 

(Geo)media technologies facilitate such multifaceted passionate engagement. In neoliberal markets, passion is also commodified through the concept of passionate labor, where individuals are encouraged to transform their zeal for specific subjects into monetizable content or professional endeavors. This creates a dialectic tension, as the passion-driven work promoted by social media platforms often blurs the borders between leisure and labor. It also challenges longstanding geographies of work and gives rise to new spaces and mobilities at the intersection of leisure and labor (e.g., digital nomadism). 

Moreover, the debates surrounding passion in media and visual cultures are not unidirectional; they are countered by forms of resistance that challenge dominant narratives of media-driven enthusiasm. These counter-passions critique the pressure to constantly access, engage, create, evaluate, and consume content, or places, pointing to the negative consequences of excessive digital immersion. Media’s role in shaping affective structures around passion thus reveals both the empowering and detrimental effects of intense emotional engagement.

The 6th International Geomedia Conference Transforming Passions marks the 10th anniversary of the Geomedia conference series and explores, among other dimensions: refocusing emotional energy to imagine alternative futures and push for systemic changes; questioning the role of media in relation to individuals’ and groups’ emotional investments into space and place; reorienting personal affective experiences into collective action; reevaluating the risks associated with commodified or exploited passion in digital labor; and redefining current understandings of passion into new forms that are artistic, social, political, or technologically mediated.

We welcome contributions that address issues of, but do not have to be limited to:

• spaces and places of mediated intimacy and (com)passion
  
• affective dimensions of digital (media) labor
  
• passion in representations of space and place 
  
• feelings and experiences of connection / disconnection 
  
• passion’s states of being and modes of becoming
  
• passions and desires of the self and their surroundings
  
• (geo)media and love of place and/or environment
  
• geopolitics and the mediation of affect 
  
• passion, media and territorialization
  
• temporalities and proximities of passion
  
• affective dimensions of mobility and tourism 
  
• (social) media and performance of love, hate, and everything in-between
  
• solid and unstable forms of passion, passion and privilege, passion and glitches, failures and uncertainties
  
• passion and the public sphere
  
• transformative potential of passion’s fragilities and vulnerabilities
  
• passion and its boundaries or excessiveness
  
• environmental and sustainable passions
  
• mediating emotions in times of political and social turmoil
  
• the democratic role of passion
  
• passion as a form of agency
  
• passion as a concept and/or method in research and activism
  
• cocreating passion in and through artistic practice
  
• transmedia and transdisciplinary perspectives of passion

The International Geomedia Conference 2025 welcomes proposals from film, media and cultural studies, game studies, communication studies, journalism, media anthropology, human and cultural geography, urban studies, design, cultural and artistic practices and the arts.  

The theme Transforming Passions will be addressed through invited keynote sessions, plenary panels and workshops, audiovisual screenings and conversations. Participants are encouraged to submit proposals for individual papers, artistic contributions, audiovisual essays, workshops or paper sessions addressing the conference theme. 

Keynote speakers:

Confirmed speakers include Paul C. Adams (University of Texas at Austin, USA), Mark Deuze (University of Amsterdam, NL), Annette Hill (Jönköping University, SE), Jyoti Mistry (University of Gothenburg, SE), Kaarina Nikunen (Tampere University, FI), Erika Polson (University of Denver, USA), Jenny Sundén (Södertörn University, SE) 

Abstract submissions:

The Geomedia Conference 2025 invites proposals for individual papers, thematic panels, audiovisual essays, workshops or paper sessions in English through the conference submission system opening in February 2025. 

Each proposal should include the following information:

• Title
  
• Abstract
  
• Presentation format
  
• Biographical note of max. 100 words
  
• 3-5 keywords
  

Individual Paper proposals, Artistic Contribution proposal, Audiovisual Essay proposal: The authors submit abstracts of 250-300 words. Accepted papers are grouped by the organizers into sessions of 3-4 papers each according to thematic fitting. 

Thematic Panel proposals: The panel chair submits a single pdf document proposal consisting of 3-4 individual paper abstracts of 200-250 words along with a general panel presentation of 200-250 words.  

Workshop proposals: The workshop chair submits a single pdf document proposal consisting of individual workshop contribution abstracts of 200-250 words each, if applicable, along with a general workshop presentation of 250-300 words. 

Publication opportunities: Selected papers and contributions from the conference may be considered for publication in an edited volume and/or a special journal issue.

Conference timeline:

February 2025: Submission system opens for individual papers, thematic panels, artistic contributions and audiovisual essays

14 April 2025: Submission system closes for individual papers, thematic panels, artistic contributions and audiovisual essays

26 May 2025: Notes of acceptance are out and registration opens 

More information, including conference fee and practical information, will be added to the conference website continuously: www.kau.se/transformingpassions 

If you have any questions, feel free to email us at: geomedia2025@kau.se

The conference is organized by the Centre for Geomedia Studies at Karlstad University, Sweden. There will also be events taking place across the city of Karlstad.  

