[ecrea] COST - CfP Doctoral Workshop on Fieldwork in Contemporary Audience Studies

*FIELDWORK IN CONTEMPORARY AUDIENCE STUDIES
*A doctoral workshop co-organized by the Young Scholars Network of 
ECREA and the COST Action IS0906 Transforming Audiences, Transforming 
Societies, and presented in collaboration with the Audience and 
Reception Studies section of ECREA

University of Ljubljana, February 8, 2014

(PDF available here: http://www.cost-transforming-audiences.eu/node/1486)

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*OVERVIEW*

This workshop will explore the joys and challenges of fieldwork. 
Fieldwork describes a stage in empirical research and is an essential 
component of audience research.
The workshop addresses issues of doing fieldwork (especially 
methodological questions) as well as practical challenges (e.g. how to 
plan and finance a project).

We would like to invite PhD students (doing fieldwork) based on a short 
description of their research project and aiming to answer questions 
that they face doing so. They will have the opportunity and platform to 
talk about their experience in fieldwork and to address problems they 
have/had to face. They will benefit from the experiences and support of 
their peers and of established and proficient scholars in the field. A 
further aim of this workshop is to optimize exchange and 
networking between PhD students and experts in the respective fields of 
research.
Contributions from PhD students dealing with issues including, but not 
restricted to the following, are welcome:

- What is meant by FIELD? It is a metaphoric term that can relate 
to many different actual meanings - A geographically defined locality, a 
socio-political location, a network. Is this traditional concept still 
valid?

- The internet as a new FIELD? Which interesting aspects do the new 
forms of communication and interaction offer? What are the challenges of 
fieldwork without face-to-face contact with the FIELD?

- What is to be considered when conducting interviews? Which aspects 
should the researcher take into account when constructing questions? 
For example, how can the interviewer enable the participant to fully 
articulate how or why he interprets a film, music video etc. in a 
particular way?

- How can be dealt with the complexity of data? How can data of complex 
observations be analyzed in fine detail? Which possibilities exist to 
combine different kinds of data?

- Fieldwork can be expensive. What should be considered in terms of 
preparing fieldwork? Which funding possibilities are available for 
research projects?

*FORMAT*

The workshop tries to address the whole process of fieldwork - from 
start to finish. It aims to give PhD students a platform to present and 
discuss their ideas.

Established researchers will give short talks about certain aspects of 
fieldwork. Following this, each participant will have the opportunity to 
present his/her research project and will get detailed feedback and 
advice by peers and experienced researchers.

*SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
*
- The workshop is open to all PhD students interested. PhD students are 
invited to submit a brief outline of the research project (no more than 
500 words).
- The outline should also address questions or problems regarding the 
methodological approach and practical issues that the applicant would 
like to be discussed during the workshop.
- The application should include a short CV.
- Please indicate if you are a member of the COST Action “Transforming 
Audiences, Transforming Societies”.
- Applications should be sent to: Julia Hünniger 
<(julia.huenniger /at/ phil.uni-augsburg.de) 
<mailto:(julia.huenniger /at/ phil.uni-augsburg.de)>> and cc to 
Helena Bilandzic <(helena.bilandzic /at/ phil.uni)- 
<mailto:(helena.bilandzic /at/ phil.uni)->augsburg.de <http://augsburg.de>>; 
Geoffroy Patriarche <(patriarche /at/ fusl.ac.be) <mailto:(patriarche /at/ fusl.ac.be)>>
- Deadline for submissions: August 15, 2013
- Participants will be notified by: October 1st, 2013

*APPLICATIONS FOR TRAVEL GRANTS (FOR COST ACTION MEMBERS ONLY)
*
There are 4 funded places available only for students who are members of 
the COST Action Transforming Audiences Transforming Societies (travel 
grants of up to 600 EUR). Applications for these travel grants should be 
sent along with the proposal to the workshop. The application should 
contain a motivation letter of 2 pages max. explaining (1) what the 
benefit of the participation in the workshop for the current research of 
the PhD student will be, and (2) in what way the research of the PhD 
student contributed to the work of his/her Working Group of the COST Action.

*Contact*: Julia Hünniger <(julia.huenniger /at/ phil.uni-augsburg.de) 
<mailto:(julia.huenniger /at/ phil.uni-augsburg.de)>>