Let’s Talk Screenwriting! @Utrecht University

First session of 2023 on Screenwriting for Children and Teenagers on March 27th

Let’s Talk Screenwriting! continues:
The MI3: Media Industries, Infrastructures and Institutions research collective at Utrecht University, in cooperation with guest researcher Florian Krauss, organizes a third edition of the Let’s Talk Screenwriting! round table discussions.
In three online events, media scholars, screenwriters, and other practitioners will discuss questions regarding screenwriting for (and with) children and teenagers, changes and continuities in screenwriting education and training, and the importance of ‘greener’ or more sustainable screenwriting.

All students from BA- and (R)MA-programmes, scholars in media, communication, and arts, screenwriters and other media professionals are cordially invited to all sessions.

Screenwriting for Children and Teenagers
Monday March 27th, 2023, 12:00-13:00 CET, online

This first of three panels in the spring of 2023 focuses on writing children/youth content, and particularly on the integration of research on young people into screenwriting processes. Furthermore, the discussion explores how teenagers or even children can contribute to script development and what role social media play in their involvement.

In the online session, Vilde Schanke Sundet (University of Oslo) and Katrine Bouschinger Christensen (University of Copenhagen) will present their findings on research-driven screenwriting on young audiences in a digital, diversified media environment. Specifics and challenges in screenwriting for today’s children and teenagers will be discussed together with Ashgan-El Hamus (screenwriter of, for instance, Skam.NL) and Asser Bo Paludan (producer at DR Drama, Danish Public Broadcaster, for instance of the youth series Salsa).
Chair: Florian Krauß (University of Siegen).

If you are interested in attending, please register before 24 March by sending an e-mail to:
h.b.surma(at)uu.nl

Upcoming sessions:

Studying Screenwriting: Perspectives on Education and Training
24 April 2023, 11:00-12:00 CET, online

Sustainable Screenwriting
5 June 2023, 11:00-12:00 CET, online

Vacancies: Doctoral students in Multimodality and intermediality at LNU and at Örebro university

Linnaeus University Center for Intermedial and Multimodal Studies now announces four salaried positions for doctoral students as part of the graduate school Multimodality and Intermediality: Humanist Research in a Digital World (MIDWorld) in the following subjects: Comparative literature, English literature, French literature, and German literature. IMS research within any of these disciplines also include other media than literature such as film, music, art and computer games. Deadline March 31.

https://lnu.se/en/meet-linnaeus-university/work-at-the-university/?rmpage=job&rmjob=7143&rmlang=UK

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The Centre for Research in the Humanities and in particular the Multimodal Communicationat Örebro University announces five salaried positions for doctoral students to join the graduate school MIDWorld. The five students will be admitted to one of the subject specialisations comparative literature, English, history, rhetoric or Swedish language, all part of the Studies in the Humanities subject at the School of Humanities, Education and Social Sciences. Deadline March 15.

https://www.oru.se/english/career/available-positions/job/?jid=20230018 

Cyberfeminism Index (Book Launch / 8 Feb)

Join us on February 8 (16:00-18:30) at Perdu, Amsterdam, for the launch of Cyberfeminism Index, a publication by Professor (Rutgers and Yale), designer, and researcher Mindy Seu. The book includes more than 700 short entries of radical techno-critical activism in a variety of media, including excerpts from academic articles and scholarly texts; descriptions of hackerspaces, digital rights activist groups, and bio-hacktivism; and depictions of feminist net art and new media art.

The evening will feature a performative reading by Seu. Afterward, Inte Gloerich, technology researcher interested in critical and feminist approaches to technology, will talk about how fin-tech and care may come together and the experimental publishing of the Feminist Finance Syllabus.  Ruben Pater, teaches graphic design and is author of CAPS LOCK. He will talk about how graphic design and capitalism have come to be inextricably linked. We conclude with a conversation between the speakers and drinks at the venue.

Free of charge

Perdu (Kloveniersburgwal 86, 1012 CZ Amsterdam, Netherlands

You can register here: https://forms.office.com/e/8F2iNYJqiU

The event is organized by New Media Studies at the University of Amsterdam.

