TABLE OF CONTENTS

• NEWS
  • Constant Capture: Visibility, Civil Liberties, and Global Security 
    
  • "What the World Needs Now" March 2006 Series
    
• PROGRAMS AND SCHOLARSHIP
  • Asian Film Series/Discussion Group Continues at UWM
  • Second International Conference on Social and Organizational Informatics and Cybernetics
  • February-May:  Noches Latinas - Latin Music Performance Series
    
  • International Focus:  Upcoming Shows
    
  • Center for Celtic Studies - Spring 2006 Event Calendar Announced
  • Spring 2006 Great Decisions Series
  • February 28:  Abstracts due for Public Spheres and Their Boundaries:  An International Conference
    
  • March 1:  Escape from Iran
    
  • March 1:  Student Applications due for Divided Societies Course
  • March 3:  Student Paper Abstracts due for Conference on Youth and Conflict
  • March 6:  Brown Bag on Public Conversations Project
    
  • March 6, 7 and 9:  Brazilian Carnaval
  • March 8:  International Women’s Day Symposium
    
  • March 10:  Cross-Cultural Simulation
    
  • March 15:  Call for Chapters:  Globalization and Communicative Democracy -- Community Media in the 21st Century
    
  • March 20:  Abstracts due for WPCC
    
  • March 24:  Abstracts due for Internationalising Media Studies Conference
  • March 31:  Applications due for LLI Institutes
    
  • April 1:  Paper Proposals due for Wisconsin Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies 22nd Annual Conference
  • April 14:  Paper and Poster Proposals due for Second International Conference on Concept Mapping
  • April 15:  Essays due for Peace Review
    
  • April 20:  Kennan Forum
    
  • April 22 - May 1:  Asian Film Festival
    
  • April 27:  Submissions due for E-Learn 2006
    
  • Call for Papers: The Journal for the Study of Peace and Conflict
  • Call for Papers: Accountability, Responsibility, and Integrity in Development
• GRANTS, FELLOWSHIPS, INTERNSHIPS & AWARDS
  • March 1:  Applications due for Budapest Semester Abroad and MA Program
• FEATURED WEB SITES
  • Migration Policy Institute
  • World War II Military Situation Maps  
    
  • National Climatic Data Center  
    
  • Measuring Linguistic Diversity on the Internet
  • Peace Corps Writers
    

• How have visual media and imaging technologies been deployed for security purposes in both national and global contexts and how have they been used to promote individual and social freedom?
  
• Are global security and civil liberty opposed? Complementary? Incommensurable?
  
• Do policies relating to global security hinder or facilitate the emergence of a global civil society?
  
• What role might media and technology play in imagining and visualizing, dramatizing, enacting such a global civil society?
  
• Is such a global society even desirable?
  
• Shouldn't local struggles unfold at the local level or are they embedded in wider struggles?
  
• In an ambiguous age of globalization, how to keep such struggles local or, conversely, how best to network them together?
  

• February 23
  
  • Abraxas (Latin rock)
• March 30
  
  • Bahía (traditional Puerto Rican)
  • 4-K-Torce (Dominican bachata)
• April 20    
  
  • Jeno Somlai (Latin jazz)
  • Hector Rodriguez y su Orquesta Isla Adentro (salsa)
• May 25   
  
  • Cache featuring Ramón Velez on vocals (Latin jazz)
  • Punto De Vista (salsa)

• March 5: "World Affairs Roundup"
  

• Niall Hartnett Photography Exhibit
  • Opens February 3, 2006 at the Irish Cultural Center
  • Niall Hartnett, 34, is an Irish-born photographer and writer who lives in Monticello, Indiana.  He is the son of acclaimed poet, Michael Hartnett.  His forthcoming book, Notes from His Contemporaries, will be published in the summer of 2006.  The book serves as a tribute to his father and includes memoirs, anecdotes, poems and interviews with his father’s contemporaries including Seamus Heaney, Nuala Ni Dhomhnail, and our own James Liddy.  For his book, Niall photographed a plethora of poets.  In fact, most noted Irish poets of the last 30 years are included.  Using a combination of high digital and old tech medium format film, Hartnett has produced a unique record of the Irish literary world.  These photos form the exhibition, which we are proud to host at the Irish Cultural Heritage Center, 2133 W. Wisconsin Ave. Milwaukee, WI.  There will be an opening reception with Niall Hartnett at 7pm on Friday February 3, 2006.  The exhibition will be the venue for a program of readings and visiting poets in February and March as part of our annual Liddy Chair celebration.
    
