ECREA WEEKLY digest ARTICLES

September 12-13, 2019

University of Bremen, Germany

Deadline for submissions: January 31, 2019

With increasingly globalized digital infrastructures and a global digital political economy, we face new concentrations of power, leading to new inequalities and insecurities with respect to data ownership, data geographies and different data-related practices. It is not only a concentration of power by a few corporations, but also a concentration of the availability of data in individual regions of the world. This includes (exerting) power about data (infra)structures and processes of data creation, data collection, data access, data processing, data interpretation, data storing, data visualisations.

The Global in/securities theme of the 2019 Data Power conference attends to questions around these phenomena, asking: How does data power further or contest global in/securities? How are global in/securities constructed through or against data? How do civil society actors, government, people engage with societal and individual in/securities through and with data? What are appropriate ontologies to think about data and persons? How may we envisage a just data society? And what does decolonizing data in/securities look like?

This conference creates a space to reflect on these and other critical issues relating to data’s in/security and its decolonizing. Confirmed keynote speakers are:

• Virginia Eubanks, University at Albany, USA;
  
• Jack Linchuan Qiu, Chinese University Hongkong;
  
• Seeta Peña Gangadaran, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK;
  
• Nimmi Rangaswamy, Indian Institute of Information Technology, IIIT, Hyderabad, India.
  

Papers and panels are invited on the following – and other relevant – topics:

• Big data and humanitarianism
  
• Big/open data, corruption and public debt
  
• ‘Good’ data, data justice and well-being
  
• Critical, theoretical and feminist approaches to data in/securities
  
• Data activism, citizen engagement, indigenous data sovereignty and open data
  
• Data journalism and rhetorics of data visualization in a global perspective
  
• Data-driven governance and open data
  
• Securitization and militarization of data infrastructures
  
• Data, discrimination and inequality
  
• Emerging in/securities through algorithms and automated decision-making
  
• Forensic data, human rights and refugees
  
• Decolonizing data in/securities and data labor
  
• Machine learning, developmentalism and human security
  

To propose a panel, please select "Other" in the submission system and ensure that all submitted papers that should be considered for the proposed panel include the same headline with the panel title in the abstracts. Please note that - if a proposed panel is selected by the conference committee - all panels will be open for other selected submissions.

Information/details

Please submit 250-word-paper proposals, using the online submission system at https://portal.smart-abstract.com/data-power

The deadline for paper proposals is January 31, 2019.

The conference fee is 200 Euro, and 100 Euro for students. There will be travel grants for participants from the global south and PhD student fee waivers (please indicate the need when applying)

The organising committee will select papers for a special theme proposal to be submitted to the peer reviewed journals Big Data & Society and International Communication Gazette.

For information on travel visa, please visit the webpage.

Deadline: February 11, 2019

YECREA is proud to announce the first ever task force in its history, which will be dealing with Open Access from a young scholar’s perspective. Our ambition is to inform about different Open Access models and the pitfalls or opportunities they might entail, to help navigate the messy landscape of Open Access publishing, to educate about predatory publishing and to raise awareness for the sustainability of Open Access. We are making young scholar voices heard in the strategic move towards Open Access and Open Science within Media and Communication Studies in Europe.

So please come and join us – we need your help in raising awareness for If you feel like contributing and giving something back to the great community of young scholars that YECREA represents or if you have any question about the task force, please get in touch with Anne Mollen (a.mollen@uni-muenster.de) by February 11, 2019. The YECREA task force will then start its work.

Gamevironments (special issue) by Lisa Kienzl and Kathrin Trattner

Deadline: March 1, 2019

Although video games can be seen as a prime example of a globalized media culture, questions of nation and identity have been the subject of increasing scholarly as well as public discussion in recent years. In 2018, two games in particular sparked controversy around gaming and nationalism, though in very different ways: The USAmerican first-person-shooter, Far Cry 5, and the Czech role-playing game, Kingdom Come: Deliverance. The former caused debates by creating a dystopian vision of American ultra-nationalism and fanatic religiosity, the latter was critically discussed for consolidating narratives of national romanticism.

