Wednesday, April 25, 2012

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem Tenure-Track Position

The Noah Mozes Department of Communication and Journalism at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem invites outstanding candidates to apply for tenure-track positions starting Fall, 2013. Preference will be given to candidates with post-doctoral experience.

The positions are in the following areas:


* Political Communications

* New Media

* Cinema and Visual Culture

* Media Institutions


The successful applicant will join a dynamic research-oriented faculty offering innovative undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programs. For more information about our faculty and research please visit: http://sites.google.com/site/smarthuji/home.

The language of instruction is Hebrew, although English is acceptable for an initial period.


Applications should include:

· Curriculum vitae

· An academic biography (2 pages) outlining research interests and plans

· Letters of recommendation from at least two persons qualified to assess the candidate’s achievements and potential

· Copies of two selected recent publications

· Brief description of potential courses

· Teaching evaluations (if such exist)

Applicants will compete with candidates of other departments in the Faculty of Social Sciences for academic positions.


Application materials and/or inquiries should be directed to:

Prof. Menahem Blondheim, Chair (mblond@huji.ac.il).

Department of Communication and Journalism

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Mount Scopus, Jerusalem 91905, Israel.


Letters of recommendation should be sent directly to the above address, or to mblond@huji.ac.il.

Deadline for applications: May 8th 2012.

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

ICA Business Meeting and Reception

Our program for the upcoming Phoenix conference includes a variety of 26 exciting and interesting panels, high-density sessions, an interactive poster session and (for the first time) an extended session titled “what do we (really) know about online political participation?”

Division members are invited to our Annual Business Meeting (to be held on Sunday, May 27, 4:30-5:45 at Room Maryvale A at the conference hotel). We will honor our award winners and discuss a variety of division-related issues. The meeting will be followed by our annual off-site reception (jointly with the Journalism Studies Division), which will be held at The First Amendment Forum at the nearby Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. The agenda for the business meeting and directions to the reception will be emailed to participants as the conference approaches.

Hoping to see you there,

Claes de Vreese and Yariv Tsfati

3rd International Summer School “POLITICAL COMMUNICATION AND ELECTORAL BEHAVIOUR”

University of Milan (Italy) - Department of Social & Political Studies
16-20 July, 2012

The School is co-sponsored by: ICA-Political Communication Division, ECREA-Political Communication Section, ISA-IPSA Committee on Political Sociology.
It is also endorsed by: IPSA-Political Communication Research Committee, ESA-Political Sociology Research Network, ECPR- Standing Group on Voting Behaviour and Public Opinion in a comparative perspective, SISP (Italian Society of Political Science), SISE (Italian Society of Electoral Studies).

The School focuses on the main theoretical and research questions regarding the relation between political communication scholarship and political science/political sociology perspectives with a special focal point on the influence of communication factors on political and electoral behaviour. It aims to provide a high-level reflection on the current trends in international research by asking a number of internationally renowned scholars to interact with the participants through lectures and discussion groups.

The topics of this edition are: Current Theoretical Perspectives, New/Social Media in Political Communication, Popularization of Politics: Implications for Research, Parties and Voters in a Comparative Perspective, Structural vs. Short-term Determinants of Vote Choice.

The Faculty: Denis McQuail, Shanto Iyengar, Barbara Pfetsch, Stephen Coleman, Patricia Moy, Kees Brants, Jacques Thomassen, Russell Dalton, Marco Maraffi, Oddbjørn Knutsen.

The School is open to 30 Doctoral and Master students and early career researchers from political science, political communication, sociology, and related areas.

***IMPORTANT: The deadline is extended to May 27, due to special funding received from the City Administration of Milan, allowing the Department to offer free accommodation.
For all other information please go to the website of the School: www.dssp.unimi.it/summerschool/polcomm/

Email: Summerschool.dssp@unimi.it

Three Assistant Professor Openings at VU University Amsterdam

Three vacant assistant professor positions (UD) in Communication Science
1.0 fte (full positions) at the Department of Communication Science, Faculty of Social Science, VU University Amsterdam
(Vacancy number: 1.2012.00098)

