Conference Announcements
Job Announcements
Calls
Mass Communication Division Announcements
Spotlight On . . . Leah R. Vande Berg
Correction from the Previous Newsletter
 

Conference Announcements
 

Rochester Intercultural Conference

The sixth and final Rochester Intercultural Conference will be held July 19-21, 2001 at the Holiday Inn Airport in Rochester, New York, with the theme:"The Intercultural World and the Digital Connection." The conference is being cochaired by Michael Prosser, Ph.D., Distinguished Visiting Professor in Communications at the Rochester Institute of Technology, and K.S. Sitaram, Ph.D., Professor of Radio and Television at the Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. Both are founders of the field of intercultural communication and were honored October 13 at the Global Fusion 2000 Conference in St. Louis with the award: "The Prosser-Sitaram Award of Excellence in International Communication Theory." Marwan Kraidy of the University of North Dakota was honored as the first recipient of the award.

Abstracts of 250 words are due to Michael Prosser by March 12, 2001. The conference fee before June 6, 2001 is $150 ($175 thereafter) or for full time students $125 ($150 thereafter). Several books have been published as a result of the previous five Rochester Intercultural Conferences in Prosser's series, "Civic Discourse for the Third Millennium" for Ablex Publishing Co., Greenwood Publishing Group. Outstanding paper awards are given annually. Award winners in 2000 for the conference on social justice, peace, and international conflict resolution include Myriam Cabrera of the University of British Columbia; David Schaeffer of the Franciscan University of Steubenville; and Douglas Smith and Monique Myers of the University of Denver.

COTIM2001, Karlsruhe, Germany July 18-20, 2001

The fourth biennial International Conference on Telecommunications and Information Markets (COTIM2001) will be held in Karlsruhe, Germany from July 18 to July 20, 2001. RITIM, University of Rhode Island, USA, and Fraunhofer ISI, Karlsruhe, Germany are organizing this conference. Sponsorship from leading IT firms and selected institutions specializing in IT and e-business research is expected.

For details, please visit: http://ritim.cba.uri.edu/cotim01/

CALL FOR PROPOSALS AND PAPERS The organizers invite researchers and practitioners to submit proposals for Special Sessions as well as Individual Papers for Parallel Sessions:

INDIVIDUAL PAPER SUBMISSIONS: Abstracts of individual papers related to topics on M-Commerce and E-Commerce are invited. In addition to business-oriented papers, we also welcome papers and session proposals dealing with social impacts of e-commerce and m-commerce. Suggestions for additional Business-to-Business and Business-to-Consumer Electronic Commerce topics are also welcome. Academic and practitioner manuscripts will both be considered for review. Joint authorship with academic and practitioner co-authors is highly recommended. For these submissions, please use the following template:

• Title and author(s) of the manuscript
• Full contact information of the author(s) (name, affiliation, mailing address, voice phone, fax, e-mail, website)
• List of keywords that apply to your abstract submission
• Appropriate track
• A 1,000 word abstract
• A brief summary of author's background

SPECIAL SESSION PROPOSALS: For Special Sessions please use the following template:

• Title and brief description
• Full contact information of the proposer (name, affiliation, mailing address, voice phone, fax, e-mail, website)
• Structure of the Session: Presenters, topics, activities, exercises, demonstrations, and other elements
• Whether consent has been obtained or not from the Presenters
• Descriptive biographies of Presenters
• List of keywords that apply to your submission
• Appropriate track
• The Objectives of the Special Session and details who should attend this session and what the attendees will get out of it?

SUBMISSION: Please send all submissions via e-mail to ritim@etal.uri.edu. Please indicate Cotim Abstract in the subject line
Abstracts due: January 15, 2001
Notification of acceptance or rejection: March 1, 2001
Full papers due: May 30, 2001
Early registration: June 15, 2001
For details, please visit the conference
website: http://ritim.cba.uri.edu/cotim01/

Job Announcements

Marist College

Communication
Assistant to Full Professor
Marist College
School of Communication and The Arts
http://www.academic.marist.edu/commarts/
 

Marist College invites applications for three tenure-track or tenured faculty positions in the Communication Department to begin September 2001. Communication is the largest major on campus. Our faculty seek new colleagues who are committed to developing a graduate program and excited about both the pedagogical promise of new technology and the profound change new technology will have on communication.

1. Communication Theory and Research Methods Including Public Opinion and/or media Management (2 positions)- Includes teaching selected courses from: core communication courses (Communication Principles, Communication Research, Communication and Society, Communication Ethics, Public Presentations), Public Opinion, and other courses in the candidate's area of expertise.

    

2. Journalism, Ethics, and Multimedia. Includes teaching: Introduction to Journalism, Ethics, Advanced Journalism, Desk-Top Publishing and Editing for World Wide Web, and Specialized Reporting, core communication courses (see above), and other courses in the candidate's area of expertise.

