> This is an alert to members about relevant
preconferences at next year¹s ICA
> on 22 June 2010:
>
>
> 1. CULTURAL RESEARCH AND POLITICAL THEORY: NEW INTERSECTIONS which is being
> co-sponsored by the Political Communication Division with Philosophy of
> Communication, Popular Communication, and Journalism Studies.
>
> The basic aim of the preconference is to bring together researchers and
> communication practitioners interested in how
cultural research can invigorate
> political theory, and vice versa. Its
specific focus is on examining the terms
> and means of contemporary politics within and beyond the horizon of
> neoliberalism.
>
> The preconference will be limited to 40
participants, with discussion either
> in a ?round-table¹ format or through a mixture of plenary and parallel
> sessions. Participants are invited who are interested in reflecting on the
> preconference¹s themes, whether from the sponsoring divisions or beyond,
> including participants at the Association for Cultural Studies¹ 2010
> Crossroads conference in Hong Kong for whom this event is intended as a
> ?post-conference¹.
>
> Prospective participants should submit an abstract (300 words maximum, with
> title) to (n.couldry /at/ gold.ac.uk) and
(penny.odonnell /at/ usyd.edu.au) by the close of
> 8 November 2009.
>
> 2. Online Social Capital: An Agenda for Future Research
> International Communication Association 2010 Preconference
>
> Organizers
>
> Marko Skoric, Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, Nanyang
> Technological University, Singapore (Chair)
> Scott Campbell & Nojin Kwak, Department of
Communication Studies, University
> of Michigan, USA
> Han Woo Park, Department of Media &
Communication, YeungNam University, South
> Korea
> Dmitri Williams, Annenberg School for Communication, University of Southern
> California, USA
>
> Supported by
> Singapore Internet Research Centre, Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and
> Information, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
> Annenberg School for Communication, University of Southern California, USA
> Arnold C. and Constance F. Pohs Endowment, Department of Communication
> Studies, University of Michigan, USA
> World Class University Webometrics Institute of YeungNam University, South
> Korea
>
> Call for papers
>
> This preconference aims to showcase new
scholarly work examining definitional,
> operational and practical issues related to
the study of new forms of social
> capital, with particular emphasis on case
studies and applications beyond the
> US context. The proliferation of social media, online games and other
> platforms for online and mobile socializing
suggests an increased importance
> of communication research for the study of social capital and its
> implications.
>
> Since the late 1980s, scholars have voiced
serious concerns about the erosion
> of public life and sense of community, suggesting the rise of television as
> well as disappearance of traditional sites of informal sociability as the
> chief culprits for this phenomenon. Among the key concerns has been the
> apparent disappearance of social capital and
the associated decline in civic
> and political participation. Given the importance of the concept of social
> capital in the fields of sociology, political science, public policy,
> economics, organizational behavior, business
as well as communication, it is
> no surprise that the scholarly debate about
its potential decline has been so
> well-attended.
>
> In recent years, a number of studies have been published indicating an
> important (and largely) positive role of new media platforms, particularly
> social media, as the sites for the production
of social capital. Furthermore,
> researchers have started looking beyond the
traditional conceptualization and
> measures of social capital, suggesting new
ways to capture the essence of this
> concept when it comes to purely online or online/offline relationships.
>
> The aim of this preconference is to further
promote this line of research and
> examine technological affordances of different social media platforms.
> Furthermore, we invite submissions examining the emerging hybrid forms of
> informal sociability, and discussing the (continued) importance of physical
> proximity and face-to-face contact for the creation and maintenance of
> different forms of social capital.
> Up to 15 papers will be selected through a peer-review process and divided
> into three or four interactive panels:
> - Conceptualization & measurement
> - Applications/case studies (US & non-US context)
> - Directions for future research
>
> The preconference will be limited to 50
participants and will take place at an
> off-conference site; a preconference
registration fee will be announced at a
> later date.
>
> Submission guidelines
> - Abstracts of no more than 500 words are due on 7 November, 2009.
> - Submit your abstract to (marko /at/ ntu.edu.sg) as an MS Word attachment (please
> use your full name to label the file).
> - The authors of accepted abstracts will be notified by 15 December, 2009.
> - Final papers (5,000-8,000 words) are due by 1 April, 2010.
>
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