Yet, such debates do not only concern game content: Entanglements between nation(alism), identity and gaming can also be found on the levels of video game production as well as gamer discourse. To further explore the multilayered socio-cultural and political contexts of video games and gaming, the international peer-reviewed journal gamevironments is calling for submissions for a special issue on nation(alism), identity and video gaming. We encourage reflection on the socio-political contexts, as well as on cultural influences on different types and aspects of video games and gaming culture, including educational games, the gaming industry, esports, gaming communities, etc. We particularly invite non-Western perspectives and postcolonial approaches to questions of nation(alism), identity and video gaming, as well as the role of religion within this framework.

What are the specific relationships between national political contexts and game development? Do nation building and nationalism influence various forms of representation within video games? What is the relationship between national identity building processes and religious systems in video games? What socio-political discourses accompany such representations? (How) do national(ist) discourses influence gamers’ self-identification and in-game-choices?

In this issue, we want to approach these and other questions on the levels of video game production, in-game-representation, as well as negotiations through gamers.

Topics for further investigation may include, but are not limited to, nation(alism), identity and gaming, in the specific contexts of / regarding:

• theoretical approaches
  
• postcolonial approaches
  
• gender theoretical and queer perspectives
  
• actor-centered approaches
  
• onstructions of identity/otherness
  
• national video game cultures
  
• identity building and nation(alism)
  
• history and nation building
  
• race and nation(alism)
  
• cultural heritage
  
• religion and nation(alism)
  
• museum education and/or educational games
  
• global and/or national aspects of esports, video game industries or game development
  

Guidelines

Submit a title and 300-word abstract to Lisa Kienzl (kienzl@uni-bremen.de) and Kathrin Trattner (kathrin.trattner@uni-graz.at) by 01.03.2019.

Possible formats for submission include:

a) regular academic articles

b) interviews

c) research reports

d) book reviews

e) game reviews

All articles submitted will be subject to double-blind peer-review.

For more on submission formats and guidelines see:

http://www.gamevironments.uni-bremen.de/submission-guideline/

https://www.gamevironments.uni-bremen.de/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/gvstylesheet.

Timeline

• Title and abstract submission: 01.03.2019
  
• Full text submission: 01.07.2019
  
• Review results returned: 01.09.2019
  
• Revised text submission: 15.10.2019
  
• Online publication: December 2019
  

University of Liverpool (UK)

Deadline: February 8, 2019

The Department of Communication and Media is seeking to appoint a 1.0FTE Post-Doctoral Research Associate to work on the Nuffield Foundation Funded Project “Me and my big data: developing citizens’ data literacies” led by Professor Simeon Yates. This project seeks to understand the levels of and variations in UK citizens data literacy, and to develop policy and educational materials to support improving this.

This project will examine and address these issues in four broad ways:

• explore through survey data and citizen workshops the extent of citizens data literacy
  
• analyse the social basis of variations and inequalities in data literacy across a range of factors
  
• develop training and support materials for schools, universities and third sector groups in order to enhance citizen’s data literacy
  
• develop policy recommendations for stakeholders on enhancing citizen data literacy.
  

This project forms part of a wider set of research on the social impacts of digital media including issues of digital inclusion and digital culture. This may include working with external organisations such as the government Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, the GoodThings charity and Liverpool city region Mayor’s Office.

You should have a degree (or equivalent qualification or relevant professional experience). The post is available for 12 months from February 2019.

£34,188 - £39,610 

Job Ref: 010780 Closing Date: 8 February 2019

https://www.jobs.ac.uk/job/BPL006/post-doctoral-research-associate-grade-7

University of Glasgow

Deadline: Feburary 18, 2019

The Centre for Cultural Policy Research (CCPR) at the University of Glasgowoffers a vibrant and supportive research-led work environment in one of the UK’s oldest and most inspiring universities. We are currentl  seeking to recruit a Senior Lecturer in International Media in order to strengthen the Centre’s reputation for research on media and communications and to support our PG teaching.

