ECREA WEEKLY digest ARTICLES

April 9-14, 2021

Locarno, Switzerland

Deadline: July 25, 2021

2021 Documentary Summer School at Locarno Film Festival

Summer School Description: https://www.locarnofestival.ch/LFF/about/locarno-young/documentary-summer-school.html

Conditions of participation:

The Documentary Summer School (DSS), jointly organized by the Institute of Media and Journalism (IMeG) of the Università della Svizzera italiana (USI) and the Locarno Film Festival, is open to up to 36 graduate students (Master and PhD) in the fields of film, media and communication studies. Now in its 22nd edition, the DSS explores different topics relevant to the research and production of documentaries. Given the great pervasiveness with which images and representations currently spread, this year the DSS has decided to dedicate a privileged space to the intertwining of ethics, gender, documentary and, more generally, the modes of communication when we represent the other. This is particularly important when we consider that the respectful coexistence between people who differ in culture, sexual orientation, origin, and religion is becoming an issue of crucial importance in many countries. More information on the lectures and the guests can be found on the website.

Participation to the DSS and the production of a final paper on the topics of the DSS will award students 3 ECTS.

Format:

This year's DSS lectures will be offered in a hybrid format, with the possibility to participate in person or online.

There are 6 spots for students that can come to Locarno for the Festival. The participation fee is 470 CHF and includes:

- Online lectures

- Two virtual Q&As with directors of films selected for the Locarno Film Festival

- An assigned classroom with free Wi-Fi to follow the online lectures and Q&As

- Bed and breakfast for seven nights, in a single room, at the Locarno Youth Hostel (9-14 August 2021)

- Accreditation valid for Festival screenings and related Festival activities (9-14 August 2021).

There are 30 spots for students who will not be able to come to Locarno in person due to COVID-19 restriction. The participation fee is 170 CHF and includes:

- Online lectures

- Two virtual Q&As with directors of films selected for the Locarno Film Festival

- Specifically curated virtual screenings of movies from the Festival’s special sections as well as films related to the main DSS topic. 

Submissions:

Candidates shall submit via email to documentarysummerschool@gmail.com their CV and a motivation letter. Submitted dossiers will be evaluated by the scientific board, and selected participants will be notified via email within two weeks after their submission.

Further enquires can also be sent to this email address.

Studies in Communication Sciences (SComS)

Deadline: January 30, 2022

Edited by Erik Koenen (University of Bremen), Arne L. Gellrich (University of Bremen), Christian Schwarzenegger (University of Augsburg), Stefanie Averbeck-Lietz (University of Bremen) and Astrid Blome (Institute for Newspaper Research Dortmund)

We are seeking contributions for a thematic section of Studies in Communication Sciences (SComS) – a peer-reviewed platinum open-access journal of communication and media research – exploring international organizations and their communication from a historical perspective.

The Thematic Section will focus on a topic that has thus far received little attention from communication and media researchers: the history of international organizations and their communication. Since the second half of the 19th century, for numerous and diverse areas of social life, globally active international organizations of varying degrees of institutionalization and scope, both non-governmental and intergovernmental, have been founded and have dedicated themselves to the global challenges of the first modern age. The most famous of these is certainly the League of Nations (LON), which was established in 1919 as the predecessor institution of the United Nations.

From a media-historical perspective, international organizations played a highly visible role in the transnational intertwining and consolidation processes of journalism, culture, media, politics, technology, and the public sphere in the 19th and 20th centuries. Against the background of the much-discussed boundaries between secret diplomacy and public diplomacy, especially after the First World War, such organizations contributed to the development of the first arenas and forms of international and transnational public spheres whose orientation was toward global governance. To spread their concerns and goals globally, they: constantly used the latest communication technologies and the growing diversity of the media for their communication; organized and professionalized their information work; and developed specific information-policy instruments and strategies for that purpose. Woodrow Wilson’s idea of “open diplomacy” (in fact, the early forerunner of today’s public diplomacy), for example, was the idea on which the LON based its information policy.

Effects of the differentiation and organization of international organizations’ communication, such as the emergence of institutionalized public relations in these specific contexts, the development of international summit and conference journalism, the creation of publicity for international politics and, in parallel, the genesis of structures of inter- and transnational public spheres conveyed by the media, are issues and topics within this field of research, which from the perspective of media history has been by and large neglected.

