[ecrea] CFP: Models of Communication (8-10 October, Vilnius)

Models of Communication: Theoretical and Philosophical Approaches
ECREA Philosophy of Communication Workshop
Vilnius, 8-10 October 2015

It is often claimed that the early phases of media and communication 
studies were dominated by a linear conception of communication, modelled 
as a process of transmission. The hegemony of this model may have been 
exaggerated – it never prevailed in studies of interpersonal 
communication, for instance – but it has undeniably provided a favourite 
target for critics of various stripes. While some communication 
theorists have proposed elaborations of the well-known 
sender-message-receiver schema, others have argued for more radical 
revisions of modelling rooted in e.g. semiotics, constructivism, and the 
ritual view of communication. At the same time, scepticism regarding the 
very notion of a model of communication has grown stronger; and in 
recent decades, the focus has often switched from first-level 
conceptions to second-order “meta-models” of the constellations of 
communication theory.

What is the status and relevance of communication models today? The 
proliferation of new forms of mediated communication seems to require 
new ways of making sense of a complex and rapidly moving field. Can the 
established perspectives provide adequate platforms from which to 
address emerging questions of “social media” and “big data”? Are we 
actually witnessing a revival of information-theoretical perspectives in 
the wake of the advance of computer-mediated communications? Should 
models of communication be descriptive or prescriptive? What, if any, 
exemplars should provide the basis for a future media and communications 
curriculum? What is their scholarly, scientific, and heuristic value?

For this workshop, we invite proposals that explore new models of 
communication and investigate various aspects of model construction as 
well as contributions that analyse the use and misuse of models in 
communication theory and education. In addition to papers focused on 
philosophical, systematic, and pragmatic issues, we welcome proposals 
that offer fresh perspectives on the history of communication models. 
Considered criticisms of the project of communication modelling are also 
welcome.
The workshop will be take place October 8-10, 2015, in Vilnius (Faculty 
of Philosophy, Vilnius University), Lithuania. Please send an abstract 
of max. 400 words to Kestas Kirtiklis ((kestutis.kirtiklis /at/ fsf.vu.lt)) by 
April 26, 2015. Notification of acceptance will be posted no later than 
May 22, 2015.

Confirmed Keynote Speakers:
- Robert T. Craig (University of Colorado Boulder)
- Klaus Bruhn Jensen (University of Copenhagen)

Organising Committee:
- Mats Bergman, chair (University of Helsinki / University College London)
- Kestas Kirtiklis (Vilnius University)
- Emanuel Kulczycki (Adam Mickiewicz University)
- Carlos Roos (Ghent University / Leiden University)
- Lydia Sanchez (University of Barcelona)
- Johan Siebers (University of London)
- Bart Vandenabeele (Ghent University)

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