Further details of this post, for which the closing date is Monday 18 February 2019, can be found (Ref: 024028) here

Job Details

• Reference Number: 024028
  
• Location: Gilmorehill Campus / Main Building
  
• College / Service: COLLEGE OF ARTS
  
• Department: SCHOOL OF CULTURE & CREATIVE ARTS
  
• Job Family: Research And Teaching
  
• Position Type: Full Time
  
• Salary Range: £51,630 - £58,089
  

Job Purpose: Policy Research (CCPR) at the University of Glasgow has forged a reputation for its rigorous, high-impact research and analysis of media and cultural industries and policies and also for its internationally leading Masters provision. Based in CCPR, the purpose of this post is to strengthen the Centre’s research in relation to international media, cultural and creative industries with a particular focus on media and communications, and to support CCPR’s teaching. The appointee will play a vital role in leading a research agenda in the Centre and the College of Arts, in line with the University, College and School and CCPR strategic objectives.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

1. To lead and sustain high–quality research activity through a portfolio of individual, joint and/or network research projects, and to secure external funding for the same through successful grant applications to Research Councils and other funding bodies.

2. To provide research leadership in the relevant Unit of Assessment and to contribute effectively to enhancing that UoA’s research profile in future national research assessment exercises, including maintaining a track record of high quality publications and attending and participating in appropriate research seminars/conferences.

3. To contribute proactively to research in CCPR and to enhancing the Centre’s research profile; and to take a leading role in the School and the College of Arts in developing interdisciplinary research and teaching.

4. To develop links with relevant national and international bodies inside and outside academia with a view to enhancing research, teaching and impact.

5. To provide research direction for more junior staff and, where possible, engage in collaborative research, thereby promoting the development of the University’s research base.

6. To attract and be responsible for supervision and training of postgraduate students, supporting these students to produce high quality scholarship and to successfully complete studies in line with University (and where relevant) funder guidelines.

7. To contribute to all aspects of the design, review, organisation, delivery and assessment of existing teaching programmes and courses in CCPR.

8. To contribute to the School’s ongoing development and review of the curriculum, in a manner that supports a research-led approach to student learning and employability.

9. To participate within the Centre, School and/or College in administrative and other activities as directed by the Director of CCPR, Head of School or VP Head of College, including mentoring of junior staff, in accordance with the School/College strategy.

10. To foster collaboration in research and teaching with other units of the University.

11. To work effectively in co-operation with colleagues in the School, College and University as a whole.

12. To develop and lead research and where appropriate teaching initiatives, which support the School and College Knowledge Exchange agendas.

13. To engage in professional development as appropriate.

14. To contribute to the enhancement of the University’s international profile in line with the University’s Strategic Plan, Inspiring People Changing The World.

http://www.gla.ac.uk/media/media_180610_en.pdf

Knowledge, Qualifications, Skills and Experience

Knowledge/Qualifications

Essential:

• A1 A PhD in a relevant area.
  
• A2 Outstanding knowledge of research within relevant areas which
  
• enhances and expands existing areas of expertise within the Centre
  
• A3 An international research profile.
  

Desirable:

• B1 Knowledge of international/global media
  

Skills

Essential:

• C1 Excellent academic leadership skills.
  
• C2 Substantial evidence of carrying out and sustaining research at the highest level.
  
• C3 Experience of working both independently and as part of a team.
  
• C4 Extensive track record of seeking and acquiring external research funding.
  
• C5 Excellent collaborative skills, both in an interdisciplinary context and beyond academia
  
• C6 Excellent organisational skills, including time/project management skills.
  
• C7 Ability to increase the number of students coming to the University to undertake postgraduate study.
  
• C8 Excellent oral and written communication skills.
  
• C9 Excellent interpersonal skills.
  
• C10 Ability to demonstrate originality and innovation in research and scholarship
  
• C11 Capacity to lead, enthuse and motivate students and colleagues
  

Experience

Essential:

• E1 Typically 5-7 years postdoctoral experience.
  
• E2 Outstanding international publication record and research profile which can significantly enhance the subject area’s standing internationally and which would significantly enhance any future University submission to national research assessment exercise(s) with demonstrable performance at 4* level.
  
• E3 A significant track record of attracting external research funding.
  
• E4 Extensive experience of teaching in relevant subject area(s) and the ability to teach across disciplines.
  