To illuminate and discuss issues, research perspectives and the thematic spectrum of the history of international organizations and their communication, the guest editors request submissions which, using concrete international organizations as examples, address one or more of the problem areas and thematic focuses outlined below:

1. Communication and communication management of international organizations

How did non-governmental and intergovernmental international organizations design their communication to reach and inform the media and the public? Which actors and groups of actors did they address and how? What were the expectations regarding media and public attention? What ideas existed about the relationship between media and politics? What forms, infrastructures, instruments, concepts, and strategies were developed to generate public and media visibility of international organizations? How and by whom was information and public relations work institutionalized and standardized? How were relations with individual media and their representatives organized and professionalized?

2. International organizations, media, and journalism

What influence have international organizations had on trends in globalization and in the inter- and transnationalization of journalism and media communication? How did new forms of foreign journalism such as summit and international conference journalism develop? What position did journalistic and media practices occupy within the context of international organizations? Which international media policy agenda developed in the interaction between international organizations and media institutions, for example, with respect to: ensuring the free movement of global news; tendentious reporting and dissemination of false reports; unimpeded activity of correspondents; and international standards of press freedom and copyright? Which international organizations were established, especially in the media context?

3. International organizations in the public sphere

What notions of a global or inter- and transnational public sphere were generated in the context of international organizations? How were conferences involving international organizations publicly staged? What public image did international organizations have? On which topics and with which objectives did international organizations try to address and reach the public (e.g., disarmament, gender justice, health, nature, and environmental protection)? How were international organizations perceived beyond the mass media (e.g., in film, photography, caricature, art, literature, and posters)?

Submission guidelines

SComS welcomes submissions in English, German, French, or Italian. However, English is the preferred language of this Thematic Section. Manuscripts should be a maximum of 9000 words in length (including the abstract and all references, tables, figures, footnotes, appendices). In addition, authors may submit supplementary material that will be published as an online supplement. Authors are invited to submit original papers that are not under consideration for publication elsewhere. Articles shall be submitted using the APA reference style, 6th edition. The manuscript itself must be free of any information or references that might reveal the identity of the authors and their institution to allow double-blind peer review. Manuscripts should be submitted via the SComS platform: https://www.hope.uzh.ch/scoms/about/submissions. We ask authors to carefully prepare submissions according to all rules given in the SComS Submission Guidelines.

The expected publication date of the Thematic Section is November 2022. However, early submissions that successfully pass the review process will also be immediately published online first. Contributions that receive positive reviews but are not accepted for the Thematic Section may be considered for publication in a subsequent SComS issue within the General Section. Papers are published under the Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Authors retain the copyright and full publishing rights without restrictions.

We look forward to receiving your submissions. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact guest editor Erik Koenen (ekoenen@uni-bremen.de).

Key dates:

• Submission of full papers closes on January 30, 2022.
• The first review will be provided no later than April 15, 2022.
• The revised manuscript should be submitted by June 30, 2022.
• The second review and notification of acceptance will be provided no later than September 15, 2022.
• Final papers should be submitted by November 15, 2022.
• Online first publication of accepted manuscripts up until February 2023.
• Publication of the Thematic Section is scheduled for May 2023.

June 28-29, 2021

Online event

The International Research Centre for Interactive Storytelling (IRIS) at Leeds Trinity University, warmly invite you to IRIS Days: Research Practices, a two-day research event will bring together practitioners, researchers and experts from different disciplines (including media, film, journalism, humanities, education and photography) working on the broader concept of ‘storytelling’ as a way to “reshape the spectrum of narrative expression” as defined by Jane Murray in 1997. The event will include keynote talks, workshops and a closing roundtable.

The general aim of this event is to identify a number of key issues in research and practice-led research that can be tackled successfully through a multidisciplinary approach.

A major component of this event will be a collaborative research-by-practice interactive project created by you, the participants, to be used for future research projects.

The event will be held on Microsoft Teams on the 28th and 29th of June. Attendees do not need to install or register with MS Teams to join and are welcome to participate across both days or attend as they are able.

See below for the programme and details of a sample of the speakers presenting at the event.

• To Register for the event, please follow this link: Eventbrite: IRIS Day: Research Practices
• To attend on the first day (28th June), please follow this link: IRIS Day: Research Practices (Day 1)
• To attend on the second day (29th June), please follow this link: IRIS Day: Research Practices (Day 2)
• For further information, please contact Alex Vann (a.vann@leedstrinity.ac.uk)

Please note that this event will be recorded.

