"Conceptualizing Mediatization"
Call for Papers for a special issue of "Communication Theory"

Guest editors: Nick Couldry (Goldsmiths, University of London),
Andreas Hepp (ZeMKI, University of Bremen)

Today, we can no longer understand culture and society in isolation from the media: If we do politics, for instance, it is politics by and through media. The way we spend our work time as well as our spare time is increasingly marked by the use of computers. Against this backdrop, 'mediatization' has evolved as a key concept to describe a fundamental transformation of the relationship between the media, culture, and society. Generally speaking, 'mediatization' captures the interrelation between media-communicative change, on the one hand, and socio-cultural change, on the other. The core idea behind this concept is that the changing media exert an influence in that they alter communication processes and, in so doing, our socio-cultural construction of reality. In this sense, media are 'moulding forces'. However, the specificity of certain media opens up various possibilities for dealing with them, depending on the contexts of their appropriation, as well as on power-relations. In such a perspective, 'mediatization theory' is less concerned with direct and unidirectional effects of media contents on culture and society but allows for a complex and critical reflection of the role of contemporary media communication, as well as the history of culture and society.

Over the past decade, the discussion surrounding mediatization has stimulated important empirical research. It has produced a wide array of sophisticated analyses of the mediatization of various fields of culture and society, most notably on politics, religion, and popular culture. As mediatization research becomes more and more differentiated today, it is time to reflect on the theoretical power of mediatization theory, particularly against the background of empirical research in and beyond its tradition.

The aim of this special issue of Communication Theory therefore is to stimulate debate by "Conceptualizing Mediatization" in a wider perspective. Within such a general scope, we invite manuscript submissions on the following non-exclusive list of topics:

• Re-thinking the complexity of mediatization.
• Theorizing historical dimensions of mediatization.
•  Reflections on (trans-)cultural and (trans-)national aspects of mediatization.
• Mediatization as critical approach of media research.
• Mediatization in relation to other concepts of change within communication and media research.

Manuscripts must be submitted no later than 1 April 2012 through the online system of Communication Theory. Submissions should indicate that authors wish to have their manuscript considered for the special issue. Manuscript inquiries should be sent to Nick Couldry (n.couldry@gold.ac.uk) and Andreas Hepp (andreas.hepp@uni-bremen.de)

Dear Colleagues,

The book series of "Media Critics" is focused on the remarkable fields of the science of communication and is published by contribution of articles obtained in the international level under our editorial board. The new book of the series, (Broken Moulds 1 and Broken Moulds 2: Intercultural Communication Multiculturalism, 2011) was published by Beta Publishing House with the contributions of academicians from more than 10 different countries as two books. The publication of our last book in English version will made with Marin Drinov Academic Publishing House.

"Media Critics 2012" will grounded on the social media and it will be published in Turkish version by Beta Publishing House (http://www.betayayincilik.com/akademik/default.aspx) that is the one of Turkey's well-known academic publishing houses. The translations of the articles originally in English to Turkish will be made by us and 2 free publications will be given to the writers whose article abstract accepted and published.  
 
The book aims at exploring the role, effects and uses of social media focusing on the social, economic, political, and cultural dimensions. Also, the transformation of traditional media and media sectors with the rise of social media to be analyzed. Original articles which discuss the following topics (but not limited to) are welcome:

• Theoretical Approaches to Social Media
• Traditional Media and Social Media: What Kind of Interactions?
• Online Social Networks, Daily Life and Social Effects
• Identity Disclosure and Privacy in Online Social Networks
• New Forms of Socialization in Social Media
• New Cultural Codes and Social Media
• Social Media and Visual Culture
• Social Media, Democracy, Politics and Social Movements
• Social Media and Civil Society
• Surveillance through Social Media
• Media Ownership, Content Production and Distribution in Social Media
• Social Public Relations
• Social Marketing and Advertising
• Social Media and Political Communication
• Audience Research and Social Media 

Researchers are invited to submit their articles for this special book on "Social Media". Interested authors should send abstracts (approximately 200-300 words) mentioning in which section it will be considered on or before November 1st, 2011. Editorial review will be done by November 15th, 2011 and the notification of acceptance or refusal will be sent to authors. Full texts of articles are due to April 1st, 2012. All submitted papers will be reviewed on a double-blind, peer review basis. Papers must follow APA style for reference citations.

