2016. New Research Areas and Approaches

International Conference ‘Comparative Media Studies in Today’s World: New Research Areas and Approaches’
April 20, 2016

within the 55th International Scientific Forum ‘Media in the Modern World’ (April 20-22, 2016)

The 4th International conference ‘Comparative Media Studies in Today’s World’ will take place at School of Journalism and Mass Communications, St.Petersburg State University, Russia, on April 20, 2016. In previous years, the conference has become a gathering point for scholars interested in the leading media research from all over the world; this year, it aspires to break through conventions in comparative media studies.

In 2016, the focus of the conference is upon new and under-developed areas in comparative media research, as well as new methodologies of their exploration. Recently, the basic domains of comparative media studies have been contested by growing criticism towards classic media effects research, de-westernization studies, and inquiries to previously under-researched social milieus and geographical locations, to name just a few. The conference, being this year seemingly broad in its scope, clearly aims at gathering new research ideas that expand the mainstream media research and illuminate new zones of possible comparative studies.

The format of the conference is mixed – traditionally, it unites carefully selected invited speakers and researchers applying via call in equal proportions. In 2013 to 2015, the guest speakers of the conference were Paolo Mancini (Italy), Katrin Voltmer (UK), Thomas Hanitzsch (Germany), Daya Thussu (UK) and others.

This year, confirmed key guests list includes:

Prof Larry Gross, Annenberg School for Communication, University of Southern California, USA

Prof Nico Carpentier, Uppsala University, Sweden

Prof Susanne Fengler, Technical University of Dortmund, Germany

Prof Elena Vartanova, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia

The structure of the conference will include a podium discussion, two keynote speeches and a number of research panels. The working language of the conference is English (with simultaneous translation into Russian provided). The conference is also included in the German Week in St.Petersburg and is supported by US and European consulates and foundations.

Call for applications:

In 2016, we welcome papers of comparative stance focusing mainly (but not exclusively) on the following areas/topics/approaches:

Theory and methods:

Media systems research: definitions, country-level comparisons, and going beyond the nation state

De-westernization of comparative media research: theory and practice

Newest developments in the quantitative, qualitative, mixed, and big data methodologies in the application to comparative media studies

Area studies:

Media, media systems and media audiences in African, Latin American, and Asian countries in comparative perspective

Post-Soviet media in non-conventional perspectives: back-to-bipolarism, BRICS, Eastern European and other research agendas

Please submit an abstract of 350 to 400 words in English to applicationspbu@gmail.com by February 25, 2016. Please state ‘Conference 2016’ as the title of the letter.

The applicants will be informed of the selection results not later than March 1, 2016.

Visa invitations will be issued not later than March 15, 2016.

PROGRAM

OPENING OF THE CONFERENCE

9.00 – 9.15 – Welcome speeches

9.15 – 10.30 – Podium discussion ‘The role of academic journals in today’s media science’

Participants:

Larry Gross (University of Southern California, USA)

Susanne Fengler (Technical University of Dortmund, Germany)

Nico Carpentier (Uppsala University, Sweden)

Anna Litvinenko (St.Petersburg State University, Russia – Freie Universität Berlin, Gеrmany)

Moderator: Svetlana Bodrunova (SPbU)

10.30 – 11.00 – coffee break

11.00 – 11.45 – Keynote speech. Larry Gross (USA). Lessons from a Half Century of Media Research

11.45 – 12.30 – Keynote speech. Nico Carpentier (Sweden). Comparing what and how? Nomadic research as an alternative for comparative studies

PANEL DISCUSSION

12.30 – 14.00 – Panel 1. Comparative media research: beyond Euro-Atlantics

Moderator: Dmitry Gavra (SPbU)

Discussant: Larry Gross (USC)

Kaarle Nordenstreng (Finland)

BRICS as a catalyst of rethinking media systems

Gelya Filatkina (Russia)

Political leadership and media in Latin America

Bettina Haasen (Germany)

Applying Bourdieu’s concept of habitus to the case of journalism in Burundi in times of conflict

Florian Meissner (Germany)

Journalism and disasters from a cultural perspective. A comparative reflection of German and Japanese media reporting of 'Fukushima

14.00 – 15.00 – Lunch break

15.00 – 16.30 – Panel 2. Comparing democracies and non-democracies: the art of possible

Moderator: Kamilla Nigmatullina (SPbU)

Discussant: Dirk-Claas Ulrich (Tech Uni Dortmund)

Susanne Fengler (Germany)

Coverage of the Ukrainian conflict in 13 countries: how and why Russia stands out

Jan Miessler (Czech Republic – Hong Kong)

Trajectories of media landscapes and their comparative analysis: a conflictual approach

Kristyna Vyslouzilova (Czech Republic)

Measuring audience satisfaction with public service media: A way to increase public engagement?

Natan Cutietta (USA)

Cold war of commenting?

16.30 – 18.00 – Panel 3. Russia within comparative research frameworks: methods and results

Moderator: Anna Smoliarova (SPbU)

Discussant: Elena Vartanova (MSU)

Anna Litvinenko (Russia – Germany)

Mapping comment sections in Post-Soviet countries: methodology and first results

Svetlana Bodrunova (Russia)

Are migranty all the same? Attitudes to the re-settlers from post-Soviet South in Russian blogs and how they were detected

Sergey Davydov, Olga Logunova (Russia)

The project ‘Index of digital literacy’: methodological experiments and comparative results

Marina Shilina (Russia)

Changing the newest media models in data journalism: global vs. Russian approaches and methodologies

18.00 – 19.30 – Dinner for the conference participants

Some of the conference speakers will also give guest lectures, plenary speeches, and seminars within and around the 55th International Forum ‘Media in Modern World’ (April 20-22, 2016), of which this conference is a part.

Download Conference 2016 SPbU program