Submission deadline:
May 22nd 2012

Summary of the vacant positions:
The department of Communication Science at VU University Amsterdam is a fast growing department within the Faculty of Social Sciences (www.fsw.vu.nl/nl). The research program of the department strengthens empirical research with regard to communication choices, communication content, and communication effects. Central research topics are social media, media coverage and media monitoring, and media psychology. The department of Communication Science participates in the multidisciplinary Network Institute and in the national research school for Communication Science NeSCoR. The teaching program consists of a three-year Bachelor program with a yearly enrollment of approximately 170 students, and a one-year Master program with an enrollment of approximately 150 students. The Master’s program consists of tracks in 1) Corporate Communication and New Media, 2) Marketing and Health Communication, 3) Media Psychology and 4) Public and Political Communication, with a side track in 5) Journalism Studies.


Assistant Professors Tasks:

  • Conduct state of the art empirical research in the field of communication, resulting in publications in international communication journals;
  • are active in acquiring external research funding;
  • develop, coordinate and teach bachelor and master level courses in at least one of the tracks;
  • can be asked to perform management tasks and to take part in various committees;
  • can be involved in the supervision of PhD-students.

Requirements:
  • PhD, preferably in Communication
  • Knowledge of and experience with quantitative research methodologies, e.g. social network analysis
  • Qualities as proven by a Basis Kwalificatie Onderwijs (BKO, basic teaching qualification at Dutch Universities), or experience with various teaching methods/skills, or positive teaching evaluations combined with the willingness to acquire a BKO
  • Knowledge of both the Dutch and English language, or the willingness to acquire sufficient knowledge of Dutch and English within 2 years
  • Research skills
  • Solid publication record with a focus on peer-reviewed international publications
  • Intent to applying for funding

Specifics:
The positions are full time, but part time can be discussed. Two positions are offered for a period of two years, and one position for a period of one year, in which the first two months serve as an official probationary period. At the end of the two-year contract, an official evaluation will follow in which options for tenure may be explored. Information about the excellent fringe benefits of employment at VU University Amsterdam is available www.workingatvu.nl.
The intended starting date is September 1st 2012 at the latest.

Salary:
Depending on the candidate’s experience, function level, and vitae, gross monthly salary is, based on a full-time employment, maximum EUR 4.970,- (salary scale 12).
Candidates who have recently finished their PhD will start at EUR 2.977,- (salary scale 10.5), based on a full-time employment.

Information:
For more information please contact the secretary of the department, Corry Hienkens, phone number: 00-31-20-59 6854, e-mail: secretariaat.cw.fsw@vu.nl,
or the head of the department Communication Science, Prof. Dr. Jan Kleinnijenhuis, phone number: 00-31-20-59 86827, e-mail: j.kleinnijenhuis@vu.nl

Application:
Applicants are requested to write a letter in which they describe their abilities and motivation, accompanied by a curriculum vitae and one or two references.
Written applications should be sent before May 22nd 2012 to: VU University Amsterdam, Faculty of Social Sciences, attn.: Drs. M. Karssen, Managing director, De Boelelaan 1081, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

The preferred way to apply is to apply with a pdf by e-mail to: vacature.cw.fsw@vu.nl
Please mention the vacancy number in the e-mail header or at the top of your letter and on the envelope. Any other correspondence in response to this advertisement will not be dealt with.

Call for Questions for GLES online tracking

The online tracking is a (non-representative) cross-section survey within the scope of the German Longitudinal Election Study (GLES), which aims to measure the change and stability of political attitude and behavior at the individual level from one election to the next. Since the federal election in 2009, an online survey has been implemented regularly in which 1.000 respondents are selected each time; as of now, from an offline recruited pool. The long-term online design is not only a valuable method to answer research questions, which cannot be studied in the framework of other GLES-components. It is also well suited for experimental designs. Furthermore, the component considers the multi-level-governance of Germany and includes federal, state-, and European elections.

The questionnaire time of each online survey is about 30 minutes and consists of a core questionnaire which is obligatory in any tracking survey. In addition to these core questions, variable topics are surveyed. Attached you can find a time schedule and an overview of the main questions and the variable question program of the second phase of the project grant. Within the scope of the variable modules, proposals for single questions and question modules are welcome. To guarantee comparability, all submissions must be structured as follows.