Warm wishes,

The IRIS Research Team.

IRIS Research Centre

IRIS Day 2021: Research Practices

University of Bremen

The University of Bremen is seeking to fill a professorship in Communication and Media Studies in Faculty 9 Cultural Studies as soon as possible, subject to vacancy.

Remuneration Group W2

In the civil service for life

for the subject area: Communication and Media Studies with a focus on methodological innovation

(Reference number: P693/21)

The position holder (f/m/d) should represent the field of methodological innovation in research and teaching in an excellent manner. Relevance is expected both in classical quantitative methods of media and communication research as well as outstanding experience in the development of forward-looking, new methods, especially in the field of digital communication.

We are looking for a personality (f/m/d) who is able to strengthen methodological training in the social science at the University of Bremen, with a particular focus on building bridges between the high-profile areas "Minds Media and Machines" and "Social Change, Social Policy and the State". The professorship is anchored in a dynamic environment of social scientific methods development, which includes the working group "Digital Methods in Context" at the Centre for Media, Communication and Information Research (ZeMKI), the Data Science Center (DSC) and the Data Centre Cohesion (DZZ) of the Research Institute for Social Cohesion at the University of Bremen. The acquisition of third-party funding and participation in collaborative research at the ZeMKI and its research cooperation with the Leibniz Institute for Media Research | Hans Bredow Institute Hamburg are fundamental requirements. The professorship is responsible for quantitative methods training in communication and media studies and develops innovative teaching concepts. Participation in the development of structured doctoral training is desired.

The following qualifications are expected for the professorship:

• subject-relevant qualification (completed academic university studies, relevant high-ranking doctorate and further academic achievements of outstanding quality in each case, demonstrated by a habilitation or habilitation-equivalent achievements),
• teaching experience in the field of quantitative methods in communication and media studies at Bachelor's and/or Master's level,
• experience in applying for third-party funding,
• willingness to take part in advanced training in higher education didactics.

Also desirable are:

• experience in interdisciplinary, internationally oriented collaborative research,
• own research experience abroad,
• experience in taking the gender perspective into account in research and teaching,proven further training/qualification in university didactics.

Non-German-speaking applicants (f/m/d) are expected to contribute to German-language teaching after 2-3 years. The appointment is based on § 18 BremHG and § 116 BremBG. Further information can be obtained from the spokesperson of the Centre for Media, Communication and Information Research (ZeMKI), Prof. Dr. Andreas Hepp (andreas.hepp@uni-bremen.de).

The University of Bremen strives to increase the proportion of women in the academic field. Among other things, it has received several awards in DFG programmes on gender equality. Applications from academics with a migration background and international applications are expressly welcomed. Severely disabled applicants are given priority if they have essentially the same professional and personal qualifications. The University offers a wide range of services to support newly appointed staff, such as a Welcome Centre, opportunities for childcare and dual careers, and offers of staff development and continuing education.

Please send your application with the usual documents (curriculum vitae, publication and teaching record, research profile, references), quoting the above reference number, by July 30th, 2021 to the address below or electronically to the Dean Prof. Dr. Dorle Dracklé (bewerbungenfb9@uni-bremen.de).

Further information on appointment procedures at the University of Bremen can be found at: https://www.uni-bremen.de/de/berufungsverfahren.html

The Dean of Faculty 9 - Cultural Studies

Prof. Dr. Dorle Dracklé

University of Bremen

PO Box 330 440

28334 Bremen

Germany

Website: https://www.uni-bremen.de/en/zemki/about-zemki/job-vacancies

September 28-29, 2021

Online conference

Deadline: June 30, 2021

The Marie Curie Innovative Training Network e-LADDA -Early Language Development in the Digital Age is thrilled to announce the network’s first (online) conference: e-LADDA CON 2021, hosted by the Universidad de Sevilla, under the title "Understanding Language and Literacy Development in the Digital Age": https://www.ntnu.edu/e-ladda/e-ladda-con-2021

Important Dates:

• Abstract submission open: 21st May, 2021
• Abstract submission closes: 30th June, 2021
• Papers accepted: 15th July, 2021
• Registration closes: 15th September, 2021

e-LADDA CON 2021 aims to bring together researchers interested in the effects of digital tools, such as tablets, mobile phones, or social robots, on language development and language outcomes from a broad perspective, with research on both typical and atypical development, and using behavioural, computational and electrophysiological measures.

