Transforming Audiences 2

Transforming Audiences 2: creativity / knowledge / participation

University of Westminster, in association with the ECREA Audience and Reception Studies Section, the Popular Communication Division of the International Communication Association (ICA), and the Audience Section of the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR)

University of Westminster, London, UK

Sep 03 – Sep 04, 2009

Contact: e.spindler@wmin.ac.uk

Call for papers: http://www.transformingaudiences.org.uk/transforming-audiences-2-cfp.pdf

Website: http://www.transformingaudiences.org.uk

The first Transforming Audiences conference, in September 2007, featured over 100 presentations by audience researchers from around the world. Transforming Audiences 2 signals its development as Europe’s major recurring international conference for audience/user studies.

Centre for Media and Communication Studies “Massimo Baldini”

Internet pages of the Centre for Media and Communication Studies “Massimo Baldini” are now online.

HERE

The new Centre is institutional member of ECREA and affiliate member of MeCCSA

PhD Studentship @ Aberdeen

The University of Aberdeen’s Film and Visual Culture Department is pleased to offer FOUR PhD studentships (three years, home fees only) and TWO taught M Litt in Visual Culture studentships (one year, home fees only) for students applying to commence their studies in 2009/10. Doctoral students have an opportunity to undertake a traditional thesis or one involving film practice-as-research, with a shorter written element. Supervision can either be pursued wholly within Film and Visual Culture, or depending on your topic, co-supervision arrangements are available with the following departments:
Anthropology
Archaeology
Business School
Gaelic Studies
History of Art
Music
Scottish and Irish Studies

For further details visit the Film and Visual Culture Department’s website, clicking HERE and contact: film@abdn.ac.uk

ECREA Section “Audience and Reception Studies” – Workshop

Workshop
Narrative Fact and Fiction
Patterns of narrative construction in media stories and differential effects

(Hosted by the “Narrative Network”, the ECREA Section “Audience and Reception Studies” and the Department of Communication of the University of Vienna)

Date: 4-5, April 2009, location: University of Vienna
One of the most important functions of media is to inform and connect citizens, enabling them to participate in democratic processes and providing the grounds for integration and social cohesion in a society. Specifically, media stories support and uphold these functions. Both journalistic stories referencing real life events as well as fictional stories referencing fictitious worlds contribute to the audience’s knowledge and world view – possibly complementing or contradicting each other. Fictional and factual stories increasingly converge in terms of style and content. Topics are followed up across pragmatic boundaries. A good example of this is Dan Brown’s book “The Da Vinci Code” that reinterprets biblical history, which has solicited popular historical books scrutinizing the novel’s assertions. While the distinction of fact and fiction is clear on the production side, it seems to be less clear in the audience’s mind and next to irrelevant for actual story experience and effects.

The workshop deals with the question how fictional and factual stories are intertwined at various levels and intends to deepen insights of how patterns of construction and the effects of stories differ with respect to its factual or fictional background. Contributions may address aspects such as: What different types of narrative patterns exist in factual and fictional media stories? What are characteristics of effective stories? How do factual and fictional stories interact in the audience’s mind?

Please send abstracts (150 words) for 30-minute presentations via email to the organizers

[susanne.kinnebrock@univie.ac.at; helena.bilandzic@uni-erfurt.de]
Deadline for submissions is February 8, 2009.

Cult Media Studies

We are pleased to announce the public launch of Cult Media Studies, an online networking hub for students and academics studying cult film, television, and other media, set up by David Church. As online fan communities continue to thrive, likewise grows the need for a more cohesive global community among those whose professional research interests actively span both fannish and academic quarters. As such, we are currently seeking new members with an interest in this area of research, and hope to have the website grow and evolve to fit its members’ needs over the coming months. The site is still a work in progress, so any suggestions for new content or features are greatly appreciated.

Further informations? Please, click HERE

Media Generations Research Group Meeting

Media Generations Research Group: the fourth national meeting in Urbino, from June 12th to 14th. Further informations about the research in the official website, HERE.

Some pictures from the meeting clicking the picture below.

Mediagenerations Urbino

Children in Virtual Worlds

BBC Children’s and the University of Westminster invite you to the first conference in the UK to draw together producers and researchers working on virtual worlds and immersive gaming environments for children aged 7-11 online.

Keynote speakers include Richard Deverell, Controller, BBC Children’s and Dr. Adrian Woolard, Head of Innovation, BBC Future Media and Technology. Other speakers include representatives from Club Penguin, Moshi Monsters, Lego Universe, Prof David Gauntlett (University of Westminster), Lizzie Jackson (University of Westminster), Dr Diane Carr ( Centre for the Study of Children, Youth and Media), Marc Goodchild (Head of Interactive and Old Demand, BBC Children’s), Aleks Krotoski (Guardian Unlimited), Tamara Littleton (eModeration.com) and Paul Massey ( K&L Gates). In addition to the panels and presentations there will be demonstrations on virtual worlds and 3D technology.

The conference will be of interest to academics, producers, online community managers, game creators, teachers, and technologists. It aims to facilitate the exchange of ideas between producers and academics on virtual and immersive media for children and to stimulate the production of high quality, creative, social media content for children in the UK.

When: Thursday 22nd May, 10.00am – 5.30pm

Where: The University of Westminster, 35 Marylebone Road, London, NW1 5LS

Mobile Audiences between Access and Participation

The Crisc-Cmcs research “Mobile Audiences between Access and Participation” has been presented at FilMobile Conference (University of Westminster, London 4-5 April 2008). Full powerpoint presentation is available here.

Furher informations about FilMobile, here.

Crisc-Cmcs at FilMobile Conference

Crisc-Cmcs will participate at FilMobile Conference, London, 4-5 April 2008.

The Centre will present the step 2 of its research about “Mobile Audiences” in Italy (Mobile Audiences between Access and Participation).

Futher details, here.

News – Next meetings

FilMobile Conference

University of Westminster, London, UK: 4-5 April 2008
Further details

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ICA Annual Conference 2008

Montreal, Quebec, Canada, May 22-26
Futher details
(2009 ICA Conference: May 21-25 – Chicago, Usa)

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Television without Borders. Transfers, Translations and Transnational Exchanges. 

An International Conference at the University of Reading. 27-29 June 2008

Further details

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