  1. Academic statement, relevance for study aim to explain voting behavior in Germany; the degree of methodical innovation, if applicable use of predetermined question program. (Data and/or questionnaires of earlier online-tracking surveys can be downloaded; see: http: http://www.gesis.org/wahlen/gles/daten-und- dokumente/daten/)

  2. Concepts for data analysis and publication of results

  3. Source of instruments, if applicable comparability with other studies

  4. Methodical quality of questions (if statements are possible)

  5. Analysis of instruments (if applicable filtering, experimental design)

The items 1 to 4 should not exceed 6.000 characters (without references). The recommended instruments should be described in item 5.

We will also accept recommendations concerning the time of implementation for submitted proposals and will try to consider these suggestions. The German Society for Electoral Studies (DGfW) will decide about the proposals. All applicants will be informed immediately about the decision. The selected proposals will be further developed and tested by the GLES project team in cooperation with the authors. The authors of accepted instrument proposals commit themselves to analyze data and to publish the results. This could be handled as a GLES working draft (for example on the basis of ANES Pilot Study Reports; see http://www.electionstudies.org/resources/ papers/pilotrpt.htm).

The pilot scheme of a call for questions within the scope of the GLES online tracking has by now been well-established. Therefore, we would like to open the study for external proposals again in the second phase of project grant (2012-2014). We provide the opportunity to submit proposals of single questions or topics (5 minutes at most). The tracking, which will be launched in September 2012, will be available for these submissions to a limited extent. In 2013 and 2014, online surveys will be continued quarterly. This call refers to all tracking studies in the second phase of the project grant.

For further requests please do not hesitate to contact us. Please submit your proposals to project member responsible for the online tracking: Ina Bieber (Goethe-University Frankfurt), e-mail: bieber@soz.uni-frankfurt.de by 21st May 2012.

Best regards,
Sigrid Roßteutscher on behalf of GLES

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Three Faculty Openings

The department of Communication Science at VU University Amsterdam is a
fast growing department within the Faculty of Social Sciences
(www.fsw.vu.nl/nl). The research program of the department
strengthens empirical research with regard to communication choices,
communication content, and communication effects. Central research
topics are social media, media coverage and media monitoring, and media
psychology. The department of Communication Science participates in the
multidisciplinary Network Institute and in the national research school
for Communication Science NeSCoR. The teaching program consists of a
three-year Bachelor program with a yearly enrollment of approximately
170 students, and a one-year Master program with an enrollment of
approximately 150 students. The Master's program consists of tracks in
1) Corporate Communication and New Media, 2) Marketing and Health
Communication, 3) Media Psychology and 4) Public and Political
Communication, with a side track in 5) Journalism Studies.

Assistant Professor Tasks:

Conduct state of the art empirical research in the field of
communication, resulting in publications in international communication
journals;

Active in acquiring external research funding;

Develop, coordinate and teach bachelor and master level courses in at
least one of the tracks;

Can be asked to perform management tasks and to take part in various
committees;

Can be involved in the supervision of PhD-students.

Requirements:

PhD, preferably in Communication

Good knowledge of and experience with quantitative research
methodologies, e.g. social network analysis

Didactic qualities as proven by a Basis Kwalificatie Onderwijs (BKO,
basic teaching qualification at Dutch Universities), or experience with
various teaching methods/skills, or positive teaching evaluations
combined with the willingness to acquire a BKO

Sufficient knowledge of both the Dutch and English language, or the
willingness to acquire sufficient knowledge of Dutch and English within
2 years

Strong research skills

Asolid publication record with a focus on peer-reviewed
international publications

Experience in applying for funding

Specifics:

The positions are full time, but part time can be discussed. Two
positions are offered for a period of two years, and one position for a
period of one year, in which the first two months serve as an official
probationary period. At the end of the two-year contract, an official
evaluation will follow in which options for tenure may be explored.

Information about the excellent fringe benefits of employment at VU
University Amsterdam is available www.workingatvu.nl.

The intended starting date is September 1st 2012 at the latest.

Salary:

Depending on the candidate's experience, function level, and vitae,
gross monthly salary is, based on a fulltime employment, maximum EUR
4.970,- (salary scale 12).