The conference will have 4 invited speakers:

• Roberta Golinkoff (University of Delaware)
• Ladislao Salmerón (Universidad de Valencia)
• Kathy Hirsh-Pasek (University of Temple)
• Vicky Charisi (Joint Research Center, European Commission).

Find more information in our Call about the topics, program committee, submission guidelines and presentation format: https://easychair.org/cfp/e-LADDA-CON-2021

The abstract submissions to the conference will be received via EasyChair platform. You can make your submissions via the link below:

https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=eladdacon2021

Please make the registrations via Google Forms in the link below.

https://forms.gle/AUY5HM9Jow2TLtfW7

All questions about submissions should be emailed to hulya@us.es.

e-LADDA has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions grant agreement No 857897.

December 10, 2021

University of Lublin, Poland

Deadline:  September 30, 2021

Institute of Social Communication and Media Studies, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin, Poland in partnership with Academia Europaea Wroclaw Knowledge Hub

Continuing our research meetings focused on specific issues of mediatisation chaired by eminent experts (Göran Bolin (2017), Johan Fornäs (2018), Andreas Hepp (2019),Mark Deuze (2020)), this year the workshop will take place online on 10 December 2021 and it will be led by Professor André Jansson, director of the Geomedia Research Group at the Karlstad University, Sweden.

The title of this year's edition is: counter-mediatization, digital disconnection and other reverse trends in media use.

We invite all mediatization researchers who wish to discuss their own research projects in a narrow and closed group of media scholars under the guidance of an expert. The aim of such exchange is to answer questions like:

• What are the causes and effects of the retreat from media technologies and mediated processes?
• How conscious media management, containment, contestation, negation is shaping?
• How the media environment is being desaturated and what off-the-grid life is about?
• How private, professional, social and public life is being demediated?
• What digital disconnection is and what it entails?
• How fashions, trends and tendencies such as digital detox, etc. are changing everyday media practice, as well as various aspects of private and social life?
• How are various forms of counter-mediatization related to the production of space and place?
• How are different disconnection strategies related to social power and privilege?
• How the theory of mediatization can develop in the context of the reverse trends in media use?

The idea and format of the meeting is based on a closed specialization workshop in a formula proven in the previous editions, i.e.:

• participants work on different types of materials (articles, works in progress, proposals, theses, reports, drafts etc.) under the guidance of the edition leader;
• meeting is preceded by substantive preparation by the leader and all participants on the basis of materials circulated among all participants in advance;
• during the meeting all participants focus on group discussion and expert feedback (presentations and speeches are limited to a minimum);
• seminar is preceded by an introductory lecture by the leader.

There is no conference fee.

Schedule

• 30.09.21 - submissions of proposals (please use the form available on the webpage: https://tiny.pl/r33v6 ; other submission will not be accepted)
• 10.10.21 - notification of acceptance of proposals
• 10.11.21- submission of materials for discussion (only pdf format is accepted)
• 11.11-9.12.21 - preparation for the workshop by the leader and all participants
• 10.12.21 - closed online workshop (Google Meets will be used)

Any substantive questions about the workshop can be answered by Katarzyna Kopecka-Piech, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin, via email: katarzyna.kopecka.piech@gmail.com. For technical and organisational matters, please write to: tdomrv@gmail.com

July 12, 2021, 4pm-5.15pm

MeCCSA Local and Community Media Network - Virtual research seminar

Please join us to discuss latest trends and debates on AI in news media focusing on local journalism. Our speakers will be:

• Carl-Gustav Linden: AI and local news
• Neil Thurman, Bartosz Wilczek, Florian Stalph and Sina Thäsler-Kordonouri: Automation in local journalism: The views of news consumers, editors and executives in the UK and Germany
• Agnes Gulyas and Gentian Gashi: Artificial Intelligence and Journalism: A Systematic Literature Review

The event is free but please register here:

https://eur01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcoventry-ac-uk.zoom.us%2Fmeeting%2Fregister%2FtZUvd-ihpj0uGdBJDOJa0QtUnh-nE8-NqrBn&data=04%7C01%7Caa5891%40coventry.ac.uk%7C18aa3ead69bd4a4783f408d93247a801%7C4b18ab9a37654abeac7c0e0d398afd4f%7C0%7C0%7C637596105750626436%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=Y79FVIj5Zkqygbf6HE57w2AcBbmk3gDAzYO8lhbSD0w%3D&reserved=0

By joining you give your consent to be recorded (this seminar will be posted online at a later date). Please mute your microphone during the main presentation, before the Q and A.