Responsibilities include teaching 4 classes/semester (some teaching assignments may involve distance education via the Internet), student advising, scholarly activity commensurate with the teaching load, and institutional and professional service. Minimum qualifications include a PhD in Communication or a closely related field completed by Fall 2001, (Masters in hand or completed by Fall 2001 plus significant professional journalism experience will be considered for position #2), continued scholarly activity, a strong commitment to developing in students a sense of ethical responsibility in the practice of communication, a strong commitment to student-centered education, outstanding teaching skills, professional experience, and a strong interest and record in the pedagogical uses of technology. Familiarity with technology-based, Knowledge Management research and practice is highly desired.

Marist College is a nationally recognized, comprehensive, independent, liberal arts institution known for its excellence in teaching and for its use of information technology. It is located in Poughkeepsie, New York on the banks of the historic Hudson River, midway between Albany and New York City. The College enrolls 3,800 full-time traditional undergraduate and 600 graduate students. Marist was recognized by CAUSE as one of the top four colleges and universities in the US for its innovative use of technology and excellence in campus networking. The College seeks to explore ways in which academic excellence may be enhanced by state-of-the-art information and communication technology.

Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the positions are filled. Please submit a letter of application, curriculum vitae, a statement of teaching philosophy, one copy of scholarly research (or creative work for position #2), and five names and phone numbers of references to: Office of Human Resources, Marist College, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601. An Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.

Marist College

Media Arts Department
Assistant to Full Professor
Marist College
School of Communication and The Arts
Calls

Special Issue of Popular Music and Society

Articles are sought for a special issue of Popular Music and Society titled "Digital Music Delivery: Its Past, Present, and Future." Possible topics may include the future of peer-to-peer networking; the social and cultural implications of watermarking and music streaming; the politics of copyright and "fair use; the MP3.com, Napster, and Scour lawsuits; rhetorical strategies employed by artists, record companies and the RIAA; how on-line music delivery may impact the "digital divide;" new and alternative business models for the music industry; and other topics as appropriate. Studies which explore a cross-disciplinary approach are encouraged; all methodologies are welcome. All papers will be peer-reviewed. Deadline for research articles, completed in MLA style, is July 15, 2001. All queries and submissions for this special issue should be directed to:

Tom McCourt, Guest Editor
Communications Program, J-139
P. O. Box 19243
University of Illinois at Springfield
Springfield, IL 62794-9243
mccourt.tom@uis.edu
website: www.uic.edu/~rebecca/chapters.html (type carefully, and use all lower case), or email Rebecca Lind at rebecca.uic.edu.

Comic Arts Conference

Call For Papers and Participation in the 9th Annual Comic Arts Conference at the San Diego Convention Center on July 19 -22, 2001. Abstracts for papers and poster sessions are being accepted for a joint meeting of comics scholars and professionals during the Comic-Con International: San Diego. Papers and poster sessions may take a critical or historical perspective on comics (comic books, comic strips, woodcut novels, etc.). Submit 100 to 200 word abstract by April 20 to:

Dr. Randy Duncan
Box 7834
Henderson State University
1100 Henderson Street
Arkadelphia, Arkansas
71999-0001
duncanr@hsu.edu

For additional information on the conference call (870) 230-5042.

Mass Communication Division Announcements

The Mass Communication Division website needs your help. The website should be an active resource for those who are engaged in research. Currently, however, it is only being used as an archive. We need materials from you to help keep the page vibrant and active. Please send research abstracts, research interests, bibliographies, and other materials of interest to shires@wartburg.edu. There is a link on the page that will allow you to submit links. If you wish to submit a series of links, please forward them to the e-mail address above. With your help, the website can be a starting point for research.

Mass Communication Division Personnel Job Descriptions and Call for Nominations

The following are positions that will be up for election at the next conference. If anyone has suggestions about potential officers for these positions in the Mass Communication Division, please share them with Heather Hundley or other members of the Nominating Committee. Self and other nominations are welcome.

Vice-Chair Elect:

The year that a person is elected to vice-chair elect, that person will be responsible for overseeing the announcements of the teaching/service awards, and for selecting the award winner (with help from other members of committee). The following fall, when the person assumes that position of vice-chair, this position entails going to the program planning meeting at NCA, distributing the call for papers at the business meeting, and making sure that the call for papers is given to the program planners. As vice chair, the person assumes the responsibility of program planner for the division, oversees the judging of panel submissions, and, with the aid of the chair of the research committee, arranges panels and competitive papers into sessions that are submitted to the NCA program planners for consideration. The responsibilities involved in this position are heaviest immediately after the convention, in February and March when division members submit papers and proposals, and during the convention itself when planning meetings occur.

Secretary:

The secretary assumes responsibility for creating and maintaining a record of communication and events at the business meeting during our annual convention. The secretary's position spans two years. The first year the secretary takes notes during the meeting, following the format set in previous years. Election results will occur simultaneously during regular business. Those notes should be organized and put into a word process file soon as possible after the meeting and distributed to the vice chair and secretary for review. After any corrections, a permanent version of the notes can be sent to other officers and printed for inclusion in the archive. The second year the secretary is responsible for distributing the notes to meeting attendees and presenting the notes formally at the beginning of the business meeting.

