APSA & ICA Political Communication Divisions

SRC Summer Institute in Survey Research Technique

2012-02-29T13:43:00.001-08:00

June 4-July 27, 2012

Now in its 65th year, the University of Michigan's Summer Institute in Survey Research Techniques provides rigorous and high quality graduate training in all phases of survey research. The program teaches state-of-the-art practice and theory in the design, implementation, and analysis of surveys. Classes start June 4 and meet through July 27. Courses range in length from one week to eight weeks.

The Summer Institute in Survey Research Techniques draws on a renowned group of instructors from within the Survey Research Center and the University of Michigan community, and on other experts from outside the University. For more information, including course descriptions, schedules, and other relevant information visit our website, http://si.isr.umich.edu/.

Please feel free to contact us with any questions.

Summer Institute in Survey Research Techniques staff: (734) 764-6595 or summers@isr.umich.edu.

Institute for Social Research
University of Michigan
P.O. Box 1248
Ann Arbor, MI 48106–1248

Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Scholarly Research in Communication

2012-02-27T12:35:00.002-08:00

As stated on the website,

"This document is a code of best practices that helps U.S. communication scholars to interpret the copyright doctrine of fair use. Fair use is the right to use copyrighted material without permission or payment under some circumstances—especially when the cultural or social benefits of the use are predominant. It is a general right that applies even in situations where the law provides no specific authorization for the use in question.

This guide identifies four situations that represent the current consensus within the community of communication scholars about acceptable practices for the fair use of copyrighted materials."

Please visit the website for more information.

2012 Summer Doctoral Seminar at Wayne State University

2012-02-23T11:59:00.000-08:00

**2012 Summer Doctoral Seminar at Wayne State University**
May 30 - June 2, 2012 with distinguished guest scholar Dr. John Gastil

BRINGING DELIBERATIVE DEMOCRACY INTO ELECTORAL POLITICS
Talking about elections increasingly means exchanging anecdotes,
recalling potent slogans, comparing outsized personalities, and
dissecting carefully crafted campaign strategies. In contrast, weighing
arguments, scrutinizing facts, and judging value conflicts occurs less
frequently in the public sphere. This seminar focuses on revitalizing
deliberative discourse in the American electoral process to generate
more substantive adversarial clash and, on occasion, encourage a sense
of common purpose. We will examine how candidates campaign and voters
vote in local, state, and federal elections, and we will evaluate
reforms - real and theoretical - that could make for a more constructive
and democratic electoral process in the United States.

John Gastil (Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison) is Professor and
Head in the Department of Communication Arts and Sciences at The
Pennsylvania State University. He published Democracy in Small Groups
(New Society Publishers) in 1993 and has since continued to explore
democracy and deliberation at different levels of analysis in By Popular
Demand: Revitalizing Representative Democracy through Deliberative
Elections (University of California, 2000), The Deliberative Democracy
Handbook: Strategies for Effective Civic Engagement in the Twenty-First
Century (co-edited with Peter Levine, Jossey-Bass, 2005), and Political
Communication and Deliberation (Sage, 2008). He also returned to the
study of group behavior in The Group in Society (Sage, 2009) and
co-authored The Jury and Democracy: How Jury Deliberation Promotes Civic
Engagement and Political Participation (Oxford, 2010). The National
Science Foundation has supported numerous large-scale research programs
in which Gastil has served as a principal investigator. He has also
managed campaigns for public office in California and New Mexico.

Application Information
All Ph.D. students interested in being exposed to leading communication
research and theory are encouraged to apply. Most expenses for accepted
candidates will be paid by the Department of Communication at Wayne
State University. Covered expenses for domestic students include
airfare, lodging and meals, and course materials. An opening reception
and other social events will give participants an opportunity to get to
know each other and exchange ideas. A small group of doctoral students
will be selected to join this unique program.

Application Procedure
To apply, you will need to complete an online application form, and
submit an essay and vitae by email. The essay should be approximately
500 words that provides information about your area of Ph.D. study as
well as a brief description of your research interests, describing how
the seminar is relevant to your program of study and/or how the seminar
will advance your dissertation project. The vitae should be current.
When the essay and vitae are ready, you can proceed to the online
application form available at:
http://www.comm.wayne.edu/summerseminar.php.
After completing the form, send a follow-up email to wsudocsem@gmail.com
with your essay and vitae attached.

Application Deadline: March 15, 2012

For more information you may contact the Summer Seminar Committee chair:
Pradeep Sopory at psopory@wayne.edu

A flyer promoting the summer seminar is available at:
http://comm.wayne.edu/summerdocseminar2012.pdf

Some highlights from previous doctoral seminars are at:
http://www.comm.wayne.edu/summerseminar_prioryears.php

Junior Professorship in Political Psychology (tenure-track)

2012-02-10T14:33:00.000-08:00

University of Koblenz-Landau,
Germany

The Institute of Communication Psychology, Media Education, and Speech Communication, Faculty 8: Psychology, Campus Landau

Tasks:

Research and teaching in political psychology. Teaching responsibilities include courses in the Psychology and Social Sciences/Communications programs at the Campus Landau on the Bachelor and Master level. We are looking for a highly qualified person who has proven her or his research expertise in international publications and who has acquired third-party funds. A clear connection to Media and Communication Psychology is desired. The junior professorship will strengthen the new established research group „Communication, Media, and Politics”.

Professional Requirements:

In addition to the requirements specified by the educational law of the federal state of Rhineland- Palatinate, the candidate should have successfully completed a Diploma or Master degree in Psychology, Communication, or Political Science at a University, teaching experience, and additional scientific achievements.

In case the candidate has been employed as a research assistant before or after receiving a PhD, the duration of employment should not exceed six years (excl. maternity leave and parental leave).

Junior professors are appointed as civil servants for three years. In case of positive evaluation, a three-year extension is possible.

The federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate and the University of Koblenz-Landau expect teaching staff to be present at the University regularly.

Women with equal qualification and achievements will be preferred in case of underrepresentation in accordance to national law. Severely challenged candidates with essentially equal qualifications will be given preference.

Applications (incl. CV, certificates, publication list, and list of classes taught) should be sent by 15 April 2012 referring to the code number 21/2012 to the Präsident der Universität Koblenz- Landau, Präsidialamt, Isaac-Fulda-Allee 3, 55124 Mainz.

www.uni-koblenz-landau.de/uni/stellen

THE 2012 SUMMER INSTITUTE IN POLITICAL PSYCHOLOGY

2012-02-07T07:46:00.000-08:00

Stanford University: July 15 – August 4, 2012
Applications are being accepted now for the 20th Annual Summer Institute in Political Psychology (SIPP), to be held at Stanford University July 15 to August 4, 2012. The SIPP program takes up to 60 participants and is filling up; there are still some spots available.

The Summer Institute offers three weeks of intensive training in politicalpsychology. Political psychology is an exciting and thriving field that explores the origins of political behavior and the causes of political events, with a special focus on the psychological mechanisms at work.

Research findings in political psychology advance basic theories of politics and are an important basis for political decision-making in practice.

SIPP was founded in 1991 at Ohio State University, and Stanford has hosted SIPP since 2005, with support from Stanford University and from the National Science Foundation. Hundreds of participants have attended SIPP during these years.

The 2012 SIPP curriculum is designed to (1) provide broad exposure to theories, empirical findings, and research traditions; (2) illustrate successful cross-disciplinary research and integration; (3) enhance methodological pluralism; and (4) strengthen networks among scholars from around the world.

SIPP activities will include lectures by world-class faculty, discussion groups, research/interest group meetings, group projects, and an array of social activities.

Some of the topics covered in past SIPP programs include race relations, conflict and dispute resolution, voting and elections, international conflict, decision-making by political elites, moral disengagement and violence, social networks, activism and social protest, political socialization, and justice.

In 2012, SIPP will accept up to 60 participants, including graduate students, faculty, professionals, and advanced undergraduates.

http://www.stanford.edu/group/sipp/2012

Applicants are accepted on a rolling basis until all slots are filled, so applying soon maximizes chances of acceptance.

Call for Nominations: Paul Lazarsfeld Best Paper Award

2012-01-31T13:52:00.000-08:00

The committee is asking members of the division to nominate papers for the Paul Lazarsfeld Best Paper Award. This award given for the best paper on political communication presented at the previous APSA Annual Meeting. Please send nominations by February 28th to Kimberly Gross, chair of the award committee at kimgross@gwu.edu.

ICA Student Travel Grant

2012-01-31T10:21:00.000-08:00

The political communication division offers student travel grants.

To apply for a division travel grant, complete the following form by February 20, 2012. Notice of awards will go out by April 1. The awards are for the paper, and so those with more than one author require a completed application by each author and receive the same consideration and level of funding as those with one author.

To expand the pool of funds, the ICA matches division funding, but each applicant must apply to both ICA and the Division. Please apply first to ICA (see below). Because the deadline for the entire ICA process is March 1, the Political Communication Division has set an earlier deadline, which leaves time for divisional decisions. The deadline for completing the information in the following survey is Feb. 20, and notice of the division and ICA award decisions and combined amounts will reach you by April 1.

If you wish to apply please send the application form below to our program planner -- Claes de Vreese at c.h.devreese@uva.nl

Answers marked with a * are required.

1. I am an ICA Member. Note: You must be an ICA Member to apply for travel funds. *

Yes

2. I have completed the on-line travel grant application at the ICA website (go to the Travel Grant Request Form link). Note: You must fill out the travel grant application at the ICA before you submit this survey.

Yes

About You: Please provide the following personal information.

3. Name (Last, First) *

4. E-Mail Address *

5. Mailing Address *

6. University *

7. Status *

In Coursework

In Dissertation

PhD Holder

Other (Please Specify)

8. Number of Papers Ever Accepted to ICA (any Division) *

3-5

more than 5

9. Country Tier of Current Residence (To find the country tier, go to http://www.icahdq.org/membership/Countrytierchart.asp .) *

10. Minority Status within current Country of Residence *

Non-minority

Minority (Please Specify)

About the Paper/Panel Please provide some information about the accepted paper or panel.

11. Title of accepted paper or panel *

12. Other Authors (If your paper is single-authored, please type None below.) *

About the Travel: Please provide some information about the travel.

13. Distance from conference venue (hours of travel from your city to Phoenix) *

1-3

4-7

8-12

more than 12

14. Estimated cost of transportation only (in US$) *

15. Other Sources of Funding (in US$) *

Department

University

Other Agency (Government or Grant)

5. Certification

16. Please mark this box to certify that the above information is complete and accurate and that if awarded a travel grant you will attend the convention and deliver the paper yourself. *

I Accept these Terms.

Campaign Communication and Political Marketing by Philippe J. Maarek

2012-01-31T10:05:00.000-08:00

"Philippe Maarek has provided an acute, insightful survey and compelling analysis of how political marketing has developed and the consequences this has had for election campaigning. This is an accessible, succinct and engaging read that provides a comprehensive overview of a field which, by definition, is always evolving."
- Dominic Wring, Loughborough University

"Political marketing is at the heart of political campaigning. Philippe Maarek explains how to run such campaigns and how to get your message - if you dare to be a candidate - to the voters. Students interested in how to organize a political campaign will also find in this book some analytical and practical tools. Some lessons can certainly be drawn for how to improve the confidence between citizens and the political elites."
- Guy Lachapelle, Concordia University

Description:
Campaign Communication and Political Marketing is a comprehensive,
internationalist study of the modern political campaign. It indexes and
explains their integral components, strategies, and tactics.
. Offers comparative analyses of campaigns from country to country
. Covers topics such as advertising strategy, demography, the effect
of campaign finance regulation on funding, and more
. Draws on a variety of intenational case studies including the
campaigns of Barack Obama and Nicolas Sarkozy
. Analyses the impact of digital media and 24/7 news cycle on
campaign conduct

Available at http://eu.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-144433235X.html
and at all Amazon stores.

