Fourth International Conference on Online Deliberation (OD2010)

Andrew Chadwick is on the programme committee for this conference. Please direct all enquiries to the Institute for Communications Studies at Leeds (email at the bottom of the message).

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** SUBMISSIONS DUE MARCH 1 ***


Fourth International Conference on
Online Deliberation (OD2010)
(http://www.od2010.dico.unimi.it/)

30 June  2 July, 2010

Leeds, UK

Sponsored by: The University of Leeds, the Dipartimento di Informatica e Comunicazione Universit degli Studi di Milano, and the Public Sphere Project. discuss specific advances in online deliberation from a number of different disciplinary perspectives.

The widespread diffusion of the Internet and a growing trend towards democratisation worldwide have encouraged new modes, projects and visions of citizen participation in decision making and governance.

OD2010 aims to bring together researchers, developers and practitioners from a wide range of academic and applied backgrounds to provide a unique opportunity to better understand the notion of deliberation in a virtual environment and to discuss specific advances in online deliberation from a number of different disciplinary perspectives.

The conference is aimed at those who wish to update themselves on recent developments in online deliberation, understand how other groups are applying the tools and techniques and exchange ideas with leading international experts.

OD2010 follows the traditions of previous high-level scientific conferences. It is organized by key experts in the field and is supported by a multidisciplinary programme committee. This is the first time the conference has been held outside the USA.

The fourth OD conference focuses on, but is not limited to, the following topics:

   * current research on online deliberation;
   * research challenges which deliberation, and in particular online deliberation, pose for researchers, governments, communities and citizens;
   * socio-technical design of online deliberative spaces;
   * links between theories of deliberative democracy with experience with online deliberation;
   * descriptions of tools and techniques that are already being tested or fielded;
   * deliberative platforms using novel or unusual settings, technology or approaches;
   * experiences and findings related to relevant technological theories (such as Web 2.0) and/or relevant social theories of deliberation and governance (such as public sphere, government 2.0 and civic intelligence); and
   * case studies in applying and evaluating online deliberation in various formal and informal engagement domains.

Special Issue of Journal of Information Technology & Politics

Conference participants are invited to submit their papers to a peer-review process for publication in a special issue of the Journal of Information Technology & Politics (www.jitp.net) connected with the conference. The special issue will focus on the development of online deliberation research and the future directions of the field. Guidelines for papers and other submissions

The conference allows for four distinct types of submissions:

  1. Research papers
  2. Exploratory papers on ongoing research and innovative projects
  3. Technology demonstrators
  4. Panels on pertinent issues

Research papers

These papers should have a strong focus on scientific rigour and may be a maximum of 10 pages. Papers in this track will be peer reviewed for rigour, relevance, originality and clarity of presentation. Abstracts or incomplete papers will not be accepted.

Exploratory papers

These papers describe novel concepts, works-in-progress, reflections, manifestos or other ideas and issues that are not currently suitable for a complete research paper. They may be a maximum of 5 pages. Papers in this section will also be peer reviewed, but the focus is on relevance more than scientific rigour.

Technology Demonstrators

Proposals for technology demonstrators (two pages) should include a description, objectives, examples of testing and application and, if possible, a URL where the technology can be viewed.

Panels

Proposals for panels (two pages) should include motivation, objectives, expected outcomes, approach to audience interaction and panel members. Panels are currently planned to be 1.5 hours long.

All submissions must be made via the conference submission system web site. Submissions should be written in English and foreign speakers are encouraged to have their submissions reviewed for language prior to submission. Submissions should be formatted using 11 point Times-Roman font on A4 sized paper. Accepted research and exploratory papers should be revised according to reviewer comments and resubmitted by the deadline.

Important Dates (note new deadlines)

January 1, 2010 Submission system available
March 1, 2010 Early registration begins
March 1, 2010 Research paper submissions due
March 1, 2010 Exploratory papers due
March 1, 2010 Technology Demonstrators & Panel proposals due
March 31, 2010 Notices of paper acceptances
May 1, 2010 Completed research and exploratory papers due
May 1, 2010 Late registration begins
June 30-July 2, 2010 OD 2010

Conference Chairs

Stephen Coleman, Centre for Digital Citizenship, University of Leeds, UK
Ann Macintosh, Centre for Digital Citizenship, University of Leeds, UK
Fiorella De Cindio, Dipartimento di Informatica e Comunicazione, Universit degli Studi di Milano, Italy

Organising Chairs

Giles Moss, Deputy Director Centre for Digital Citizenship, University of Leeds, UK
Cristian Peraboni, Dipartimento di Informatica e Comunicazione, Universit degli Studi di Milano, Italy

Previous Conference Chairs and on-going supporters

Robert Cavalier, Department of Philosophy and Digital Media Lab, Carnegie Mellon University, USA
Todd Davies, Symbolic Systems Program, Stanford University, USA
Douglas Schuler, The Evergreen State College, and The Public Sphere Project, USA
Peter Shane, Moritz College of Law, The Ohio State University and Knight Commission on the Internet Needs of Communities in a Democracy, USA