    
• St. David’s Day Event - March 1, 2006
  
  • This year we will be celebrating St. David’s Day, the Welsh National Holiday, with a special event at the Hefter Center.  There will be a reception with Welsh delicacies at 6:30pm followed by a presentation by Henry Jones Davis, editor of Cambria magazine, Grand Marshall of the St. David’s Day parade in the Welsh capital Cardiff and noted Welsh scholar and historian.  This will be followed by a short concert of Welsh folk songs by Welsh tenor Geraint Wilkes.  For more information call the Center for Celtic Studies at (414) 299-6520.
    
    
• Speaker Angela Bourke from Ireland
  • Tuesday, March 14, 2006 at 7pm at the Hefter Center.
    • Angela Bourke is a Senior Lecturer in Irish at the University College in Dublin, National University of Ireland.  She has been a visiting professor at Harvard University, the University of Minnesota and Notre Dame, and writes, lectures, and broadcasts regularly on Irish oral tradition and literature.  An expert in Irish folklore, she is the author of a short-story collection, By Salt Water, and The Burning of Bridget Cleary, an acclaimed study of the impact of the folk tradition on a people who are experiencing the onset of modernity in Ireland.  She is also the author of a critically praised biography of the enigmatic Maeve Brennan, the Irish-born New Yorker journalist.  This event will take place at the Hefter Center on Tuesday, March 14 with a reception at 6:30 and Angela’s presentation at 7pm.  Don’t miss this opportunity to meet and hear a brilliant contemporary Irish author and scholar.  The Hefter Center is located at 3271 N. Lake Drive. 

• Eight-Lecture Series General Public Fee:  $70 (includes Great Decisions Book, $15 value)
• Basic IWA Member and UWM Community (Faculty and Staff) Series Fee:  $35 (Also includes Great Decisions book)
• Individual Programs:  $8 General Public, $4 IWA Basic Members and UWM Community (Faculty and Staff)
• Students and IWA Premium Members:  Free
  

• Internships – Competitive placements with top sites in DC
• Classes – Up to 9 transferable credits from Georgetown University
• Housing – Furnished on-campus apartments in the heart of DC
• Scholarships – Over half of all students receive full or partial funding
• Networking – Numerous opportunities for professional growth
• Leadership Development - Leadership and career building activities
• Site Briefings – Students hear from national leaders at places such as The White House, State Department, House of Representatives, and the Federal Reserve.
  

• Politics and Economics
• Journalism
• Business and Government Affairs
• Nonprofit and Community Service

Course and Conference on Divided Societies
Inter-University Center, Dubrovnik, Croatia
April 18-28, 2006

The conference, now in its ninth year, is a two-week, interdisciplinary course that combines conference-oriented presentation of scholarly research with an intensive and rigorous academic curriculum for graduate and advanced undergraduate students.  In addition, the course offers personal inter-cultural experience of students and faculty from other cultures in the unforgettable setting of a city that was itself the target of a destructive societal conflict.  The broad theme of "The Challenge of Institution-Building" will serve as the organizing principle of the research and teaching for the 2006 course.

Course: Divided Societies IX: The Challenge of Institution Building for societies facing sharp internal divisions and the uncertain transition from one regime-type to another, one of the most commonly prescribed solutions is the development of stable, valued, recurring patterns of behavior, a process known as institutionalization.  This course focuses on opportunities for institutionalization, the relative benefits and dangers of particular institutional patterns, the means for overcoming forces that undermine or discourage institutional development, and the circumstances in which institutionalization may actually contribute to conflict.  The course will focus specifically on the following institutional realms:

• European Union enlargement and deepening, with specific reference to efforts to draft a constitution and remedy the so-called democratic deficit;
• International legal structures, such as the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, as they relate to the building and strengthening of national-level institutions;
• Other supra-national institutions, including NATO and the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe;
• National-level institutions including constitutional design, electoral system design, minority rights regimes, political parties and party systems;
• Non-governmental institutions including local, national and international non-governmental organizations.
  

Call for Papers:  Conference on Youth and Conflict, April 14-15, 2006
Organized by the Peacebuilding & Development Institute at American University. Washington, DC

In conflict and disaster areas, youth are burdened with increasing responsibility in their community while receiving little support or recognition from adults.  In such situations, young people are faced with difficult choices in their struggle to survive and often mobilize themselves in a variety of ways.  And therefore, these dynamic situations reflect the strengths and abilities that young people possess and are faced with on a daily basis.  Their actions are being recognized, increasingly, by practitioners today, but are not thoroughly incorporated into the mainstream discussions.  

This call for papers will provide a platform to expand the dialogue to include old and new approaches to youth issues in conflict zones. It will also provide opportunities for the next generation of scholars and practitioners to think critically about this field. The subsequent conference will be a unique opportunity to present recent work and to discuss current ideas and research on youth and conflict, especially by students and young people.