ISBN: 978-1-4443-3235-3
Paperback
288 pages
April 2011, Wiley-Blackwell

Call for Nominations

2012-01-30T09:54:00.000-08:00

The Warren J. Mitofsky Award for Excellence in Public Opinion Research

An annual award of The Roper Center

The Mitofsky award honors important work on public opinion and/or survey methodology that has been accomplished, published, or presented at a professional conference. Nominees can include recent work or past work that continues to have a significant impact on our understanding of public opinion. Nominations can be made for a specific project, innovation, conference paper, article or book, or for a larger body of work by a researcher or practitioner. Special consideration will be given to work that is based on data obtained directly from the Roper archive. The 2012 award carries a cash prize of $1,000 and the winner will be publicly announced in the fall.

The award honors the life and work of the late Warren J. Mitofsky, an innovator in survey research and longtime chair of the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research board of directors. The past winners include political scientist John Mueller, health policy authority Robert Blendon, sociologist Robert Wuthnow, General Social Survey originator, James Davis, and media pollster Kathleen Francovic.

Anyone can make a nomination (including self-nominations) by submitting a statement that includes the full citation of the work(s), a brief description of the work’s significance and impact, and (if appropriate) its use of the Roper Center’s public opinion data archives.

For full consideration, nominations must be received by March 31, 2012. Please send nominations (electronically preferred) to:

Professor Michael X. Delli Carpini

Annenberg School for Communication University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA 19104-6220 mxd@asc.upenn.edu

Update to Japanese Election Surveys

2012-01-23T11:07:00.000-08:00

The joint panel survey for the Asian Barometer Survey 2 (ABS2) and the Comparative Study of Electoral Systems 3 (CSES3) are now available in English. The previous version on the Political Communication website (http://www.politicalcommunication.org/ssdja.html) only contained the Japanese version of the data. The new link includes the English data: http://ssjda.iss.u-tokyo.ac.jp/abstract/0657a.html

Project Background:
In this project, we collected the Japanese data for two comparative
studies that have been collecting data globally, the Asian Barometer
(http://www.asianbarometer.org/) and CSES (The Comparative Study of
Electoral Systems http://www.cses.org/). These studies seek to
investigate the relationship between participation in society and
politics, social capital, and democracy. By conducting the Japanese
portion of this research, we fulfill Japan's obligations and at the
same time clarify Japan's relative position, and exploit the benefits
of collecting panel data for two different surveys from the same
respondents.

The key feature of this study is the very important
contribution of Japanese data that is directly comparable to that of
other countries. In addition, the Japanese data provided through
this research is important for three reasons. First, Japan is a
non-western country that has been a democracy for over 60 years.
Second, it will be a basis for comparison for other modernizing Asian
countries. Finally, it plays an important role in internationalizing
Japanese research.

Moreover, there are benefits to collecting data for both the barometer
and CSES from the same Japanese respondents simultaneously as part of
a single panel survey. On the one hand, the barometer study has
insufficient data for political participation, political choices and
political systems. On the other hand, CSES has insufficient data
relating to democracy. By combining them, at least with regards to
the Japanese data, it is possible to gain a much deeper understanding
of the relationship between democratization and political behavior.
Finally, there is a single data set containing the data from both surveys.

Depositor: Kenichi Ikeda (The University of Tokyo)

ICA Submission/Acceptance/Pre-Conferences

2012-01-23T10:49:00.000-08:00

Division Paper Submissions: 213
Division Paper Acceptance: 59%

Division Panel Submissions: 8
Division Panel Acceptance: 33%

Co-Sponsored Pre-Conferences:
1) New Media & Citizenship in Asia: Social Media, Politics & Community-Building
2) Political Comm in the Online World: Innovation in Theory & Research Designs
3) The Political Communication Graduate Student Workshop (only open to graduate students whose work was accepted to this event)

Thanks to our program planner Claes de Vreese for putting together such a fantastic program!

DAVID SWANSON AWARD CALL FOR NOMINATIONS

2012-01-23T10:48:00.000-08:00

Nominations are now open for the 2012 David Swanson Award. Please send your letters of nomination by email to the committee chair, Stephen Reese, University of Texas, steve.reese@austin.utexas.edu by March 16, 2012. Include in your letter a brief description of service by your nominee to political communication. More information about the award is below.

The David Swanson Award for Service to Political Communication Scholarship recognizes distinguished and sustained contributions to the field as planners, editors, and leaders and in roles that require time and energy, innovation, and personal dedication. The award honors David Swanson, one of the founders of political communication who gave exemplary service to the ICA Political Communication Division and the APSA Political Communication Section. In his memory, the ICA division presents the award every other year. The joint award committee includes representatives of the ICA division and APSA section.

The ICA division chair appoints members with the advice of the APSA chair. The committee receives nominations and generates additional candidates, deliberates on the pool of potential awardees, and makes a selection. The winner receives the award plaque at the annual business meeting of the ICA Political Communication Division.

Past Recipients:
2010 Doris Graber, University of Illinois
2008 Wolfgang Donsbach, Dresden University of Technology
2006 Ann Crigler, University of Southern California

The 2012 David Swanson Award Committee: Ann Crigler, U of Southern California, USA; Kathleen Hall Jamieson, U of Pennsylvania, USA; Carsten Reinemann, Ludwig Maximilians U, Germany; Steve Reese, U. of Texas, Austin, USA (Chair) and Magdalena Wojcieszak, IE University, Spain.

Call for papers: International Conference on Media and Communication (ICMC)

2012-01-23T10:46:00.000-08:00

An electronic version of the extended abstract, with a preferred length between 750 to 1000 words, accompanied by contact details and a brief bio on a separate page, should be sent no later than February 15. Abstracts should be written in Portuguese, English or Spanish (although presentations will be in English) and should summarize the paper contents, explain relevance to conference theme, outline methodology, contain a clear argument, theoretical framework, methodology and key results.

Graduate students applications of exceptional quality will also be accepted provided that they meet the requirements of the call for papers of the conference.

All proposals should be submitted to the following email: icmcporto@gmail.com

Participants may submit more than one proposal, but only one paper by the same first author will be accepted into the program.

Notification of acceptance will be sent by March 10, 2012

A selection of the best papers delivered at the conference will be considered for publication in a special issue of the Global Media Journal – Portuguese Edition.

For aditional details on the conference please check http://icmc2012.wordpress.com/

If you have any further question, please contact program chair, Rui Alexandre Novais, at icmcporto@gmail.com

Deadline for the submission of abstracts: 15 February 2012
Notification of acceptance: 10 March 2012
Deadline for submission of full papers: 30 April 2012
Conference: 14 and 15 May 2012
Decision about publication of selected work: 31 July 2012

Shorenstein Fellow at the Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government

2011-11-30T11:26:00.000-08:00

The Joan Shorenstein Center offers a one-semester fellowship at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. Fellows are domestic or international journalists, scholars and/or policymakers who are interested in the influence of the press on public policy and politics.

The fellowships offer a unique opportunity for scholars and practitioners to share their knowledge and expertise in a collegial and intellectually stimulating environment. Fellows participate in weekly seminars with scholars, a luncheon speakers series with invited journalists or policymakers and in other organized programs of the Shorenstein Center and Harvard University. The Fellowship Program is not a degree or journalism training program.

Application Deadline: February 1, 2012

Please review the following website for more information: http://www.hks.harvard.edu/presspol/fellowships/fellowship_application.html

Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in Politics and Media - University of Glasgow

2011-11-27T12:19:00.001-08:00

The School of Social and Political Sciences at the University of Glasgow (Scotland) is looking to recruit a full-time Lecturer (equivalent to Assistant Professor) in Politics and Media. The person will undertake high-quality research in Politics and Media, ideally, although not necessarily, with an emphasis on international and/or comparative politics; teach at undergraduate and postgraduate levels in the School of Social and Political Sciences, and undertake administration as required by the Head of School.

The post is full time and open ended. The closing date for applications is January 15th.

For more information and online application, please go to: http://www.jobs.ac.uk/job/ADN966/lecturer

Position Announcement: Fordham University

2011-11-09T09:30:00.000-08:00

Fordham University
Department of Communication and Media Studies
Chair/Full Professor, or Advanced Associate Professor

Fordham University, The Jesuit University of New York, invites applications for Full Professor (or advanced Associate Professor) and Chair of its Department of Communication and Media Studies. The position requires a Ph.D. in communication, media studies, or related area, and national recognition in scholarship.

The ideal candidate will
• have at least 3 years experience as department chair or equivalent
• be a dynamic leader who can effectively represent the multifaceted, interdisciplinary department within the university, with alumni, community, and media industries
• be capable of leading a unit maintaining undergraduate programs on two campuses, as well as a graduate program in Public Communications
• support colleagues’ intellectual and professional development
• maintain an open, encouraging, and inclusive environment for students, staff, and faculty
• exhibit excellence and passion for teaching at the undergraduate and graduate levels
• demonstrate a commitment to arts and sciences education
• show evidence of an ongoing program of scholarship that has earned national recognition within the field
• be able to contribute with distinction to one or more of the following curricular areas: Ethics, Law, and Policy; Media, Culture, and Society; Journalism; Broadcasting; Film; New/Participatory Media; or Public Communications
• have a track record of fund raising and grant writing.

Faculty in the Department of Communication and Media Studies represent a wide range of academic backgrounds, scholarly and professional interests. Serving a large number of undergraduate majors, the department offers programs in Fordham College at Rose Hill (Bronx), Fordham College at Lincoln Center (Manhattan), and the College of Continuing and Professional Studies. The department’s MA program in Public Communications is offered through the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. The chair appoints three associate chairs from among the faculty, two focusing on undergraduate studies, and one serving as graduate director. The department chair sits “ex officio” on the McGannon Communication Research Center Board. The department also maintains the Walsh Digital Media Lab on the Rose Hill campus.

Located in New York, Fordham is ideally situated for the study of media, benefiting from the city’s vast resources. Media professionals are available for lectures, workshops, and as adjunct professors. Students may access a wide range of professional internships.

With over 14,500 students, Fordham's Carnegie classification is Research University (High Research Activity). In 2010, U.S. News & World Report ranked Fordham's undergraduate program 53rd, placing it among the Tier 1 national universities, and the editors of Kaplan/Newsweek's 2008 edition of How to Get Into College Guide included Fordham University as one of the "25 Hottest Schools in America.” Fordham offers its students a highly dedicated faculty, a heady intellectual atmosphere, emphasis on ethics and social justice, and respect for all individuals, religions, cultures, and creeds.

Submit application electronically to cms@fordham.edu. Include (1) cover letter with qualifications, (2) curriculum vitae, (3) brief vision statement with leadership style, (4) sample scholarship, and (5) names and contact information for at least three references. Review of applications will begin on December 1, 2011 and continue until filled. Position available August 1, 2012. With inquiries, contact Tom McCourt, Ph.D., Department of Communication and Media Studies, Fordham University, 441 E. Fordham Road, Bronx, NY 10458. Fordham is an independent, Catholic University in the Jesuit tradition that welcomes applications from men and women of all backgrounds. Fordham is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.