• E5 Extensive experience of postgraduate, Masters and PhD supervision. Where academic experience is gained outside of the UK the ability to demonstrate equivalent experience may be consider.
  
• E7 A demonstrable commitment to Knowledge Exchange, public engagement and the broader impact of research.
  
• E8 An established international academic network.
  

Desirable:

F1 Track record of research and teaching on international/global aspects of media

Job Features

• Planning and Organising
  
• Participating fully in a team of research-active staff.
  
• Researching and publishing work of the highest quality in appropriate outlets
  
• Preparing and presenting applications for research funding
  
• Planning and organising research meetings, seminars and conferences
  
• Supervising, where appropriate, postdoctoral research assistants
  
• Supervising postgraduate, Masters and doctoral students
  
• Actively contributing to University/College/School research strategy
  
• Contributing to international and national research developments
  
• Providing leadership in strategic planning of research, teaching and
  
• administration at all levels within and beyond the School, including the identification of new initiatives.
  
• Providing leadership in designing programmes and courses, and in delivering teaching to undergraduate and postgraduate students
  
• Undertaking assessment and delivering feedback to undergraduate and postgraduate students
  
• Participating in University/College/School planning
  
• Organising knowledge exchange and outreach activities as appropriate
  
• Decision Making
  
• Decisions on research methodology and submission of grant applications
  
• Decisions on placement of research output
  
• Decisions on programme/course content and teaching and assessment methods
  
• Decisions on short-term and longer-term research objectives for
  
• postgraduate students
  
• Mentoring of new research and/or teaching staff
  
• Contributing to University/College/School decision-making on research
  
• and teaching
  
• Prioritising workload in accordance with agreed School/College strategy.
  
• Taking responsibility for organisation of resources, as appropriate.
  

Internal/External Relationships

Internal

• Director of CCPR, Head of School, Head of College and University officers to ensure that strategic objectives are met Academic colleagues for information exchange to facilitate effective research and teaching.
  
• Research students/postdoctoral researchers to oversee and advise on research
  
• Undergraduate and postgraduate students to optimise their learning
  
• Administrative staff for exchange of information relating to delivery of research and teaching
  

External

• Key researchers in the field
  
• Key practitioners
  
• Relevant governmental and non-governmental organisations
  
• Research Councils, charitable bodies and other external sources of
  
• research funding
  
• General public/media
  
• Problem Solving
  
• World-class research is a key aspect of this post, including solving research problems at the forefront of the field and the development of new ideas, methods and research projects
  
• Resolving issues regarding research funding
  
• Resolving issues arising in pursuit of research objectives
  
• Assisting research students to resolve problems regarding their research
  
• Assisting postgraduate students to resolve problems regarding their studies
  
• Resolving issues arising in performance of administrative functions
  
• Proposing, imaginatively, strategies and negotiating alternative arrangements in response to strategic challenges in research, teaching and service
  

Standard Terms & Conditions

The salary will be on the Research and Teaching Grade 9 , £51,630 - £58,089 per annum.

The post is full time and open ended.

The successful applicant will be eligible to join the Universities' Superannuation Scheme. Further information regarding the scheme is available from the Superannuation Officer, who is also prepared to advise on questions relating to the transfer of Superannuation benefits.

Relocation assistance will be provided where appropriate.

New entrants to the University will be required to serve a probationary period of 6 months.

Vacancy reference: 024028, Closing date: 19 February 2019

It is the University of Glasgow’s mission to foster an inclusive climate, which ensures equality in our working, learning, research and teaching environment.

We strongly endorse the principles of Athena SWAN, including a supportive and flexible working environment, with commitment from all levels of the organisation in promoting gender equity

Application deadline:  February 6, 2019

University of West Scotland (UK)

Direct and indirect contribution of developing creative industries, cultural sector and events as a core of Paisley’s economy; inclusive economic growth in Paisley and environs Applications are invited for a PhD Scholarship examining the economic impact of developing the creative economy as an important dimension of the overall local economy through a diverse range of creative industries, culture and heritage projects and programmes.

The research aims to investigate, evidence and analyse the direct and indirect effects on the local economy of Paisley, of cultural regeneration programmes and the stimulation of the local creative industries sector.