For the organizers at the Department of Geography, Media and Communication, Karlstad University, Sweden:

• Georgia Aitaki, Conference Director
  
• Doris Posch, Conference Co-Director
  
• André Jansson, Director of the Centre for Geomedia Studies
  
• Richard Ek, Head of Scientific Committee
  

Application deadline: January 15, 2025, 23:59 CET

Are you a PhD candidate or a post-doctoral researcher in a non-tenure position looking for opportunities for professional development, international networking, and academic leadership experience? The Young Scholars Network (YECREA) seeks to fill 18 vacant representative positions across various sections, networks, and temporary working groups across the ECREA. 

The role involves organizing academic events, facilitating networking opportunities, and supporting early-career scholars within specific ECREA sections. 

For the complete call for applications, including detailed position descriptions, eligibility requirements, and application guidelines, please visit: https://yecrea.eu/2024/12/10/call-for-applications-yecrea-section-representatives-2025-18-vacant-positions/  

For questions, contact: yecreanetwork@gmail.com 

June 11, 2025, 9:00 am–5:00 pm

University of Denver, Colorado, USA

Deadline: February 1, 2025

Theme: Exploring visual communication’s role in documenting and influencing social change amidst technological and sociopolitical transitions. 

Focus Areas:

Phenomena-oriented: Examining visual representations of events and trends, including the impact of technologies like generative AI on issues such as disinformation and creative expression.

Actor/Agent-oriented: Research on individuals, groups, and organizations creating and engaging with visual content during transitions (e.g., visual storytelling, photojournalism).

Method-oriented: Exploring methodologies for studying visual meaning-making and innovative tools for analysis.

Participation:

Traditional Research: Submit anonymized extended abstracts (1,000 words) by February 1, 2025.

Research Escalator: Submit work-in-progress abstracts (500 words) for mentorship pairing.

Full CfP:

https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.icahdq.org/resource/resmgr/conference/2025/pc-cfp-frames-transition.pdf

Submit abstracts by February 1, 2025: https://bit.ly/4fdwT68

Notifications: March 11, 2025

Co-sponsors: ICA Global Communication and Social Change Division

Registration: $50 (includes lunch and refreshments). Invitation-only participation. Notifications by March 11, 2025.

June 18-20, 2025

University of Lincoln (UK)

Deadline (extended): December 20, 2025

We’re delighted to announce our keynotes:

• Dr Debashree Mukherjee (Columbia University, USA)
  
• Dr Kate Terkanian (Bournemouth University, UK)
  

This seventh iteration of the Women’s Film and Television History Network conference will foreground transnational and transmedial approaches to histories of women’s work in and across film, television and related media. The conference seeks to expand women’s film and TV histories by exploring cross-border and cross-medial relationships.

An 'entangled’ approach to film, TV and media historiography problematises national and mono-medial histories (Cronqvist and Hilgert, 2017). It recognises the complex processes by which film and television are made, distributed, seen and received across borders, be they geographical, cultural, ideological or otherwise defined, and in dialogue with other media.

This compels us to ‘read against the grain’ of existing histories, paying attention to ‘how historical silences are produced’ (Hilmes, 2017). These are the fundamentals of feminist media historiography, and this conference aims to bring women’s voices, figures, organisations, and stories into the light, giving them sharper focus. The conference will emphasise women’s roles in these entanglements. Our understanding of ‘women’ is inclusive and gender-expansive.

We encourage transmedial approaches that account for the role of women in the long histories of media convergence in different social and cultural contexts, as well as related practices, such as divergence, conglomeration, inter- and cross-mediality. ‘Media’ is defined broadly.  Work that engages with (interconnected) histories of women’s film and television beyond Western contexts is welcome.   

We are calling for papers in any area of women’s film and television history, but especially those that respond to the theme, on topics such as, but not limited to: 

•             Entangled and / or transnational women’s media histories and historiography: theory, practice, challenges 

•             Case studies of film and TV workers across national or medial borders

•             Historicising women’s role in digital or online screen media production, distribution, consumption, promotion, publicity or criticism.

•             Media convergence pre- and post-digital media

•             Feminist and/or decolonising approaches to media archaeology

•             Methodological challenges and approaches to entangled media histories

•             Entangled histories in cinema and TV industries beyond the mainstream e.g. amateur cinema, community television, independent and activist film and TV.

We welcome proposals in the following three formats:

1.            15-minute presentations, including the following information: 

2.            pre-constituted panels with a maximum of 4 speakers (panel length will be 90 minutes and should include at least 15 minutes for discussion). Pre-constituted panel proposals should include:

Panels can also be constituted as roundtables, workshops or other non-standard forms. Please contact the organising team to discuss ideas.

3.            Practice-led contributions which address women’s histories in film, television and audio/visual media are encouraged. Please submit: 

If accepted, practice-led contributions may be presented as part of panels or as a limited number of separate sessions/screenings and/or made available to delegates online.  

Please submit here: https://forms.office.com/e/NvRLHtdNa2

Extended deadline for proposals: 20 December 2024. The acceptance of your proposal will be communicated to you by the end of January 2025.

