The Big Reveal (29-31 May 2009)

Lifestyle Television Conference

JOURNALISM IN CRISIS (2009, 19-20 May, Westminster)

CALL FOR PAPERS
JOURNALISM IN CRISIS

A conference organised by the Department of Journalism and Mass
Communication, University of Westminster in association with the British
Journalism Review

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
Professor James Curran Goldsmiths College    Professor Todd Gitlin  Columbia
University
London     May 19-20 2009
News journalism is in deep crisis. Newspaper readership is falling, the audience
for television news shrinking, and young people in particular seem to be less
interested in traditional forms of news consumption.  24-hour news channels
on shoestring budgets fight over tiny audiences while even well established
and committed news organisations like the BBC and New York Times are
cutting budgets and laying off journalists.
Those that remain complain of increased workloads, lack of resources,
insecurity of employment, greater dependence on news agencies and PR
handouts, and lack of training opportunities. There are accusations that
serious journalism, with in-depth coverage of important issues that can hold
the powerful to account, has given way to a toxic mix of infotainment,
sensationalism and trivia.
Some, particularly the young, see online as the way forward.
Internet penetration is high in most developed countries and growing rapidly in
the developing world.  The web offers a multimedia environment for new
developments like citizen journalism and blogging, different kinds of news
reporting and new approaches to current affairs.
But it also threatens the business model of newspapers as classified
advertising moves online, while television suffers from fragmented audiences
and the growth of time-shifted viewing. Many question whether user-
generated content can ever be a substitute for well-resourced newsgathering
carried out within trusted institutions according to established professional
values.
This conference will review the current threats to the practice of
journalism and examine some of the developing alternatives.

Papers are invited that address any of these issues.  We welcome
contributions on:
•    The audiences for news
•    The development of new media outlets
•    Current practices in journalism
•    The impact on journalism of changing economics and ownership
•    New approaches to journalism, and
•    The future of journalism as a paid occupation.
Many of the problems identified are specific to the advanced countries. The
organisers welcome papers that address the different situation in developing
areas, like India, China and Africa, where audiences for traditional media
continue to grow and where online news has quite different implications.

Charles Wheeler Award and Memorial Lecture
The conference will close with the inaugural Charles Wheeler Award for
outstanding contribution to broadcast journalism, sponsored by the British
Journalism Review. This will be followed by an inaugural memorial lecture, given
by:
Mark Thompson
Director General of the BBC

If you wish to present a paper at the conference, send a 250 word abstract
to:
Ms Helen Cohen journalism@wmin.ac.uk, who is also the contact for all
enquiries.
Deadline 1 February 2009.

NOTES:
1. The Department of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of
Westminster is home to the UK’s oldest undergraduate degree involving
journalism training, the BA in Media studies, which recruited its first students in
1975.  Today, the Department has a wide range of courses in journalism and
media production at both the undergraduate and postgraduate level
(http://www.wmin.ac.uk/mad/page-97).
2. The Department is also home to the Communication and Media Research
Institute, rated by the 2008 national Research Assessment Exercise as the
UK’s leading media research centre (http://www.wmin.ac.uk/mad/page-561).
3. The British Journalism Review was established in 1989 by journalists
and scholars concerned about issues of ethics, standards and quality within
the journalism profession. Now published by Sage, it continues as a quarterly
journal for serious reflection on the practice and theory of journalism, and the
evening event and award is part of its 20th anniversary celebrations
(http://www.bjr.org.uk).

The University of Westminster is a charity and a company limited by
guarantee. Registration number: 977818 England. Registered Office: 309
Regent Street, London W1B 2UW.

Animation Studies

CALL FOR PAPERS – Animation Studies

Society for Animation Studies members are invited to submit conference papers from SAS or other conferences, past and present in the growing subject area of animation studies.   Non-members are welcome to submit papers, but must join the society before an accepted paper can be published.  (Membership details available at http://animationstudies.org ).

All papers are subject to peer review; acceptance of a
paper at a conference is not a guarantee of publication. If a paper is
accepted for a conference but not presented it can still be considered;
subject to agreement by the editorial board.

Papers will be blind refereed where possible and comments collated and
returned to the author by the editor.