Programme Committee

Simon Buckingham-Shum, Open University, UK
Robert Cavalier, Carnegie Mellon University, USA
Andrew Chadwick, Royal Holloway, University of London, UK
Fiorella De Cindio, Universit degli Studi di Milano, Italy
Steven Clift, Publicus.net/E-Democracy.org
Stephen Coleman, University of Leeds, UK
Clelia Colombo, Generalitat of Catalonia, Spain
Todd Davies, Stanford University, USA
Peter Day, University of Brighton, UK
Simon Delakorda, Institute of Ecology, Slovenia
Thomas Erickson, IBM T. J. Watson Research Center, USA
Marcus Foth, Queensland University of Technology, Australia
Tom Gordon, Fraunhofer Institute for Open Communications Systems (FOKUS), Germany
Mary Griffiths, University of Adelaide, Australia
Andrea Kavanaugh, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, USA
Brian Loader, University of York, UK
Euripides Loukis, University of the Aegean, Greece
Ann Macintosh, University of Leeds, UK
Giles Moss, University of Leeds, UK
David Osimo, tech4i2.com
Cristian Peraboni, Universit degli Studi di Milano, Italy
David Price, Debategraph, UK
Paul Resnick, University of Michigan, USA
Warren Sack, University of California, Santa Cruz, USA
Peter Shane, The Ohio State University, USA
Douglas Schuler, The Evergreen State College, and The Public Sphere Project, USA
Stuart Shulman, University of Massachusetts Amherst, USA
Jennifer Stromer-Galley, University at Albany, USA
Peter van den Besselaar, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Terry Winograd, Stanford University, USA
Scott Wright, University of East Anglia, UK

For further information please email: ics-conferences@leeds.ac.uk

OD2010 website: http://www.od2010.dico.unimi.it/

Links to previous OD conferences: http://online-deliberation.net

Haystack: US explicitly provokes Iran?

"Haystack is a new program designed to provide unfiltered internet access to the people of Iran. The software package is compatible with Windows, Mac and Unix systems, and specifically targets the Iranian government’s web filtering mechanisms." So begins the blurb at the website aimed at disseminating software to allow Iranians to access twitter, facebook, Western media, and whatever else they like. The creater, from the Censorship Research Center, said, "We believe everyone, everywhere should be able to freely communicate, and we began work that would guarantee this right for the people of Iran." But is it for US NGOs to unilaterally decide and implement a right to communicate upon a target population? And why is their logo a brain in a formaldehyde tank on wheels?

3 February @NPCU: Stuart Allan on The Future(s) of Photojournalism in Wartime

‘The Future(s) of Photojournalism in Wartime’ 

Stuart Allan

Dept. of Politics and International Relations, FW101

5pm - 6.30pm, Wednesday 3 February 2010

Visual imagery of warfare is a routine, everyday feature of our news media. For the photographer confronted with the challenge of bearing witness to conflict on our behalf, the effort to record its human consequences raises important issues of interpretation. This paper seeks to show how familiar assumptions about photojournalism’s capacity to represent violence in an impartial manner are being decisively recast by the ‘digital revolution’ in photographic technologies. In examining ‘our camera-mediated knowledge of war,’ to use Susan Sontag’s phrase, it explores a number of questions confronting the photojournalist – both professional and amateur alike – committed to ‘making real’ the horrors of human suffering. Evidence is drawn from several case studies in order to assess the implications of digitalization for the future of photojournalism in wartime, with particular attention devoted to photojournalism’s moral responsibilities where visual truth-telling is concerned.

Stuart Allan is Professor of Journalism at Bournemouth University, UK. His recent books includeDigital War Reporting (co-authored with Donald Matheson) and Citizen Journalism: Global Perspectives (co-edited with Einar Thorsen). He is a book series editor, and serves on the editorial boards of several peer-reviewed journals.

All welcome. For further information contact Ben.OLoughlin@rhul.ac.uk. 

Legitimising jihad now takes more than words

One of the findings of our recent ESRC-funded project on media and radicalisation is that a shift has occurred in the way violent extremist or 'radicalised' jihadists justify suicide bombings. Around late 2007, as we begun the research, the most credible and authoritative figures in the eyes of online jihadist members were those with impressive rhetoric, grasp of religious scripture, and a place at the top of the Al-Qaeda hierarchy. Bin Laden and Al-Zawarahiri were the big draws. But the lack of action from Al-Qaeda itself, particularly the failure to act against Israel during the conflict with Gaza in December 2008, undermined these leaders' support. By early 2009 we found popularity was shifting to jihadist members themselves who stopped posting, went 'offline' and swapped virtual, rhetorical warfare for the 'real' battle, dying in the field. A new article in Foreign Affairs gives some examples of this. Does this make counter-measures against jihadists more difficult? If credibility and authority now come from deeds rather than words then this creates a more diffuse threat because any of jihadist supporter around the world may see an opportunity for glory and superstardom. But is a more diffuse threat necessarily a greater threat? Is security policy going to be driven by (intelligence) data confirming there is a pool of people actually willing to blow themselves up, or will it be dictated by the possibility that there might be? 

