CfP: Web as Culture. Ethnographic, linguistic and didactic perspectives

[David Boromisza-Habashi]

Apologies for cross-posting

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Call for Papers

Web as Culture
Ethnographic, linguistic and didactic perspectives


International Symposium of the Giessen Graduate Centre for Study of
Culture (GCSC) and the Centre for Media and Interactivity (ZMI), Justus
Liebig University, Giessen

July 16 - 18, 2009

The World Wide Web is a cultural space in which new forms of social
networking, of creating, acquiring and teaching knowledge and
competencies, and of constructing personal and cultural identities have
emerged. The International Symposium "Web as Culture" is intended to
address issues that are involved in the processes of the construction
and the perpetuation of social structures, cultural narratives,
memories, knowledge and language in the World Wide Web. Particular
emphasis is placed on sociocultural processes of transformation such as
the change of social networks, the change of teaching and learning
cultures and language change instigated by the World Wide Web. These
sociocultural processes of transformation will be discussed from various
disciplinary perspectives and at all relevant levels of analysis. It is
very much in the spirit and tradition of an interdisciplinary study of
culture that we invite scholars from all pertinent areas of research to
participate in the International Symposium "Web as Culture". Apart from
researchers from the core disciplines of ethnography, didactics and
linguistics, we would particularly like to invite scholars from the
areas of media studies, literary studies, sociology, anthropology,
philosophy and neighbouring disciplines to submit abstracts.

The plenary lectures will be given by:
- Prof. Dr. Henning Lobin (Justus-Liebig-Universität Giessen)
- Prof. Dr. Angelika Storrer (Universität Dortmund)
- Prof. Steven L. Thorne, Ph.D. (Pennsylvania State University)
- TBA

The Symposium will discuss the new cultural space provided by the World
Wide Web with a particular focus on three topics: (1) Networks, (2)
Learning, (3) Language. The three corresponding sections at the
Symposium will address (but are not restricted to) the following
research questions:

1.      Networks
- How does the Web change structures and mechanisms of sociocultural
interaction? How is the Internet influenced by social interaction?
- How do semantic structures and traditional concepts change on the Web?
- How is the cultural space of the Web created (from a sociological and
technological perspective) and limited?
- In what ways can ethnographic methods contribute to research into
sociocultural phenomena on the web and how would such an
Internet-oriented application change and influence the ethnographic toolkit?

2.      Learning
- How do learning processes change on the Web?
- What role does the Web play in different learning environments and
contexts?
- How can the Internet as a medium of information, communication and
production exert a positive influence on teaching and learning processes?
- What are the pedagogical challenges posed by the Web when it comes to
integrating the Internet into learning processes?

3.      Language
- How does language use change on the Web?
- Which new forms of communication and genres have emerged on the Web?
- How can the Web be utilized as a linguistic and language-pedagogical
resource?
- How do Web-specific interactions (e.g. in social networks and in
web-based learning processes) manifest themselves in language use?

Working languages of the Symposium are English and German. Please submit
your abstract of max. 400 words by 31 January 2009 to
info at webasculture.de. We intend to confirm acceptance of submissions by
28 February 2009. The paper presentations at the Symposium will be 20
minutes in length, complemented by 10 minutes of discussion time. We
expect to publish a collection of selected papers after the Symposium.

Contact:
Email      info at webasculture.de
Website  www.webasculture.de


Dates:
Deadline abstracts                January 31, 2009
Notification of acceptance      February 28, 2009
Symposium                          July 16 - 18, 2009


Organisers:

Joybrato Mukherjee
Centre for Media and Interactivity
Justus-Liebig-University, Giessen
Ludwigstraße 34
35390 Giessen/ Germany

Marcus Burkhardt
International Graduate Centre for the Study of Culture
Justus-Liebig-University Giessen
Alter Steinbacher Weg 38
35394 Giessen/ Germany




--
Marcus Burkhardt
International Graduate Centre for the Study of Culture
Justus-Liebig-University Giessen

Alter Steinbacher Weg 38
35394 Giessen
Germany

Phone:  0641-952-7641
Mobile: 0179-680-7510



-- 
David Boromisza-Habashi, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Communication
University of Colorado
270 UCB
Boulder, CO 80309-0270, USA

office location: Hellems 78
work phone: +1 (303) 735 5076
work fax: +1 (303) 492 8411

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