16:00-16:05 Welcome by organizers

16:05-16:30  Performative lecture by Mindy Seu

16:30- 16:45 Talk by Inte Gloerich

16:45 – 17:00 Talk by Ruben Pater

17:00- 17:30 Moderated discussion between speakers and audience Q&A

17:30 – 18:30 Book tabling and drinks in the venue

Vacancy: PhD in Virtual Reality as Empathy Machine (Utrecht University)

PhD in Virtual Reality as Empathy Machine: Critical Media Analysis in Humanitarian Communication (1.0 FTE)

The application deadline is 20 February 2023.
Job description

Virtual Reality is a booming industry and is considered to be a game changer. So far it has mostly been used for entertainment and to give a sense of extraordinary experiences. However, it has also been used effectively in other fields: education, museums, sport, HR, architecture and for climate awareness. In the military field it has been used to enhance training and simulate risk situations, and in the health sector to practice surgical interventions as well as to treat mental disorders and addictions and to aid rehabilitation. In the last decade Virtual Reality has also been increasingly used to think about minority and diversity politics, by making the viewer experience what it is like to face racial prejudice or survive a perilous migration journey. For these reasons VR is widely acclaimed in the humanitarian sector. Would you like to help critically investigate the role of VR for humanitarian appeals by asking how and to what extent humanitarian VR can function as an empathy machine, bridging the distance between viewers and mediated others? Then you have a role to play as a PhD candidate within this broader research project.

The NWO Open Competition Project is looking for two PhD candidates to participate in this project. You will be working with PI Prof. Sandra Ponzanesi, Professor of Media, Gender and Postcolonial Studies at Utrecht University, Department of Media and Culture Studies, within a team of two PhDs, a postdoc and a project assistant. You will also be part of Postcolonial Studies Initiative (PCI)/Graduate Gender Studies Programme and be connected to the UU Focus Areas: Game Research, Migration and Societal Change and Governing the Digital Society and IOS Platform Gender, Diversity and Global Justice.

Virtual Reality is a technology which creates a multisensory, immersive, realistic 3D environment, which can be interactive and has the power to make us experience different worlds. This can affect our cognitive and emotional responses and possibly change our attitudes or behavior regarding issues or realities that are usually remote or removed from our daily existence. For this reason, it has been postulated as the ultimate ’empathy machine’, a technology of feeling that promotes compassion, connection and intimacy by allowing the viewer to experience the lives of those who are distant others, for example migrants or refugees. It has been increasingly used to this effect in humanitarian appeals to solicit donations and renew public engagement.

The aim of ‘Virtual Reality as Empathy Machine: Media, Migration and the Humanitarian Predicament’ is to make an innovative and urgent intervention into the field of VR for humanitarian communication by evaluating the potentialities and pitfalls of immersion and empathy through technological innovation. This project will critically investigate the role of VR for humanitarian appeals by asking how and to what extent humanitarian VR can function as an empathy machine, bridging the distance between viewers and mediated others. The project will critically investigate the impact of VR for humanitarian appeals, in particular concerning issues around migration and refugees. It will do so by contributing to evaluation, methodology, ethics and design in an innovative and interdisciplinary way. For this purpose, the project will combine media analysis and empirical research through a postcolonial approach, with one of the dissemination results also being the creation of an alternative VR projects and collaborative practices. The project draws from different disciplinary fields such as (digital) media studies, postcolonial theory, science and technology studies, psychology, gender studies, anthropology, development studies, conflict studies, game and film studies and humanitarian communication. The project is relevant for the fields of migration, technology and humanitarian appeal, but it has wider implications for society, governance and the industry.

Currently two PhD positions are available:

  1. PhD in Virtual Reality as Empathy Machine: Critical Media Analysis in Humanitarian Communication (1.0 FTE)
  2. PhD in Virtual Reality as Empathy Machine: Validation Research on Humanitarian Communication (1.0 FTE) 
    The role of this PhD candidate, in Critical Media Analysis in Humanitarian Communication, will be to offer a media analysis of VR affordances, cinematic and narrative strategies (360-degree videos, installations and documentaries) dealing with migration and refugees. This PhD project will focus on how VR affects the relationship between spectator and distant sufferer through its immersive affordances, cinematic strategies and alternative storytelling techniques.

The role of the other PhD candidate, in Validation Research on Humanitarian Communication, will be to perform empirical research and develop interdisciplinary methods to test and validate the persuasiveness of VR as an ’empathy machine’ and assess whether VR leads to actions and enhanced public engagement. This PhD project will focus on how we can empirically assess the effect of and response to VR for humanitarian purposes.