Candidates who have recently finished their PhD will start at EUR
2.977,- (salary scale 10.5), based on a fulltime employment.

Information:

For more information please contact the secretary of the department,
Corry Hienkens, phone number: 00-31-20-59 6854, e-mail:
secretariaat.cw.fsw@vu.nl,

or the head of the department Communication Science, Prof. Dr. Jan
Kleinnijenhuis, phone number: 00-31-20-59 86827, e-mail:
j.kleinnijenhuis@vu.nl

Application:

Applicants are requested to write a letter in which they describe their
abilities and motivation, accompanied by a curriculum vitae and one or
two references.

Written applications should be sent before May 22nd 2012 to: VU
University Amsterdam, Faculty of Social Sciences, attn.: Drs. M.
Karssen, Managing director, De Boelelaan 1081, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The
Netherlands.

The preferred way to apply is to apply with a pdf by e-mail to:
vacature.cw.fsw@vu.nl

Please mention the vacancy number in the e-mail header or at the top of
your letter and on the envelope.

Any other correspondence in response to this advertisement will not be
dealt with.

Monday, April 2, 2012

Data of the German Longitudinal Election Study (GLES)

The German Longitudinal Election Study (GLES; http://www.gles.eu/index.en.htm) is the largest national election study ever undertaken in Germany. Over three subsequent periods of funding, it examines the German federal elections 2009, 2013, and 2017. The data generated by this study allow analyses of the electoral process over an extended period of time and at an unprecedented level of detail. Using state-of-the art methodologies, the project aims to generate a comprehensive, complex, and integrated data base that links cross-sectional with longitudinal data, both short-term and long-term. Its design combines a broad variety of interlocking and complementary data sources, including several surveys of voters and candidates as well as various analyses of media content. It spans three subsequent elections, covering both campaign periods and the time in-between elections. The study seeks to address all major theories and concepts of electoral behaviour in a comprehensive manner, but at the same time has a special focus on processes of political communication and electoral information flows.

The GLES is funded by the German National Science Community (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft DFG) and carried out in close cooperation with GESIS Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences (http://www.gesis.org/en/home/) and the German Society for Electoral Research (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Wahlforschung DGfW; cf. http://dgfw.eu/index.php?lang=en). The principal investigators are Hans Rattinger (University of Mannheim), Sigrid Roßteutscher (University of Frankfurt), Rüdiger Schmitt-Beck (University of Mannheim), Bernhard Weßels (Social Science Research Center Berlin), and Christof Wolf (GESIS Mannheim).

All data generated by this hitherto most comprehensive program of German electoral research are treated as a public good and made immediately accessible to all interested social scientists worldwide for free download (http://www.gesis.org/en/elections-homme/gles/). To improve access and utility of the GLES data for the international scientific community English language versions of the most important data sets collected at the 2009 German federal election and their documentation have been prepared and are already freely available or will be available soon to all interested researchers:

  • A cross-section survey conducted face to face in two evenly split waves, one pre- one post-election (N = 4,288; 882 variables)

  • A pre-post panel survey conducted by telephone with the pre-election wave run as a rolling cross-section survey over two months with 100 per day on average (N = 6,008 (first wave) resp. 4,027 (second wave), 536 variables)

  • A seven-wave campaign panel conducted online (N = 4,552, 3540 variables)

  • A three-wave long-term panel conducted face-to-face covering the federal elections 2002, 2005 and 2009 (N = 1,107, 802 variables; release of English-language dataset planned for mid April 2012)

  • A content analysis of TV primetime news on the four most important public and commercial channels during the election campaign (news reports and statements from 364 newscasts, 115 variables)

    In addition to these datasets the GLES offers a quarterly series of online tracking surveys for which regularly calls for questions are issued to the scientific community, as well as data from a mixed-methods sub-project on the televised debate of the large parties' chancellor candidates (experimental, survey, content and RTR data). While also freely accessible to all interested scientists, these data so far are only available in German.

    Contact:

    Prof. Dr. Rüdiger Schmitt-Beck
    Chair of Political Science
    Political Sociology University of Mannheim
    D-68131 Mannheim
    Email:
    schmitt-beck@uni-mannheim.d