Abstract of presentations:

AI and local news

PhD Carl-Gustav Linden, Associate Professor of Data Journalism, University of Bergen, Norway

In this talk, I will analyse AI strategies in four Nordic news agencies, how they serve local newsrooms with content or applications and what plans for the future they have. The case study is based on interviews with representatives of four news agencies, STT (Finland), NTB (Norway), TT (Sweden) and Ritzau (Denmark). We will specifically explore access to digital data as a driving force for automation. The Nordic states and local government produce massive amount of open access data, also real time data, which can be used for many purposes. News agencies have good reasons to adopt new technology that makes their work more efficient and have been a leading force in news automation (Lindén, 2017; Fanta, 2017). The four Nordic news agencies have all been on the forefront when it comes to, for instance, the use of natural language technology for media purposes.

Automation in local journalism: The views of news consumers, editors and executives in the UK and Germany

Professor Neil Thurman, University of Munich, Bartosz Wilczek, University of Munich, Florian Stalph, Florian Stalph and Sina Thäsler-Kordonouri, University of Munich, Germany

This talk will present early results from two studies. The first investigates how local newspapers in Germany are adopting AI for input, throughput and output activities along the news value chain and what factors drive or constrain that adoption. Twenty online/digital editors and executives at 14 of the largest local German newspapers were interviewed, and the data analysed using cross-case pattern matching. The results reveal whether and how news automation is being used; and the factors—including linguistic, financial, and data availability—constraining its adoption. The second study is a qualitative comparative analysis of data-driven local news texts written with various levels of automation and none. Workshops were held with 31 participants from various UK regions during which they read articles from a range of sources, including PA Media’s RADAR (Reporters And Data And Robots) service, BBC News online, and local online newspaper websites. The results reveal both some of the differences between human- and machine-written local news stories and how news consumers can respond to those differences.

Artificial Intelligence and Journalism: A Systematic Literature Review

Professor Agnes Gulyas, Canterbury Christ Church University and Gentian Gashi, Canterbury Christ Church University, UK

News organisations have begun to adopt artificial intelligence (AI) into their newsrooms, to automate article production, distribution and fact-checking. Using search terms such as “Automated Journalism,” “Algorithm Journalism” and “Robot Journalism,” a systematic literature review was conducted, analysing a reduced sample of 142 journal articles. The review analysed the content of the publications in terms of definitional and theoretical approaches, methodological design, focus of news organisation and AI providers, ethical and legal considerations, as well as perceived impact of AI on journalism. Initial findings suggest that the number of journal articles published on the topic has increased significantly since 2019 and most papers present results of an empirical study, while theoretical contributions are limited. Most news organisations discussed in the papers are national or international outlets from developed countries. Research on AI providers and local news organisations appears to be scarce, which suggests less widespread use of AI in local media.

July 2, July 9, July 23, 2021

Online seminars

We are pleased to announce a seminar series called „Teaching Media Development“ which focuses on innovative curricula, creative teaching techniques and networking opportunities for emerging scholars in the field of media development. University teaching is a crucial aspect when it comes to establishing media development as an academic field. Students from BA to PhD level constitute the upcoming generation of journalists, communication researchers or media policy advisers who will shape debates on how to develop media sectors all over the world – be it in media outlets, NGOs, ministries, law offices, research centers, or think tanks. Therefore, it is hugely important to spark students’ interest in questions of media and development and to qualify them to be able to conduct sound analyses thereof. The seminar series attempts to start a conversation about best practices of teaching media development at university level this July. In the long run, it is supposed to contribute to improved academic training of media development experts as professionals who are skilled at thoroughly considering and analyzing local circumstances and developing localized solutions.

Convenors: Ines Drefs, Mira Keßler, Michel Leroy

Location: Zoom. Free and open to all.

This series is organized by MEDAS 21 and the IAMCR Media Sector Development Working Group .