The journal editions run on an annual basis with papers accepted
throughout the year but the volume closed on calendar year end. In order
to simplify the refereeing and submission, papers will be accepted at
deadlines throughout the year. We invite authors to submit papers in spring
and late summer/early autumn.

We strongly encourage the submission of past papers in order to
establish a useful archive of work which members can access. We also
encourage the submission of links to other publications or bibliographic
citations where conference papers have been published elsewhere.

Papers are not limited to word length, though it is expected that the
paper will not exceed that of the presentation, or a reasonable
approximation of it. Author may edit their conference presentations, but
the text must provide a reasonable representation of the material
presented at the conference.

Images are welcomed but authors must seek permissions to reproduce them
in the journal. Rights owners must be identified in the caption, in the
manner specified by the rights owner in a release form signed by that
individual. Articles are published under Creative Commons regulations,
which allows the author to retain copyright but allows free distribution
of the work for educational purposes. Creative Commons is in line with
progressive online publishing practices.

The Harvard Referencing system will be used. All papers should be
submitted in Microsoft Word document files (.doc) or Rich Text Format
(.rtf). Please submit images in low resolution, web-ready formats.
Deadline for papers is Monday 9th March. Submit all proposals to Dr Nichola Dobson, Editor at journal@animationstudies.org or nichola_dobson@yahoo.co.uk

Email your essay, including a cover page stating your name, your
institutional affiliation (now and at the time of the paper
presentation), the name of the paper, the conference at which it was
published, the date of presentation (or conference dates), and any
significant information related to the editing of the paper. Please
provide contact information suitable for publication with the paper.
http://animationstudies.org <http://animationstudies.org/>
http://journal.animationstudies.org <http://journal.animationstudies.org/>

Screen Research

New resource site now available from the British Library

http://screenresearch.ning.com/

The Ends of Television (2009, 29 Jun-1 July, Amsterdam)

Call for Papers:

The Amsterdam School for Cultural Analysis (ASCA) and the Department of Media Studies of the Universiteit van Amsterdam invite papers for a 3-day conference on

The Ends of Television
Logics/Perspectives/Entanglements

Monday June 29 – Wednesday July 1 2009 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands

Keynote speakers:
Joke Hermes (InHolland, Universiteit van Amsterdam)
Toby Miller (University of California Riverside)
Anna McCarthy (NYU)

Conference theme:
Is TV as we know it dead? Does TV Studies have any relevance in a world of media convergence? Are we at risk of becoming gravediggers of an obsolete medium rather than innovators in a cross-medial regime? The conference will address some of the central frames through which TV has been analyzed to test their relevance in an age where digitalization and convergence is redrawing the boundaries of media and of disciplines. Rather than accept the narrative of obsolescence or the nostalgia of seclusion, the conference aims at seriously analyzing both the contemporary specificity of TV and the challenges thrown up by new developments in technology and theory. For example: What is the specificity of the TV image in an environment suffused with moving images? Has the spectator of TV changed in a media world that begs “interaction”? How does the relevance of ideology-critique and propaganda fare in the age of surveillance? Is the educational role of TV obsolete with the triumph of market logics?

Depending on how these and other questions are answered, TV Studies must rethink its own status as a discipline, beginning with its own position vis-à-vis Film Studies and New Media Studies. Do such separations still hold analytical purchase? What old concepts need reformulation, and what areas of study (e.g. cultural studies, philosophy, sociology, anthropology, political science, art history) can we both borrow from and enrich?

Contributions are invited which take a stand on the relevance of TV, and TV Studies, through substantial and close analyses of specific dimensions of television:

(Medium) Specificity
If we are witnessing the end of TV as we know it, what is it being replaced with? What form will TV take in the future, and what are its aesthetic qualities? What is the ontology of the televisual image and sound once it has been digitized?  How does the aural experience of contemporary television sets enhance or affect television watching? If “flow” and “liveness” was what distinguished TV from film in the 20th century, how does this hold true in the 21st? What effects does the change from flow and liveness to the archive have for our understanding of the medium? How do TV, film and new media relate to each other in the new constellation?