Research Committee:

The person who is elected as a member of the Research Committee will stay on the committee for three years. The first year as a member of the Research Committee, the second year as the Chair-Elect, and the third as the Chair of the Research Committee. The responsibilities of the first two years on the Committee are mainly to assist the work of the Chair, and to be determined by the Chair. The third year as the Chair of the Committee, the person will coordinate convention paper reviews for the Division, and program competitive paper sessions based on the results of the reviews.

Nominations Committee: (5 people elected, including Chair)

The Chair of the Nominating Committee solicits self and other nominations for various MCD positions from members of the Mass Communication Division and from members of the Nominating Committee. It is wise to solicit and receive such nominations by the end of the summer prior to the NCA annual meeting. In consultation with members of the Nominating Committee, the Chair seeks and receives input about the nominees and finalizes a slate of candidates for each position. With the assistance of Committee members, the Nominating Committee Chair conducts the elections during the Mass Communication Division's Business Meeting at the NCA Annual Convention.

Publications Committee:

The job of the Publicity officer is to serve as a conduit of information among NCA Mass Communication Division members and does the following three things:

1. Maintain the email list by updating it periodically (i.e., there is constant churn in the list as new members join, some addresses change, and others drop out, etc.),
2. Writing and dispersing one post-convention and one pre-convention newsletter, and
3. Writing and dispersing via e-mail four e-newsletters (e.g., in March, May, October, November).

Web Wizard:

The individual in this position maintains the web site for the division, updating the site with newsletters, names and officers, and contact information. At present, the person who occupies this position is responsible for housing the web site on a server at his/her university.

Graduate Student Representative:

This person serves as a "voice" representing graduate student interests in the division, relaying issues of interest and concern to officers within the division.

Spotlight on . . . Leah R. Vande Berg
By Larry Mullen
 

This issue's "spotlight" is on Leah R. Vande Berg.

Professor Leah Vande Berg teaches in the Communication Studies Department at California State University, Sacramento. She regularly teaches classes about Television Criticism, Women and the Mass Media, Gender Ideology and Communication, Electronic Media and American Culture, Critical Analysis of Messages, Mass Communication Theory and Effects, and a first-year class on The Communication Experience. In general, she hopes students leaving her classes have enhanced critical/analytical skills that will help them to be better citizens and more skillful, knowledgeable communicators.

Her research interests include television criticism, gender and the media, sports, and cultural values. Leah's current projects include studies of narrativizing identity in sports (with Sarah Projansky) an ethnosemeotic study of Ally McBeal, an analysis of masculinity at the millennium in advertising during televised sports spectacles, a book project on transgressive women (with A. Susan Owens and Sarah Stein), and an analysis of "The View" (with Heather Hundley).

Significant past research projects include a book Leah wrote with her husband Nick Trujillo entitled, Organizational Life on Television, a critical analysis of values in newspaper coverage of the Chicago Cubs, a genre analysis of the dramedy "Moonlighting," a postcolonial analysis of the Star Trek character Worf, an analysis of JFK anniversary commemorations as living room pilgrimages, a demography of television's portrayal of women and the world of work, and feminist critiques of Sabrina, the Teenage Witch (with Sarah Projansky), All American Girl (with Rona Tamiko Halualani), and China Beach.

Leah also edited the Western Journal of Communication (1997-1999) and a special issue of Women's Studies in Communication (on Disney). She is either serving or has served on the editorial boards of Quarterly Journal of Speech, Communication Monographs, Communication Education, Critical Studies in Mass Communication, Women's Studies in Communication, and Western Journal of Communication.

Prior to CSU, Sacramento, Leah taught at Northwestern University and Southern Methodist University. She also taught high school English, mass media, and photography in a small rural school in Iowa.

She received her Ph.D. in Communication Arts and Theatre at the University of Iowa. Her dissertation was an interpretive analysis of news narratives. While working on her doctoral degree Leah met two of her more influential mentors, Sam Becker and Bruce Gronbeck. It is they who Leah strives to emulate as scholar/teacher/mentors.

Her BA and MA are also from Iowa, but her MA is in English Literature and her BA is a joint degree in English Literature and Education. She studied American and English literature and poetry as an undergraduate.

Leah grew up in Iowa. Her parents, Maurice and Norma Vande Berg taught her to love education and gave her a strong work ethic while encouraging her to believe that she could be whoever and do whatever she wanted.

When not involved in her teaching and research activities Leah enjoys singing in the Sacramento Choral Society, bicycling, playing tennis, and camping with her partner of 15 years, Nick Trujillo and her two dogs-airedale terrier Ragbrai, and golden retriever Ebbet.

Her favorite TV shows over the years include Star Trek: The Next Generation, St. Elsewhere, Hill Street Blues, Moonlighting, Frank's Place, SportsNight, Amazing Grace, the West Wing, and The Sopranos. Her favorite vacation spots are along California's north coast-Sonoma and Mendocino coasts. Her favorite food is sweet corn.

Correction from the Previous Newsletter
 

Minu Sebastian was awarded a top student poster award at the Seattle Convention. He wasn't mentioned in the Mass Comm newsletter.

His paper was entitled, "Exploring the Relationship between Privacy Concern and the Use of the Internet and Web." He is from the University of California, Santa Barbara.