Topics of interest for submission include:

Youth and violence:

• How and why are young people pulled into conflict?
• Why do most young people choose not to get involved in armed conflict or engage in violence?
• Youth Contributions to Peacebuilding:
  • In what ways have young people responded constructively to conflict?
  • What have youth groups or dynamic young individuals done to promote peace in
  • Conflict zones and what could be done in the future? (at geopolitical, intra-community, family, and inter-personal levels)
• Relationship between Conflict and Youth -- How do the following factors force young people into conflict and how are these factors exacerbated by conflict?  
  • Youth livelihood
  • Separation from Family and Loss of Parents
  • Disruption or Lack of Education
  • Poor Health
  • Displacement
  • Gender-based violence
• Relationship between Policy and Practice --  International norms and practice relating to youth as they contribute to or influence conflict:
  • Domestic abuse
  • Trafficking of youth and vulnerable populations
  • Labor Exploitation
  • Political Violence
  • Legal Protection of Young People in Conflict Zones

Please send a 2-3 page abstract to PDIevents@american.edu  Include the contact information cover sheet that is found on our website. The deadline for the abstract is Friday March 3, 2006.  PDI will contact approved applicants for full papers.

Research papers submitted should be original contributions.  Please clearly indicate if the work is under consideration by another publisher.  Submissions will be read by 2-3 outside reviewers. The following types of submissions will be considered:

• Critical case studies, or
• Thematic discussion and analysis of topics listed above. 
  

There is a 15-20 page maximum, including references and endnotes.  All selected papers and presentations at the conference will be compiled into an edited volume for publication. Please contact PDI at 1-202-885-2014 or 1-202-885-2112 with questions.

The Peacebuilding & Development Institute (PDI) provides cutting-edge training, research, and capacity-building opportunities in the fields of development, humanitarian assistance, diplomacy, and conflict resolution.

For more information about PDI visit:  http://www.american.edu/sis/peacebuilding

Brown-Bag with Laura Chasin of the Public Conversations Project
Monday March 6, 2006 at  12:30-2:00 pm in Garland Hall 104

Laura Chasin who is co-founder of the Public Conversations Project (http://www.publicconversations.org).

Public Conversations helps people with fundamental disagreements over divisive issues develop the mutual understanding and trust essential for strong communities and positive action. Their mission is to foster a more inclusive, empathic and collaborative society by promoting constructive conversations and relationships among those who have differing values, world views, and positions about divisive public issues.

• Samba Dance Lessons
  • Wear your dancing shoes and get ready to move your body.
  • Tuesday, March 6 at 7 PM
  • Union Ballroom 
• Carnaval Mask Making
  • Create your own carnaval mask to bring to the Carnaval celebration.
  • Tuesday, March 7 at 7-9 PM
  • Union Concourse
• Carnaval Celebration with Chicago Samba  
  • The music of carnaval and dancing! Chicago Samba dancers and a costume contest will add extra fun to the evening.
  • Thursday, March 9 at 7-10 PM
  • Union Ballroom

For more information on all of the above events, contact Union Programming at 414-229-3728.

International Women’s Day Symposium: Healthy Women Make a Healthy
Wednesday, March 8 at 7 pm in Engelmann Hall 105

Speaker Tijuana A. James-Traore is the President of Global Health & Enterprise Group. She will speak about how healthy women are better able to care for their children and families, as well as contribute to the educational and economic success of their communities.

Call for Papers: International Conference on Comparative Social Sciences
Tokyo, Sophia University
July 15-16, 2006

While comparative social sciences have long enjoyed a tradition of insightful work, in recent years, a set of methodological innovations, including qualitative comparative analysis and a fuzzy-set approach, has introduced new stimuli. At the same time, with a the phenomenon of globalization, cross-national comparative work increasingly faces the age-old problem of the unit of comparison. Future development of comparative social sciences, which continue to be among the most exciting and hotly debated academic sites, lies in a fruitful exchange between methodological innovations and new conceptualization of the phenomena under investigation.

In this conference, scholars, researchers and students gather from diverse comparative disciplines to discuss innovative methods and stimulating substantive work. We believe such exchange should help us renew our interest in comparative research and guide us to further research activities that will in the future bring intellectual stimulation and innovation, as well as solutions to substantive problems.

Sociology, Political Science, Legal Sciences, History, and all other areas of the social sciences are invited. Graduate students as well as experienced scholars and researchers are encouraged to apply.

Papers discussed in the conference will include:

• Comparative Procedures: Principles and Methods of Comparison; Innovative Applications of Comparative Techniques and Procedures; etc.
• Substantive/Empirical Comparative Work: Cross-National, Cross-Regional Work; Case Study Research; Comparison of Cases across Time; etc.
  

Detailed information has been posted on the official conference pages:

• http://www.geocities.jp/comparativesciences/top.html.
  