If you have any questions please contact Hannah Andrews (handrews@lincoln.ac.uk) and/or Jeongmee Kim (jkim@lincoln.ac.uk). On behalf of the conference organising team: Hannah Andrews, Diane Charlesworth, Jeongmee Kim, and Frances Morgan.

merzWissenschaft, the scientific edition of the media-educational journal merz │ medien + erziehung

Deadline: January 13, 2025

Supervising Editors: Katrin Döveling (Hochschule Darmstadt, University of Applied Sciences), Margreth Lünenborg (Freie Universität Berlin) and the merzWissenschaft editorial team

"Powered by emotions" was the slogan recently chosen by a prominent German television channel to advertise its broadcast program, an indication of the significance of emotions in entertainment communications. The title of a current news podcast is "Feel the news". Here emotions are explicitly mobilized in the encounter with the news. In digital communication, algorithmically-based selection and distribution of media content ranges ultimately make a substantial contribution to evoking and reinforcing emotions and bringing them into the widest possible circulation. Feelings of expectation, curiosity, anger, empathy or abhorrence increase the amount of time users remain on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube; here these platforms differ from one another in terms of their respective unique "emotional architectures" (Wahl-Jorgensen, 2019).

Films evoke our sympathy, immersive VR and AR technologies make it possible for us to empathize with other entities. Negative political stereotypes as well as denigrations based on skin color, ethnicity, sexuality or gender are often the product of emotionally-based media experiences of 'foreign' and 'different'. Attraction to media content ranges as well as experience of media use are substantially affective and based on emotion. Media science and communication science research has long seen emotion as relevant and investigated emotion primarily in areas involving media-psychological consideration of entertainment communications. However, in the meantime the field of research has expanded considerably – at the level of media content ranges, emotions are becoming highly significant in all fields. Whether news about war or other crises, computer game design, presence of social media influencers, suspense dramaturgy in series or curating playlists – the evocation, regulation, intensification and levelling of emotions all play a central role in all aspects of production, presentation and reception of media content ranges. Sensor-driven media such as wearables even realize a direct feedback loop in which sensory experience of the human body is registered and extended, amplified and levelled by media impulses. Thus for example algorithmically-based music selection adapts itself to match the user's pulse rate. A very wide variety of phenomena and irregularities are to be found, both on the media content range side and on the part of media users.

In the field of emotion, media psychological research has made extensive progress in understanding emotions in the reception and impact of a wide range of media. Media-sociological and media-cultural analyses capture the significance of emotions in experiencing media as a social-cultural process. Arlie Hochschild has used the terms 'emotional labor' and 'feeling rules' to clearly delineate the extent of social and cultural formation of emotions and of how emotions themselves in turn form social interaction. Using emojis, pressing the 'like' button and the collaborative design of ironic or sarcastic memes are an exemplary expression of this which also highlights the significance of visual communication. Here media-educational research is interested in the way emotions are influenced by (early-childhood) media use, what the consequences of (intensive) media consumption are for emotion regulation abilities and how the media-based experience of emotion can be practically utilized in learning processes. Simple, uni-directional assumptions on effect have long been a thing of the past. Instead, emotions and the experience of emotion are understood as an essential component of daily interaction with media. From a media-educational perspective this means for example investigation of how parents handle the emotions of their children in media education, which role emotions play in how youth deal with misinformation, how emotions can support (digital) entitlement, or, more broadly speaking, how media appropriation and mental health interact. This type of relational understanding of emotion however entails considerable challenges in both theoretical and empirical terms. Raymond Williams' historical concept of the "structures of feeling" (1977) has given rise to analyses of "emotional regimes" (Reddy, 2001) and – under digital conditions – of the encounter with "infra-structures of feeling" (Coleman, 2018).

Does media and communication science have adequately differentiated theoretical concepts of emotion and affect which are capable of describing and explaining this complex interaction? What theoretical, methodical and methodological challenges does a relational understanding of emotion entail? How can interdisciplinary collaboration enrich communication science research on emotion? And what is the (additional) relevance of communication science research on emotion to (media) educational questions?

We look forward to receiving submissions based on this foundation which critically explore the relationship between emotions and media from a variety of perspectives. Both empirical articles and theoretical-conceptual contributions are welcome. Here the focus should center in particular on the relevance of emotions and emotion research to (media) educational practice.

• What definition of emotion appears adequate for research in digital media landscapes?

• What understanding of emotion manifests in media production by professional stakeholders (journalists, filmmakers, game developers, etc.) and non-professional stakeholders (users, influencers, etc.)?

• How can the significance of emotion as a component part of media content ranges be identified conceptually and empirically and at the same time as a dimension in experiencing media?

• What role does emotion play in the process of creating content?

• What is the influence of emotion on the selection and curation of content (page design, program design, algorithmic selection)

• How can emotions be identified in visual communication?

• What is the role of feeling rules in peer communication via (digital) media content ranges and in dealing with media?

• How can emotional involvement be utilized in learning processes? Can "affective media practices" (Lünenborg et al., 2021) be conceptually useful?

