[csaa-forum] PhD positions at the Institute of Communication Studies and Journalism at Charles University (Prague)

Nico CARPENTIER nico.carpentier at fsv.cuni.cz
Sat Jan 13 23:44:46 ACST 2024




((apologies for cross-posting))

CALL FOR CANDIDATES FOR THE PHD PROJECTS 2024
https://iksz.fsv.cuni.cz/en/admissions/phd-programme-media-and-communication-studies/call-candidates-phd-projects-2024

The Institute of Communication Studies and Journalism at the Faculty of 
Social Sciences of the Charles University in Prague calls for candidates 
for the following PhD projects (each supported by a scholarship), for 
its English-language PhD programme in Media and Communication Studies:


1. Popular creativity and class: „the bizarre“ and „the new low“ as 
mediated practices of cultural prosumption on the internet

The Internet and social media platforms have become popular venues for 
promoting hobby and DIY practices, which have garnered attention for 
their questionable cultural, aesthetic, or practical quality, and have 
been referred to as "the internet bizarre" or "the new low." This 
project will examine these artifacts and their associated commentaries 
on social networks, focusing on the cultural hierarchies reflected in 
judgments of works of popular creativity. The research problem will be 
best approached theoretically through the lens of Pierre Bourdieu's 
Social theory, specifically analysis of the intersection of taste 
(cultural capital) and class. The methodology will be grounded in 
qualitative methods, particularly virtual ethnography and interviews 
with popular creatives who publish their crafts on social networks.

Proposed supervisor: Irena Reifová, irena.reifova at fsv.cuni.cz


2. Constructing history on social media

The aim of this PhD position is to explore how history is constructed by 
communication on social media. Examples therefore could be narratives 
about historical facts or events (also anniversaries of historical 
events), how they are constructed by different social groups and for 
which purpose different pictures of history are constructed. The 
research should focus on critical inquiry of online communication from 
an interdisciplinary perspective. Connected topics, such as how 
historical places that might have turned to museums or places of 
remembrance use social media to promote their messages, will also be 
considered.

Proposed supervisor: Christine Trültzsch-Wijnen, 
christine.trultzsch-wijnen at fsv.cuni.cz


3. Perceptions of European identity

The aim of this is to focus on actual perceptions of Europe, European 
Union and European identity. This might also be connected to perceptions 
of home and nationality as an addition or contradiction to a European 
identity. The research will look into media artifacts which are 
produced, shared and discussed, online and beyond. It can be connected 
to various social fields (e.g. culture, education, politics, activism 
etc.). The research should be interdisciplinary in nature and might be 
grounded in discourse theory, cultural studies, semiotics, and beyond.

Proposed supervisor: Christine Trültzsch-Wijnen, 
christine.trultzsch-wijnen at fsv.cuni.cz


4. Post-structuralist Communication Studies

Post-structuralism has slowly entered the field of Communication and 
Media Studies, offering a series of relevant theoretical frameworks for 
the theoretical and empirical study of communication. This PhD position 
is for PhD students who focus on one of the many post-structuralist 
frameworks, e.g., Laclau and Mouffe’s discourse theory or Foucauldian 
discourse theory, to support the research into a particular 
communication assemblage or into particular representational practices. 
While in this PhD position the theoretical framework needs to be 
post-structuralism, the object of study can be freely chosen.

Proposed supervisor: Nico Carpentier, nico.carpentier at fsv.cuni.cz


5. Analyzing the Impact of Strategic Communication on Public Health in 
the Czech Republic: A Mixed-Methods Approach

This PhD position aims to investigate the effectiveness of strategic 
communication in influencing public health behavior in the Czech 
Republic. Utilizing both quantitative and qualitative methods, the 
research will examine contemporary communication strategies used in 
public health campaigns. The project will include a comprehensive survey 
to quantify public awareness and behavioral changes in response to these 
campaigns. In-depth interviews and focus groups will qualitatively 
explore individual perceptions and attitudes towards these 
communications. Special attention will be given to the role of digital 
media in disseminating health information. This project, requiring prior 
consultation with a PhD supervisor, seeks to provide valuable insights 
into how strategic communication can be optimized for public health 
promotion in the Czech context. Proficient knowledge of both Czech and 
English language is a condition for this research project due to the 
study of local language materials.

Proposed supervisor: Denisa Hejlová, denisa.hejlova at fsv.cuni.cz


6. Marketing communication and tobacco control

The Department of Marketing Communication and Public Relations welcomes 
Czech or international scholars focusing on primary research in tobacco 
control from the standpoint of marketing and strategic communication 
(e.g. research of new strategies and tactics employed by tobacco 
companies, targeting customers, online and social media marketing, 
stealth marketing, lobbying, public affairs, influencer marketing, 
etc.). Our goal is to analyze and present marketing and communication 
strategies and tactics by the tobacco industry which prevent consumers 
from tobacco or nicotine cessation and undermine public health. We 
especially focus on campaigns or tools aimed at adolescents and youth, 
incl. new forms of tobacco or nicotine products (HTP, pouches, vapes, 
etc.). Close cooperation with the Addictology Dept. of 1st Medical 
Faculty, Charles University, is needed.