Call for Papers: International Conference

2011-11-09T09:29:00.000-08:00

"Discourse / Conversation / Communication", International conference, Loughborough University, UK, 21-23 March 2012

Confirmed plenary speakers: Michael Billig, David Buckingham, David Deacon, Paul Drew, Derek Edwards, Peter Golding, Jim McGuigan, Angela McRobbie, Graham Murdock, Michael Pickering, Jonathan Potter, Teun A. Van Dijk, Liesbet Van Zoonen.

CALL FOR PAPERS
We invite submissions for individual papers that engage with empirical and theoretical topics in communication studies, discourse analysis, conversation analysis, media studies, social interaction, or cultural studies. Preference will be given to papers that address in original ways the promises and challenges or research in these areas.

Possible topics include:
* cultural economies and media industries
* popular culture and cultural history
* identity, difference and communication
* political communication
* communication and social exclusion
* media and religion
* memory and media
* comparative media research
* political and nationalist discourse
* discursive psychology
* membership categorization analysis
* conversation analysis

Abstracts should be up to 350 words in length and written in English. Only one abstract as single / first author will be accepted from any one individual.

Please submit your Abstract via Loughborough University's Conference Administration page: http://www-staff.lboro.ac.uk/~ssca1/DCconf2012/DC2012home.html .

Deadline for Abstracts: 1st December, 2011.

V Latin American WAPOR Congress

2011-11-09T09:28:00.000-08:00

"Public Opinion, Polarization and Citizenship"
Bogotá, Colombia
September 19-21, 2012

Facultad de Comunicación Social – Periodismo
Universidad Externado de Colombia

The organizers of the V Latin American WAPOR congress are happy to announce that the call for papers for the next congress is available on the WAPOR website:
http://wapor.unl.edu/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/WAPOR_Bogota_CFP_english.pdf

The deadline for submissions is March 15, 2012. All inquiries should be directed to Hernando Rojas (hrojas@wisc.edu).

Entman Wins Prestigious Humboldt Prize

2011-11-09T09:19:00.000-08:00

Entman is World’s First Political Communications Scholar to Receive Award

Robert Entman, J.B. and M.C. Shapiro Professor of Media and Public Affairs and professor of international affairs at the George Washington University, has won the prestigious international Alexander von Humboldt Research Award for his field-changing contributions to political communication. Dr. Entman is the world’s first political communication scholar and the first from George Washington University to receive this award, and he will work at the Free University of Berlin for the majority of 2012. While in Germany, he will conduct comparative research in order to better understand how inequality has grown faster in the United States than in Western Europe.

"I am delighted to be the first Humboldt Award recipient recognized for contributions to political communication scholarship," said Dr. Entman. "I appreciate this acknowledgment of the media’s fundamental role in shaping politics and democracy."

Dr. Entman’s award-winning research focuses on media framing and bias and the media’s influence on foreign policy, race relations and other important areas of American politics. His 1993 conceptualization of framing has been cited in thousands of scholarly works. Dr. Entman will release a new book in March 2012 entitled Scandal and Silence: Media Responses to Presidential Misconduct. Using a series of recent case studies, he argues against the commonly-held view that media eagerly work themselves into "feeding frenzies" over sex scandals and other wrong-doings by top politicians.

Carey McWilliams Award Nominations

2011-11-04T11:47:00.000-07:00

The Carey McWilliams Award Committee solicits nominations for the 2012 Carey McWilliams Award. The McWilliams Award was established by APSA to recognize a major journalistic contribution to our understanding of politics and to emphasize the ties between journalism and political science. Previous winners have included Jim Lehrer, Robert McNeil, Michael Barone, Nina Totenberg, Thomas Byrne Edsall, E.J. Dionne, Alan Ehrenhalt, Victor Navasky, William Kristol, Bill Moyers, Mark Danner, and Ronald Brownstein. The 2011 McWilliams Award recipient was Robert Fisk, The Independent.

Nominations may be submitted to any members of the committee:
Sarah Binder (chair) binder@gwu.edu
Marion Just must@wellesley.edu
Regina Lawrence regina.lawrence@austin.utexas.edu

Call for Papers: ICA Pre-Conference

2011-10-21T10:27:00.000-07:00

New Media and Citizenship in Asia:

Social Media, Politics, and Community-Building

International Communication Association 2012 Preconference

May 24, 2012

The role of new communication technologies, such as the internet, social media, and mobile phones in political and civic engagement has generated significant interest not only from scholars, but also from organizations, politicians, and ordinary citizens. While recent events in the Middle East help recognize the potential of new communication media as an agent contributing to macro-level political changes, these new communication tools are also actively utilized in more traditional political processes, such as electoral campaigns. Also important is people’s everyday use of new communication technologies, which research has uncovered as providing an opportunity to encounter public affairs news and discourse, enhance understanding of issues, and get involved in civic and political activities.

This preconference aims to showcase innovative scholarly work examining various subjects concerning the role of social media, mobile phones, and other new communication technologies in the formation of democratic citizenship-writ large—in Asia. The preconference seeks studies that address relevant topics in a particular Asian country, and welcomes comparative research on Asian countries or Asian and non-Asian countries. The preconference encourages researchers to explore diverse topics, and possible areas include (but are not limited to): use of social media, mobile phones, and other new communication technologies in elections; influence of new media on citizen choices, participation, and knowledge; political elites’ use of new media; use of social media by civic and grassroots groups; social media and civic engagement; new media and community; political talk and social media; patterns of new media use and political and civic consequences; trends in social media; cloud computing and collective action; changes in news consumption; computational social science.

Up to 15 papers will be selected through a peer-review process and divided into three or four interactive panels. Selected papers will be published in an edited volume or a special issue of a journal.

Travel Grants

Travel grants will be available to participants, particularly those who are from developing/transitional countries that appear in Tiers B and C on the ICA country tier chart (country of residence, not of origin). All graduate students who are first authors or presenters will be provided with a travel grant.

Submission Guidelines

Ø Abstracts of no more than 500 words are due on November 28, 2011.

Ø Submit your abstract to kwak@umich.edu as an MS Word attachment (please use your full name to label the file).

Ø The authors of accepted abstracts will be notified by 15 December, 2011.

Ø Final papers (5,000-8,000 words) are due by March 15, 2012.

Organizers

Nojin Kwak, Associate Professor, Department of Communication Studies, Director of the Nam Center for Korean Studies, University of Michigan, USA

Marko M. Skoric, Assistant Professor, Division of Communication Research, Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

Scott Campbell, Associate Professor, Department of Communication Studies, University of Michigan, USA

Junho Choi, Assistant Professor, Graduate School of Information, Yonsei University, South Korea

Supported by

Nam Center for Korean Studies, University of Michigan, USA

Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

Political Communication Division, ICA

IJoC "The Arab Spring & the Role of ICTs"

2011-10-17T16:28:00.000-07:00

The International Journal of Communication (IJoC) is pleased to announce the publication of a special feature section, "The Arab Spring & the Role of ICTs."

The world is witnessing the rise of millions of people in Arab countries against the autocratic regimes under which they had to struggle to live for so long. Tunisia and Egypt were the first nations to each force a president out of office, and Western media outlets were quick to attribute their overthrow to digital media, particularly to social media and Facebook. This special section, guest-edited by Johanne Kuebler and Ilhem Alagui, presents 16 articles that put this notion to the test and illuminate the discussion of the role of digital media in the ongoing changes in the Arab world.

These articles, submitted within a very short time frame, present initial thoughts by scholars on the current social transformations. They cover a broad array of issues, including studies of how the Internet drives political mobilization and affects journalism coverage, empirical data sets, and analyses of specific online practices. The relationships between online and offline political action are explored, and a number of relevant social examples of participatory and social media are examined, including the influence of video logs and the writing of collective memories through the online encyclopedia Wikipedia. The introduction, by Kuebler and Allagui, argues that the complexity of the current transformations is overlooked when the overthrow of Tunisia’s Ben Ali and of Egypt’s Mubarak is attributed to digital media. Instead, a thorough analysis of the revolution’s organization by networks—and particularly social networks—is essential to our understanding.

While further research and careful examination is needed, these articles offer a first attempt by scholars in the field to make sense of the recent uprisings.

Read this new Feature Section published September 2011 at http://ijoc.org, and thank you for your continuing interest in our work.

Manuel Castells
Larry Gross
Editors

Arlene Luck

Managing Editor

Call for papers. XVII International Conference of Communication

2011-10-17T16:27:00.000-07:00

BUILDING TRUST THROUGH COMMUNICATION IN TIMES OF CRISIS
University of Navarra Navarra, Pamplona (Spain)
22nd-23rd March 2012

The University of Navarra (cosponsored by ICA, IAMCR and ECREA) is calling for a conference to provide a forum to discuss about the challenge that organizations have in restoring trust. Related issues, such as reputation, engagement, transparency or accountability will be also discussed. Authors should send full papers before *January 10th, 2012* to cicom@unav.es (max. 10.000 words, notes and references included. Please, check the style guideline ). English and Spanish will be the working languages of the Conference. The editorial committee will send decision notices by 31st January 2012.

For more information on the program, registration, and the call for research papers, visit the conference website http://www.unav.es/comunicacion/cicom/english-version-cicom/cicom.html

WAPOR 65th Annual Conference: Call for Papers

2011-10-17T16:24:00.000-07:00

The New World of Public Opinion Research
June 14-16, 2012
Hong Kong

Organizer:
Public Opinion Programme, University of Hong Kong

Co-organizers:
Fudan Media and Public Opinion Research Center, Fudan University (Mainland China)
Election Study Center, National Chengchi University (Taiwan)

Supporting Organizations:
Center for Deliberative Democracy, Stanford University (USA)
ERS e-Research Lab (Macau)

The World Association for Public Opinion Research (WAPOR) will hold its 65th annual conference in June 14-16, 2012 in Hong Kong. The theme of this conference, “The New World of Public Opinion Research”, has a two-fold meaning. First, new technologies, new media and people’s new way of living have posted new challenges to opinion researchers and policy-makers around the world. Second, the world order also means new challenges to the development of opinion research and public engagements in developing regions around the world. As WAPOR adopts a new cycle of annual conferences, this is the first time in 65 years that WAPOR holds an annual conference outside Europe and North America. It is therefore a golden opportunity for opinion researchers around the world to discuss new problems and new methodologies at a new place in a new era. Building on WAPOR’s tradition of accommodating a wide range of topics in its annual conferences, and adding new themes for the new world in the new era, any paper on the following themes are welcome:

General Topics
§ Public Opinion Theory
§ Public Opinion on Social, Political, and Economic Issues
§ New Forms of Journalism and Citizen Opinion Expressions
§ New Media, Fragmented and Participating Audiences
§ Media Effects, Agenda Setting, Framing and Priming
§ Online Surveys
§ Mixed-mode Studies
§ Questionnaire Design
§ Sampling, Response Rates and Non-response
§ Cross-national Research
§ Panel Studies

Feature Panels (tentative)
§ Public Opinion in China (bilingual session organized by Fudan University)
§ E-democracy (bilingual session organized by National Chengchi University)
§ Deliberative Polling (organized by Stanford University)
§ Internet Polling in Chinese Societies (bilingual session organized by ERS e-Research Lab)
§ Exit Polling (organized by the University of Hong Kong)
§ Special Panel by AAPOR (American Association for Public Opinion Research)

Proposals
Two different types of proposals can be submitted:
1) Regular Research Papers: The proposals should include a general description of the research paper (research topic, specific research questions or hypotheses, methods and results, as applicable) as well as full contact information (mailing address, e-mail address and telephone number) for each (co-)author or participant on a separate sheet of paper. Maximum length: 750 words in English. The papers will be allocated to paper presentation sessions or a poster / interactive session, depending on the nature and content of the papers.