• How is the knowledge of (our own) emotions changed by interaction with media?

• What is the impact of social context on the genesis of emotions?

• How do social media affect the emotional experience of young media users (digital stress, self-expression, digital health)?

• Does permanent networking give rise to new forms of "digital affect culture" (Döveling & Seyfert, 2023) and if so, how can these forms be empirically identified?

• To what extent are emotions taken into account in modeling media literacy?

• What is the significance of emotional experience in media appropriation concepts?

Submissions focusing on specific emotions (e. g. vicarious embarrassment, schadenfreude) and their connection to media content ranges and types of media use are also welcome.

Abstracts with a maximum length of 6,000 characters (including blank spaces) can be submitted to the merz-editorial team (merz@jff.de) until January 13, 2025. Please upload your abstracts at https://www.merz-zeitschrift.de/about/submissions. Submissions should follow the merzWissenschaft layout specifications, available at https://www.merz-zeitschrift.de/manuskriptrichtlinien/. The length of the articles should not exceed a maximum of approximately 4,000 words. Please feel free to contact Susanne Eggert, Fon: +49.89.68989.152, E-Mail: susanne.eggert@jff.de

DEADLINES AT A GLANCE

• 13 January 2025: Submission of abstracts to merz@jff.de

• 3 February 2025: Decision on acceptance/ rejection of abstracts

• 19 May 2025: Submission of articles

• May/June 2025: Assessment phase (double-blind peer review)

• June/July 2025: Revision phase (multi-phase when appropriate)

• End of November 2025: merzWissenschaft 2025 published

August 4-10, 2025

Södertörn University, Sweden

Deadline: February 14, 2025

The ECREA European Media and Communication Doctoral Summer School is an opportunity for European doctoral students to present and develop their ongoing PhD projects and build valuable networks. It brings together members of the European research community to explore contemporary issues within media and communication studies within a supportive social setting. Our main aim is to provide you with support, insights, and guidance through a variety of activities, including individual feedback seminars with leading media and communication scholars.

Call and grants call can be found here: https://ecrea.eu/page-18213

May 2-3, 2025

Jönköping University Sweden

Deadline: January 15, 2025

Organisers: Annette Hill (MKV, Jönköping University) and Hario Priambodho (MKV, Lund University)

Venue: Grand Hotel & Gamla Rådhuset, Jönköping

Media atmospheres are under pressure. There are scientific and metaphorical meanings of atmospheres as related to both climate and infrastructures and emotions and experiences. From the political economic forces applied to media industries, the representation of different climates in film and media, to the feeling of atmospheres surrounding political and cultural engagement, it is timely to question the generation of atmospheres by media technologies and institutions, texts and artefacts, and citizens and audiences.

How can we forge links between established and new theories and methods for media and the environment? We use the concept of ‘media atmospheres’ to promote engagement on this crucial set of topics. For example, media devices, infrastructures and systems impact on atmospheres, including the forces applied to the financing, regulation, production and distribution of media in society and the detrimental impact of media on the climate and environment. How various media create atmospheres is also of significance, from the mood of certain genres in film, TV, podcasts and streaming media, to the political and emotional climate of social media, campaigns and activism.

This multidisciplinary symposium addresses the role of media in generating various atmospheres, both positive and negative, material and symbolic. We invite international researchers to critically examine the theme of media atmospheres through empirical and theoretical research across media and communications, critical infrastructures and technologies, climate and the environment, culture and society.

Core questions for this symposium include 1) What different kinds of atmospheres are generated in media and communications, culture and society? 2) How do media atmospheres generate power and social (in)equalities? 3) Which methodologies and methods can be applied to critically analyse media atmospheres?

The symposium addresses a range of areas, including:

• Phenomenology of atmospheres and media, communication and cultural studies;
  
• Atmospheres and critical infrastructures studies, critical data studies and science and technology studies;
  
• Atmospheres in audience studies, fan studies, and film and reception studies;
  
• Atmospheres and eco media studies, environmental communication and sustainable society;
  
• Creating atmospheres in arts, film, radio, television, social media and web series;
  
• Atmospheres and organisations, work, and labour relations;
  
• Political atmospheres in news, documentary, information, disinformation and polarization, and campaigns;
• Atmospheres in live events, social media, drama, film, radio, podcasting and television studies;
  
• Atmospheres in mobility, transnational communication and transportation of goods and services, humans and non humans.
  

The programme for the symposium across two days includes three keynote panels with invited speakers and open parallel panels. There will be a dedicated website, video and podcasts of keynote panels, and selected papers from the symposium will be edited in an international academic publication. The senior editors at Intellect Press and Routledge will be present, chairing an interactive roundtable on academic publishing for scientific books and journals.

International invited speakers include Julia Brockley (Intellect Press), Simon Dawes (Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, France), Natalie Foster (Routledge), Christine Geraghty (Glasgow University, UK), Joke Hermes (InHolland University, Netherlands), Annette Hill (Jönköping University, Sweden), Peter Lunt (Leicester University, UK), and Dylan Mulvin (LSE, UK), Hario Priambodho (Lund University, Sweden). 