In particular, precise information has been posted with regards to the procedure and deadlines for paper and abstract submissions (see "Abstract Submission" page). Please note that there are 2 different deadlines (February 15, 2006 and May 15, 2006).

Public Spheres and Their Boundaries:  An International Conference
University of Tampere, May 25-27, 2006
Despite the volumes of research and reflection on "mediatization", the notion of "public sphere" has proven persistent. In one sense this is due to the fact that the 'public' and speaking for a public and thus in the name of a public is an implicit aspect of all mass media. The problem of a "public" (or questions concerning the functions and ideals of public
spheres) has been constitutive for the whole idea of mass mediated communication. The fundamental notions and problems embedded in the concept of public sphere (such as representation, recognition, reason, and reasonability) cannot and should not be bypassed. The purpose of the conference is to look at a diverse set of perspectives through the focus provided by theoretizations concerning public spheres. The perspectives and developments challenging the notion of public spheres include (but are not limited to):

• Perspectives emerging from the notion of 'culture' as it has been applied and developed within the cultural studies tradition. How do such concepts as "representation", "identity" or "meaning" help us to understand the functioning of late modern public spheres? What forms of publicness are cultivated by current genres, formats and styles of popular culture and by the contexts in which these cultural forms gain their everyday meaning? How do our theories of public sphere and rational dialogue survive the challenges represented by multiculturalism, the pressures of pleasure or the consumer positions cultivated by computer games?
• A particularly forceful and important challenge for idea and theory about the "public sphere" has emerged from the feminist theory. Already in its first articulations, this perspective challenged the suggested "universality" of the rationality of public sphere(s).
• Perspectives informed by various observations concerning internationalization, political-economic globalization and/or the weakening of the nation states. How has the theory of publics and public spheres been operationalized in the context of nation states, their political apparatuses and the political cultures of "national imagined communities"?
• Are there any signs of genuinely global public spheres? What are their characteristics? What are the economic and political (structural) conditions and forces enhancing such practices?
• Contributions inspired by the digitalization and the emergence of network infrastructures and possibilities of interaction. Technological advancements have led to discourses on "convergence" and new, heightened "multimodality" or varying affordances of different media (systems). Have our theoretizations around the notion of public sphere been too much shaped by theories of verbal, especially written, language? If so, what sort of "dialogue" of visual images we are witnessing and should be expect in future? What is the "sensibility" of our theories of the public sphere?
• Perspectives which take cue from new forms of political and social citizen activity. This strand combines some of the technological and cultural inspiration of the debate with more traditional questions of political and social theory. How does the possibly two-way communication change the possible relations and roles of public deliberation? What kind of citizenship becomes possible in these new media environments and from what sort of resources does it draw?

Abstracts for papers and presentations (max 300 words) should be sent both to risto.kunelius@uta.fi and kaarina.nikunen@uta.fi.  Deadline for abstracts is February 28, 2006. Applicants will be notified by May 15, 2006.  Further inquiries should be directed to risto.kunelius@uta.fi

Conference keynote speaker is professor Craig Calhoun (New York University).

Craig Calhoun has been President of the Social Science Research Council since 1999. He is also University Professor of the Social Sciences at NYU.  His empirical research has ranged from Britain and France to China and three different African countries. His books include Neither Gods Nor Emperors: Students and the Struggle for Democracy in China (California, 1994), Nationalism (Minnesota, 1997), Critical Social Theory: Culture, History, and the Challenge of Difference (Blackwell, 1995). He has also edited several collections including Habermas and the Public Sphere (MIT, 1992), Hannah Arendt and the Meaning of Politics (Minnesota, 1997), Understanding September 11th (New Press, 2002), and Lessons of Empire (New Press, 2005).

The conference will be organized by the newly founded cross-disciplinary Tampere Centre for Media and Cultural Studies (TACS). The responsible organizers are professors Pertti Alasuutari (Sociology), Risto Kunelius (Journalism and Mass Communication) and Mikko Lehtonen (Media Culture).

Film Screening: Escape from Iran: The Hollywood Option
Wednesday, March 1 5:00-6:30 PM in Pearse Hall 171

CIA agent Antonio Mendez, a master of disguise and espionage, receives word that he must formulate a plan to exfiltrate six American Embassy staff from Iran. Choosing the “Hollywood Option” he creates a phony film production company and disguises the six houseguests as Hollywood executives in an effort to smuggle them out of Iran in plain sight. (The Escape from Iran: The Hollywood Option, 2004, 47 mins)

Call for Chapters:  Globalization and Communicative Democracy -- Community Media in the 21st Century
Editor:  Kevin Howley, DePauw University
Deadline Extended:  March 15, 2006

Combining seminal work on the community and alternative media with new essays written by academics, activists, and community media workers, this volume offers new insights into the global struggle for communicative democracy from the perspective of local communities.