The objectives are to:

• Explore and contextualise the economic contribution of the culture sector and event programmes delivered by public, private and third sector organisations in the area.

• Identify the economic and social contribution of and opportunities for creative industries in Paisley, and where relevant, wider Renfrewshire.

• Evaluate and demonstrate the impact of investing in cultural and creative industries development alongside other investment made to support economic growth in Paisley and Renfrewshire in pursuit of an inclusive economy.

Candidates with a first degree and/or Master’s degree with a component of economics or, an urban geography, creative industries or culture/heritage studies background are encouraged to apply. Candidates should be familiar with cost-benefit analysis and the tools of project appraisal as applied in an urban context. Some knowledge of statisticalor econometric software packages (SPSS, E-Views, or STATA) will be advantageous though further training will be provided. Demonstrable understanding of the creative industries and the roles of culture and heritage in regeneration is required, alongside the ability to work effectively in academic and non-academic environments.

This fully-funded studentship includes tuition fees and stipend for three years of full-time study. The researcher will be based at the new Centre for Culture, Sport and Events (CCSE) at UWS Paisley campus and will spend some of their time with Renfrewshire Council Regeneration Service.

CCSE was established in partnership with Renfrewshire Council during Paisley’s UK City of Culture bid process. CCSE ensures that collaborative research and evaluation are fundamental to Paisley’s approach to cultural regeneration, informing continued learning and improvement, establishing Paisley as a centre for excellence in cultural regeneration. CCSE has four key themes:

• place-focused cultural regeneration; arts, cultural diplomacy, and soft power

• sport, cultural events and festivals

• media, communication and digital cultures.

The first and fourth themes support activity connected to five step changes identified by Renfrewshire Council, which aim to build from the

UK City of Culture bid:

1. Grow creativity as a significant new dimension to Paisley’s economy;

2. Radically change Paisley’s image and reputation in Scotland, the UK and internationally

3. Paisley will be recognised for its cultural excellence

4. Lift Paisley’s communities out of poverty

5. Transform

Paisley into a vibrant cultural town centre These step changes aim to support local inclusive growth and development, benefitting the town and wider Renfrewshire region.

To apply for the studentship, applicants should send a two-page proposal and a short CV. Interviews will be held in early February 2019. The studentship will start as soon as possible thereafter. Informal enquiries can be made to Professor John Struthers in the School of Business and Enterprise: john.struthers@uws.ac.uk

Funding Notes

We are looking for enthusiastic and outstanding candidates with a degree relevant to this project, an excellent attitude to collaborative research, attention to detail, ability to withstand a fast learning curve, good communication skills and most importantly, creative enthusiasm. The scholarship is available to students from the UK and EU.

The studentship offers an annual stipend of £14,777 per annum for three years and payment of the tuition fees.

Read more

Ilija Tomanić Trivundža

Press Photography and Visual Framing of News presents an argument for the necessity of taking images seriously within the field of media and communication studies. The argument, although not new, is worth repeating, since regardless of the (over)saturation of contemporary communication with visuals, the field has still not come to terms with the image.

The book presents key theoretical debates on news framing and the specifics of the visual framing of news, which are reconsidered within the norms and conventions of the specific cultural apparatus within which photography is put to work – journalism. The book provides a tentative typology of visual framing and outlines the general trend of the visual framing of news as a move towards a more iconic 

and symbolic representation. This move on the one hand increases the role of images in news reporting by exposing their ability to condense the events into easily recognisable and culturally shared symbols. On the other, it can lead to the impoverishment of visual communication through the overt reduction of particular events into typical occurrences, transforming photogr

aphs into mere illustrations and generic visual cues.

The book also

 points to the important future challenges of visual framing research, namely the need to be able to explain the increasingly convoluted ways in which photographs are used within the convergent media environment to make sense of on-going events and the need to address the changes within the medium of photography itself, namely the fact that in the converged and increasingly surveilled communication environment, the primacy of the representational value of images has been both challenged and instrumentalised.

Discount code PRESS2019 for 30% is valid until June 30, 2019

For more information see the website.