Please submit an abstract of 300 words in English by January 15, 2025 to Hario Priambodho (hario.priambodho@kom.lu.se). For further information please consult our website https://ju.se/Media%20Atmospheres%20international%20symposium

There is a registration fee of 2800 SEK. The fee covers lunches, beverages and snacks over two days, and a grand three course meal at the end of symposium at Grand Hotel.

School of English, Drama and Creative Studies, University of Birmingham (UK)

APPLY NOW

104941

Position Details

School of English, Drama and Creative Studies

Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK

Full time starting salary is normally in the range £46,485 to £55,295 with potential progression once in post to £62,098

Grade: 8

Full Time, Permanent

Closing date: 13th January 2025

International travel may be required for this role

Academic Development Programme - new Assistant Professors will undertake a 5-year development programme, at the end of which they are expected to be promoted to Associate Professor. The programme consists of a variety of development opportunities and the time to reflect and develop. 

Background

The Department of Linguistics and Communication

The Department of Linguistics and Communication is a world-leading centre of excellence for both teaching and research with students based in Birmingham as well as in over thirty different countries. It forms a central part of the School of English, Drama, Creative Studies, within the College of Arts and Law. The Department has an excellent track record in teaching and an active research culture with productive collaboration within and beyond the University, and wide-ranging public engagement. Staff in the department research and teach across the full range of English Language and Applied Linguistics, including Corpus Linguistics, Cognitive Linguistics, Stylistics, Discourse Analysis, New Media and English Language Teaching. The Department is home to the Centre for Corpus Research (CCR) which highlights the strong cross-disciplinary reach of corpus linguistics at Birmingham with particular focus on the links between cognitive linguistics, psycholinguistics and stylistics. CCR provides access to a range of corpora and has a dedicated computer suite with specialist resources as well as an eye-tracking laboratory.

The School of English, Drama and Creative Studies (EDACS)

The School of English, Drama and Creative Studies is a vibrant and thriving school situated within the College of Arts and Law. It hosts a community of academics and students researching and learning together in areas including Linguistics, Media and Communication, Film Studies, English Literature, Creative Writing and Drama and Theatre Arts. Many of our undergraduate and postgraduate programmes combine academic scholarship with creative practice and offer students opportunities to learn from industry experts and partners in the Creative Industries. One of the School’s strengths includes the study of Shakespeare both on the Edgbaston Campus and at the Shakespeare Institute in Stratford-upon-Avon. EDACS encourages inter-disciplinarity and intellectual collaboration both in teaching and research.

Equal Opportunities

The University of Birmingham is an equal opportunities employer. The School of English, Drama and Creative Studies recognises that strength and success comes from diversity and strives to maintain a flexible and supportive environment that enables all staff and students to flourish. The School holds a Silver Athena SWAN award.

Interview format/requirements

Shortlisted candidates will be required to attend for interview and deliver a presentation. Further information will be given to shortlisted candidates.

There will be an on-line drop-in session with Dr Joe Spencer-Bennett and Professor Ruth Page from the Department of Linguistics and Communication on 10 December 2024 between 11am and 12pm for people who might wish to ask a question in person rather than via email. If you would like to book a short slot, please email Dr Joe Spencer-Bennett (J.A.Bennett.1@bham.ac.uk).

Role Summary

As part of strategic growth and investment in Digital Media and Communications, the School seeks to recruit an Assistant Professor with effect from 1st April 2025 to be based on the University’s Edgbaston campus. The post holder will demonstrate particular expertise in language and new media, and be able to evidence experience of teaching and research in this subject area.

The post holder will contribute high quality teaching to our suite of successful programmes which includes the BA in Digital Media and Communications launched on the University’s Edgbaston campus in September 2023, the MA in Digital Media and Creative Industries launched on the Edgbaston campus in September 2024, and the MA in Digital Media and Communications to be launched on the Edgbaston campus in September 2025. The post holder will also play an active role in the development of our Digital Media and Communications provision on the University’s Dubai campus, including optional travel opportunities to that campus. 

Research excellence will include initiating, conducting and disseminating original research. The post holder’s research will have measurable outcomes reflected in growing national (and ideally international) reputation.

In addition to delivering excellence in teaching and research, successful candidates will be expected to demonstrate academic citizenship, developing and maintaining generous, mutually respectful and supportive working relationships with all colleagues and students.

Management and administration is likely to involve contributions at Departmental and School level, and/or making an important contribution to some managerial/leadership activities (e.g. working groups) within the University. This may include developing and making substantial contributions to knowledge transfer, enterprise, business engagement, public engagement, widening participation, school’s outreach, or similar activities at Department/School level or further within the University.