2) Panel Proposals: The proposals should include an overview of the panel (listing all papers, authors, titles and contact information of all presenters). In addition, it should list a short (100 words) summary of the different contributions, and specify the language of the presentations. There is a minimum of 4 and maximum of 5 papers for a panel. A written commitment of being present at the conference should be included from at least one author of each paper.

Maximum length of proposal:
1,000 words in English.

English will be the official language of conference, while presentations in Chinese will be accepted for designated bilingual sessions, where simultaneous interpretation will be provided. All papers and proposals must be written in English following APA guidelines for manuscripts, and all proposals must be submitted to wapor2012@hkupop.hku.hk no later than January 1, 2012.

Deadlines:
§ Abstract submissions: January 1, 2012
§ Notification of conference decision: February 1, 2012
§ Paper submission: May 1, 2012
§ Final registration: June 1, 2012

Please check out the WAPOR website at http://wapor.unl.edu/. Enquiries can be directed to the Conference Secretary Winnie Lee at wapor2012@hkupop.hku.hk or the WAPOR Executive Coordinator Renae Reis at renae@wapor.org.

Political Communication Online

2011-10-17T16:22:00.000-07:00

Political Communication, Vol. 28, No. 3, 01 Jul 2011 is now available online on Taylor & Francis Online.

This new issue contains the following articles:

Introduction
The Emerging Media System in China: Implications for Regime Change
Wenfang Tang & Shanto Iyengar
Pages: 263-267
DOI: 10.1080/10584609.2011.572446

Articles
Race to the Bottom: Media Marketization and Increasing Negativity Toward the United States in China
Daniela Stockmann
Pages: 268-290
DOI: 10.1080/10584609.2011.572447

The Political Consequences of the Rise of the Internet: Political Beliefs and Practices of Chinese Netizens
Ya-Wen Lei
Pages: 291-322
DOI: 10.1080/10584609.2011.572449

Political Communications in Democratic Taiwan: The Relationship Between Politicians and Journalists
Gary Rawnsley & Qian Gong
Pages: 323-340
DOI: 10.1080/10584609.2011.572462

Predicting Political Discussion in a Censored Virtual Environment
Yi Mou, David Atkin & Hanlong Fu
Pages: 341-356
DOI: 10.1080/10584609.2011.572466

Bifurcated Images of the U.S. in Urban China and the Impact of Media Environment
Tianjian Shi, Jie Lu & John Aldrich
Pages: 357-376
DOI: 10.1080/10584609.2011.572479

From the World's Largest Propaganda Machine to a Multipurposed Global News Agency: Factors in and Implications of Xinhua's Transformation Since 1978
Junhao Hong
Pages: 377-393
DOI: 10.1080/10584609.2011.572487

Book Reviews
The Digital Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy: Information Technology and Political Islam, by Philip N. HowardOxford, England: Oxford University Press, 2010. 304 pp. $24.95 paper.
Miriyam Aouragh
Pages: 394-397
DOI: 10.1080/10584609.2011.588866

The Arab Public Sphere in Israel: Media Space and Cultural Resistance, by Amal JamalBloomington: Indiana University Press, 2009. 182 pp. $24.95 paper.
Rivka Ribak
Pages: 398-399
DOI: 10.1080/10584609.2011.588868

The Propaganda of Peace: The Role of Media and Culture in the Northern Ireland Peace Process, by Greg McLaughlin and Stephen BakerChicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 2010. 108 pp. $35.00 paper.
Gadi Wolfsfeld
Pages: 400-402
DOI: 10.1080/10584609.2011.588870

The Eyes of the People: Democracy in an Age of Spectatorship, by Jeffrey Edward GreenOxford, England: Oxford University Press, 2010. 296 pp. $49.95 hardback
Hélène Landemore
Pages: 402-406
DOI: 10.1080/10584609.2011.588871

When Politicians Attack! Party Cohesion in the Media, by Tim GroelingNew York, NY: Cambridge University Press, 2010. 242 pp. $28.99 paper.
C. Danielle Vinson
Pages: 406-408
DOI: 10.1080/10584609.2011.588872

ICA Political Communication Graduate Student Preconference

2011-10-17T16:18:00.000-07:00

University of Arizona, May 23-24, 2012
Call for Abstracts
Sponsoring Division: Political Communication

Aims: The preconference goals include providing guidance, feedback and professional socialization to political communication graduate students at the master's and doctoral levels, introducing graduate students to ICA and inviting them to take part in the academic discourse on political communication through ICA, and cultivating a network among young political communication scholars. To achieve these goals, the preconference will bring together a select group of graduate students working on political communication projects and provide them with the opportunity to present and discuss their projects in a constructive atmosphere. The preconference will also address common issues graduate students face, including working toward publication and building a c.v. The event will take place at the University of Arizona in Tucson, on May 23-24, 2012.

Submission guidelines:
Graduate students working on political communication projects are invited to submit abstracts of their research projects. Studies of communication dealing with government, political media, policy, political figures, citizens, campaigns, and advocacy groups are all within the purview of the division. Abstracts that address political communication problems at all levels of analysis using a variety of theories and methods are welcome.

Abstracts should be no longer than 750 words of text (plus figures and references) that include an introduction of the theoretical or conceptual foundations of the project, research questions, methods, preliminary findings (if available), conclusions, and research significance. Abstracts will undergo review; please be sure to remove any identifying information. Projects at all stages will be considered, including research currently in the stages of data collection or analysis. Evaluation criteria will include quality of argument, methodological rigor, and importance of project to theory building in political communication.

Please submit abstracts as an attachment in PDF or Word format to ICA.gradstudent.preconf@gmail.com. Indicate whether the project is a thesis or dissertation project, specify the stage of work (e.g., writing of the research proposal, complete and defended proposal, initial data collection, advanced data collection, data analysis, final writing/defending) and include author names, institutional affiliation, regular mailing address, fax number and email address in a separate document, or as part of the main message.

The deadline for submissions is December 31, 2011. Acceptance and rejection decisions will go out on February 15, 2012.

Preconference Committee: Kevin Coe (University of Arizona), Claes de Vreese (University of Amsterdam), Jill Edy (University of Oklahoma), Lance Holbert (Ohio State University), Kate Kenski (U of Arizona) and Yariv Tsfati (University of Haifa)

For more information please contact Yariv Tsfati, Division Chair, Department of Communication University of Haifa, 31905 ISRAEL, Fax ++972-4-8240120, Email ytsfati@com.haifa.ac.il

Inaugural Conference

2011-09-21T12:35:00.000-07:00

Media, Communication and Democracy: Global and National Environments

Date: 31 August - 2 Sept
Venues: State Library and RMIT Storey Hall

The EU Centre within RMIT’s School of Media and Communication and the Media and Democracy in Eastern Europe Research Project at the University of Oxford, UK, invite you to attend the Centre's inaugural annual conference.

Panels, papers and debate will focus on media, communication and democracy in the new democracies of Central and Eastern Europe, the Asia-Pacific region, Latin America or Africa, as well as the established areas of Europe and Australia. In a world of regular, unforeseen crises and growing power of media owners, online and otherwise, various questions about the implications for democratic processes will be explored.

Key participants will include Professor Paolo Mancini, Associate Professor Ingrid Volkmer, Professor Jan Zielonka and Professor Stephanie Hemelryk Donald.

View details and register at:
http://www.rmit.edu.au/browse/Our%20Organisation%2FDesign%20and%20Social%20Context%2FResearch%2FResearch%20centres%2FEuropean%20Union%20%28EU%29%20Centre%2FResearch%2FConferences/

Call for Proposals

2011-09-21T12:34:00.000-07:00

Conference: Between Scientists & Citizens: Assessing Expertise in Policy Controversies
June 1-2, 2012
Iowa State University, Ames, IA

Keynote speakers:
Sally Jackson, University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana
Massimo Pigliucci, Lehman College, CUNY

We are increasingly dependent on advice from experts in making decisions in our personal, professional, and civic lives. But as our dependence on experts has grown, new media have broken down the institutional barriers between the technical, personal and civic realms, and we are inundated with purported science from all sides. Many share a sense that science has lost its "rightful place" in our deliberations. Grappling with this cluster of problems will require collaboration across disciplines: among rhetorical and communication theorists studying the practices and norms of public discourse, philosophers interested in the informal logic of everyday reasoning and in the theory of deliberative democracy, and science studies scholars examining the intersections between the social worlds of scientists and citizens.

For this conference, we invite work from across the disciplines focused on argumentation, reasoning, communication and deliberation, with special emphasis on:
• lay assessment of expertise and expert testimony
• detection of and response to distorted science and "manufactured controversy"
• pedagogies for developing critical thinking about science in controversies
• roles scientists and scientific information play in civic deliberations and policy-making
• transformation of arguments as they travel between technical, personal and civic spheres
• expert testimony as a source of knowledge
• roles of traditional journalism, new media, "boundary organizations" and "trading zones" in constructing public knowledge of science
• design of institutions for providing trustworthy advice on controversial issues
• special problems of communicating scientific information in health, organizational, legal, crisis, risk and other contexts

We expect to publish proceedings in an electronic format.

For consideration, submit a 250 word abstract with an additional 5-10 item bibliography, and a separate cover page with complete contact information, to GPSSARG@gmail.com by October 31, 2011. For further information, consult the conference website athttps://sites.google.com/site/gpssarg/, or contact Jean Goodwin (goodwin@iastate.edu).

International Symposium on Online Journalism Call for Submissions

2011-09-21T12:33:00.000-07:00

The International Symposium on Online Journalism at the University of Texas at Austin is now welcoming paper submissions for 2012!

April 20-21, 2012
The University of Texas at Austin
Austin, Texas (United States)

This unique international conference mixes academic research and industry oriented panel discussions, with scholars from universities around the world and journalists representing some of the most important media and news organizations from around the globe.

The International Symposium on Online Journalism welcomes all papers that clearly deal with original research into online journalism. Papers and/or abstracts that are submitted by the deadline below will be blind reviewed by a panel of scholars from leading universities from around the world.

Deadlines for papers or three-page abstracts: December 15, 2011.

Submission requirements: Academic papers should present original research into any aspect on online journalism including, but not limited to, changes in news content and presentation, business models for online journalism, shifting roles of journalists and readers, and the legal and ethical implications of globally accessible journalism.

All submissions should be made electronically to:
online.journalism@yahoo.com

Notifications will be sent out in early February 2012.

For more instructions on submission, please visit:

http://online.journalism.utexas.edu/callforpapers.php

Cornell University Assistant Professor Job Call

2011-09-21T12:31:00.000-07:00

The Department of Communication at Cornell University is currently searching for a tenure track faculty position at the Assistant Professor level. We seek a colleague to conduct research and teach in the areas of environment, science and/or health communication. Scholars with specific expertise in analysis of public opinion, public policy or media related to these social issues are particularly encouraged to apply. We welcome innovative and imaginative scholars who approach the study of individual and societal decisions on the environment or human health from psychological, sociological, or institutional vantage points using qualitative and/or quantitative methods. The environment, science and health area constitutes one of the Department’s core strengths. Applicants whose work also contributes to other core strengths in communication and media studies, information technology, and/or social influence are encouraged to apply. Our position in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and Cornell’s commitment to interdisciplinary work would provide the successful applicant with unique opportunities to undertake projects with faculty in Cornell’s David R. Atkinson Center
for a Sustainable Future and/or Weill Cornell Medical College.