The Department of Media Studies at the University of Virginia invites applications for an Associate or Full Professor of Media Studies. The position begins in August 2019. Specialty is open, including global media, critical perspectives on reception research, media and race, sex, class, & gender inequality, screen studies, labor research.

A PhD in media studies or a related field is required. In addition, the successful candidate must have an international research reputation in their field and a record of proven teaching excellence at the graduate and undergraduate levels. Experience in program development is preferred.

Apply online here by attaching a cover letter indicating your research plans, curriculum vitae, one piece of representative research, and contact information for three people who can provide professional reference letters.

For full consideration please submit an application by February 25, 2019; however the position will remain open until filled.

For questions about the application process, please contact Nicole Robinson, Faculty Search Advisor,nr7f@virginia.edu.

UVA assists faculty spouses and partners seeking employment in the Charlottesville area. To learn more please visit http://provost.virginia.edu/dual-career.

For more information about UVA and the surrounding area, visit http://uvacharge.virginia.edu/guide.html.

The University of Virginia, including the UVA Health System and the University Physician’s Group are fundamentally committed to the diversity of our faculty and staff. We believe diversity is excellence expressing itself through every person's perspectives and lived experiences. We are equal opportunity and affirmative action employers.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, color, disability, gender identity, marital status, national or ethnic origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, veteran status, and family medical or genetic information.

https://uva.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/UVAJobs/job/Charlottesville-VA/Associate-or-Full-Professor-of-Media-Studies_R0001988-1

November 13-15, 2019

University of Zurich (UZH), Department of Communication and Media Research (IKMZ)

Deadline: June 15, 2019

Biannual Meeting of the Health Communication Temporary Working Group of the European Communication Research and Education Association (ECREA)

Annual Conference of the Health Communication Division of the German Communication Association (DGPuK)

The Department of Communication and Media Research at the University of Zurich (IKMZ) is delighted to host the European Conference on Health Communication (ECHC) 2019 in Zurich, Switzerland, from 13 to 15 November 2019. The conference of the Health Communication Temporary Working Group of the ECREA and the Health Communication Division of the DGPuK has a thematic focus on social aspects of health communication. It will provide a platform for discussing the interrelations between health, health communication, media, and people’s social contexts on various levels and from diverse perspectives.

With the aim to represent the full scope of current health communication research in Europe, the ECHC also welcomes research on further issues of health communication.

Thematic panels on social aspects of health communication

Health and health-related behaviors are embedded in social contexts in various ways, which comprise both risks and opportunitiesfor individual’s health. Communicable (i.e., infectious) diseases, such as HIV or influenza, are spread through social contacts between persons, and unfavorable health behaviors (e.g., alcohol and drug abuse) might be reinforced by social influence. On the other hand, social support can ease the coping with diseases in everyday life (e.g., diabetes, depression), and social norms may promote favorable health behaviors (e.g., doing sports or eating healthily). Since social aspects—such as social influence, support, and norms—unfold their effect through communication, they deserve special attention by health communication scholars to protect, maintain, and improve individual and public health.

The conference aims to address the complexity of individuals’ social contexts and the full breadth of communication—ranging from interpersonal communication to mass media, online to offline, intended to unintended etc. It therefore calls for proposals analyzing the interrelations between social aspects, different forms of health-related communication, and health at the individual, interpersonal, and societal level.

To illustrate the conference’s scope, exemplary questions and concepts are provided in the following. Please note that these examples are not intended to limit the range of possible submissions. Proposals that do not explicitly address the following aspects but refer to social aspects of health communication in other ways are very welcome.

Individual level:

• Which health behaviors are especially susceptible to social influence (e.g., private vs. public health behavior) and what role do different means of communication play in these contexts?
  
• How are individual social-related characteristics, such as traits (e.g., need to belong), cognitions (e.g., perceived norms), and motives (e.g., need for social integration) associated with health behavior and health-related communication?
  
• How are media messages elaborated that address social aspects of health behavior (e.g.,social frames)?
  

Interpersonal level:

• Which relevance do different settings have for health communication (e.g., family, colleagues, self-help groups)?
  
• Which role do different actors (e.g., doctors, patients, bystanders) and social roles (e.g., opinion leaders, influencers, followers) play in the context of health communication?
  