Main Duties

Education 

Using a variety of methods in teaching and advising individuals and groups of undergraduates, postgraduates, or CPD students, including (as appropriate):

• teaching and examining courses at a range of levels;
  
• planning and reviewing your own teaching approaches and encouraging others to do the same;
  
• designing contemporary, inclusive, engaging and academically challenging curriculum content;
  
• working collaboratively with colleagues to design and deliver teaching, learning and assessment;
  
• using digital resources/environments effectively to support learning and assessment;
  
• developing programme proposals and making substantial contributions to the design of teaching programmes more widely;
  
• where appropriate, undertaking and developing the full range of responsibilities in relation to supervision, marking and examining;
  
• developing and advising others on learning and teaching tasks and methods;
  
• developing and making substantial contributions to knowledge transfer, enterprise, business engagement, public engagement activities or similar on own specialism that enhances the student experience or employability and which benefits the College and University;
  
• devising and supervising projects, student dissertations and practical work. 
  

Research

Planning and carrying out research, including (as appropriate):

• planning and publishing high quality research, including winning financial support;
  
• project managing research activities, and/or supervising other research staff;
  
• presenting findings in publications and conference proceedings;
  
• effectively supervising and mentoring PhD students or early Career Researchers;
  
• providing expert advice to staff and students within the discipline;
  
• participating in research-related enabling activities such as adding value to a cross disciplinary network;
  
• applying knowledge in a way which develops new intellectual understanding;
  
• developing and making substantial contributions to knowledge transfer, and enterprise (including business engagement, public engagement) and similar activity that is of benefit to the College and the University, including ensuring that the impact of your activities is realised fully and the impact is documented.
  

Management/Administration

Contributing to Departmental/School administration, including:

• contributing to the administration/management of research and/or teaching across the Department/School;
  
• leading and managing a team to devise and implement a new and/or revised process (e.g. new programme or a recruitment drive);
  
• advising on personal development of colleagues and students;
  
• making a major contribution to some administrative activities within the University (e.g. appeals panels, working groups);
  
• managing enterprise, business development, and public engagement activities;
  
• developing and making substantial contributions to knowledge transfer, enterprise, business engagement, public engagement, widening participation, schools outreach;
  
• actively manages equality, diversity and inclusion through monitoring and evaluation and actively challenging unacceptable behaviour;
  
• ability to work with stakeholders outside academia in order to develop employability elements of taught programmes and potentially Impactful research.
  

Citizenship 

Contributing to an inclusive working environment:

• demonstrating a willingness to be involved in a variety of activities supporting University life (e.g., participation in graduation, Departmental/School committees);
  
• demonstrating support for colleagues, such as sharing resources, providing advice; 
  
• willingness to volunteer for one-off duties (such as supporting School, Institute, and Departmental projects);
  
• positively engaging in School strategic initiatives;
  
• proactive support and involvement in activities specifically contributing to a positive and inclusive community spirit across the School/College/University.
  

Person Specification

• A higher degree relevant to the research/teaching area (usually PhD);
  
• Extensive research/teaching experience at HE level and scholarship within subject specialism;
  
• Proven ability to devise, advise on and manage learning/research;
  
• Skills in managing, motivating and mentoring others successfully at all levels;
  
• Ability to work with stakeholders outside academia in order to develop employability elements of taught programmes and potentially Impactful research;
  
• Ability to play an active role in the development of new modules and programmes on the University’s Edgbaston and Dubai campuses.
  

Teaching

• Ability to design, deliver, assess and revise teaching programmes;
  
• Extensive experience and demonstrated success in developing appropriate approaches to learning and teaching, and advising colleagues;
  
• Ability to work with stakeholders outside academia in order to develop employability elements of taught programmes and potentially Impactful research;
  
• Experience and success in knowledge transfer, enterprise and similar activity that enhances the student experience;
  
• Experience of teaching and supporting international students;
  
• Proficiency in Adobe Creative software, and ability to support students with its use. 
  

Research

• Experience and achievement reflected in a growing reputation;
  
• Extensive experience and demonstrated success in planning, undertaking and project managing research to deliver high quality results;
  
• Extensive experience of applying and/or developing and devising successful models, techniques and methods;
  
• Experience and achievement in knowledge transfer, enterprise and similar activity.
  

Management and Administration

• Ability to contribute to School/Departmental management processes;
  
• Ability to assess and organise resources effectively;
  
• Understanding of and ability to contribute to broader management/administration processes;
  
• Experience of championing Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in own work area;
  
• Ability to monitor and evaluate the extent to which equality and diversity legislation, policies, procedures are applied Ability to identify issues with the potential to impact on protected groups and take appropriate action.

Informal enquiries to Dr Joe Spencer-Bennett, Head of Department, email: J.A.Bennett.1@bham.ac.uk 

We believe there is no such thing as a 'typical' member of University of Birmingham staff and that diversity in its many forms is a strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation and debate at the heart of University life. We are committed to proactively addressing the barriers experienced by some groups in our community and are proud to hold Athena SWAN, Race Equality Charter and Disability Confident accreditations. We have an Equality Diversity and Inclusion Centre that focuses on continuously improving the University as a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. We are also committed to sustainability, which is a key part of our strategy. You can find out more about our work to create a fairer university for everyone on our website.