For more info about the project see: https://vrmigration.sites.uu.nl/

Profile

The ideal candidate has a background and proven interest in media studies, postcolonial critique and humanitarian communication. In addition:

  • You should hold a completed Master’s degree in a relevant field (media studies, social and behavioral sciences, science and technology studies, postcolonial theory, humanitarianism, gender studies or a comparative field of studies).
  • You have a background in media studies, with a specific focus on new, immersive and interactive technologies, such as games and VR.
  • You have demonstrable experience in media analysis, postcolonial critique, discourse analysis.
  • You are fluent in English (you must possess Cambridge Certificate or equivalent at C1 level, unless you have a degree from an English-language university), or you are a native speaker.
  • You are able to work independently and flexibly, taking initiative where needed.
  • You have good interpersonal skills, and you have good written and oral communication skills.
  • You are able to communicate and collaborate effectively in a team setting.
  • You are interested in participating collaboratively in the events, training programmes and activities planned for the duration of the project.
  • You have administrative and organisational skills and are well-acquainted with managing social media.
  • You are willing to live in the Netherlands during the contract period.
  • You are dedicated to completing the PhD research, as well as the contributions to the other project deliverables (expert meetings, conferences, final PhD dissertation), within the allotted time of four years.
  • You preferably have knowledge of Dutch or are ready to learn the basics.

Offer

This is an appointment of 1.0 FTE for the duration of 18 months. In case of good performance and a positive evaluation, the contract will be extended for the remaining period of 30 months (48 months in total). The gross salary starts with €2,541 per month in the first year and increases to €3,247 per month in the fourth year of employment (scale P according to the Collective Employment Agreement of the Dutch Universities) for a full-time employment.

Besides that, you will receive a holiday allowance of 8% and a year-end bonus of 8.3%. Utrecht University also has an appealing package of terms of employment, including the choice for a good balance between work and private (a good arrangement for leave, among other things), possibilities for development and an excellent pension scheme. For more information, please visit working at Utrecht University 

The preferred starting date is 1 June 2023.

About Utrecht University

A better future for everyone. This ambition motivates our scientists in executing their leading research and inspiring teaching. At Utrecht University, the various disciplines collaborate intensively towards major societal themes. Our focus is on Dynamics of Youth, Institutions for Open Societies, Life Sciences and Sustainability.

The Faculty of Humanities  has around 7,000 students and 1,100 staff members. It comprises four knowledge domains: Philosophy and Religious Studies, History and Art History, Media and Culture Studies, and Languages, Literature and Communication. With its research and education in these fields, the Faculty aims to contribute to a better understanding of the Netherlands and Europe in a rapidly changing social and cultural context. The enthusiastic and committed colleagues and the excellent amenities in the historical city center of Utrecht, where the Faculty is housed, contribute to an inspiring working environment.

The Department of Media and Culture Studies supports teaching and research in the fields of film, television, games, new media and digital culture, theatre, dance and performance, gender and ethnicity, musicology and cultural policy. Culture is a dynamic mix of artistic, creative and everyday practices with which people shape their identities and actions, and within which societal structures and institutions take shape. Media (old and new) are crucial factors in these processes.

As PhD candidate you will be member of the Institute for Cultural Inquiry  (ICON). ICON is one of the four research institutes of the Faculty of Humanities. The researchers are working in six different research fields. PhD candidates are also embedded in the Graduate School of Humanities, which offers seminars and courses to improve your academic skills.

Additional information

For more information about this position, please contact Prof Dr Sandra Ponzanesi  (Professor of Gender and Postcolonial Studies) via S.Ponzanesi@uu.nl.

Apply

Everyone deserves to feel at home  at our university. We welcome employees with a wide variety of backgrounds and perspectives.

To apply, please send your application via the ‘apply’ button.

The application should include:

  • a letter of motivation (not exceeding 500 words, in font size 12), explaining why you are a good fit for the position;
  • a full academic CV (max two pages, font size 12);
  • a 1000-word research proposal, connected to the PhD description and including a theoretical framework, methodological approach, possible case studies and references;
  • the names and contact details of two references, including your thesis advisor, who may be approached by the selection committee;
  • a writing sample, such as a thesis chapter (20 pp.) or a published publication;
  • a copy of your Master’s diploma and a copy of your full transcript listing subjects studied and grades received;
  • a proof of language proficiency according to the Utrecht University requirement (Cambridge or Toefl, level C1).

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to participate in either online or in-person interviews, and will be subject to pre-employment checks prior to any appointment. Interviews will be held in mid-March 2023.

Here you can find the link to the other PhD position: PhD in Virtual Reality as Empathy Machine: Validation Research on Humanitarian Communication (1.0 FTE) externe link

The application deadline is 20 February 2023.