The department focuses on a number of subfields including social psychology of communication; language and communication; science, risk, environment and health communication; human-computer interaction; social media and mobile computing; media and society; group communication; social networks; and organizational communication. The position involves 50% research and 50% teaching responsibilities. Communication faculty teach two to three undergraduate and/or graduate courses per academic year and advise students in the Department’s B.S. and Ph.D. programs. Publishing in peer-reviewed literature in relevant fields is expected, as is securing external research funding.

Cornell’s Department of Communication is a national leader in the study of communication as a social science. Our faculty and students are dedicated to understanding the role and enhancing the effectiveness of communication processes, systems and infrastructure in society.

We explore communication in its many forms and contexts as a fundamentally social phenomenon. Our faculty members are recognized for developing and applying novel theoretical perspectives to the most pressing social and policy issues of the day.

The department ranked among the top ten in the nation in a recent poll by the National Research Council. This ranking reflects the productivity and quality of the faculty and the diversity and success of our students.

The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) is the second largest undergraduate college at Cornell University and the third largest college of its kind in the United States. Our teaching and research facilities are among the finest available anywhere, and the College's educational programs are designed to ensure that every student's education is geared to contemporary, real-world issues. Through teaching, research, and extension -- the three components of our land-grant mission -- we strive to improve the nation's food supply and maintain its safety, to enhance the environment, and to help people improve their lives.

Required Qualifications:
A successful candidate will have a completed Ph.D. in Communication or a closely aligned field and will have (or show promise of developing) a national and international reputation doing theory-based empirical research. We seek innovative scholars of social science who will develop a research program connected to college and university priorities in applied social science, information science, life sciences, environmental or health issues, and/or public outreach.

Salary & Benefits:
Cornell offers a highly competitive salary and benefits package.
Support for start-up research costs will be available.

Application:
Qualified applicants should send a letter of application addressing position qualifications and goals, vita, official academic transcripts from your graduate program, a writing sample, a teaching statement, and names and contact information of three references to communication@cornell.edu or by mail to Dr. Jeff Niederdeppe, Department of Communication, 328 Kennedy Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853. Please also have each reference submit a letter of recommendation. For additional information, email communication@cornell.edu or call Dr. Niederdeppe at 607.255.9706.

Women and minorities are especially encouraged to apply.

Applications will be reviewed beginning October 1st, 2011 until a candidate is selected. For more information about the Department of Communication, please visit our website:http://communication.cals.cornell.edu

Cornell University seeks to meet the needs of dual career couples, has a Dual Career program, and is a member of the Upstate New York Higher Education Recruitment Consortium to assist with dual career searches. Visit http://www.unyherc.org to see positions available in higher
education in the upstate New York area.

Cornell University, located in Ithaca, New York, is an inclusive, dynamic, and innovative Ivy League University and New York’s land-grant institution. Its staff, faculty, and students impart an uncommon sense of larger purpose and contribute creative ideas and best practices to further the university’s mission of teaching, research, and outreach.

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Developing Leaders, Improving Lives, and Shaping the Future
Cornell University is an equal opportunity, affirmative action educator and employer.

WESTERN POLITICAL SCIENCE ASSOCIATION 2012 ANNUAL MEETING

2011-09-21T12:24:00.000-07:00

(RE)IMAGINING OUR FUTURE(S):
OBAMA’S ELECTION, GLOBAL CRISES, AND POLITICAL SCIENCE PRACTICES

March 22 - 24, 2012, Portland, Oregon

WPSA President Manuel Avalos and Program Chair Peregrine Schwartz-Shea are planning the 2012 Annual Meeting of the Association scheduled for March 22-24, 2012 at the Marriott Waterfront in Portland, Oregon. We hope you will participate in the program. Please note that the deadline for submission of participation forms is September 18, 2011.

For more information, including the Call for Proposals, please visit http://wpsa.research.pdx.edu/

Career Development Fellow in Media and Democracy

2011-09-21T12:20:00.000-07:00

The Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism and the Department of Politics and International Relations seek a candidate for a 3-year postdoctoral position in media and democracy with an appointment date of 1^st January 2012 (or as soon as possible thereafter). The appointment is expected to be made on the University’s grade 8 salary scale (£36,862 - £44,016 pa). However, if the selected candidate does not fully meet all the selection criteria, the appointment may be made on the grade 7 scale (£29,099 - £35,788 pa), with the possibility of moving up to grade 8 during year 2 or 3 of the appointment.

The successful candidate will have expertise in two of the following areas and will pursue advanced research in at least one of them:

· Media and democratization

· Media in post-authoritarian regimes

· Media and democratic accountability

· Media and political campaigns

Candidates are expected to have either a doctorate in political science and significant experience and understanding of media/journalism empirical research and theory; or a doctorate in media/journalism studies and significant experience and understanding of political research and theory. A strong early-career record of academic publication and conference presentations is expected.

The successful candidate will be housed within the Reuters Institute to engage in publishable comparative research on one or more of these themes as applied to two or more countries or a region and to contribute to the development of the Institute’s research activities and scholarly output. He or she will have some teaching opportunities in the Department of Politics and International Relations. He or she will be expected to engage in scholarly publishing throughout the period of the appointment that will contribute to the Department of Politics and International Relations’ submission to the Research Excellence Framework review process.

Applications for this vacancy are to be made online. To apply for this role and for further details, including the job description and selection criteria, please click on the link below:

www.politics.ox.ac.uk/vacancies

The closing date for applications is midday on Wednesday 19^th October 2011.

Postdoctoral Research Fellow for Public Opinion Research

2011-09-14T12:39:00.000-07:00

The Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore invites suitable applicants for the post of full-time Postdoctoral Research Fellow to conduct public opinion and communication research and direct a CATI lab. This position is based in Singapore and on a two year contract with potential for renewal.

Responsibilities include:

o Managing the CATI lab,

o Training graduate students and interviewers,

o Collection of survey data,

o Coordination of data analyses and research reports.

Applicants should have the following qualifications:

Essential:

o Ph.D. in communication, political science or related field (A master’s degree with significant professional experience in survey research can be considered for the Research Associate position)

o Experience in designing questionnaires, collecting and analyzing survey data for scholarly research

o Knowledge of public opinion theory

o Good academic writing skills with demonstrated ability to publish peer-reviewed papers.

o Ability to work independently and as a team member

o Good communication and interpersonal skills

Preferred:

o Experience with online and face-to-face surveys

o Familiarity with Sawtooth Systems CATI software

o Interest in living in a culturally diverse environment

Successful candidate can expect a competitive salary and benefits.

Application Instructions

Interested applicants should submit an application package including a Cover Letter, Curriculum Vitae, and a personal particular form to tdetenber@ntu.edu.sg or by post to:

Dr. Benjamin H. Detenber

Chair, Wee Kim Wee School of Communication & Information

Nanyang Technological University

31 Nanyang Link, Singapore 637718

For detail instructions of the application procedure, please visit

http://www.ntu.edu.sg/ohr/Career/SubmitApplications/Pages/Research.aspx

The closing date for application is September 30^th, 2011. Only short-listed candidates will be notified.

Professorship in Mass Communication (open-ranked) with a Specialization in Science, Crisis And Risk Communication

2011-09-01T09:25:00.000-07:00

We seek applications from highly qualified scholars with a strong research and teaching focus in any area of science, crisis and risk communication. Possible topics include knowledge or technology-related communication, environmental or health communication. In addition, candidates shall actively seek collaboration with existing faculty members in the IPMZ-Institute of Mass Communication and Media Research who work primarily in the areas of political, business, campaign and emotional communication. Candidates should be prepared to teach also general courses in the field of mass communication, including introductory courses in our BA and MA program. The successful candidate is expected to be highly qualified in empirical methods of the social sciences.

The position is open-ranked and will be filled either with an Assistant Professor (tenure-tracked), Associate Professor (tenured) or Full Professor (tenured) depending on qualification and previous experience. The position becomes available in February 2013. Applicants must hold a PhD in communication science or a closely related discipline, and must have a strong record in research and teaching. The typical teaching load ranges from 2-4 (Assistant Professor) to 6-8 (Associate or Full Professor) course hours per week per semester. Teaching in English is accepted; German language proficiency is expected within three years. Further information about the department can be found at http://www.ipmz.uzh.ch/en/index.html; questions can be directed to the department chair, Professor Gabriele Siegert, at g.siegert@ipmz.uzh.ch.

Zurich offers excellent research opportunities and is an exciting place to live. The Institute of Mass Communication and Media Research at the University of Zurich is committed to top-tier research and provides both the atmosphere and the resources required for excellent research. The University of Zurich (UZH) is the biggest university in Switzerland and a member of the League of European Research Universities. The UZH seeks to increase its share of women in teaching and research.

For an application, the following documents, assembled as a single PDF file in the given order, should be submitted: cover letter, CV (including list of publications), research projects, teaching statement, up to five relevant publications. Please send your application package no later than October, 31, 2011 by e-mail to the Dean’s Office of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, University of Zurich (dekanat@phil.uzh.ch).

Keith R. Sanders and Lynda Lee Kaid Best Political Communication Article of the Year Award

2011-09-01T09:21:00.000-07:00

On April 13^th 2011 Dr. Lynda Lee Kaid, University of Florida Research Foundation Professor and Professor of Telecommunication in the College of Journalism and Communications unexpectedly passed away. She was 62. Kaid, a former George Lynn Cross Research Professor at the University of Oklahoma, had joined the UF faculty as Senior Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and Research in 2001. Her special fields of research and teaching included political communication and political advertising. She was a recipient of a UF university-wide Outstanding Doctoral Mentoring and Advising award for 2010-2011, and in November, 2010 the National Communication Association named the annual Lynda Lee Kaid Outstanding Dissertation in Political Communication award in her honor.

A three-time Fulbright Senior Scholar, Kaid chaired 41 doctoral recipients, and coordinated the UVote research team, an international consortium at 32 universities in the U.S. and 12 international universities who joined together to conduct political communication research. She promoted interdisciplinary teams of collaborative research and was committed to providing international research opportunities for doctoral students. In 2009, she received one of UF’s International Educator Awards. Kaid received over $1.8 million in competitive grants and other funding from sources. She authored or edited over 30 books and nearly 200 refereed articles and book chapters. Kaid was named by Communication Quarterly as one of the most productive scholars in the discipline.

Lynda Kaid’s express wish was to honor Dr. Keith R. Sanders (Southern Illinois University, University of Wisconsin, Illinois Board of Higher Education), who passed away in January, 2011. Sanders spearheaded the founding of the Political Communication Division of ICA in 1973 and served as the first president of the PCD. Sanders earned his Ph.D. in communications from the University of Pittsburgh. He coauthored or contributed to the writing of numerous books, and was the author of more than 60 articles on the role of communication in politics. Sanders’ distinguished career in higher education spanned five decades, including serving as the executive director of the Illinois Board of Higher Education, various appointments in the University of Wisconsin system, and his academic service at SIUC included stints as dean of the former College of Communication and Fine Arts and professor in communications. Sanders has won more than two dozen honors from international, national and statewide organizations and the Illinois General Assembly twice honored him with resolutions of appreciation. Keith Sanders was the doctoral advisor of Lynda Kaid, and she believed that the main tenets of her research were those taught her by Sanders, including her emphasis on interdisciplinary, collaborative, comparative and international research; in particular the treatment of graduate students as colleagues.

To honor both Keith Sanders and Lynda Lee Kaid, the business meeting of ICA’s Political Communication Division decided in Boston to name the Best Political Communication Article of the Year Award after Keith Sanders and Lynda Lee Kaid.