SEMINAR 1: Media development curricula from around the world

Friday, July 2, 20201, 1.00-2.30 pm CEST (7.00-8.30 am New York; 7.00-8.30 pm Manila)

Registration: https://tu-dortmund.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_4vmnqzlDTDSKfDWEvTjW6Q

Chair: Ines Drefs (MEDAS 21/Erich Brost Institute)

Confirmed speakers: Joya Chakraborty (Tezpur University), Christoph Dietz (Catholic Media Council), Winston Mano (University of Westminster), viola milton (University of South Africa)

Outline: Efforts aimed at developing the media sector are being discussed in university classrooms all around the world. The related courses are sometimes offered by departments of journalism studies, sometimes by departments of communication and sometimes as part of development studies, oftentimes they are interdisciplinary. What are the implications of where media sector development sits within university structures? What skills do teachers of these courses need to impart to the students and how to make sure these can be localized? Is there a canon of essential literature for students learning about media sector development? If so, what is and what should be in there? These are the guiding questions of this session in which course leaders, university teachers and curators of literature collections present and discuss their approaches.

SEMINAR 2: Creating opportunities for the next generation: speed date with media development PhD students!

Friday, July 9, 20201, 1.00-2.30 pm CEST (7.00-8.30 am New York; 7.00-8.30 pm Manila)

How to apply: Applicants interested in networking with peers should submit a short description (1,000 characters max.) of their research project to michel.leroy@tu-dortmund.de

Deadline for submission: June 21st, 11:59 pm CEST

Chair: Michel Leroy (MEDAS 21/Erich Brost Institute)

Outline: Within the relatively new IAMCR working group focusing on efforts of shaping and developing media systems, early-career scholars sometimes feel isolated or that communication links with professionals in the sector are difficult to establish. The aim of this session is therefore to provide a framework for networking among peers. We invite PhD students working on media development issues to an online “speed-dating session”. It is an opportunity for junior scholars from the “Global North“ and “South“ to network and to meet with practitioners and senior researchers to voice their concerns and challenges such as (but not limited to) choosing a relevant topic, grants and funding issues, access to data and literature. More information on the session: https://www.medas21.net/news/#PhDspeeddate

SEMINAR 3: Creative techniques in classroom and applied training

Friday, July 23, 20201, 1.00-2.30 pm CEST (7.00-8.30 am New York; 7.00-8.30 pm Manila)

Registration: https://tu-dortmund.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_bWxky1Q7QZqYSUWx1CqfLw

Chair: Mira Keßler (MEDAS 21/Ruhr University Bochum)

Confirmed speakers: Linje Manyozo (School of Media and Communication, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia), Saleh Masharqeh (Media Development Center, Birzeit University, Palestine), Martin Scott (School of International Development, University of East Anglia, England) and more

Outline: The training of media development experts must be ahead of its time to meet future challenges. This is not only about technical innovation, big data, and new ways of storytelling. It is also about a creative approach to educational content and teaching methods. Here it is important to note that media development is on the one hand based at a university level; on the other hand, it is based on practical trainings. For this reason, it is our aim to connect scholars with practitioners, if both hearts are not already in one chest. For both realms, creativity means innovation by using imagination and critical thinking. Breaking free from repetition and simple reproduction clears the way for new development and implementation approaches. It is important to us to bring different experts together, different in the sense of different living and working environments, different institutions, and different experiences with their own best practices. Our guiding questions for this multi-disciplinary panel on “creative teaching techniques” are: When and why do we need to be creative for teaching media development? How could this creativity look like?

The Internet and the media landscape are broken. The dominant commercial Internet platforms endanger democracy. Despite all the great opportunities the Internet has offered to society and individuals, the digital giants have acquired unparalleled economic, political and cultural power. As currently organised, the Internet separates and divides instead of creating common spaces for negotiating difference and disagreement. Democracy requires Public Service Media and a Public Service Internet.

The Public Service Media and Public Service Internet Manifesto:vhttp://bit.ly/psmmanifesto

Please sign the Manifesto: http://bit.ly/signPSManifesto

Occupy the Internet: 200 Media Experts Publish an Alarming Wake Up Call and Demand a Public Service Internet: https://pressat.co.uk/releases/occupy-the-internet-200-media-experts-publish-an-alarming-wake-up-call-and-demand-a-public-service-internet-dff5ea1ec4e675012df261a3e02c2774/

Launch event (video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0kiilUrF9o

Aarhus University

The School of Communication and Culture at Aarhus University invites applications for the position of assistant professor of digital strategic communication based at the Department of Media and Journalism Studies.