Organized thematically, this anthology examines the intersection between community media and issues of democratic theory and the public sphere, cultural politics and social movement theory, neoliberalism and media reform efforts, as well as media activism and international solidarity building.

This collection seeks to bring together scholars, activists and cultural critics from the field of media and cultural studies, development communication, political economy, sociology, anthropology, community informatics, and media literacy, among others, to examine community media from theoretical, empirical, and practitioner perspectives.  Historical and contemporary case studies are especially welcome. Possible topics include, but are not limited to the following:

• Community Media and Social Movements
• Media Activism and International Solidarity Efforts
• Community Media and/as Cultural Politics
• Media and Community Development Innovative
• Cultural Forms & Practices in Community Media
• Community Media & New Technologies
• NGOs and Community Media
• Communication Policy and the Public Interest
• Media Literacy, Pre-professional training and Community Media
• Tactical/Autonomous/Community Media Community
• Journalism and Investigative Reporting
• Community Media and Civil Society Local
• Cultural Production
• Indigenous Peoples' Media
• Media Reform, Media
• Activism and Community Media
• Community Media and Collective Memory
• Production and Distribution through Global Networks

"Globalization and Communicative Democracy" will be aimed at advanced undergraduate and graduate studies programs, as well as activists, community organizers and media workers.  Potential contributors should send a biographical sketch along with an extended abstract (1000-1200 words) to khowley@depauw.edu by March 15, 2006.  Inquiries regarding submissions should be sent to Kevin Howley at the same address.

Kevin Howley is author, most recently, of Community Media: People, Places, and Communication Technologies (Cambridge University Press, 2005).  Dr. Howley's work has appeared in the International Journal of Cultural Studies, Transformations, the Journal of Radio Studies, Ecumene, Journalism: Theory, Practice and Criticism, Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, and Social Movement Studies.

Call for Papers:  Westminster Papers in Communication and Culture (WPCC)
Volume 3, Number 3,  Autumn 2006
 “Narrations of Europe- Narrators of Europe”

The questions of “What constitutes Europe” and “Who is European” are not novel, neither is their significance. These much debated questions have been influential in shaping national histories both in and outside the contested frontiers of Europe. Indeed the growing tension around the different perspectives on multiculturalism, Islam, immigration and enlargement indicates the significance of this debate today.

Within this context the European Union occupies a crucial part in formulating, contesting and negotiating different conceptualisations of Europe. In this respect, it is not only an outcome of Europe’s efforts to define itself, but it also contributes to and shapes the idea of Europe. This is a relationship fraught as much with ambivalence, as with attempts to unite similarities and orchestrate differences. Therefore the key question remains whether and how the high-politics of the European Union will resonate with the cultures and identities of Europe at the domestic level.

To explore this question and the surrounding debates further, we would like to welcome contributions across a range of theoretical /methodological perspectives and presenting new empirical research.  Possible topics might include but are not limited to:

•    How do media disseminate different images/discourses of Europe? Between different national contexts, how do these resonate at a comparative level?
•    How does the European Union influence domestic policies and politics?
•    How useful is the concept of European identity? Can we trace its contours?
•    Who are the “others” of Europe? Perceptions of foreignness in Europe.
•    How significant is the European Union’s role in defining Europe? 
•    How do the discourses of globalization compete with discourses of Europeanization?

Applicants may submit abstracts of no more than 250 words to Burcu Sumer at burcus@gmail.com or to Aybige Yilmaz at aybigeyilmaz@yahoo.co.uk. The deadline for the submission of abstracts is March 20, 2006. For accepted articles the deadline of the submission will be July 10, 2006.

Westminster Papers in Communication and Culture (WPCC) is a peer-reviewed journal, published three times a year in hard copy and PDF format. WPCC recognises the interdisciplinary nature of the field of Media and Cultural Studies, and deliberately encourages diverse methods, contexts and themes. For more information about the WPCC and to view current issues, visit http://www.wmin.ac.uk/mad/page-880

September 15-16, 2006
University of Westminster, 309 Regent Street, London

Papers are invited for a major international conference organised by the Communication and Media Research Institute of the University of Westminster and supported by the new Sage journal Global Media and Communication.

The conference aims to be a significant intervention in the discipline of media studies. Recognising the need to broaden the parameters of research in an era of media globalization, the conference will provide a stimulating forum to discuss the internationalisation of the discipline. This has become as much an intellectual as a practical imperative, given the international profile of postgraduate and research students.

The conference will map the field of media studies as it enters its fourth decade in the UK and as an emerging area of academic enquiry in other countries. It will discuss the imperatives for internationalising media studies and how it might be achieved, while also being aware of impediments to internationalisation.