Proposed supervisor: Denisa Hejlová, denisa.hejlova at fsv.cuni.cz


7. Social constructions of democracy

This PhD position involves research that explores how democracy is 
socially constructed, through its representations, contestations and 
reconfigurations, and how the struggles pertaining to democracy may 
intersect with claims to freedom, equality and social justice, but also 
with conflict, violence and war.

Projects in this thematic area are expected to be grounded in social 
constructionist/ poststructuralist paradigmatic approaches, embedded in 
the broad fields of discourse studies, cultural studies and related fields.

The research can be located in a variety of societal fields, such as 
media, culture and politics, but the proposals should clearly demarcate 
the area of research.

Proposed supervisor: Vaia Doudaki, vaia.doudaki at fsv.cuni.cz


8. Decolonizing Environmental Communication

In the latest decade, Environmental Communication emerged as an `urgent` 
sub-field in communication studies inquiring, among other things, how 
representations of nature play a central role in the shaping of 
socio-ecological settings. Critical approaches to EC are needed to 
investigate structural power asymmetries often underestimated in this 
emerging field of studies. This doctoral position is open to candidates 
aiming at deconstructing the coloniality of power and knowledge embedded 
in the representation and communication of the environment in media and 
institutional communication practices. Potential materials to be 
analyzed are national mainstream media outlets, promotional campaigns of 
national parks, tourist sectors, patrimonialization of plants and 
agrarian practices, food industry and discourses of food authenticity, 
and communication of environmental crises such as climate change, 
wildfire and invasive species management.

Proposed Supervisor: Gerardo Costabile Nicoletta, 
gerardo.nicoletta at fsv.cuni.cz


9. The Influence of Persuasion and Communication in Food Decisions

The detailed objective of the project must be agreed upon with the 
supervisor in advance. In general, this project aims to explore 
experimentally what factors influence people's short and long-term food 
preferences. This objective can be fulfilled by focusing on the research 
of the supply (communication of restaurants, lifestyle magazines, or 
influencers) and the demand (psychological mechanisms of how we make 
food decisions and what contextual factors play a role). The project's 
methodology will correspond to the specific objective chosen, but 
experimental evidence is preferred.

Supervisor: Petr Houdek, petr.houdek at fsv.cuni.cz

10. The Art of Persuasion and Political Skills: An Intra-organisational 
Study

This dissertation project concerns research on persuasion within 
organizations (and groups of people in general). The research aims to 
identify the factors of organizational politics - at the individual and 
organizational level - that hinder the implementation of measures that 
can increase organizational effectiveness, ethicality, or sustainability 
(or other prosocial goals). Subsequently, the aim will be to design 
interventions that would enhance effective political skills. Laboratory 
and field experiments are preferred, but different approaches can also 
be used.

Supervisor: Petr Houdek, petr.houdek at fsv.cuni.cz

+++++

Interested candidates should submit their applications, using the online 
application system, which will be open from 1st January to 30th April 
2024. Interest in a particular PhD project should be mentioned in the 
motivation letter, together with a more developed proposal on the PhD 
project.

All relevant information, including the link to the online application 
system, can be found at here: 
https://fsv.cuni.cz/en/admissions/phd-programmes/media-and-communication-studies

Please download the form for filling your dissertation project proposal: 
https://iksz.fsv.cuni.cz/en/admissions/phd-programme-media-and-communication-studies/how-apply

For general questions, please contact the Centre of PhD Studies, at 
cds.iksz at fsv.cuni.cz.

For questions about particular projects, please contact the proposed 
supervisors.

The Open Doors Day for PhD Study in Media and Communication Studies 
Studies will take place on February 21, 2024 at 12:30 PM CET. It will be 
organised online. If you wish to participate, please email the Centre of 
PhD Studies, at cds.iksz at fsv.cuni.cz, asap.



-- 
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Nico Carpentier
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Web: http://nicocarpentier.net/
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Power & Gardens,
Tecmerin: Journal of Audiovisual Essays, 12, 2023(2).
https://tecmerin.uc3m.es/project/power-and-gardens/?lang=en
----------------------------
Conceptualization of Change,
with Kristýna Kop ivová and Vaia Doudaki,
Journal of Science and Technology of the Arts, 15(1)
https://revistas.ucp.pt/index.php/jsta/article/view/11674
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Charles University
Institute of Communication Studies and Journalism
Smetanovo nábřeží 6, 110 01 Praha 1, Czech Republic
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International Association for Media and Communication Research
http://iamcr.org/
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SQRIDGE ngo
An intersection of academia and arts
http://www.sqridge.org/
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Tallinn University
Baltic Film, Media and Arts School
https://www.tlu.ee/en/bfm
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The Commlist
http://commlist.org/
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Web: http://nicocarpentier.net/
E-mail (CharlesU): nico.carpentier at fsv.cuni.cz
FB: nico.carpentier.3
Mastodon: @nicocarpentier at sciences.social
Room (CharlesU): Hollar building Room 118
Phone (CharlesU): +420 222 112 231
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