The amount of money needed for such an award is $ 25,000. The Political Communication Research Foundation (PCRF) has started collecting donations already. Prof. Clifford Jones, Lynda’s husband, will match at least the first $12,500.00 in donations received to make this award possible.

The easiest way to donate to the Sanders-Kaid Award fund is through the ICA website: https://www.icahdq.org/fundraising/donationsignup.asp?cmd=new . Please make sure you select the Keith R. Sanders and Lynda Lee Kaid Best Political Communication Article of the Year Award Fund.

Donations to contribute to this award can also be made to PCRF, 2230 NW 24th Avenue, Gainesville, FL 32605, polcommrf@gmail.com. They are tax deductible for U.S. taxpayers as certified by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service.

International colleagues: Donations via wire transfer may be send to Political Communication Research Foundation, Inc., SWIFT CODE: BOFAUS3N, Account Number: 0054 9187 4206. Please note that the bank in the US will deduct a fee of $16 US Dollars for receiving a wire transfer in any amount; this will be in addition to any fee your home bank will charge to send the wire (e.g. a German bank would charge around 25-50€ for the transfer). You might contact Prof. Clifford Jones, Treasurer of PCRF, regarding alternative ways to transfer the money (jonesca@law.ufl.edu).

The Five Most Common Political Systems Around the World

2011-08-26T12:54:00.000-07:00

By Phillip Donavan

When we speak of political systems, it’s difficult to determine what the most common types are. After all, many political systems are similar, or have similar roots. Many countries actually have republics of some kind — variants of democracy. As you study political science, it can be helpful to understand some of the most common types of political systems from around the world.

Understanding different political systems is important. Each political system has its advantages and disadvantages. It is worth considering the merits of other political systems, and perhaps incorporating some of the ideas into your own system. Some of the five more common political systems around the world include:

Democracy
Republic
Monarchy
Communism
Dictatorship

Here are some overviews of these five fairly recognizable political systems:

1. Democracy

We often hear the United States referred to as a democracy. Indeed, many refer to the U.S. as a representative democracy. A democracy in a more traditional sense is a political system that allows for each individual to participate. There are two rather popular types of democracy:

Direct Democracy: Many scholars point to Athens as an example of direct democracy. Technically, every citizen has an equal say in the workings of government. (The qualifications for being considered a citizen are completely different.) Citizens could show up at a meeting, and then directly participate in the governing process, and the process of making laws.
Representative Democracy: In a representative democracy set-up, citizens elect representatives who actually make the law. The United States operates similarly to this principle. Citizens elect legislators who, in turn, make laws. In the U.S., even the president isn’t elected directly; representatives called electors make the decision (although designated electors usually vote according to the wishes of the citizens in their states).

Other types of democracy include versions known as deliberative democracy, in which citizens approach decision making by considering different viewpoints and options, as well as democratic socialism, in which citizens help make decisions or vote for policies that are socialistic in nature. There are other types of democracy as well. The defining characteristic is some level of citizen participation in the political system.

2. Republic

In theory, a republic is a political system in which the government remains mostly subject to those governed. Some scholars define any political system in which the citizens legitimize the government. As such, some (including Montesquieu) consider the U.S. a republic. Indeed, there are those that believe that any form of government that is not based on heritage or authoritarian governance. In some cases, a representative democracy (or any form of democracy) might be considered a republic. Some of the types of republics that you might see include:

Crowned (a constitutional monarchy might be considered a crowned republic)
Single Party
Capitalist
Federal (the United States is often referred to as a federal republic)
Parliamentary

The main characteristic of a republic is that the government is subject to the people, and leaders can be recalled. Some even make the argument that an oligarchy, which is rule by a few citizens, or a group of citizens, is a form of republic, since the government is subject to some of the wishes of some of the governed.

3. Monarchy

When most of us think of a monarchy, we think of the political systems of medieval European countries. In a monarchy, a ruler is not usually chosen by the voice of the people or their representatives. Often a monarch is the head of state until he or she abdicates or until death. In many cases a monarch is the final word in government. There may be functionaries to make decisions and run the political system, but the monarch has discretion with the laws, and how they are enforced.

However, as with other political systems, there are different types of monarchies. The type that many of us think of as common is the absolute monarchy, in which the monarch truly has the ultimate say in matters of government. However, most monarchies in political systems today do not follow this method. Many of them, especially in the developed world, have limits. Constitutional monarchies fall into this category (and are sometimes considered republics as well). In this type of monarchy, the ruler is the head of state, but a constitution limits the power, and others make laws. The U.K., Denmark, Kuwait, Spain, Sweden, Tuvalu, and many more are examples of constitutional monarchies.

Other types of monarchies include duchies, grand duchies, elective monarchy (where the monarch is actually elected), and non-sovereign monarchy.

4. Communism

In most cases, a communist state is based on the ideology of communism as taught by Marx and/or Lenin. However, some argue that these political systems are not true to the ideals espoused by these revolutionary thinkers. Communist states are often dominated by a single party, or a group of people. A planned economy is often part of the governing class, and in many cases resources are taken and then redistributed to others, at the top of the system. Sometimes communists call themselves “workers’ states” or “socialist,” but there are very real differences in their operation. In a lot of cases, citizens are required to do certain jobs, or have some of their life decisions — especially concerning where they can live and what jobs they can do. Communism is often considered an authoritarian political system.

5. Dictatorship

Another authoritarian form of government is the dictatorship. Normally, a dictator is the main individual ruling the country. While there are lackeys and others who work for the dictator, he or she makes most of the decisions, and usually has enforcers. In some cases, the political system is run by a small group of people. Dictators are not restricted by constitutions or parliaments. The governed are usually not consented in any way. Elections held are usually affairs in which the dictator is the only candidate.

One of the more common types of dictatorship is the military dictatorship, in which a military organization governs, running the political system. Sometimes, the military just exerts a great deal of pressure on the government, running the country de facto. In many cases, very few benefit from the decisions made in a dictatorship.

While authoritarian political systems have the advantage of quick decisions being made, many citizens prefer other forms of government — those that allow them greater participation in the political process.

ANES Deadline Extended and ANES Meeting

2011-08-16T09:59:00.000-07:00

The deadline to propose questions for inclusion on the American National
Election Studies (ANES) 2012 Time Series Study and the fourth survey of
The 2010-2012 Evaluations of Government and Society Study has been
extended. Proposals will now be accepted until 3:00p.m. EDT, September
13 and should be sent to anes-proposals@electionstudies.org. Members of
the Online Commons community are encouraged to visit the Online Commons
(http://www.electionstudies.org/onlinecommons.htm) at any time to
comment on proposals. The Deadline to provide comments has been
extended to September 15, 2011. The deadline for revisions to proposals
is now 3:00p.m. EDT on September 22, 2011.

In changing some of the procedures and evaluation criteria from our
predecessors, we are seeing higher acceptance levels of the concepts and
questions that are being proposed. We encourage you to take this
opportunity to help shape the studies of the ANES. To review the
initial announcements and for additional information about the studies
and how to submit a proposal, please visit:
http://www.electionstudies.org/

We would also like to invite you to attend a public meeting of the
American National Election Studies at the APSA annual meeting in
Seattle! We will be providing updates on all aspects of the project
including the Online Commons, the EGSS studies, and the Time Series
study. The public meeting is scheduled for 10am on Saturday, September
3rd. We have been told that the location is to be the Washington State
Convention Center, Room 210, but please check the program when you
arrive in case there is a location change.

APSA Short Course - Social Network Analysis

2011-08-14T10:53:00.000-07:00

The APSA short course Introduction to Political Networks Concepts and Data is designed to serve as an introduction to the use of social network methods and concepts in political science; it is designed for students and scholars with no prior experience in network analysis. The day-long course (Wednesday, August 31, 9:30 am-5:00 pm) will cover four primary topics:
1) the practical uses of network concepts and analytic techniques in political science
2) basic network concepts and statistics
3) using surveys and other existing/potential sources to collect network data
4) software training.

The course will feature many examples of political network research drawn from the subfields of American, Comparative, International Relations and Public Policy to ensure that training is relevant to a wide range of substantive research interests. At the end of the day, all participants will have a chance to direct question about their own research to special guest James Fowler (UCSD), or one of the course instructors: Michael Heaney (University of Michigan), Amanda Murdie (Kansas State University), Meredith Rolfe (University of Oxford), or Anand E. Sokhey (University of Colorado at Boulder).

Please note: hands-on exercises will be conducted in UCInet, which is a Windows-based program, and is available as a free trial at: http://www.analytictech.com. Macintosh users will be able to use the program, but will need to run it through a Windows emulator.

Participants must register for the course prior to the meeting - information can be found at: http://www.apsanet.org/shortcourses/

Political Communication Business Meeting - APSA

2011-08-14T10:51:00.000-07:00

Our annual business meeting is 4 weeks from today in Seattle. It is scheduled for 6:15 - 7:15 (location to be announced), with our annual reception to follow immediately afterward.

In addition to our annual awards and a few other items of business, we will discuss an offer we have received from Taylor & Francis outlining new and more favorable terms for our contract for Political Communication.

If you've not done so yet, please forward your nominations for section officer positions to Mike Xenos at xenos@wisc.edu (self-nominations accepted).

See you in Seattle.

Political Communication Division Call for Papers - ICA

2011-08-14T10:46:00.000-07:00

International Communication Association, 2012 Conference,
Phoenix AZ, USA, 24-28 May 2012

The Political Communication Division of the International Communication Association supports research and theory development at the intersection of politics and communication. The division recognizes that political communication takes place in many settings, including within, between, and among individuals, small groups, organizations, cultures, and nations. Studies of communication dealing with government, political media, policy, political figures, citizens, campaigns, and advocacy groups are all within the purview of the division. Papers that address political communication problems at all levels of analysis using a variety of theories and methods are welcome. Panel proposals that are focused on a relevant topic, but that are diverse in terms of the methodologies, theoretical standpoints or nationalities of the presenters, are encouraged.

The division accepts only full papers (no longer than 25 pages, plus figures and references) and panel proposals. Submitters must delete all identifying information before submitting a paper. Papers must also include on the cover page as well as in the electronic submission from two to five topical keywords and at least one method keyword, selected from the list available on the division website (http://www.politicalcommunication.org/upcoming.html). Papers containing identifying information or lacking keywords from the division list will not undergo review. The number of submissions originating from the same author is limited to five by ICA regulations. Given limited space on the program, the division may accept only a single paper first-authored paper.

The division especially encourages participation from Latin America, Asia, and Africa, and will consider panel proposals using creative formats that advance division aims such as expanding participation and mentoring of student scholars. ICA is introducing one long session (2.5 hrs) per division, questions and suggestions for this session can be sent directly to the division program chair well ahead of the submission deadline.

For full details regarding the ICA electronic submission process and timeline, please consult the ICA website: http://www.icahdq.org/conferences/2012/2012%20cfp.pdf

Taylor & Francis Contract Proposal Update

2011-08-14T10:44:00.000-07:00

Following a discussion at our annual business meeting in Boston, we have contacted the publisher and expressed our dissatisfaction regarding our contract terms for the journal. In response, the publisher has suggested a new contract that includes:

a. Increasing royalties from 10% to 20% (these royalties are split between the ICA and APSA divisions)
b. Increasing the editorial support from 17,000 to 30,000 USD per annum.
c. Online access for both divisions’ members at no cost to either group (we paid for this 3.00 USD per member per annum for this last year).

