[ecrea] Call for Papers: Evaluation in the Media

- Apologies for cross posting -

Call for Papers
Evaluation in the Media International Conference
Paris
March 15-16, 2012


The aim of international conference "Evaluation in the Media" is to question the role of the
media in the process of evaluation; they form an integral part of what may be termed the
"culture", the "fever", the "mania" and the "explosion" of evaluation procedures observed in
developed countries since the 1970s. While recognising that evaluation procedures - and the
role of the media therein - were not novel, this conference aims to explore how the evaluation
process has became ever more linked to the media (press, radio, television, web) in
contemporary society.

The conference will stress mechanisms of evaluation based on quantification or "evaluative
measures" such as: "rankings", "winners", "tops", "lists", "league tables", "ratings",
"barometers", "dashboards", "benchmarks". The conference will also pay attention to
qualitative evaluation mechanisms that likewise flourish in the media: "prizes", "labels",
"contests", "rewards", "trophies", etc. By focusing on such traits, the conference hope to
throw light on the rise of impersonal evaluation mechanisms, that exist alongside the
traditional journalistic genres based on the expression of personal opinion (editorial, op-ed
piece, criticism,...); the media appear to simultaneously fulfill the roles of producers and coproducers,
of relays and critics.

Four specific questions will be addressed. The first one is concerned with the origins,
production processes and conditions - social, economic, journalistic, material, technical and
legal - that underpin how the media become producers or co-producers of the evaluation
process. Editorial and visual forms, ceremonies and events, and the communication processes
in general that characterise evaluation mechanisms will be another theme of the conference.
We consider here that these evaluation procedures are held not only to favour the production
of "knowledge" but also to promote its dissemination and recognition. Media evaluation
mechanisms also circulate more or less in various social spaces (media, political, economic,
professional, civic, cultural, consumerist, ...). By analyzing the circulation of such evaluation
mechanisms, the conference will attempt to shed light on both success and failures in the
communicative process. Finally, the conference will address the effects of media evaluation.
The proliferation of evaluation procedures leads to an increase in the instances, mechanisms
and numbers of actors involved in the overall process. In this regard, the conference is open to
any field as long as the approach is in line with the general scientific guidelines outlined
previously. The following list is indicative, not exclusive: the areas covered will include
higher education and research, regions, culture, education, health, web, brands, capital,
finance, communication, tourism, wine, sports, media, business, etc.
Proposals may come from the humanities and the social sciences: media studies and
communication, semiology, sociology, history, political sciences, linguistics, economics, etc.

Proposals
Submission deadline - June 24th, 2011
Scientific committee notification of acceptance - July 20th, 2011
Mailing address for submitting proposals - (evalmedia2012 /at/ gmail.com)<mailto:(evalmedia2012 /at/ gmail.com)>
Content and framework of proposals - Proposals will include a maximum 6 000 characters.
They will be structured in four parts: a) argument, explaining the theoretical framework and
approach of the problem b) methodological framework, presenting the empirical material and
the methodology; c) originality, specifying the relevance of the proposal and d) bibliography,
comprising the eight main references.
Proposals should include the following: 1) title 2) first name, 3) name, 4) professional status,
5) institution, 6) country and 7) email (professional and/or private)
Please note that full papers (between 30 000 and 40 000 characters) for accepted abstracts will
have to be submitted to the scientific committee no later than November 30th 2011 for the
publication of the conference proceedings.
Languages of proposals - English or French
Technical format of proposals - .doc
Website - www.evalmedia2012.fr<http://www.evalmedia2012.fr>

Conference Scientific Committee
Stefanie Averbeck-Lietz (University of Leipzig) ; Christine Barats (University Paris 5); Julie
Bouchard (University Paris 13); Etienne Candel (University Paris Sorbonne - Celsa); Hélène
Cardy (University Paris 8) ; Patrice Carré (Telecom ParisTech); Jean-Baptiste Comby
(University Paris 3); Emmanuel Didier (EHESS) ; Brooke Duffy (University of Pennsylvania);
Michel Durampart (University of Toulon) ; Wendy Espeland (Northwestern University);
Andreas Fickers (Maastricht University); Pascal Froissart (University Paris 8); Gustavo
Gomez Mejia (University Paris Sorbonne - Celsa) ; Yves Jeanneret (University Paris
Sorbonne - Celsa); Alice Krieg-Planque (University Paris 12) ; Sarah Labelle (University
Paris 13) ; Joëlle Le Marec (University Paris 7); Guy Lochard (University Paris 3) ; Cécile
Méadel (Mines ParisTech Graduate School); Claire Oger (University Paris 13) ; Stéphane
Olivesi (University Lyon 2); Michael Palmer (University Paris 3) ; Frédéric Pierru
(CNRS); Philip Schlesinger (University of Glasgow); Michel Sénécal (University of Quebec
in Montreal); Emmanuël Souchier (University Paris Sorbonne - Celsa); Joseph Turow
(University of Pennsylvania); Jacques Walter (University Paul-Verlaine)






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