The assistant professorship is a full-time, fixed-term, three-year position; and subject to appropriate funding, there will be an opportunity to apply for a subsequent associate professorship. The position begins on 1 October 2021 or as soon as possible thereafter.

The School of Communication and Culture is committed to diversity and encourages all qualified applicants to apply regardless of their personal background.

The position

The field of media and journalism studies is currently undergoing significant changes not least due to the increasing digitalisation of culture and society that has radically transformed the basic conditions under which mediated content is produced, distributed, used and experienced. These new conditions call for critical and innovative ways to prepare qualified media and journalism studies students for a rapidly changing job market, and to produce high-quality research that helps society, organisations, corporations and people make sense of and navigate contemporary media landscapes. The Department of Media and Journalism Studies at Aarhus University is taking an international lead in developing research and study programmes based on the premise that the ability to understand fully the implications of digitalisation in communication, media production and distribution necessitates the adaptation and integration of new modes of enquiry into both research and teaching.

Against this background, we are looking for a colleague who can strengthen and develop the department’s profile in strategic communication in an online context, develop teaching and research in this area, and contribute to the department’s continued focus on digital, methodological competences.

Our ideal applicant can document research results at an international level in analysing contemporary strategic communication within either a political, a commercial, a public or a civil societal context. Strong skills in digital methods and analysis of digital communication are also relevant, and we ask the applicant to present a convincing three-year research plan for the development and/or implementation of these skills and competences within a strategic communicative research context. Experience of teaching or practice in strategic communication is considered a strength, but not a requirement.

In sum, we are looking for a dedicated applicant who will strengthen the research and teaching profiles of the department nationally and internationally, as well as contributing to Aarhus University’s core activities in the areas of research, teaching and supervision, talent development and knowledge exchange.

Research

The Department of Media and Journalism Studies at Aarhus University has a pronounced and significant international profile and a robust research network.

We are looking for an applicant who can document research competences in one or more of the following areas:

• strategic online communication or media planning (with regard to their function as designed/aesthetic products in a societal, organisational, political context, their media and algorithmic conditions, and/or their audience/user perspectives)
• digital transformations in strategic communications in corporate or non-corporate contexts, e.g. in the field of political communication, NGOs, social movements or start-up enterprises
• the development of theory and theoretical approaches to strategic communication in a digitalised world, possibly including but not limited to the role of organisations, communicative content, platforms, automation, stakeholder management and outreach strategies for business, political or civic purposes, strategic planning and evaluation methods, persuasion and audience reception
• proven skills (through publications or project reports) in applying and/or developing digital methods applicable for the analysis of strategic communication in an online universe

We are looking for applicants who are enthusiastic about developing digital strategic communication as a new field of research and teaching at the department, drawing on the department’s existing resources and competences as well as developing their own research portfolio and expertise in an internationally competitive and highly relevant field of research.

The successful applicant will be expected to develop research projects that result in academic publications. The successful applicant will also be expected to participate in the research community at the department in terms of collaborative research projects with internal and external partners, as well as participating in applications for external research funding.

Teaching and supervision

The successful applicant will be expected to take part in the department’s teaching and supervision activities and to teach and supervise on the department’s Bachelor’s and Master’s programmes, particularly a course in strategic communication on the Master’s degree programme in media studies which is expected to start in 2022. Please indicate in your application which courses you could teach. The successful applicant will also be expected to apply and develop innovative teaching methods in synergy with existing degree programmes and research centres.

The successful applicant will be expected to develop supervision capabilities at both BA and MA levels.

Given the international focus of the degree programmes, the successful applicant will be expected to teach in English as well as Danish.

The person appointed to the post of assistant professor must complete Aarhus University’s teacher-training programme for assistant professors, which is designed for university teaching.

Knowledge exchange

It is expected that the successful applicant will engage in knowledge exchange, for instance in terms of research collaboration with private companies, government consultancy, collaboration with civil society, and the public dissemination of knowledge.

The successful applicant will have excellent opportunities to engage in collaborative initiatives with partners inside and outside Aarhus University.