• How does health-related interpersonal communication differ depending on the channel and platform (e.g., face-to-face vs. mediated)?
  

Societal level:

• Which sociocultural aspects (e.g., collectivistic vs. individualistic societies) and characteristics of the media system are relevant regarding health and health communication?
  
• What kind of divides related to health communication exist in societies and what are their consequences (e.g., digital divides)?
  
• How can societal inequalities and health-related stigmatization be addressed by health communication and what guidelines are helpful for journalists to ease these issues?
  

The conference calls for basic research describing and explaining these aspects but also refers to applied research seeking to solve practical health communication issues. It is interested in theories, methods, and study designs that allow studying social aspects of health communication at different levels as well as the integration of various levels within a single approach.

Open panels

Besides submissions that address the thematic focus, the conference invites proposals presenting research on current issues of health communication. Especially welcome are contributions presenting a European perspective. This may include case studies from European countries, comparative studies, and Pan-European initiatives.

Submission format

The ECHC invites empirical—quantitative or qualitative—, methodological, as well as theoretical contributions. In the case of empirical submissions, data collection should be completed, and (at least preliminary) results should be reported in the submission.

Proposals can be submitted as presentation and poster proposals. Both—presentation and posters proposals—should be submitted in the form of extended abstracts with a maximum length of 8.000 characters (incl. space characters, excl. references, tables and figures). Abstracts must be written in

English and have to be submitted via the ECHC 2019 submission platform until 15 June 2019. The submission system will open on 30 April 2019.

Please note that you will have to specify whether the submission is a proposal for the thematic or the open panel when submitting your abstract. Additionally, you will be asked to indicate whether the proposal is to be presented as a presentation or a poster in the case of acceptance, or whether both options are equally suitable for your proposal.

All submissions will be reviewed in an anonymous review process on the basis of the following criteria.

• Fit to the conference’s theme (when submitted to the thematic panels)
  
• Contribution to health communication research and practice
  
• Quality of literature review and theoretical foundations
  
• Quality and appropriateness of the research methods or quality and appropriateness of arguments for propositions in a theory/review piece
  
• Quality, clarity, and rigor of argumentation
  

You will be informed about the acceptance of your submission by 31 August 2019.

Conference

The ECHC 2019 will take place at the City Campus of the University of Zurich, located in the center of Zurich. Further information on the conference venues, accommodation possibilities, and the program will be announced on the ECHC 2019 website in due time.

Timeline

• Submission system opens: 30 April 2019
  
• Submission deadline: 15 June 2019
  
• Notification of acceptance: 31 August 2019
  
• Registration deadline: 20 October 2019
  
• Conference: 13 to 15 November 2019
  

On behalf of the

ECREA TWG  - Doreen Reifegerste,Thomas N. Friemel , Julia C. M. van Weert 

DGPuK Division - Doreen Reifegerste, Markus Schäfer

IKMZ - Sarah Geber, Tobias Frey, Thomas N. Friemel

Contact and links

E-mail: echc@ikmz.uzh.ch

Website: http://www.echc.ch

Special issue call for papers from Journal of Communication Management

Deadline: June 1, 2019

Rationale

Science is central for contemporary knowledge societies. Scientific results and science-based technological innovations are crucial to address societal challenges. Accordingly, science communication – the public communication about science, its findings, methods and processes (cf. Davies & Horst 2016) – has become more important in recent years (e.g. Hall Jamieson et al. 2017; Schäfer 2012).

Science communication has also gained importance in organizational contexts. Scientific and higher education organizations have expanded and professionalized their strategic communication efforts with regard to media relations (e.g. Bauer & Gregory 2008), to brand building and reputation management (e.g. Chapleo et al. 2011) etc. The growing public and political attention towards universities poses new challenges for organizational legitimacy, not only but also in the context of organizational crises (Fähnrich, Janssen Danyi & Nothhaft, 2015). These developments have resulted in an active and growing community of science communication practitioners, the emergence of professional associations and the appearance of specialized study programs etc. (Gascoigne et al. 2010; Trench 2017).