Vacancy: PhD in Virtual Reality as Empathy Machine (Utrecht University)

PhD in Virtual Reality as Empathy Machine: Validation Research on Humanitarian Communication (1.0 FTE)

APPLICATION DEADLINE:
Job description

Virtual Reality is a booming industry and is considered to be a game changer. So far it has mostly been used for entertainment and to give a sense of extraordinary experiences. However, it has also been used effectively in the military field to enhance training and simulate risk situations, in the health sector to practice surgical interventions as well as to treat mental disorders and addictions and to aid rehabilitation, in the realms of education, museums, sport, HR, architecture and for climate awareness. In the last decade Virtual Reality has also been increasingly used to think about minority and diversity politics, by making the viewer experience what it is like to face racial prejudice or survive a perilous migration journey. For these reasons VR is widely acclaimed in the humanitarian sector. Would you like to help critically investigate the role of VR for humanitarian appeals by asking how and to what extent humanitarian VR can function as an empathy machine, bridging the distance between viewers and mediated others? Then you have a role to play as a PhD researcher within this broader research project.

The NWO Open Competition Project ‘Virtual Reality as Empathy Machine: Media, Migration and the Humanitarian Predicament’ is looking for two PhD candidates to participate in this project. You will be working with PI Prof. Sandra Ponzanesi, Professor of Media, Gender and Postcolonial Studies at Utrecht University, Department of Media and Culture Studies, and ICON (Research Institute for Cultural Inquiry), and a team of two PHDs, a postdoc and a project assistant. You will also be part of The Postcolonial Studies Initiative (PCI)/Graduate Gender Studies Programme and be connected to the UU Focus Areas: Game Research/Migration and Societal Change/ and Governing the Digital Society and IOS Platform Gender, Diversity and Global Justice.

Virtual Reality is a technology which creates a multisensory, immersive, realistic 3D environment, which can be interactive and has the power to make us experience different worlds. This can affect our cognitive and emotional responses and possibly change our attitudes or behavior regarding issues or realities that are usually remote or removed from our daily existence. For this reason, it has been postulated as the ultimate ’empathy machine’, a technology of feeling that promotes compassion, connection and intimacy by allowing the viewer to experience the lives of those who are distant others, for example migrants or refugees. It has been increasingly used to this effect in humanitarian appeals to solicit donations and renew public engagement.
The aim of ‘Virtual Reality as Empathy Machine: Media, Migration and the Humanitarian Predicament’ is to make an innovative and urgent intervention into the field of VR for humanitarian communication by evaluating the potentialities and pitfalls of immersion and empathy through technological innovation.
This project will critically investigate the role of VR for humanitarian appeals by asking how and to what extent humanitarian VR can function as an empathy machine, bridging the distance between viewers and mediated others.
The project will critically investigate the impact of VR for humanitarian appeals, in particular concerning issues around migration and refugees. It will do so by contributing to evaluation, methodology, ethics and design in an innovative and interdisciplinary way.
For this purpose, the project will combine media analysis and empirical research through a postcolonial approach, with one of the dissemination results also being the creation of an alternative VR projects and collaborative practices. The project draws from different disciplinary fields such as (digital) media studies, postcolonial theory, science and technology studies, psychology, gender studies, anthropology, development studies, conflict studies, game and film studies and humanitarian communication.
The project is relevant for the fields of migration, technology and humanitarian appeal, but it has wider implications for society, governance and the industry.

Currently two PhD positions are available:

1) PhD1: Virtual Reality as Empathy Machine: critical media analysis in humanitarian communication 

2) PhD2: Virtual Reality as Empathy Machine: validation research on humanitarian communication

The role of PhD1 will be to offer a media analysis of VR affordances, cinematic and narrative strategies (360-degree videos, installations and documentaries) dealing with migration and refugees. This PhD project will focus on how VR affects the relationship between spectator and distant sufferer through its immersive affordances, cinematic strategies and alternative storytelling techniques.
PhD1 will have a background in media studies, with a specific focus on new, immersive and interactive technologies, such as games and VR.

The role of PhD2 will be to perform empirical research and develop interdisciplinary methods to test and validate the persuasiveness of VR as an ’empathy machine’ and assess whether VR leads to actions and enhanced public engagement. This PhD project will focus on how we can empirically assess the effect of and response to VR for humanitarian purposes.
PhD2 will have a background in media, psychology or the social sciences, and expertise in validation methods and participant observations.

This position concerns PhD2 Virtual Reality as Empathy Machine: validation research on humanitarian communication.

