SILCC 2012: Language and Culture Data: Methods and Applications

SEPTEMBER 17-21, 2012, Izmir

The third series of lectures and workshops within the IP “Language and Culture Data: Methods and Applications”, coordinated by the University of Lodz, in collaboration with the University of Savoie, Chemnitz University of Technology, and Ege University, is meant to explore the dialectics of culture and (mass)mediated communication, along with both challenges and prospects that technology, in particular in the form of new media, offers to audiences in globalized and mediatized world. Like the two previous editions of the IP, the 2012 programme sets as its objectives: theoretical and methodological advancement in research on the interface of language, culture, and communication, the development and implementation of an integrated teaching curriculum, enhancement of research collaboration and academic/professional mobility, and the creation of the platform for multi-dimensional cooperation between universities and other institutions in the public sphere working with cultural artifacts and communication (e.g. mass media, museums, etc.)

The 2012 IP will focus on three thematic areas:

• communication over the centuries - signs and meanings
• cultural artifacts, technological tools and communication systems
• traditional and new media in interpersonal/intercultural communication, education, and entertainment.

Organized in Izmir, known for its rich historical and cultural heritage, the IP will use the resources of Ege University and its research and teaching expertise in communication and media studies. The project is directed at advanced MA and PhD students intending to explore the interface of culture and communication in the EU and non-EU context, and apply this knowledge and skills in their academic and professional setting. The IP will employ a variety of teachingmethods and techniques: lectures, workshops, seminars, hands-on sessions (on photography and documentarymaking), student presentations,mini-projects and eld trips. On completion of the IP, the students who pass the nal test and submit the work required will be granted 6 ECTS. The participants will also be exposed to state-of-the-art ICT environment implemented on an e-learning platform.

The outputs of the project will include videoed
lectures and workshops, new integrated curriculum for teaching communication and culture, student mini-projects, website
and e-learning platform (continued from year 1 and 2), and media corpus.

The envisaged learning outcomes encompass a better understanding of the development of communication over the centuries, acquiring new skills in interpreting, evaluating, and creating cultural artifacts and greater efciency in using new media and technological tools while collecting, analyzing and documenting language and culture data in the mass-mediated context. All activities within the IP will be documented on the www.silcc.pl and www.tu-chemnitz.de/phil/english/ling/silcc websites.

S: Project management: “Languages and Cultures in Contact / in Contrast” (SILCC)
Blockseminar First meeting: July 15th, 2012, 9-10 a.m. Heizhaus; second meeting: July 24th; third meeting: August 27th 4.30 in room Rh39/233

This seminar started with 2 block seminars in SS 2012 and ends with 2 block seminars in WS 2012/13. MA students will take part in an international summer school in Izmir (Turkey) in September 2012, where Turkish, French, Polish and German university teachers and their students will discuss issues related to “Languages & Cultures”.

Project management is the art of planning, organizing and managing resources to bring about the successful completion of specific project goals and objectives (cf. Wikipedia). A project is a finite endeavour (having specific start and completion dates) undertaken to create a unique product or service which brings about beneficial change or added value. The aim of this project is to prepare, carry out and document a conference on "Languages & Cultures”. The first two meeting will deal with project management (incl. a Gantt chart) in general and with reviewing, editing and lay-outing a pre-conference volume.

• to plan a complex project with international partners (in a tight collaborative time/manpower framework),
• to fulfill individual culture-specific tasks during the intensive seminar in Izmir,
• to prepare a presentation during the intensive seminar in international groups,
• to establish and maintain a project website, including a blog, and
• to establish and maintain communication between project members and the general public.

Students participate in the seminars and conference and present two "project products" as project work, an oral evaluation (recorded in the minutes) as part of the conference and a written web version of their conference contributions afterwards.

• Facebook
• Prep projects:
  English in Turkey: Business and Universities (Annabel)
  Teaching English in Turkish universities (pre-study and BA/MA/PhD), esp. Ege/Izmir (Lisann)
  Turkish writing/pronunciation and related features of English learners (Diana)
  Turkish typologically: principles (and related English learning problems) and basic phrases/wordlists (Eugen)
  Turkish newspapers (and bloggs?) in English as a basis for Turkish English lexicography (Sven)
  Turkish food as culture (and translation problems) (Jessica)
  Izmir/Ege culture tourism and related translation problems (Vanessa)
   
• Twiki project page
• Official Programme
• http://silcc.pl/