The University of Westminster, which pioneered the study of media in Britain, has played a leading role in the field nationally and internationally. While celebrating the valuable work done in the field of media research within the Western canon, the conference intends to extend the borders of media studies. It will endeavour to go beyond ‘de-westernising’ media discourses, avoiding the negative connotation, and deploying more inclusive, internationalist and comparative approaches.

Speakers to include:

•    Jesús Martín Barbero (Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá,Colombia)
•    Roger Silverstone (London School of Economics, UK)
•    Colin Sparks (University of Westminster, UK)
•    John D.H. Downing (Southern Illinois University, USA)
•    Tristan Mattelart (University of Paris II, France)
•    James Curran (Goldsmiths College, University of London, UK)
•    Bella Mody (University of Colorado, USA)
•    Daya Thussu (University of Westminster, UK)
•    Sandra Braman (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, USA)
•    Francis Nyamnjoh (CODESRIA, Senegal)
•    Yuezhi Zhao (Simon Fraser University, Canada)
•    Jan Ekecrantz (University of Stockholm, Sweden)
•    Terhi Rantanen (London School of Economics, UK)
•    Indrajit Banerjee (Secretary-General, AMIC, Singapore)
•    Oliver Boyd-Barrett (Bowling Green State University, USA)
•    Ingrid Volkmer (University of Otago, New Zealand)
•    Andrew Taussig (Formerly of the BBC World Service)

Papers – both theoretically oriented and/or empirically grounded - are invited on the theme of internationalising discourses and approaches to researching and studying media.  Topics might include:

•    Comparative media histories
•    Theorising media in an international framework
•    Studying global media cultures
•    Internationalising media curricula
•    Global media - global public sphere?
•    International media research: methods and methodologies
•    Analysing global media production and consumption
•    Transnational media flow and contra-flow

We are keen to promote a genuine intellectual exchange and therefore encourage contributions from different perspectives. Please send your abstracts (not more than 300 words) by March 24, 2006 to:

Dr Winston Mano

Department of Journalism and Mass Communication
School of Media, Arts and Design
University of Westminster
Harrow Campus, Watford Road
Northwick Park, Harrow HA1 3TP
UK
E-mail: winstonmano@yahoo.com

Or

Yael Friedman
School of Media, Arts and Design
University of Westminster
Harrow Campus, Watford Road
Northwick Park, Harrow HA1 3TP
UK
E-mail: yael_friedman@hotmail.com

Conference team:
Professor Daya Thussu, Dr Winston Mano, Yael Friedman, Gabriel Moreno, Anastasios Maragiannis and Erica Spindler.

Budapest Semester Abroad and MA Program
The Center for Media and Communication Studies (CMCS) provides a semester program aimed primarily for US and European law students interested in media and communications policy. In the semester program (offered only in fall), students remain enrolled at their home institution but spend an exciting semester in Budapest, engaging in the Program in "Media, Information and Telecommunication Policy" which is part of CEU's Public Policy Program and taking selected courses (including courses on EU law) from the gifted CEU faculty.  Students, after satisfying requirements, can receive up to 12 credits from their home institution.

With a highly structured semester, combining coursework on media and communication law and policy topics and research opportunities at the CMCS, the program will appeal to law students seeking to gain a more international or comparative perspective on media. This program has been developed in connection with the University of Pennsylvania (Annenberg School for Communication) and students from the University of Pennsylvania, Tulane and Cardozo law schools have participated.

Among the courses available in the semester abroad program are Fundamentals of Communications and Media Policy (4 credits), The Policy Process, Policy Analysis and Public Sector Management (4 credits), Politics, Law and Public Policy (4 credits) as well as classes from the Legal Studies Department such as International and Comparative Broadcasting Law (1 credit), Comparative Free Speech (2 credits).  All courses at CEU are taught in English. 

In their courses, students work with graduate students from around the region and from Western Europe. They will be able to participate in many of the rich offerings and lectures at CEU and are encouraged to become actively involved in the projects hosted by the Center for Media and Communication Studies (see http://www.cmcs.ceu.hu:8080/cmcs/Projects/).

The Fall 2006 semester abroad program runs from September through December 2006. Students can remain for the academic year and receive a Master's in Public Policy (http://www.ceu.hu/mpp/). Students can obtain the semester credit at home (with permission from their home institution) and the Master's degree from CEU within the one year span.