(Functional) Logics
How does TV function? Questions of broad and narrow-casting, the blurring of genres and media (cross media), the fluidity of audiences, the multiple settings of TV reception, etc – all these dimensions point to an acceleration of change in the logics of TV’s mode of functioning. What broad changes can be identified in the logics of TV, and how do they relate to larger shifts in contemporary societies, technologies, and communication patterns? More specifically, what is the impact of these changes when we consider the purposeful use of TV? What will become of advertising when television goes digital? What is the relationship between branding and television’s functional logics? What becomes of propaganda in a multi-channel environment? In what sense has TV’s governmental logic changed during the last decade? How does media literacy function in knowledge societies?

(Conceptual) Changes
If the logics of TV are shifting, how might they be studied in the contemporary context? What new, or different perspectives can be brought to bear in intellectually engaging with the medium? Do the established (analytical) distinctions of production, reception, textual analysis, suffice? Do more dimensions need to be added, or do the existing distinctions need to be broadened, sharpened or reviewed, keeping in mind the changing logics of television? – e.g. in the context of convergence, and multimedia interaction, such as UGC, how do terms like “production” and “reception” change their meaning?

(Transdisciplinary) Entanglements
Given that the logics of television’s mode of functioning, and the perspectives of TV Studies need analysis and change, in what way do these changes suggest an entangled and cross-fertilized re-definition of the field itself, its ends (goals), and its future development? On the one hand, how might a reviewing of television and its modes of analysis enrich other disciplines (for example Visual Culture, a re-defined Art History, Film History, Media Archaeology)? On the other, what might TV Studies gain from strategically borrowing and re-working theories and concepts from other fields (Sociology, Political Philosophy, Philosophy of Law, Cultural Analysis)? What contributions can more recent paradigms like cognitivism or network theory make? Can TV studies borrow terms from chaos theory like emergence, non-linearity, or attractors, and what do they contribute to the already existing theoretical vocabulary?

Proposal deadline: proposals for papers and/or panels should be sent to asca-fgw@uva.nl before February 26 2009.

Organising committee: Sudeep Dasgupta, Marijke de Valck, Jaap Kooijman, Jan Teurlings

10 new PhD studentships advertised

NEW PHD STUDENTSHIPS ADVERTISED REINFORCES OUR SCHOOL’S ONGOING RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT

06 January 2009

Please note: deadline for applications is 12 January 2009.

Titles:

• The changing face of political journalism (Ref.PHDMLM001) Director of Studies: John W. Roberston
• The rise and rise of international development journalism (Ref. PHDMLM002) Director of Studies: John W. Roberston
• Blogging the Vancouver 2010 Olympics (Ref.PHDMLM003) Director of Studies: Dr Andy Miah
• Prospects of immortality: public engagement with Biogerontology and life/health span expansion (Ref.PHDMLM004) Director of Studies: Dr Andy Miah External Adviser: Dr Aubrey de Grey
• The ethics of human enhancement in film (Ref.PHDMLM005) Director of Studies: Dr Andy Miah
• De-territorialisation of the nation in new media artwords (Ref. PHDMLM006) Director of Studies: Professor Yvonne Spielmann
• Media arts and the creative use of technology (Ref. PHDMLM007) Director of Studies: Professor Yvonne Spielmann
• Interarts and synaethesia (Ref. PHDMLM008) Director of Studies: Professor Yvonne Spielmann
• The cultural, commercial and industrial impact of film festivals (Ref.PHDMLM009)
• Documenting Peripherality in Scotland: Engaging the Cultural Resource (REF.PHDMLM010)

The changing face of political journalism (Ref.PHDMLM001) Director of Studies: John W. Roberston

‘Obama isn’t like a new media company, he is one’ (Keen, 2008)

The decimation of mainstream political journalism in the US, the rise of ‘citizen journalists’ or ‘bloggers’ and the potential for politicians to avoid media scrutiny by becoming media themselves, seems to signal the beginning of a radical transformation of political journalism in the US and beyond. Research studentships in this field will enable early tracking and evaluation of trends in this very important, broad and very fast-moving context. Individual doctoral researchers will tackle one or more key questions including:

* How and to what extent are UK politicians adopting the use of blogs and vlogs to communicate directly with electorates?
* How are mainstream media outlets adapting to this changing scenario?
* How are journalists changing to survive in this uncertain environment?
* Who are the new citizen journalists and what is their impact on voters and/or on politicians?
* What are the emerging consequences of ePolitics for the public sphere in UK and/or other countries?