The ICA-APSA Joint Publications Committee was overall satisfied with the proposed terms. The APSA Political Communication Section will vote on this contract at their annual meeting next month. If there is no objection, our division will sign the new contract late in September. If needed, we will vote on this issue electronically.

If you have concerns, questions, or reservations, please feel free to email Yariv Tsfati, Chair,
Political Communication Division, ICA.

Job Posting

2011-08-14T10:43:00.000-07:00

The Department of Communication at the University of Haifa invites outstanding candidates to apply for an open-rank position.* The department offers single and double major B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. programs in diverse fields of theoretical communication studies to over 400 students at any one time. We are particularly interested in candidates with a record of publications in the fields of health communications, new media, or strategic communication (public relations or advertising). However, excellent candidates in other fields of communication research will be considered. Ph.D. in communication and post-doctoral experience are advantages. Only candidates with their Ph.D. in hand, or candidates expected to complete their doctoral studies by October 2011, will be considered.

Applications for the position should include:
1) Curriculum vitae, including academic biography, research interests and future plans
2) Description of potential courses
3) List of 3 references (Please do not send letters until requested by the committee.)
4) Copies of selected recent publications

Please submit the above materials by October 1, 2011 to:
Dr. Ouzi Elyada, Chair (ouzi@com.haifa.ac.il)
Department of Communication, University of Haifa, Mt. Carmel, 31905, Israel
Candidates who pass the initial requirements will be informed by October 20, 2011. We expect a final decision by the end of January. The appointment will begin on October 1, 2012.

* Pending funding.

Career Development Fellow in Media and Democracy

2011-08-02T09:08:00.000-07:00

The Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism and the Department of Politics and International Relations seek a candidate for a 3-year postdoctoral position in media and democracy with an appointment date of autumn 2011. The appointment is expected to be made on the University’s grade 8 salary scale (£36,862 - £44,016 pa). However, if the selected candidate does not fully meet all the selection criteria, the appointment may be made on the grade 7 scale (£29,099 - £35,77 pa), with the possibility of moving up to grade 8 during year 2 or 3 of the appointment.

The successful candidate will have expertise in two of the following areas and will pursue advanced research in at least one of them:

· Media and democratization

· Media in post-authoritarian regimes

· Media and democratic accountability

· Media and political campaigns

Candidates are expected to have either a degree in political science and significant experience and understanding of media/journalism empirical research and theory; or a degree in media/journalism studies and significant experience and understanding of political research and theory. A strong early-career record of academic publication and conference presentations is expected.

Applications for this vacancy are to be made online. To apply for this role and for further details, including the job description and selection criteria, please click on the link below:

https://www.recruit.ox.ac.uk/pls/hrisliverecruit/erq_jobspec_version_4.jobspec?p_id=100648

The closing date for applications is midday on lst September 2011. The interviews for this post are scheduled to take place on Tuesday 4^th October 2011.

Online application form

Application Details

Further particulars and further details can be obtained by telephoning (01865) 278700 or by contacting the Personnel Office via the online contact form.

Information about non-departmental posts can also be found on noticeboards in the Manor Road building, on the University Job Pages and at www.jobs.ac.uk.

ANES Reminder: Only 30 days left to propose question

2011-08-01T14:45:00.000-07:00

There are 30 days left to propose questions for inclusion on the ANES
2012 Time Series Study and the fourth survey of The 2010-2012
Evaluations of Government and Society Study.

Proposals will be accepted until 3:00p.m. EST, August 30, 2011. The
deadline for members of the Online Commons community to comment on
proposals is September 8, 2011. The deadline for revisions to proposals
is at 3:00p.m. EST on September 14, 2011. To review the initial
announcements and for additional information about the studies and how
to submit a proposal, please visit: http://www.electionstudies.org/

NES Announcement: The ANES 2012 Time Series Study

2011-07-19T10:07:00.000-07:00

On June 30, 2011, the American National Election Studies (ANES) began accepting proposals for questions to include on the ANES 2012 Time Series Study. Proposals may be submitted through the ANES Online Commons. The following describes the goals of this study and the opportunity to include questions on it.

About The ANES 2012 Time Series Study

The ANES's core mission is to promote cutting-edge and broadly-collaborative research on American national elections. The heart of the ANES is its presidential year time series surveys. The time series legacy is well known, serving as a model for election studies around the world and having generated thousands of publications. Every four years, a large representative sample of American adults has been interviewed on two occasions, first between Labor Day and Election Day, and again between Election Day and the onset of the winter holidays. The two face-to-face interviews will last approximately one hour each in 2012. Pre-election interviews focus on candidate preferences and anticipated vote choice; an array of possible predictors of candidate preferences, turnout, citizen engagement; and an array of indicators of cognitive and behavioral engagement in the information flow of the campaign. Post-election interviews measures a variety of behavioral experiences people might have had throughout the campaign (e.g., turnout, mobilization efforts), plus additional posited predictors of candidate preferences, turnout, and citizen engagement.

Some of the questions asked during these interviews are categorized as standard (also known as core) items, meaning that they have been asked regularly over the years. These questions are scheduled to appear on subsequent editions of the ANES Time Series in order to permit comparisons across elections. The purpose of categorizing items as standard is to assure scholars who conduct longitudinal analyses that they can continue to depend on ANES to include variables that have been shown to perform well in the past.

Although recognizing the importance of continuity, ANES has also sought to develop the time series in innovative ways. The non-standard component of each questionnaire has routinely focused on matters of interest to the current election cycle. These items are often selected from an "ANES Question Inventory," which includes the standard questions and questions that have been asked in past ANES surveys but are not part of the standard battery of questions. Researchers can access the question inventory at:
ftp://ftp.electionstudies.org/ftp/anes/OC/CoreUtility/ALT2010core.htm

The non-standard content of questionnaires has varied over the years. For example, candidate positions on issues of government policy are recognized as predictors of candidate preferences, but two one-hour interviews do not permit measuring positions on all of the many issues enjoying government attention at any one time in history. So from year to year, different choices have been made about which issues to include in the questionnaire.

As in the past, ANES will continue to emphasize best practices in sample design, respondent recruitment, and interviewing. As always, we aim to provide top-quality service in many respects, including: (1) the careful and extensive planning that must be done before the field work begins, (2) the hard work that will be done by interviewers, supervisors, and study managers during data collection to monitor productivity and make adjustments in strategy to maximize the quality of the final product, and (3) the extensive data processing efforts (including integration of an extensive contextual data file) that will be required to assemble and document the final data set.

About the Online Commons

Content for the ANES 2012 Time Series Study will primarily evolve from two sources: previous ANES Time Series questionnaires and new proposals received via the ANES Online Commons (OC). The OC is an Internet-based system designed to promote communication among scholars and to yield innovative proposals about the most effective ways to measure electorally-relevant concepts and relationships. The goal of the OC is to improve the quality and scientific value of ANES data collections, to encourage the submission of new ideas, and to make such experiences more beneficial to and enjoyable for investigators. In the last study cycle, more than 700 scholars sent over 200 proposals through the OC.

Proposals for the inclusion of questions must include clear theoretical and empirical rationales. All proposals must also clearly state how the questions will increase the value of the respective studies. In particular, proposed questions must have the potential to help scholars understand the causes and/or consequences of turnout or candidate choice.

The ANES Online Commons will accept proposals until 3:00pm Eastern Time on August 30, 2011. The deadline for members of the Online Commons community to comment on proposals is September 8, 2011. The deadline for revisions to proposals is at 3:00pm Eastern Time on September 14, 2011.

For additional information about how to submit a proposal, please visit:
http://www.electionstudies.org/

Proposal Evaluation Criteria

The following criteria will guide the PIs and the ANES Board in evaluating proposals made through the Online Commons. We strongly encourage anyone who is considering making a proposal to read the following carefully.

1. Problem-Relevant. Are the theoretical motivations, proposed concepts and survey items relevant to ongoing controversies among researchers? How will the data that the proposers expect to observe advance the debate?
What specific analyses of the data will be performed? What might these analyses reveal? How would these findings be relevant to specific questions or controversies?

2. Suitability to ANES. The primary mission of the ANES is to advance our understanding of voter choice and electoral participation. Ceteris paribus, concepts and instrumentation that are relevant to our understanding of these phenomena will be considered more favorably than items tapping other facets of politics, public opinion, American culture or society.

3. Building on Solid Theoretical Footing. Does the proposed instrumentation follow from a plausible theory of political behavior?

4. Demonstrated Validity and Reliability of Proposed Items. Proposed items should be accompanied by evidence demonstrating their validity and reliability. Validity has various facets: e.g., construct validity, concurrent validity, discriminant validity and predictive validity. Any assessment of predictive validity should keep in mind criterion 2, above.
Reliability can be demonstrated in various ways; one example is test-retest reliability. We understand that proposals for novel concepts and/or instrumentation will almost always lack empirical evidence demonstrating validity and/or reliability. Proposals for truly "novel" instrumentation might be best suited for the series of smaller, cross-sectional studies ANES will field in the period 2010 through the summer of 2012; as a general matter, we are highly unlikely to field untested instrumentation on the Fall 2012 pre-election and post-election surveys.

5. Breadth of Relevance and Generalizability. Will the research that results from the proposed instrumentation be useful to many scholars?
Given the broad usage of ANES data, we may be unable to accommodate requests to include items that are relevant for one -or only a few- hypothesis tests. Ceteris paribus, items that are potentially relevant for a wide range of analyses will be considered more favorably than items that would seem to have less applicability.

When the 2012 questionnaires are designed, the status of the standard questions will be central considerations. Standard questions do not have an infinite shelf life -- Science advances and new insights can reveal more effective ways of asking important questions or can show that some questions do not in fact meet the requirements of remaining a standard question. However, proposed changes made to standard questions will be scrutinized with recognition of the value of continuity over time. While we will welcome proposals to change standard questions, the burden of proof required for making such changes will be high. We will take most seriously arguments that are backed by concrete evidence and strong theory.

All proposals that include a change to a particular question (standard or non-standard) should name the specific question that would be altered and provide a full explanation as to why the ANES user community will benefit by such a change.

Tools To Assist Your Proposal Development

As previously mentioned, researchers can access the ANES Question Inventory at:
ftp://ftp.electionstudies.org/ftp/anes/OC/CoreUtility/ALT2010core.htm

This Inventory provides the list of standard and non-standard questions that have been part of the Time Series, and includes frequencies for the most recent studies.

We have also created a second resource to review questions that have been asked previously. The ANES Time Series Codebook Search utility searches existing codebooks from studies in the ANES Time Series. You can access the utility at http://ftp.nes.isr.umich.edu/backup/searchhelp.htm

(Please note that there are some limitations to the utility that are documented on the search help page, the link to that page is at the top of the utility page.)

We hope that you will find these tools useful as you prepare your proposals.

The opportunity to submit proposals is open to anyone who wants to make a constructive contribution to the development of the ANES 2012 Time Series Study. Feel free to pass this invitation along to anyone (e.g., your colleagues and students) who you think might be interested. We hope to hear from you.

For additional resources and information on how to submit a proposal, please visit http://www.electionstudies.org/onlinecommons/

Darrell Donakowski
Director of Studies
American National Election Studies (ANES)

Job Posting

2011-06-27T10:30:00.000-07:00

THE HEBREW UNIVERSITY OF JERUSALEM
Department of Communication and Journalism
Tenure-Track Research and Teaching Position

The Noah Mozes Department of Communication and Journalism at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem invites outstanding candidates to apply for a tenure-track position starting Fall, 2012. Applicants should hold a Ph.D., or expect to be awarded a doctoral degree by September 2012. Post-doctoral experience is desirable.