You application package should include:

• Completed application form
  • http://www.ceu.hu/downloads/non-degree_app.doc
• One letter of recommendation
• Official transcripts from all universities attended
• Evidence of English language proficiency if you are not a native speaker
  

CEU (http://www.ceu.hu) is a US-style English language graduate university with a focus on the social sciences and the humanities, accredited both in the United States and in Hungary, and located in Budapest, in the heart of Europe. The university is oriented to interdisciplinary research on, and the study of social change and the policy implications of transition to open societies. In addition, emphasis is placed on European Union affairs, as well as on the special features of non-Western democracies.

CMCS (http://www.cmcs.ceu.hu) aims to be the vehicle for conducting various international research and policy projects; researchers and experts affiliated with CMCS play an important role in shaping national research and development priorities in Eastern Europe. Budapest also provides a unique opportunity for graduate students to travel to regional historical spots such as Bratislava, Belgrade, Prague and Vienna.

Please see our brochure at
http://www.cmcs.ceu.hu:8080/cmcs/graduate_progs/CMCS_CEU%20Brochure.pdf .

Deadline for the Fall semester 2006: March 1, 2006. Applications received after the deadline are considered on a case-by-case basis.

For more information about the semester abroad program, visit the CMCS website or contact the project manager Nanne Priebs at vispriebs@ceu.hu.

Call for Papers:  Wisconsin Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies
22nd Annual Conference, November 2-4, 2006
New Directions for Peace in the Middle East and Around the World
Predolin Humanities Center
Edgewood College, Madison, Wisconsin

The Conference Committee is seeking proposals for papers and roundtable discussions dealing with new directions for peace and conflict resolution in the Middle East and around the world.

The purpose of the Conference is to provide a forum for scholars (from any discipline) and for policy makers, practitioners, and concerned citizens. Papers and roundtable discussions may treat the topic of peace-making (in the Middle East and elsewhere) from any relevant perspective: historical, sociological, philosophical, and so on. They may have as their focus what has been done, what is being done, or what ought to be done to bring about and/or maintain peace in a given area of conflict.

Proposal Submissions must include contact information and a brief description of the paper topic or proposed roundtable theme.

Please send proposals to Professor John Fields (jfields@edgewood.edu), Department of Philosophy, Edgewood College, 1000 Edgewood College Drive, Madison WI 53711-1992 by April 1, 2006.

This conference is sponsored by the Wisconsin Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies, the Philosophy Department of Edgewood College, and the Edgewood College William H. Young Center for Global Education.

Call for Papers:  CMC 2006 - Second International Conference on Concept Mapping
San Jose, Costa Rica - September 5-8, 2006
Website: http://cmc.ihmc.us
Contact: cmc2006@ihmc.us
Local arrangements, accomodations and registration: cmc2006-local@ihmc.us

The Second International Conference on Concept Mapping follows on the success of the First Conference held in Pamplona, Spain in 2004 in bringing together scholars and practitioners interested in the use of the concept mapping tool first developed at Cornell University in 1972 by Joseph Novak. It is being organized by the Universidad de Costa Rica and the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition.

The Conference is aimed at all persons interested in the use of concept maps, including, but not limited to: facilitation of learning; eliciting, capturing, archiving, and using "expert" knowledge; knowledge management; planning instruction; instructional design; assessment of "deep" understandings; brainstorming; research planning; collaborative knowledge modeling; creation of "knowledge portfolios"; and administrative planning and monitoring. We expect participants from a broad range of fields presenting a wide variety of research and applications of concept mapping.

The papers should present substantial new results in theoretical, empirical and applied research and studies in all areas of concept mapping. All papers should be presented in Spanish or English. The Proceedings of the Conference will be published as a book by the Universidad de Costa Rica and posted on the Conference web site.

Electronic paper submissions have two categories: full technical papers and poster papers. Full papers have a length of up to 8 pages while poster papers should have a maximum length of 4 pages,

Submission Deadline: Poster & Paper: April 14, 2006
Notification of Acceptance: May 19, 2006
Camera-ready Papers: June 16, 2006

Call for Essays: Non-Proliferation and Disarmament
Peace Review: A Journal of Social Justice is an international journal distributed in more than 50 nations. We seek essays on the above theme for a special issue.
 
Since Hiroshima and Nagasaki, nuclear warfare has been a constant possibility with every military situation. Specifically now, in the terrorist-obsessed, post-9/11 world, international security is under intense scrutiny as we consider modern warfare and society. Does security really exist? What are the long-term goals for global disarmament? How are we culturally, religiously and sociologically affected by the nuclear threat? Will weapons extend into space? What is the role of nuclear terrorism? What is the next step for Iran, Israel, India, Pakistan, and North Korea? Peace Review invites submissions for a special issue devoted to the goals, side-effects and reality of non-proliferation and disarmament in today's society.