The rise and rise of international development journalism (Ref. PHDMLM002) Director of Studies: John W. Roberston

‘In every society of the bottom billion there are people working for change, but usually they are defeated by powerful internal forces stacked against them. We should be helping the heroes. We had better do something about it. The question is what.’ (Collier, 2008)

The emergence of International Development Journalism is, in some ways, a unique experiment between governments, NGO’s and progressive journalists throughout the world.

The new thinking is that all three can work in a critically constructive environment where the delineations between PR, political spin, and the best traditions of objective journalism remain separate yet also work in harmony. Research studentships in this field will analyse the progress of this new global partnership. Individual doctoral researchers will tackle one or more key questions including:

1. How and to what extent is the UK government engaging in this project?
2. How is the media in the UK responding?
3. How does this new form of journalism differ from traditional foreign reporting?
4. Who are the main international media players in this?
5. What are the emerging consequences for other countries?

Blogging the Vancouver 2010 Olympics (Ref.PHDMLM003) Director of Studies: Dr Andy Miah

Research into the new media dimensions of an Olympic Games has become a focal point for researchers in recent years. Sports governing bodies have also responded to the rise of new media, as a distinct reporting form within the organizational framework of a mega-event. For instance, for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the television rights contracts were separated from internet broadcast rights for the first time in history. Also, in February 2008, the International Olympic Committee provided extensive blogging guidelines for the first time, which affect all accredited persons at the Games, including athletes. Additionally, a remarkable number of citizen journalists is visible at recent Games and their capacity and entitlement to report on the proceedings is a much more contested set of circumstances. As traditional media outlets rush to converge and consolidate their online presence, questions arise as to the contribution of dominant social networking platforms to the construction of the Games-time narrative. Evidence suggests that organizations are making strategic decisions to affect these conditions. For instance, in March 2007, the BBC purchased a You Tube Channel. Alternatively, in August 2008, the IOC signed agreements to broadcast parts of the Olympic Games on You Tube to countries where no television broadcast license was in place. This PhD studentship will focus on the Olympic Winter Games of Vancouver 2010 to study how a range of new media is infiltrating the Olympic infrastructure. It will seek to contextualize the new media culture of Vancouver 2010 within a series of cultural and political issues that have surrounded the lead-up to its Winter Olympics.

Candidates should have a higher degree and particular expertise in qualitative research methods and social media.

Prospects of immortality: public engagement with Biogerontology and life/health span expansion (Ref.PHDMLM004) Director of Studies: Dr Andy Miah

Due to its broad application to a number of other sciences, biogerontology is one of the most relevant fields of inquiry today. It speaks to the convergence of the NBIC sciences and to the redefinition of health care that arises by describing ageing as a disease to be cured, rather than a natural process to accept. Biogerontology engages us with the prospect of extending health or life span to an unknown degree and, as such, it is a controversial discipline. Over the last ten years, work in this area has shifted from scientific impossibility to becoming a core part of scientific endeavour. A range of media coverage, from aspersion to fascination, has accompanied this shift. In the literature on public understanding of science, there is no research yet attending to this distinct, but profound area of scientific inquiry. As such, this PhD studentship aims to explore the following questions:

* How has biogerontology been articulated though the media?
* What issues surround the political economy of research into life-extension?
* How do different research communities orientate themselves around the various media narratives on life-extension?
* How do journalists report research on biogerontology?
* What can be learned from this subject area to broadly inform work into science communication?

Candidates should have a higher degree in science communication and qualitative research methods in media sociology.

The ethics of human enhancement in film (Ref.PHDMLM005) Director of Studies: Dr Andy Miah

Studies in the ethics of human enhancement have advanced considerably in the last five years through the emergence of new communities of scholarly inquiry. A number of scientific disciplines have been brought under the spotlight due to their likely use for lifestyle, non-therapeutic purposes. The connections between filmic narratives and bioethics are made manifest in recent cultural studies and can be linked to broader, literary origins. Yet, there is very little research that investigates the range of narratives that emerge on the ethics of human enhancement within film. This absence affects the degree of complexity that is brought to how such debates are played out in the media and in policy. This PhD explores the contribution of film to such imaginations and aims to add complexity to our understanding of how film conveys such alterations. It should also help us understand how film functions as a posthuman device of expressing humanly experiences, such as process of remembering, perceiving and the possible disruption of sensory encounters. It also aims to explore the limitations of cultural reference points within scientific policy making on the ethics of human enhancements, exploring the range of metaphors, analogies and stories that contribute to shaping the public understanding of science.