Qualifications

Applicants must have a PhD degree or must document equivalent qualifications in a relevant field related to organisational and strategic communication. Applicants must be able to document:

• an internationally-oriented research profile within digital strategic communication, organisational communication, public relations or media studies and affiliated fields of communication research
• experience of conducting research commensurate with that attained through a completed PhD
• relevant teaching experience at university level, including teaching methods, commensurate with that attained through a completed PhD

Furthermore, it will be considered an advantage if applicants can document

• experience of participation in relevant national and international research networks
• time spent abroad working at one or more internationally recognised research institutions

Finally, applicants are asked to provide a research plan for the next three years as well as their strategy/vision for their contribution to future developments within the field of digital strategic communication.

Please note that applications that do not include uploaded publications (maximum five) will not be considered.

Work environment

Active participation in the daily life of the department is a high priority, and we emphasise the importance of good working relationships, both among colleagues and with our students. In order to maintain and develop the department’s excellent teaching and research environment, the successful applicant is expected to be present at the department on a daily basis.

We respect the balance between work and private life and strive to create a work environment in which that balance can be maintained. See Family and work-life balance for further information.

International applicants

International applicants are encouraged to see Attractive working conditions for further information about the benefits of working at Aarhus University and in Denmark, including healthcare, paid holidays and, if relevant, maternity/paternity leave, childcare and schooling. Aarhus University offers a wide variety of services for international researchers and accompanying families, including a relocation service and career counselling for expat partners. For information about taxation, see Taxation aspects of international researchers’ employment by AU.

An appointee who does not speak Danish will be required to acquire proficiency in Danish equivalent to level B2 (CEFR) in order to handle tasks including administrative and managerial responsibilities and to participate fully in the activities of the School of Communication and Culture within approximately three years of commencing the appointment.

The department/section

The place of employment is the Department of Media and Journalism Studies, Helsingforsgade 14, 8200 Aarhus N, Denmark.

Prospective applicants are invited to view the department’s website.

School of Communication and Culture

The school is a part of the Faculty of Arts. You will find information about the school and its research programmes, departments and diverse activities on its website.

For further information about the position, please contact Anne Marit Waade, Head of the Department of Media and Journalism Studies, by tel.: +45 8716 2009 or by email: amwaade@cc.au.dk.

If you need help uploading your application or have questions about the recruitment process, please contact Arts HR support by email: hsi@au.dk.

Qualification requirements

Applicants should hold a PhD or equivalent academic qualifications.

Aarhus University offers a broad variety of services for international researchers and accompanying families, including relocation service and career counselling to expat partners: http://ias.au.dk/au-relocation-service/. Please find more information about entering and working in Denmark here: http://international.au.dk/research/.

Formalities

Faculty of Arts refers to the Ministerial Order on the Appointment of Academic Staff at Danish Universities (the Appointment Order).

Appointment shall be in accordance with the collective labour agreement between the Danish Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations.

Further information on qualification requirements and job content may be found in the Memorandum on Job Structure for Academic Staff at Danish Universities .

Further information on the application and supplementary materials may be found in Application Guidelines.

The application must outline the applicant's motivation for applying for the position, attaching a curriculum vitae, a teaching portfolio, a complete list of published works, copies of degree certificates and examples of academic production (mandatory, but no more than five examples). Please upload this material electronically along with your application.

If nothing else is noted, applications must be submitted in English. Application deadline is at 11.59 pm Danish time (same as Central European Time) on the deadline day.

All interested candidates are encouraged to apply, regardless of their personal background.

Faculty of Arts

The Faculty of Arts is one of four main academic areas at Aarhus University.

The faculty contributes to Aarhus University's research, talent development, knowledge exchange and degree programmes.

With its 500 academic staff members, 260 PhD students, 10,500 BA and MA students, and 1,500 students following continuing/further education programmes, the faculty constitutes a strong and diverse research and teaching environment.

The Faculty of Arts consists of the School of Communication and Culture, the School of Culture and Society, the Danish School of Education, and the Centre for Teaching Development and Digital Media. Each of these units has strong academic environments and forms the basis for interdisciplinary research and education.

The faculty's academic environments and degree programmes engage in international collaboration and share the common goal of contributing to the development of knowledge, welfare and culture in interaction with society.

Read more at arts.au.dk/en

The application must be submitted via Aarhus University’s recruitment system, which can be accessed under the job advertisement on Aarhus University's website.