Call for PhD applications

Royal Holloway’s Department of Politics and International Relations welcomes applications and enquiries from potential PhD candidates interested in research topics covered by our faculty. This includes those wishing to apply for doctoral study in a field of research relevant to the New Political Communication Unit. We have a number of funding opportunities for Home/EU students. The deadline for applications is 15 March 2010.  For further information please see:

 http://www.rhul.ac.uk/Politics-and-IR/studying/Postgraduate_Research.html#Apply

2010-03-29: Andrew Chadwick and James Stanyer presenting at UK Political Studies Association Annual Conference

Andrew Chadwick (Royal Holloway) and James Stanyer (Communication and Media, Loughborough University) will be presenting a paper, "Political Communication in Transition: Mediated Politics in Britain’s New Media Environment" at the UK Political Studies Association's 60th Anniversary Conference at Edinburgh, March 29-April 1, 2010.

The paper is part of a panel on "New Media and Democracy" sponsored by the PSA's Media and Politics Section.

The final schedule is due to be published in January 2010.

MSc New Political Communication now recruiting for September 2010 entry

For those seeking to understand the interplay between digital new media and communication technologies, political institutions, behaviour and public policy, with emphases on citizen engagement, mobilization, campaigning, and the role of new media in the global system. Covers e-democracy, e-government, e-campaigning, citizen journalism, new media, war, and conflict. The MSc Stream, one of the several taught as part of the Department of Politics and International Relations' Masters programme, combines specialisation in the area of New Political Communication with the flexibility to choose from a wide range of optional courses. A 10-12000 word supervised dissertation is written over the summer. Teaching is conducted in small group seminars, supplemented by individual tuition for the dissertation.

For further information and to apply online visit the MSc New Political Communication page.

Your political views matter (and we will pay you for them)

An announcement from the Royal Holloway Press Office regarding PIR colleague Dr Nicholas Allen's research project on political ethics. Please direct all enquiries to Ruth Yeoman at the email address below.
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A team of researchers based at Royal Holloway and the University of Essex wants volunteers to participate in two focus groups exploring expectations of elected representatives (e.g. local councillors and MPs). No particular knowledge of politics is necessary, nor is any prior experience of having taken part in a focus-group activity.
We will offer participants £30 each for taking part in one 90-minute session (7.30pm): either Wednesday 13th Jan at the Coronation Memorial Institute (CMI) in Sunningdale or Wednesday 27th Jan at Royal Holloway College. Refreshments will be provided. We would particularly like to welcome over-40s to the RHUL focus group, but others are welcome to indicate their interest.
The research is being conducted as a part of an academic project funded by the British Academy and the Economic and Social Research Council. If you are interested in taking part, please contact Ruth Yeoman by email – R.Yeoman@rhul.ac.uk – or by telephone – 01344 625872, and you will receive more details.
Please indicate your age, how you rate your existing knowledge of politics (i.e. whether you know a great deal or not) and your occupational status.
 
Message Email:
R.Yeoman@rhul.ac.uk

 

The 2010s: Shaping the context and culture of the next decade

In a rare moment of clarity during the 2006 World Cup, lothario comedian columnist Russell Brand wrote, ‘The World Cup is now all around us, it is the context in which we exist.’ For a few weeks in England at least, media attention and many people’s everyday conversations, hopes and fears revolved around the fortunes of a doomed team. Now we enter a new year featuring a general election and another world cup, two media events and contests to grip the nation, each providing a barometer against which to measure any minor incident (“How will it affect Cameron’s ratings?” “How will it affect Rooney’s fragile state of mind?”). But the end of a decade affords the chance to step back and see the larger contexts within which such events play out. In the noughties, at the peak of the war on terror, policymakers and commentators (though not citizens) understood events in terms of security. Travel, economic transactions, schooling, multiculturalism -- how could these be modified to stop terrorism? More than that, a focus on security led to a different way of thinking about humanity. The point of politics became to secure what is necessary for human survival: food security, energy security, water security, information security, infrastructure security. If the 1990s was about delivery, post-ideological governments delivering the fruits of peace and prosperity after the Cold War, then the 2000s were about security -- securing what we assumed could be delivered. Rogue states, terrorists, pirates, cyberthieves, SUV drivers and irresponsible bankers threatened to destroy economy, social fabric, and environment.

 

The contextualization of politics is most evident at the level of culture. I am a closet book review addict, seeking out any radio show, magazine or journal discussing new books. Only in the last year has climate change become the primary context of discussion. Whether the books are about science, history, or even the arts, at some point the commentator will ask, “so what does this mean for climate change?” Or, “does this book make us think differently about our relation to nature?” The link may be tenuous, but there seems an expectation that this context must be acknowledged. It is through culture that a society represents itself to itself, and society chose a new metaframe in 2009: we are a people concerned for the planet.

 

What context will be used to make sense of events through the 2010s? Should climate change be the frame through which we understand the rise of China or a transformation of our economies? Will politics in 2020 still be about securing what we have and making us ‘resilient’ to imagined future threats? And can we explain the struggle to define the context of our times rather than just explain how politics works within that context? Old questions, new times, best wishes all for 2010.