Candidates should have a higher degree and particular expertise in film theory and technological fiction.

De-territorialisation of the nation in new media artwords (Ref. PHDMLM006) Director of Studies: Professor Yvonne Spielmann

Contemporary discussions of globalisation suggest that nation-states are being undermined from above by transnational processes and from below by processes of regionalisation and localisation. New information and communication technologies (ICTs), the Internet in particular, are usually highlighted as technological developments which are helping to facilitate the undermining of the nation-state. International migrants, through the transnational social networks which they create, are often highlighted as key agents in the transcending of the boundaries of the nation-state. Given these premises we would expect that the theme of de-territorialisation would feature prominently in the work of artist who are working in new digital media, and particularly in the work of artists who have relocated from one country to another. This research project aims to explore the ways in which the nation is being de-territorialised in new media artworks. The project will compare the work of Scottish-born, Scottish resident artists, with the work of foreign-born, Scottish resident artists to explore the similarities and differences between the ways in which the nation is imagined in new media artworks.

Media arts and the creative use of technology (Ref. PHDMLM007) Director of Studies: Professor Yvonne Spielmann

We are seeking a PhD student to research the interrelationships between media arts and technology on the basis of artists using, adapting and developing and modifying novel technologies for their aesthetic and creative needs. The project would explore the intersection between aesthetic practices and technological environments, examining specific science and technology developments in relation to the notion of creativity. In what new ways have artists made use of technologies in the late 20th and 21st century? Are there interesting examples of collaboration between arts and industries, developers, programmers, scientists that have effects on both sides? How is our understanding of creativity changing in the light of the increased use of machines for aesthetic purposes? To what extent might there be a co-creativity with the machine? Maybe there are also some interesting historical milestones of relevance to understand today’s technological drive? We welcome applications that focus on practice-based research and/or which are rooted in cultural or aesthetic theory.

Interarts and synaethesia (Ref. PHDMLM008) Director of Studies: Professor Yvonne Spielmann

We are seeking a PhD student who wishes to engage with a diversity of media arts practices and is interested to explore how different artistic and aesthetic concepts have promoted synaesthetic ideas and multisensory perception. One focus may be on the question of fusion in the development of cross-artform or combined arts (‘interarts’) practices and synaesthesia in the history of media arts development, and how such convergences are analysed in the theoretical debates. Another possible strand of research may refer to newer media and discuss how modes of seeing, hearing, touching and so forth are subject to interactive arts and perceptual environments. It is also possible (but not a requirement) to view the peculiarities of interrelationships between artforms as embedded into the larger picture of internationalization and globalisation, and examine the intercultural and social aspects of synaesthesia and interarts practices. We welcome applications that are rooted in media arts, for example visual or audio art or performance, which relate to theory and practice, or which explore particular artistic practices in a contemporary or historical context.

The cultural, commercial and industrial impact of film festivals (Ref.PHDMLM009)

In 2009 Edinburgh will host no fewer than six film festivals, including the longest running film festival in the world, The Edinburgh International Film Festival. Glasgow runs two distinctive film festivals (Glasgow Film Festival in February and Document International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival in October). The unprecedented response to the launch of the ‘quirky’ and ‘whimsical’ Ballerina Ballroom of Dreams Film Festival in Nairn by the actress Tilda Swinton and director Mark Cousins represents further evidence of the immense impact even a small-scale event can have both domestically and internationally. This level of activity in Scotland alone indicates the increasing importance of the ‘festival circuit’ and the growing awareness of the social, cultural and industrial impact such events can bring. Meanwhile the top tier of international film festivals – Cannes, Berlin, Venice, Toronto and Sundance – continue to attract publicity and set cultural agendas. Despite this, there has been a significant lack of research into the range of activities covered by the‘film festival’. This research project will address this gap in knowledge and draw on the School’s existing links with the Small Islands Film Festival.