The Special Editor for this issue will be Randall Forsberg, Nuclear Freeze founder and President of the Institute for Defense & Disarmament Studies, Cambridge, USA
 
Please send essays on this theme by April 15, 2006. Essays should run between 2500 and 3500 words, and should be jargon- and footnote- free. See Submission Guidelines at http://www.usfca.edu/peacereview/PRHome.html

Send essays to:

Robert Elias (Editor) or Kerry Donoghue (Managing Editor)
Peace Review
University of San Francisco
2130 Fulton Street
San Francisco, CA 94117-1080 USA

or by email:  peacereview@usfca.edu

George F. Kennan Forum on International Issues
Pabst Theater
144 E. Wells Street, Milwaukee, WI
April 20, 2006 -- 4-6 PM:  Balancing Freedom and Security in a Post-9/11 World

Mark your calendars now!  Speaker and ticket information will be coming soon.

The Milwaukee Asian Film Festival
April 22- May 1, 2006
A ten-day showcase of Asian film and video maker’s talents from a wide range of East Asian cultures, including China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. The festival will highlight feature films, documentaries, and a guest filmmaker. Titles include Tsai Ming-liang’s Goodbye Dragon Inn, Hou Hsiao-hsien’s Millennium Mambo, Lee Chang-dong’s Oasis, and Takeshi Kitano’s Dolls, plus selections from the China Documentary Film Series.

For a complete schedule, e-mail gossett@uwm.edu or call 414-229-4423.

Sponsored by the Center for International Education, Department of Foreign Languages and Linguistics, and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office of Chicago.

Call for Papers: The Journal for the Study of Peace and Conflict
The Journal for the Study of Peace and Conflict, the journal of the Wisconsin Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies, ISSN 1095-1962, publishes a variety of scholarly articles, essays, and poetry on topics such as war, peace, global cooperation, domestic violence, and interpersonal conflict resolution; including questions of military and political security, the global economy, and global environmental issues.  We wish to promote discussion of both strategic and ethical questions surrounding issues of war, peace, the environment, and justice. 

The Wisconsin Institute is committed to a balanced review of diverse perspectives.  Submissions are welcome from all disciplines.  Our intended audience includes scholars from a wide range of interests within the university community and educated members of the larger public.  The format allows the publication of original previously-unpublished works of sufficient length to give authors the opportunity to discuss a particular topic in depth.  Other forms of creative writing are invited.  Contributors should avoid submissions accessible only to specialists in their field.  The Journal for the Study of Peace and Conflict may also include book reviews.  Persons interested in reviewing should contact the editor.

Submissions should be a maximum of 25 pages, double-spaced.  All manuscripts should be composed in MS Word using Bookman Old Style, 10-point font.  Citations are to be in the body of the text, e.g., (Jones, p.35), with a full bibliography at the end of the article.  Do not use footnotes.  Content notes should be placed at the end of the manuscript.  Include separately a brief bio statement with a note that includes your institution, your email and mailing addresses, and work phone number.  Be certain that you have spell-checked your manuscript prior to submission.

Submissions are accepted on a continuing basis.  Five copies of each submission should be sent to the Wisconsin Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies, UWSP, LRC, 900 Reserve Street, Stevens Point, WI 54481.  In addition, supply the manuscript electronically to wiinst@uwsp.edu.

Visit our website for more information:  http://www.wisconsin-institute.org

Call for Papers: Accountability, Responsibility, and Integrity in Development:  The Ethical Challenges in Sub-Saharan Africa and Beyond
Contributions are invited for the Seventh International Conference on Ethics and International Development, organized by the International Development Ethics Association with the Ethics and Public Management Programme, Faculty of Arts, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.

Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda July 19-22, 2006

Plenary speakers will include:  Martha Nussbaum, Thomas Pogge, Edward Wamala, and one further speaker from Africa (to be announced)

Principal themes:

• Development Ethics:  Theory and Practice
• Accountability: Good Governance, Empowerment, Exclusion
• Responsibility and Globalization
• Fostering Integrity and Accountability in Development and Governance
• Peace and Conflict in the Developing World
• The Teaching of Development Ethics and Ethics in Public Management:  Sharing Experience, Widening and Strengthening the Network
  

Discussion of gender issues in each theme is welcome.

For elaboration of conference themes, choose "Conference Themes" at http://www.development-ethics.org/default.asp?cid=5012&sid=5022.

Proposals should include an abstract of 500 words with the application form, which is also accessible at http://www.development-ethics.org/default.asp?cid=5012&sid=5022.

Proposals from outside Africa should be sent by email to Jay_Drydyk@carleton.ca

Proposals from within Africa should be sent to the Conference Coordinator, Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Arts, Makerere University, P.O. Box 7062, Kampala, Uganda or by email to brukooko@arts.mak.ac.ug.

Funding for travel and per diem is available for up to 15 paper presenters from African countries outside Uganda.