Job Identification: 6124

Job Category: Academic Non-clinical

Posting Date: 12/09/2024, 01:18 PM

Apply Before: 01/14/2025, 12:59 AM

Job Schedule: Full time

Locations: Edgbaston, Birmingham, West Midlands, B15 2TT, GB

School of English, Drama and Creative Studies, University of Birmingham (UK)

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104939

Grade 8 (6123)

Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK

Full time starting salary is normally in the range £46,485 to £55,295 with potential progression once in post to £62,098

Grade: 8

Full Time, Permanent

Closing date: 13th January 2025

International travel may be required for this role

Academic Development Programme - new Assistant Professors will undertake a 5-year development programme, at the end of which they are expected to be promoted to Associate Professor. The programme consists of a variety of development opportunities and the time to reflect and develop. 

Background

The Department of Linguistics and Communication

The Department of Linguistics and Communication is a world-leading centre of excellence for both teaching and research with students based in Birmingham as well as in over thirty different countries. It forms a central part of the School of English, Drama, Creative Studies, within the College of Arts and Law. The Department has an excellent track record in teaching and an active research culture with productive collaboration within and beyond the University, and wide-ranging public engagement. Staff in the department research and teach across the full range of English Language and Applied Linguistics, including Corpus Linguistics, Cognitive Linguistics, Stylistics, Discourse Analysis, New Media and English Language Teaching. The Department is home to the Centre for Corpus Research (CCR) which highlights the strong cross-disciplinary reach of corpus linguistics at Birmingham with particular focus on the links between cognitive linguistics, psycholinguistics and stylistics. CCR provides access to a range of corpora and has a dedicated computer suite with specialist resources as well as an eye-tracking laboratory.

The School of English, Drama and Creative Studies (EDACS)

The School of English, Drama and Creative Studies is a vibrant and thriving school situated within the College of Arts and Law. It hosts a community of academics and students researching and learning together in areas including Linguistics, Media and Communication, Film Studies, English Literature, Creative Writing and Drama and Theatre Arts. Many of our undergraduate and postgraduate programmes combine academic scholarship with creative practice and offer students opportunities to learn from industry experts and partners in the Creative Industries. One of the School’s strengths includes the study of Shakespeare both on the Edgbaston Campus and at the Shakespeare Institute in Stratford-upon-Avon. EDACS encourages inter-disciplinarity and intellectual collaboration both in teaching and research.

Equal Opportunities

The University of Birmingham is an equal opportunities employer. The School of English, Drama and Creative Studies recognises that strength and success comes from diversity and strives to maintain a flexible and supportive environment that enables all staff and students to flourish. The School holds a Silver Athena SWAN award.

Interview format/requirements

Shortlisted candidates will be required to attend for interview and deliver a presentation. Further information will be given to shortlisted candidates.

There will be an on-line drop-in session with Dr Joe Spencer-Bennett and Professor Ruth Page from the Department of Linguistics and Communication at 1pm on 13th December 2024 for people who might wish to ask a question in person rather than via email. If you would like to book a short slot, please email Dr Joe Spencer-Bennett (J.A.Bennett.1@bham.ac.uk).

Role Summary

As part of strategic growth and investment in Digital Media and Communications, the School seeks to recruit an Assistant Professor with effect from 1st April 2025 to be based on the University’s Edgbaston campus. The post holder will demonstrate particular expertise in intercultural communication, and be able to evidence experience of teaching and researching in this area.

The post holder will contribute high quality teaching to our suite of successful programmes which includes the BA in Digital Media and Communications launched on the University’s Edgbaston campus in September 2023, the MA in Digital Media and Creative Industries launched on the Edgbaston campus in September 2024, and the MA in Digital Media and Communications to be launched on the Edgbaston campus in September 2025. The post holder will also play an active role in the development of our Digital Media and Communications provision on the University’s Dubai campus, including optional travel opportunities to that campus. 

Research excellence will include initiating, conducting and disseminating original research. The post holder’s research will have measurable outcomes reflected in growing national (and ideally international) reputation.

In addition to delivering excellence in teaching and research, successful candidates will be expected to demonstrate academic citizenship, developing and maintaining generous, mutually respectful and supportive working relationships with all colleagues and students.

Management and administration is likely to involve contributions at Departmental and School level, and/or making an important contribution to some managerial/leadership activities (e.g. working groups) within the University. This may include developing and making substantial contributions to knowledge transfer, enterprise, business engagement, public engagement, widening participation, school’s outreach, or similar activities at Department/School level or further within the University.

Main Duties

Education 

Using a variety of methods in teaching and advising individuals and groups of undergraduates, postgraduates, or CPD students, including (as appropriate):

• teaching and examining courses at a range of levels;
  
• planning and reviewing your own teaching approaches and encouraging others to do the same;
  
• designing contemporary, inclusive, engaging and academically challenging curriculum content;
  
• working collaboratively with colleagues to design and deliver teaching, learning and assessment;
  
• using digital resources/environments effectively to support learning and assessment;
  
• developing programme proposals and making substantial contributions to the design of teaching programmes more widely;
  
• where appropriate, undertaking and developing the full range of responsibilities in relation to supervision, marking and examining;
  
• developing and advising others on learning and teaching tasks and methods;
  
• developing and making substantial contributions to knowledge transfer, enterprise, business engagement, public engagement activities or similar on own specialism that enhances the student experience or employability and which benefits the College and University;
  
• devising and supervising projects, student dissertations and practical work. 
  