Important dates:
Abstract submission: November 1st, 2011
Notification of acceptance: November 15th, 2011
Full text article submission: April 1st, 2012
All submissions should be directed to the attention of:

Asc. Prof. Dr. Can Bilgili 
Yeditepe University
Faculty of Communication
(canbilgili@yahoo.com)

Asc. Prof. Dr. Zeynep Karahan Uslu
Member of Turkish Grand National Assembly
 (izuslu@yahoo.com)

Asc. Prof. Dr. Nesrin Tan Akbulut
Galatasaray University
Faculty of Communication
(nesrinakbulut@yahoo.com)

Call for Papers: Special issue of Cuadernos de Informacion (CdI), 
"Who's a Journalist, What's News, What's Media: Towards the Renewal of Journalism."

Guest Editor: Sebastian Valenzuela (Catholic U of Chile).

This special issue of CdI seeks original qualitative, quantitative and comparative research on the changes in journalism brought about by digitization and convergence, as well as the implications of these changes for news workers, audiences, and media companies. We welcome manuscripts in English, Spanish and Portuguese covering any media form, and on any local, national or international context, that tackle the changing conditions of journalism. Whatever the approach, our goal is to select manuscripts that address important issues for the future of journalism. To see the full CFP, visit http://cuadernos.uc.cl/uc/index.php/CDI/announcement. To submit papers, you need to register and login to the CdI website at http://cuadernos.uc.cl/uc/index.php/CDI/about/submissions#onlineSubmissions. The deadline for submissions is March 1, 2012. Peer review and notification of acceptance will be completed by May, 2012. The special issue is scheduled for publication in June 2012. Comments and queries can be sent to Sebastian Valenzuela, savalenz@uc.cl. For more information about Cuadernos de Informacion, visit http://cuadernos.uc.cl/.

CALL FOR PAPERS
Communication Connections: Traditional and Contemporary
2012 Sooner Conference sponsored by
Communication Graduate Student Association at
The University of Oklahoma
2-3 March 2012
Norman, OK
Submission: soonercomconf@ou.edu
Website: www.ou.edu/cgsa

Communication is evolving. There are now more channels in communication than ever before, with multiple options to connect with friends, loved ones, acquaintances, and strangers. This year's Sooner Conference theme addresses this evolution in Communication Connections: Traditional and Contemporary. The conference theme also emphasizes the scholarship of our keynote speaker. The keynote speaker this year will be Professor Joseph Walther, a renowned scholar whose teaching and research focus on the dynamics of computer-mediated communication and the Internet in interpersonal relationships, work groups, social support, and educational systems. He has previously held appointments in Information Technology, Psychology, and Education and Social Policy at universities in the US and England. He was chair of the Organizational Communication and Information Systems division of the Academy of Management, and the Communication and Technology division of the International Communication Association*.

The Communication Graduate Student Association (CGSA) at the University of Oklahoma invites graduate and undergraduate submissions for its annual conference to be held March 2-3, 2012 on the Norman Campus. The Sooner Communication Conference is an OU CGSA organized event joining faculty and students from schools throughout the region and the nation. The Conference presents an opportunity for students and faculty to discuss developments in theory and research across the communication discipline and for students to fine-tune research papers for other conferences and possible publications. Gatherings like the Sooner Communication Conference constitute the heart and soul of what we are about as academics. Students who have been involved in past Sooner Conferences have found the experience to be invaluable and the relationships that were formed to be lasting.

Submission Guidelines
Submissions may include competitive research papers (including theory and position papers), case studies, panel proposals, round table proposals, or abstracts for works in progress. Scholarship on any topic relevant to human communication within various areas of the discipline is welcome. Top paper awards will be presented in the graduate and undergraduate divisions. Only completed competitive papers will be considered for awards. Submissions of completed competitive research papers and case studies should include: A title page with the author's or authors' institutional affiliation, complete with contact information, and student status (graduate or undergraduate); a 200-word abstract on the second page; and the completed manuscript. Submissions of panel and round table proposals should include: A thematic title for the program; names, institutional affiliations, complete contact information, and student status (graduate or undergraduate) of all participants; names of chair and respondent (if any); and titles and 200-word abstracts for each presentation. Submissions for works currently in progress should include: The authors' institutional affiliation, complete contact information, and student status (graduate or undergraduate), and a two-page proposal. All work must meet the specifications of the APA manual (6th ed.).

All submissions should be received by December 15, 2011. For abstracts that are accepted, full manuscripts must be submitted by February 1, 2012. Please send all submissions and direct all correspondence to Bobby Rozzell or Cindy Vincent at: soonercomconf@ou.edu

Please Note: Submissions should be in the form of a Microsoft Word doc, Rich text format, or PDF attachment (scholarship submitted within the body of an email will not be considered.)