Suggested research questions include:

1. What cultural impact do film festivals have on local and global audiences?
2. What are the implications of the various ‘festival circuits’ for the industry and to what extent do these events present opportunities to ‘do business’?
3. How are these events designed and conceptualised? How are films shortlisted and judged?
4. How are these events funded and how do they operate to promote a specific place?
5. What level of competition exists between the top festivals and to what extent is the ‘second tier’ festival fighting for survival?

Documenting Peripherality in Scotland: Engaging the Cultural Resource (REF.PHDMLM010)

The legacy of documentary film in Scotland invites continued analysis and development. There is a timely opportunity in Scotland to re-assess the relationship between filmmakers and their subject, not least in the documentary field. This doctoral research project invites applications from suitably qualified individuals with a strong interest in visual culture, including documentary theory and practice. An awareness of current and historical developments in Scottish film making and broadcasting would be an advantage, as would an interest in critical accounts of the representation and discourse of peripheral communities.

Suggested research questions include the following:

1. How might film be employed to interrogate the ‘performativity’ or ‘poetics’ of remote and rural space?
2. What is the current role of the filmmaker in terms of the relationship to the representation of place?
3. What place does the concept of peripherality occupy in current documentary practice?
4. What can we learn from the historical interaction between filmmakers and broadcasters with ethnographers and historians engaged with rural and remote Scotland?
5. What role can convergent media play in the representation of Scotland’s peripheral communities?

This project should interest applicants from the arts, humanities and social sciences. Applicants should hold a first-class or upper-second class Honours degree. A relevant Masters degree either held or in progress would be an advantage, as would experience of documentary practice.

DOWNLOAD APPLICATION FORM

THE SYNTHETIC AESTHETICS OF NEW MEDIA ART (20-23 Feb, 2008)

THE SYNTHETIC AESTHETICS OF NEW MEDIA ART
Presented by The New Media Caucus in Association with the College Art
Association
February 20-23, 2008; Dallas, TX http://conference.collegeart.org/2008/

Panel Chair: Carolyn Kane, PhD Candidate Media, Culture, and
Communication, New York University clk267@nyu.edu

Contrary to traditional aesthetic theories that argue for the primacy of either the subjective and phenomenological, or formal and objective interpretations of artwork, the aesthetics of electronic media, like the logic of technical media itself, is thoroughly removed from anthropomorphic sensibility. One could say that electronic media aesthetics are marked by technical trauma.

However, much contemporary new media art criticism exemplifies a hermeneutic approach that seeks to rationalize and transform work into intelligible *art objects* for canonization and social theories. Is this approach problematic for the logic of technical media? Can certain attributes such as color, form, affect, or sound, effectively reconcile computer based artwork with the subjective and humanistic drives in art making?

The panel invites papers that address the aesthetics of New Media art in distinction to previous aesthetic models or media platforms. For instance, papers suggesting the ways in which color, sound, line, form, symbolism, affect, anti-aesthetics or ideology may be distinct to new media aesthetics are all welcomed. Essentially the panel inquires: what do theoreticians and practitioners address in New Media art, and why? Which artists and / or commercial work do you think best exemplifies these
issues? Special attention will be given to those abstracts that are concerned with the use of color in New Media work.

Presenters can propose brief lectures; media or artist presentations of their own, or other artist’s work; discussions; or other acceptable suggestions.

Timeline:
Due by October 1, 2007:
*Abstracts (max 500 words)
* Paper / Presentation Titles
*Confirmation that presenters will be able to travel to Dallas on February
20-23, 2008
* Current CV and a brief bio.
*Specification of presentation format

Send proposals and / or any question to Carolyn Kane clk267 [AT] nyu.edu
For CAA conference information visit:
http://conference.collegeart.org/2008/

Controversial Images

CALL FOR PAPERS: CONTROVERSIAL IMAGES

For a special issue of Popular Communication: International Journal of Media and Culture, 2009, edited by Sharon Lockyer and Feona Attwood.

Controversial images are increasingly central to media which are
concerned with scandal, titillation and horror, and in a culture where images and image making is so important. Controversial images circulate in a wide range of different media forms from films, TV programmes, newspapers, and advertisements, to internet sites, video games, and music videos. In recent years there have been a number of instances where controversial images have become the primary focus of public fascination and debate. These include the paparazzi shots of Princess Diana’s fatal accident, images from Abu Ghraib, the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons and footage of the execution of Saddam Hussein. More generally, images of sex, scandal, destruction and abuse function as the emblem for some of the major social and cultural concerns of our times.