Research

Planning and carrying out research, including (as appropriate):

• planning and publishing high quality research, including winning financial support;
  
• project managing research activities, and/or supervising other research staff;
  
• presenting findings in publications and conference proceedings;
  
• effectively supervising and mentoring PhD students or early Career Researchers;
  
• providing expert advice to staff and students within the discipline;
  
• participating in research-related enabling activities such as adding value to a cross disciplinary network;
  
• applying knowledge in a way which develops new intellectual understanding;
  
• developing and making substantial contributions to knowledge transfer, and enterprise (including business engagement, public engagement) and similar activity that is of benefit to the College and the University, including ensuring that the impact of your activities is realised fully and the impact is documented.
  

Management/Administration

Contributing to Departmental/School administration, including:

• contributing to the administration/management of research and/or teaching across the Department/School;
  
• leading and managing a team to devise and implement a new and/or revised process (e.g. new programme or a recruitment drive);
  
• advising on personal development of colleagues and students;
  
• making a major contribution to some administrative activities within the University (e.g. appeals panels, working groups);
  
• managing enterprise, business development, and public engagement activities;
  
• developing and making substantial contributions to knowledge transfer, enterprise, business engagement, public engagement, widening participation, schools outreach;
  
• actively manages equality, diversity and inclusion through monitoring and evaluation and actively challenging unacceptable behaviour;
  
• ability to work with stakeholders outside academia in order to develop employability elements of taught programmes and potentially Impactful research.
  

Citizenship 

Contributing to an inclusive working environment:

• demonstrating a willingness to be involved in a variety of activities supporting University life (e.g., participation in graduation, Departmental/School committees);
  
• demonstrating support for colleagues, such as sharing resources, providing advice; 
  
• willingness to volunteer for one-off duties (such as supporting School, Institute, and Departmental projects);
  
• positively engaging in School strategic initiatives;
  
• proactive support and involvement in activities specifically contributing to a positive and inclusive community spirit across the School/College/University.
  

Person Specification

• A higher degree relevant to the research/teaching area (usually PhD);
  
• Extensive research/teaching experience at HE level and scholarship within subject specialism;
  
• Proven ability to devise, advise on and manage learning/research;
  
• Skills in managing, motivating and mentoring others successfully at all levels;
  
• Ability to work with stakeholders outside academia in order to develop employability elements of taught programmes and potentially Impactful research;
  
• Ability to play an active role in the development of new modules and programmes on the University’s Edgbaston and Dubai campuses.
  

Teaching

• Ability to design, deliver, assess and revise teaching programmes;
  
• Extensive experience and demonstrated success in developing appropriate approaches to learning and teaching, and advising colleagues;
  
• Ability to work with stakeholders outside academia in order to develop employability elements of taught programmes and potentially Impactful research;
  
• Experience and success in knowledge transfer, enterprise and similar activity that enhances the student experience;
  
• Experience of teaching and supporting international students;
  
• Proficiency in Adobe Creative software, and ability to support students with its use. 
  

Research

• Experience and achievement reflected in a growing reputation;
  
• Extensive experience and demonstrated success in planning, undertaking and project managing research to deliver high quality results;
  
• Extensive experience of applying and/or developing and devising successful models, techniques and methods;
  
• Experience and achievement in knowledge transfer, enterprise and similar activity.
  

Management and Administration

• Ability to contribute to School/Departmental management processes;
  
• Ability to assess and organise resources effectively;
  
• Understanding of and ability to contribute to broader management/administration processes;
  
• Experience of championing Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in own work area;
  
• Ability to monitor and evaluate the extent to which equality and diversity legislation, policies, procedures are applied Ability to identify issues with the potential to impact on protected groups and take appropriate action.

Informal enquiries to Dr Joe Spencer-Bennett, Head of Department, email: J.A.Bennett.1@bham.ac.uk 

We believe there is no such thing as a 'typical' member of University of Birmingham staff and that diversity in its many forms is a strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation and debate at the heart of University life. We are committed to proactively addressing the barriers experienced by some groups in our community and are proud to hold Athena SWAN, Race Equality Charter and Disability Confident accreditations. We have an Equality Diversity and Inclusion Centre that focuses on continuously improving the University as a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. We are also committed to sustainability, which is a key part of our strategy. You can find out more about our work to create a fairer university for everyone on our website.

• Job Identification: 6123
  
• Job Category: Academic Non-clinical
  
• Posting Date: 12/09/2024, 01:23 PM
  
• Apply Before: 01/14/2025, 12:59 AM
  
• Job Schedule: Full time
  
• Locations: Edgbaston, Birmingham, West Midlands, B15 2TT, GB