Organizations such as companies, political parties, think tanks or NGOs increasingly communicate about science as well (e.g. Fähnrich 2018a). They may use science-related information in advertising to promote new products, refer to experts to justify political decisions, use scientific expertise to appear trustworthy in the eyes of stakeholders or emphasize their use of the latest scientific and technological developments to create a favorable public image. They may also publicly question science, point towards conflicting evidence, highlight potential risks or even promote misinformation, pseudo- or anti-science.

In spite of these pervasive trends, however, the communication of science in organizational contexts has not received much scholarly attention yet. Neither have many scholars from the field of communication management and strategic communication taken up the issue of science (cf. Fähnrich 2018b) nor has the growing field of science communication paid much attention to the role of organizations yet (cf. Horst 2013).

This special issue on "Communicating Science in Organizational Contexts" will contribute to closing this gap. It invites contributions from scholars of communication management, strategic communication, organizational communication and organizational sociology, as well as from science communication, science and technology studies, the sociology of science and other related fields and disciplines. In doing so, it brings together researchers that have not had many interchanges in the past in order to develop a comprehensive perspective on the organizational (meso) level of science communication.

Potential Topics

We invite scholars to submit research papers – welcoming both theoretical/conceptual work as well as empirical analyses – on a variety of aspects:

1. analyses of the (strategic) communication of organizations from science and higher education, such as universities, research institutes etc. These analyses may focus on public/media/stakeholder relations, public affairs management, crisis communication, reputation management, marketing or branding. They may concentrate on organizational communication strategies, on the institutional embedding of strategic communication within these organizations, the involved actors, communication formats, media and content, as well as on the use of this communication among different target groups and its effects.

2. analyses of the communication of non-scientific organizations (e.g. political parties, corporations, NGOs, think tanks etc.) on science-related issues, e.g. regarding health and nutrition, sustainability and environmental issues etc. They may also include organizations promoting science denial or anti- and pseudo-science. Again, such analyses could focus on these organizations' communication strategies, the organizational embedding of science-related communication, the chosen formats and media, the involved actors, or on the use of such communication among different target groups and its effects.

3. public communication about science with an organizational focus. This includes, e.g., analyses focusing on the role of organizations in public/media/online discourses on science-related issues, analyses of public communication efforts by members of such organizations (such as individual scientists), or analyses of the public perception of/trust in organizations in the field of science communication.

4. the importance and role of the organizational mediators of science communication. Such analyses may focus on 'traditional' mediators like news/legacy media organizations, but also on 'new' intermediaries like scientific publishing houses and libraries, social media platforms, or search engines.

5. contributions developing theoretical and/or normative frameworks for the analysis and evaluation of science communication in organizational contexts, e.g. focusing on professional and/or regulatory frameworks, or on ethical reflections and concerns.

The CfP welcomes papers focusing on one or more of these topics, but also on other aspects if they are related to the overall rationale of the special issue. Authors are requested to ensure the originality of their contributions, and to outline implications for research and practice.

Timeline

• Deadline for full papers Jun 1, 2019
  
• Reviews of full papers provided Aug 1, 2019
  
• Deadline for revised submissions Oct 15, 2019
  
• Second round of reviews provided Dec 15, 2019
  
• Final versions due Feb 30, 2020
  
• Papers transferred to production Mar 30, 2020
  

Submission Guidelines for Quick Reference

• Text length should be 6,000-8,000 words including references
  
• A structured abstract with 4-7 sub-headings is required
  
• Please use Harvard citation style (for in-text citations, references, figures, tables)
  

More detailed Emerald publishing guidelines for authors: http://www.emeraldgrouppublishing.com/products/journals/author_guidelines.htm?id=jcom

Manuscripts should be submitted under https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/jcomm

Full papers will receive one double-blind external expert review as well as one review by the guest editors. A maximum of 8 articles will be published in JCM Volume 24, Issue 3 in July 2020.

Questions should be directed to the Guest Editors

Prof. Dr. Mike S. Schäfer, University of Zurich, Dept. of Communication and Media Research (IKMZ), m.schaefer@ikmz.uzh.ch

Dr. Birte Fähnrich, Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities, Interdisciplinary Research Group “Science Communication” & Zeppelin University, Center for Political Communication, birte.faehnrich@bbaw.de