For more info about the project see: https://vrmigration.sites.uu.nl/

Qualifications

The ideal candidate has a background and proven interest in media studies, postcolonial critique and humanitarian communication. In addition,

  • You should hold a completed master’s degree in a relevant field (media studies, social and behavioral sciences, science and technology studies, postcolonial theory, humanitarianism, gender studies or a comparative field of studies).
  • PhD2 will have a background in media, psychology or the social sciences, and expertise in validation methods and participant observations.
  • Demonstrable experience in media analysis and empirical fieldwork (test and validation studies) is highly recommended.
  • You are fluent in English (you must possess Cambridge Certificate or equivalent at C1 level, unless you have a degree from an English-language university), or you are a native speaker.
  • You are able to work independently and flexibly, taking initiative where needed.
  • You have good interpersonal skills, and you have good written and oral communication skills.
  • You are able to communicate and collaborate effectively in a team setting.
  • You are interested in participating collaboratively in the events, training programmes and activities planned for the duration of the project.
  • You have administrative and organisational skills and are well-acquainted with managing social media.
  • You are willing to live in the Netherlands during the contract period.
  • You are dedicated to completing the PhD research, as well as the contributions to the other project deliverables (expert meetings, conferences, final PhD dissertation), within the allotted time of four years.
  • You preferably have knowledge of Dutch or are ready to learn the basics.

Offer

This is an appointment of 1,0 FTE for the duration of 18 months. Starting June 1, 2023, with the possibility of extension for a further maximum of 30 months after positive evaluation in the first year.
The gross salary starts with € 2,541 per month in the first year and increases to € 3,247 per month in the fourth year of employment (scale P according to the Collective Employment Agreement of the Dutch Universities) for a full-time employment.

Besides that, you will receive a holiday allowance of 8% and a year-end bonus of 8.3%. Utrecht University also has an appealing package of terms of employment, including the choice for a good balance between work and private (a good arrangement for leave, among other things), possibilities for development and an excellent pension scheme. More information on working at Utrecht University can be found here.

About the organisation

A better future for everyone. This ambition motivates our scientists in executing their leading research and inspiring teaching. At Utrecht University, the various disciplines collaborate intensively towards major societal themes. Our focus is on Dynamics of Youth, Institutions for Open Societies, Life Sciences and Sustainability.

The Faculty of Humanities has around 7,000 students and 1,100 staff members. It comprises four knowledge domains: Philosophy and Religious Studies, History and Art History, Media and Culture Studies, and Languages, Literature and Communication. With its research and education in these fields, the Faculty aims to contribute to a better understanding of the Netherlands and Europe in a rapidly changing social and cultural context. The enthusiastic and committed colleagues and the excellent amenities in the historical city center of Utrecht, where the Faculty is housed, contribute to an inspiring working environment.

The Department of Media and Culture Studies supports teaching and research in the fields of film, television, games, new media and digital culture, theatre, dance and performance, gender and ethnicity, musicology and cultural policy. Culture is a dynamic mix of artistic, creative and everyday practices with which people shape their identities and actions, and within which societal structures and institutions take shape. Media (old and new) are crucial factors in these processes.

As PhD candidate you will be member of the Institute for Cultural Inquiry (ICON). ICON is one of the four research institutes of the Faculty of Humanities. The researchers are working in six different research fields. PhD candidates are also embedded in the Graduate School of Humanities, which offers seminars and courses to improve your academic skills.

Additional information

For more information about this position, please contact Professor Sandra Ponzanesi (Professor of Gender and Postcolonial Studies) via S.Ponzanesi@uu.nl.

Apply

Everyone deserves to feel at home at our university. We welcome employees with a wide variety of backgrounds and perspectives. To apply, please send your application via the ‘apply’ button.

The application should include:

  • a letter of motivation (not exceeding 500 words, in font size 12), explaining why you are a good fit for the position;
  • a full academic CV (max two pages, font size 12);
  • a 1000-word research proposal, connected to the PhD description and including a theoretical framework, methodological approach, possible case studies and references;
  • the names and contact details of two references, including your thesis advisor, who may be approached by the selection committee;
  • a writing sample, such as a thesis chapter (20 pp.) or a published publication;
  • a copy of your Master’s diploma and a copy of your full transcript listing subjects studied and grades received;
  • a proof of language proficiency according to the Utrecht University requirement (Cambridge or Toefl, level C1).

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to participate in either online or in-person interviews, and will be subject to pre-employment checks prior to any appointment. Interviews will be held in mid-March 2023.

Here you can find the link to the other PhD position: PhD in Virtual Reality as Empathy Machine: Critical Media Analysis in Humanitarian Communication (1.0 FTE).

The application deadline is 20 February 2023.