This special issue seeks to address the significance of controversial
Images and their subsequent public debates, and reflect on what they can tell us about the production, content and reception processes of contemporary media.

Proposals are welcomed on, but not limited to, the following topics and areas:

Shock sites
Extreme porn
Religious controversies
Atrocity images
War reporting
Body horror
Invasion of privacy issues
Media representation of sensitive subjects=20
Censorship and regulation

Proposals with an international focus are particularly welcome, as are those which focus on controversial images in various different countries.

Proposals of 200-250 words, accompanied by a biographical note of 100 words should be sent by Tuesday 31st July 2007 to Feona Attwood, f.attwood [AT] shu.ac.uk.

The deadline for submission of drafts will be March 2008 and June 2008 for finished drafts.

Popular Communication: International Journal of Media and Culture

The journal provides a forum for the scholarly investigation, analysis, and dialogue on communication symbols, forms, phenomena, and strategic systems of symbols within the context of contemporary popular culture across the globe. Popular Communication publishes articles on all aspects of popular communication, examining different media such as television, film, new media, print media, radio, music, and dance; the study of texts, events, artifacts, spectacles, audiences, technologies, and industries; and phenomena and practices, including, but not limited to, fan, youth and subcultures, questions of representation, digitalization, cultural globalization, spectator sports, sexuality, advertising, and consumer culture. The journal welcomes diverse theoretical and methodological perspectives within the tradition of media, communication, and cultural studies as well as interdisciplinary research in and across related disciplines.

Editors:
Cornel Sandvoss (University of Surrey, UNITED KINGDOM)
C. Lee Harrington (Miami University, USA)
Jonathan Gray (Fordham University, USA)

PostGraduate Conference: Digital Games Theory & Design (14 Sept, 2007)

Call for Papers :
PostGraduate Conference: Digital Games Theory & Design
14/09/07
Brunel University
London

Paper proposals are sought for the Theory & Design postgraduate digital game studies conference at Brunel University in Uxbridge, London to be held on 14/9/2007. Any postgraduate Masters or PhD student is invited to send a proposal.

The deadline for abstracts to be submitted is 30/5/2007, and the review committee will notify successful candidates by 15/6/2007. An abstract should outline the central argument, focus and study area of the proposed paper, and be no longer than a page, along with a brief biography. A paper presentation should be 20 minutes long, allowing 10 minutes for Q&A. Papers will be published on the conference website and in Isambard Kingdom, the university Second Life web presence.

The theme of the conference is “Theory & Design”, and some sample areas of interest are listed below: Fun, history of games, game theory, combat systems, socio-cultural issues, community, gaming culture, genres, design possibilities for the next generation, ethnicity, sound, character, immersion, play, widening markets, sex, casual games, agency, serious games, time & space, education, economic and industrial analysis, narrative, game auteurs, graphical styles, empirical analysis, gender, intermediality & transmediality, localisation, cultural differences, violence. Other topics related to Digital Game Theory & Design are also welcomed.

Please submit your abstract to  Tanya.krzywinska [AT] brunel.ac.uk

Cultural Studies Now(19-22 July, 2007, London)

CALL FOR PAPERS
We are organising a conference on CULTURAL STUDIES NOW at the University of East London, UK, 19-22 July 2007, and invite colleagues to offer a paper or other form of presentation or organise a panel.

For further details see website http://www.uel.ac.uk/culturalstudiesnow

The main themes will be:

• Cultural Studies and Politics
• Cultural Studies and its Disciplinary Neighbours
• Cultural Studies in the Public Sphere
• Cultural Studies and Creative Practice
• Cultural Studies and National Contexts.

Plenary speakers will include: Ian Ang, Rosi Braidotti, Kuan-Hsing Chen, Jeremy Gilbert, Judith Halberstam, Stuart Hall, Dick Hebdige, Doreen Massey and Mitra Tabrizian.

THE DEADLINE FOR ABSTRACTS HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO NOV 15th.

Mica Nava
School of Social Sciences, Media and Cultural Studies
University of East London