We particularly encourage applicants with strong research records in the fields of new media, film studies and political communication, although excellent candidates in all areas of communications are invited to apply.

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
• Details of at least two persons who have been asked to send letters of
recommendation
• Copies of 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: September 15th 2011.

Letter Regarding Political Communication Journal

2011-06-25T09:08:00.000-07:00

May 31, 2011
Routledge Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
Re: Political Communication

As Chair of the Political Communication Division of the International Communication Association (ICA), I am writing on behalf of our membership to express the division’s strong dissatisfaction with the current terms of our contract with Routledge Taylor & Francis for the journal Political Communication. This is a journal that we sponsor alongside the Political Communication Section of the American Political Science Association (APSA).

Our division's annual business meeting was held in Boston on May 27,2011, and was very well-attended by 149 of our 756 members. Prof. Patricia Moy, Chair of the ICA- APSA Joint Publications Committee, reported to the membership on the current terms of our contract for the journal and the numerous conversations she had with Taylor & Francis last year. This started a very heated discussion regarding whether or not the division should renew this contract which we see as grossly unfair.

I am not sure you realize the amount of hard work, dedication and intellectual skill that our members devote to the journal. It takes years of tremendously hard work to write an academic research paper in the field of political communication. Reviewing these papers takes an enormous amount of time as well. Our editor, Prof. Shanto Iyengar, volunteers almost half of his time to running the journal. This involves many hours of reading manuscripts, locating reviewers, soliciting their assessments and then evaluating the quality of the submissions. Our Joint Publications Committee relentlessly works on developing the journal and selecting prominent academics to serve as editorial board members. We are very proud that the hard work invested in the journal has raised its reputation and that it is now very highly ranked both in political science and communication.

We recognize that sponsoring a leading journal is important for the division, but the level of dissatisfaction among members led to a very lengthy discussion regarding actions to pursue. Several members advocated that the division end its contract with T&F. Some harsher measures – like calling for our editor and editorial board members to resign from the journal while at the same time initiating a new open-access online title – also were proposed.

We are eager to continue working with Routledge T&F on building an even stronger, more highly ranked journal. But for the long term, this is not possible unless a contract that demonstrates that the publisher appreciates our hard work and intellectual skill is negotiated. Given the overlap in membership between ICA and APSA's political communication divisions, APSA's Political Communication Division undoubtedly will champion a similar if not harsher resolution in its forthcoming meeting.

If I may add, my personal impression (based on conversation with dozens of members at the meeting) is that this discussion is already hurting the reputation of Routledge T&F as a fair publisher among communication scholars in general. There is a significant overlap between our membership and that of related professional organizations on whose RFPs you recently have bid or tried to renegotiate the terms of existing contracts.

We are looking forward to receiving an offer that not only increases our royalties, but also considerably raises your support for the hiring of an editorial assistant for the journal. Please forward your response to me as well as to Joint Publications Committee Chair Prof. Patricia Moy.

At the same time, the division has asked me to let you know that we have decided at the meeting to cancel our online subscription for the journal, given the relatively high costs combined with the fairly low use. We see your online subscription rates for our member as part of a larger financial plan for the journal that does not advantage us.

Sincerely,
Dr. Yariv Tsfati, Chair Political Communication Division, International Communication Association Department of Communication, University of Haifa, ISRAEL http://hevra.haifa.ac.il/~comm/en/staff/show_details.php?UserID=645

Vice Chair & Secretary Call for Nominations

2011-06-25T09:06:00.001-07:00

The Political Communication Division will choose a new vice-chair and secretary during ICA elections this fall. Please send nominations and self-nominations to the nominations committee (Chair: Hernando Rojas, U of Madison, Wisconsin USA; Erik Albæk, U of Southern Denmark, DENMARK; Lilach Nir, Hebrew U, ISRAEL; Marko Skoric, Nanyang Technical U, SINGAPORE) by Friday, July 8.

To nominate yourself or another person, please send the name (with affiliation and contact information), a statement of support (limit 250 words), and the nominee's email confirmation of willingness to stand for election to the nominations committee email address: pcnominate@gmail.com

The committee will then contact each candidate, who must provide a goal statement and a short bio (limit 250 words) by Monday, July 25. The election takes place online in September and October, and ICA normally releases the results by the end of October.

*Vice chair. The new vice-chair will begin a two-year term of office at the conclusion of the conference in Phoenix next year. After receiving training and the materials from past program planners, the vice-chair will be program planner for the following conventions: London, UK, 15-19 June 2013, Seattle, WA, 22-26 May, 2014.

Election as vice-chair is a four-year commitment. After two years as program planner, during the term of office of Claes de Vreese as division chair, the vice-chair becomes division chair for the next two years (in San Juan, Puerto Rico in 2015; location TBA for the 2016 conference, but it will take place in Japan or Australia).

*Secretary. The secretary takes minutes at the annual meeting and helps generate material for the division announcement in the monthly ICA newsletter. The new secretary will begin a two-year term of office at the Phoenix conference next year and will continue for the following convention in London UK, 15-19 June 2013.

Please consider taking up this important opportunity and call for service to the division, by nominating either a colleague or yourself to become a candidate for vice-chair or secretary.

APSA Short Course: Dynamic Process Tracing: A Decision Making Research Tool

2011-06-25T09:03:00.000-07:00

Political Psychology Organized Section
2011 APSA Short Course

The APSA Organized Section on Political Psychology is sponsoring a short course on "Dynamic Process Tracing: A Decision Making Research Tool" led by David Redlawsk. This is a follow-on to the course held last year. This year's course will provide an overview of the system and present the significant updates made over the past year that allow easy development of a wide range of experiments in decision making. The system is already in use by researchers in Europe as well as the United States.

The course will be Wednesday afternoon, and registration will be open soon at the APSA website

This year's course will provide an overview of the Lau and Redlawsk Dynamic Process Tracing Environment (DPTE) used for studying individual decision making. Funded in part by the NSF, the system is now available at http://dpte.polisci.uiowa.edu to any researcher interested in making use of it. However, those interested in using DPTE in their research should consider first attending this course in order to learn the system design details and functionality.

Dynamic process tracing is a research technique used to study information search and decision making in an ever-changing information environment. Developed by Lau and Redlawsk to study voter decision making during political campaigns, the technique can be profitably employed to study learning, decision making, and a variety of related processes in nearly any dynamic situation. However, until now, prohibitive programming costs made this technique very difficult for other researchers to use.

Those who attend will learn how to begin their own experiments using the system. The system will be divided into two parts. The first 90 minutes will provide an overview of the system. The second part will examine how to run studies and provide information about the many new features added to the system since last year's class. If you attended last year, you may still want to attend again, perhaps joining us after the 90 minute introductory period, though of course all are welcome for the whole session.

For more information contact Dave Redlawsk at redlawsk@rutgers.edu

International Conference: Identity and Intercultural Communication

2011-06-25T08:55:00.000-07:00

Bucharest, Romania, September 26-27, 2011

Center for Research in Communication Institut de la Communication
Cox International Center SNSPA
Université Lyon2
University of Georgia

*In collaboration with Romanian-U.S. Fulbright Commission*

This conference aims to address issues such as the role of media in creating and enhancing local, regional, national, or transnational identities based on cultural, ethnic, and racial relationships, and the impact of the new communication technologies on the identity and strategies of professional organizations. Based on this perspective of intercultural communication, we are interested in what are the entities that are involved in the dialog, the dynamics of multicultural environment and the social discourses, and the changes in the construction of self-identity in the relationship with the Other.

Sections
Identity Meeting Otherness; The New Technologies and the Communication of Professionals’ Identities; The Role of the European Public Sphere in the Configuration of a Transnational Identity (more information at: http://centrucomunicare.ro/conferencetopics2011.html)

Keynote speaker
Hans-Jörg Trenz – ARENA Center for European Studies, Norway Scientific Committee
Alina Bârgăoanu – National School of Political Studies and Public Administration, Romania Claudine Carluer – Université Stendhal Grenoble, France Dominique Desjeux – Université Paris Descartes, France Dorina Guţu – Romanian-U.S. Fulbright Commission, Romania
Jisu Huh – University of Minnesota, USA Adrian Lesenciuc – "Henri Coanda" Air Force Academy, Romania Mira Moshe – Ariel University Center of Samaria, Israel Remus Pricopie – National School of Political Studies and Public Administration, Romania Klaus Schönbach – University of Vienna Andrea Semprini – Univ. Lyon 2, France Jean-Claude Soulages – Univ. Lyon 2, France Claes De Vreese – University of Amsterdam, Nederland David Weaver – Indiana University, USA

Important Deadlines
June 25, 2011: abstract submission; July 10, 2011: abstract acceptance (notification of authors); August 15, 2011: full paper submission;

Abstracts
The abstracts (max. 500 words followed by 3-5 keywords) will be submitted for review in electronic MS Word format. Please provide the full names, affiliations, mailing addresses, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail addresses of all authors, indicating the contact author. There will be accepted only one paper for each participant as a first author. Abstracts will be submitted online to the following e-mail address: iic-conference-2011@univ-lyon2.fr (or Ingrid-Dana.Popescu@univ-lyon2.fr). The official languages of the conference are English and French.
The authors will receive confirmation via email.

Selected papers will be published, after the conference, in the conference volume. To this end, full papers will be re-submitted to peer-review process.

Guidelines
All manuscripts submitted must follow the most recent version of the APA style guide (American Psychological Association Publication Manual).

Conference fee
Conference fee is 100 euro / participant. For PhD and MA candidates the conference fee is 50 euro / participant.

Information and contacts
Further information and updates regarding conference venue, registration, conference program, and accommodation details will be avilable in due time on the conference website: http://centrucomunicare.ro/conference2011.html

Organizing Committee
Lee B. Becker, University of Georgia Nicoleta Corbu, National School of Political Studies and Public Administration Mihai Moroiu, Romanian-U.S. Fulbright Commission Dana Popescu Jourdy, Université Lyon2 Elizabeth Vercher, Université Lyon 2 Tudor Vlad, University of Georgia

Contact
Conference email: iic-conference-2011@univ-lyon2.fr (or Ingrid-Dana.Popescu@univ-lyon2.fr)

Assistant Professor in Political Communication: The Université de Montréal

2011-05-26T08:32:00.000-07:00

The Department of Communication invites applications for a full-time tenure-track position as Assistant Professor in Political Communication.

Responsibilities

Successful candidates will be expected to teach at all three levels of the curriculum, supervise graduate students, engage in ongoing research and publication, and contribute to the academic life and reputation of the institution.

Requirements

PhD (or near completion) in Communication or in a related field.
Evidence of dynamism and creativity in teaching and pedagogy.
Research interests and relevant research experience in issues related to contemporary Political Communication, such as analysis of new communication practices and strategies of political actors including citizens, parties, elected officials, journalists, government bodies, para-governmental agencies and pressure groups; Web-based political activities and new types of activism and militancy; studies of new media practices and media roles in political processes; analysis of speeches, interaction or elements that contribute to the definition of the field, its participants and contemporary power formations.
Proficiency in the French language. The Université de Montréal is a Québec university with an international reputation. French is the language of instruction. To renew its teaching faculty, the University is intensively recruiting the world’s best specialists. In accordance with the institution’s language policy [http://www.direction.umontreal.ca/secgen/recueil/politique_linguistique.html], the Université de Montréal provides support for newly-recruited faculty to attain proficiency in French.

Salary

The Université de Montréal offers a competitive salary and a complete range of employee benefits.

Starting Date

From January 1 or June 1, 2012.