[Commlist] Call for candidates for the PhD projects 2021 - Institute of Communication Studies and Journalism - Charles University

https://iksz.fsv.cuni.cz/en/admissions/phd-programme-media-and-communication-studies

Call for candidates for the PhD projects 2021
(reminder)

The Institute of Communication Studies and Journalism at the Faculty of 
Social Sciences of the Charles University in Prague calls for candidates 
for the following PhD projects (each supported by a scholarship), for 
its English-language PhD programme in Media and Communication Studies:


    Digital Game Industry and Culture in a Local Context (2 
grant-funded Ph.D. positions)

The Ph.D. project will be associated with the grant “Developing Theories 
and Methods for Game Industry Research,” which starts in 2021. Following 
the rising interest in the study of game industries, the dissertation 
should focus on digital game production in a specific country or region, 
based on the student’s preferences. The project can investigate the 
production routines, design patterns, stylistic choices, or the values 
of industry practitioners, with or without a historical perspective. 
Theoretically, it is expected to draw from game studies, cultural 
studies, and political economy of communication (including the theory of 
cultural industries). The methods may include ethnography, close 
readings of game titles, discourse analysis, and content analysis. The 
successful applicants will join the grant as a funded part-time 
researchers.

Proposed supervisor: Jaroslav Švelch, (jaroslav.svelch /at/ fsv.cuni.cz)


    Digital life and learning in the times of COVID-19 and beyond

The COVID-19 pandemic has played a profound role in people’s everyday 
experiences, which have even more than before moved to digital and third 
spaces. The potential two research projects would either qualitatively 
or by applying mixed method research explore those experiences through 
the lenses of digital and media literacy. One would be looking at 
education of children, while the other at social relationships and 
isolation. Both local and intercultural/international research projects 
are welcomed. They need to be interdisciplinary by being theoretically 
and/or methodologically rooted in media studies, as well as other 
disciplines such as education, childhood studies, cultural anthropology, 
philosophy, psychology, health, law, etc. Proposals of innovative 
research approaches are especially encouraged. The project is in English.

Potential supervisor: Markéta Supa, (marketa.supa /at/ fsv.cuni.cz)

    Intolerant belief systems and their intersection in the online 
communication

Western liberal democracies are polarizing along different lines and 
this polarization is specifically visible in the online discussions on 
various controversial topics. How does intolerance based on one 
characteristic (for example age) relate to other intolerant belief 
systems (gender, ethnicity, race, sexuality etc.)? How does intolerant 
public online communication reflect societal norms and cultural 
prejudice prevalent in the analysed culture? What is the role of 
disinformation media in promoting the intolerant belief systems?

The phenomenon can be studied on various research topic and case studies 
(ranging from politically exposed topics to debates among popular 
culture fans). Studies are supposed to be rooted in theories on online 
deliberation and its societal significance, intersectionality, 
post-truth society and other relevant theories.  Project focusing on 
this field can be submitted in English or in Czech.

Proposed supervisor: Lenka Vochocová, (lenka.vochocova /at/ fsv.cuni.cz)

    Political leadership – new challenges, crisis and issues

The Ph.D. project should focus on these topics (political leadership as 
a marketing tool, changes in political communication, leadership crisis 
facing new issues) in relations to Climate change, Covid 19 pandemic, 
global migration etc., methodologically it can be approached from 
different angles. Theoretically, it should be rooted in the political 
marketing theory and political communication theory. The research can 
either focus on a specific case study or do a more comparative approach. 
This PhD project can also be submitted to the Czech-language PhD 
programme in Media Studies.

Proposed supervisor: Anna Shavit, (anna.shavit /at/ fsv.cuni.cz)

    Discursive constructions of the environment

This PhD position consists out of research into the discursive 
construction of the environment, climate and/or human-nature 
relationships, driven by a discourse-theoretical (or other 
post-structuralist) framework, that allows for attention for the 
workings of contingency, hegemony, materiality and discursive struggle. 
The research can be located in variety of social fields, including 
media, the arts and/or museums.

Proposed supervisor: Nico Carpentier, (nico.carpentier /at/ fsv.cuni.cz)

    Emerging Ethical Boundaries in Marketing and Strategic Communication

Currently, the communication profession (marketing, advertising, public 
relations, strategic, and digital communication) faces an unprecedented 
shift due to new information and communication technologies. This 
evolution also opens new questions and generates many new ethical 
problems, such as using personal data and information, the ability of 
the public (consumers, voters, customers) to understand the persuasive 
nature of some communication forms, the rise of hybrid journalistic and 
commercial products such as content or native advertising etc. We 
welcome Ph.D. projects tackling changes in communication that focus on 
an ethical aspect in the business field (covert advertising, ethical 
issues in a specific subfield such as tobacco or alcohol advertising, 
etc.) or research of the ability of the publics to understand persuasion.

Proposed supervisor: Denisa Hejlová, (denisa.hejlova /at/ fsv.cuni.cz)

    Current Media and Marketing Trends and Research in Health Communication

Health Communication in the Czech Republic is still a rather unexplored 
field, which has been highlighted recently due to the Covid19 crisis. We 
focus on health communication in general (theory, state of the field, 
expert interviews) or specific subfields, such as vaccination 
communication or nutrition literacy. We offer an interdisciplinary 
approach in cooperation with medical and health experts from medical 
faculties and other departments at Charles University.

Proposed supervisor: Denisa Hejlová, (denisa.hejlova /at/ fsv.cuni.cz)

    Environmental Communication and Corporate Social Responsibility 
(with a possible focus on the fashion industry)

Recently, many fashion brands included sustainability and environmental 
issues in their communication and actions and this issue is widely 
reported also in academic literature (Köcksal, Strähle, Müller and 
Freise, 2017; Yang, Song and Tong, 2017; Garcia-Torres, Rey-Garcia and 
Albareda-Vivo, 2017; Resta, Gaiardelli, Pinto and Dotti, 2016). It is 
not only the fashion brands talking about environment, but also 
stakeholders play an important role in the dialogue between fashion 
brands and its consumers. Recently, more consumers demand “brands with 
purpose”, that communicate its social responsibility, includes societal, 
political or environmental issues (Montgomery, 2019). We welcome Ph.D 
project focusing on producer or consumer research in this field, not 
only limited to fashion industry.

Proposed supervisor: Petra Koudelková, (petra.koudelkova /at/ fsv.cuni.cz)

    “Class Swap“: class-driven social experiments in Czech Reality 
Television culture

This PhD. project will explore Reality Television programmes which are 
grounded in swapping social positions of the upper-class participants 
who are sent to socioeconomically adverse environments (such as Milionář 
mezi námi [FTV Prima, 2020]; Experiment 21 [Prima Cool, 2020]; Utajený 
šéf [TV Nova, 2017-20]; Zlatá mládež [ČT, 2016 a 2018], etc.) 
International students are invited to select equivalent television 
programmes produced in English. The project will be theoretically 
informed by the scholarship on Reality Television as a neoliberal genre 
transforming complex issue of social inequalities into the bipolar 
structure of categories of “winners“ and “losers“. The study will follow 
methodologies of content analysis, discourse analysis and narrative 
analysis (or a combination thereof).

Proposed supervisor: Irena Reifová, (irena.reifova /at/ fsv.cuni.cz)

    Discourses and practices of othering

This PhD position involves research in the broad area of othering. It is 
expected to be driven by a post-structuralist approach, focussing on the 
construction and practices of othering through, e.g. the media, the 
arts, politics, or activism. Projects in this thematic area can examine, 
for instance, the discourses and practices that create (old and new) 
ethnic, political, cultural others, in specific contexts and/or at 
different times, or how these practices can relate to social struggle 
and resistance.

Proposed supervisor: Vaia Doudaki, (vaia.doudaki /at/ fsv.cuni.cz)


Application

Interested candidates should submit their applications, using in the 
online application system, which will be open from 1st January to 30th 
April 2021. Interest in a particular PhD project should be mentioned in 
the motivation letter, together with a more developed proposal on the 
PhD project.

All relevant information, including the link to the online application 
system, can be found at here: 
https://fsv.cuni.cz/en/admissions/phd-programmes and here: 
https://is.cuni.cz/studium/eng/prijimacky/index.php?do=detail_obor&id_obor=22693

Please download the form for filling your dissertation project proposal 
here: 
https://iksz.fsv.cuni.cz/sites/default/files/uploads/files/DISSERTATION%20PROJECT%20form%20in%20English.docx

For general questions, please contact for the Centre of PhD Studies 
(cds.iksz /at/ fsv.cuni.cz). For questions about particular projects, please 
contact the proposed supervisors.

The Open Doors Day for PhD Study in Media Studies is currently scheduled 
for March 11, 2021 (Thursday) at 14:00 at the Institute of Communication 
Studies and Journalism (Smetanovo nabrezi 6, Praha 1, 110 00) will be 
organised online.

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