CFP: International Conference – Semiosis in Communication, Knowing and Learning – Bucharest

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE

SEMIOSIS IN COMMUNICATION
Knowing and Learning

BUCHAREST, 16-18 JUNE, 2016

http://centrucomunicare.ro/semiosis/semiosisc_2016.html

Conference description

The first edition of the International Conference Semiosis in Communication: knowing and learning will be organized by the National University of Political Studies and Public Administration, Romania (NUPSPA) in participation with Roehampton University (London), UK and under the auspices of the International Association for Semiotic Studies (IASS-AIS). It will be held in Bucharest, Romania, from the 16th to the 18th of June, 2016.
This conference explores the role of semiosis (interpretation) in communication. As such, the conference offers an insight towards the epistemological relations between semiotics and other approaches to communication coming from perspectives such as sociology, philosophy of language and communication theory.
Semiotics is currently enjoying an increasing popularity within the humanities and social sciences. Understood as relational logic (Charles Peirce) or hermeneutics (structuralism and poststructuralism), semiotics fundamentally implies its certain positions in regard to communication. Because of the generality and conceptual vagueness of both of these phenomena, semiosis and communication, how one sheds light on the other is still an underexplored theme. This conference is a pioneer exploration of this relation.
Semiosis is the semiotic account of interpretation, understood as a triadic cooperation. Various schools of semiotics set various boundaries to semiosis: within all existing and possible reality (physiosemiotics), within the world of living organisms (biosemiotics), within the animal world (some accounts of zoosemiotics), or within human culture (structuralism and some accounts of anthroposemiotics). Each of these perspectives has profound implications for the understanding of communication.
A general keynote lecture, introducing the topic of the conference, is delivered by Professor Solomon Marcus and chaired by Dr. Dumitru Borțun. The conference proceeds in two panels (sessions), each focused on a theme, as explained below. In accordance with the paper proposals the preliminary list of suggested sessions will be updated.

1. Semiotics and communication

This panel approaches directly the act or phenomenon of communication in the light of semiotic theory. Its purpose is to develop the premises for a semiotic theory of communication. While communication was explored thoroughly in the light of other disciplines, and, as such, understood within the perspective of sociology, psychology, cognitive sciences, cultural studies or philosophy of language, semiotics accounts for communication as an act of signification. As such, communication is not accounted for as necessarily dependent on categories such as social interaction, cognitive abilities or cultural background, but as purely a phenomenon of signification. This is the most theoretically general and open panel.

Chair(s): Dr. Dumitru Borțun, Professor of Semiotics and Theory of Language, Ethics and Social Responsibility at National University of Political Studies and Public Administration, Romania; Nicolae-Sorin Drăgan, PhD Candidate in Communication Studies at National University of Political Studies and Public Administration, Romania.

2. The communication of knowledge: education and beyond

This panel explores semiosis in communication in educational context. Learning and teaching reveal the basic structures of semiosis. Learning is possible because interpretation is possible. For this, recently, a theoretical branch of semiotics which approaches education, edusemiotics, was developed. In its long history, semiotics always underpinned educational theory. The first theoretical semiotic investigations, in the early middle ages, had the purpose of developing educational theory. Since the edusemiotic project started, it has known a wide interest. Papers in this panel investigate the communication of knowledge in semiotic perspective. The area of exploration aims at issues such as: knowledge as signification, the possibility of knowing, the possibility of communicating knowledge, the relation between signification and information and the semiotic analysis of educational settings.

Chair: Dr. Alin Olteanu, School of Education, University of Roehampton, London, England.

Keynote Speakers confirmed:

Solomon Marcus, member of the Mathematical Section of the Romanian Academy and Emeritus Professor of the University of Bucharest’s Faculty of Mathematics.
Andrew Stables, Professor of Education and Philosophy and Head of Research in the School of Education, University of Roehampton.
Dario Martinelli, musicologist and semiotician, Director of the International Semiotics Institute, Professor at Kaunas University of Technology.
Paul Cobley, professor in Language and Media at Middlesex University, London and President of the International Association for Semiotic Studies.
Frederik Stjernfelt, professor at the Center for Semiotics, Aarhus University, awarded with the prestigious Research Prize of Dansk Magisterforening.

Important deadlines

Deadline for submission of Abstracts: 29th of February 2016 (you will receive an acknowledgment by email)
Notification of Acceptance: 25th of March 2016
Deadline for participation fee: 15th of April 2016
Conference: 16-18 June, 2016

Paper submission
Applications for presentations consist in only one document:
– Title and abstract (max. 300 words followed by 3-5 keywords) with short and relevant bionote (do not exceed 150 words, please) in MS Word format (.doc, .docx). We highly appreciate short, schematic texts.

– Please use the abstract template available on the conference website at http://centrucomunicare.ro/semiosis/cfp.html.You can download the template of abstract directly from the conference website (Abstract_Template.doc)
Co-authored papers are welcome.
Papers are delivered in 30 minutes presentations (20 minutes talk followed by 10 minutes of debate).
Please, submit your proposal to alin.olteanu@roehampton.ac.uk within February 29th, 2016. Only one paper for each participant (as a first author) will be accepted.
The official language of the conference is English.
The authors will receive confirmation via e-mail.

Registration & Conference fee
The conference fee is 100 Euro/participant. Members of the IASS-AIS benefit of a 50% discount (50 Euro/participant). For delegates only attending the conference (without presenting), the fee is 25 Euro/participant. Students will have free access to all the presentations.
The fee includes conference attendance, lunch, refreshments during coffee breaks, conference bag, publication in conference proceedings and in the Romanian Journal of Communication and Public Relations (selected papers only), refreshments during coffee breaks and lunch.
Please inform us about payment through email address: dragan.nicolaesorin@gmail.com by sending us the receipt for your payment and name, either in a JPG/JPEG format or PDF format, so that we can arrange your receipt accordingly.

Publication
All conference papers are subject to a peer-review process. All accepted papers will be published in the conference proceedings (hard copy volume with ISBN). Please note that only the papers presented at the conference by one of the authors will be published.
Selected papers that will undergo the journal’s peer-review process will be published in the Romanian Journal of Communication and Public Relations (www.journalofcommunication.ro), an academic journal indexed in the following research data-bases: EBSCO, ProQuest, DOAJ, CEEOL, ERIH, Cabell’s Directories, Genamics Journal Seek, and Index Copernicus.

Conference venue
National University of Political and Administrative Studies, College of Communication and Public Relations, 30A Expozitiei Boulevard, Bucharest, Romania.

Partners
National University of Political Studies and Public Administration, Bucharest, Romania
Roehampton University, London, United Kingdom
International Association for Semiotic Studies (IASS-AIS)

Honorary President of Conference
Solomon Marcus, member of the Mathematical Section of the Romanian Academy and Emeritus Professor of the University of Bucharest’s Faculty of Mathematics.

Scientific committee
Solomon Marcus, member of the Mathematical Section of the Romanian Academy and Emeritus Professor of the University of Bucharest’s Faculty of Mathematics.
Andrew Stables, Professor of Education and Philosophy and Head of Research in the School of Education, University of Roehampton;
Kristian Bankov, New Bulgarian University, Sofia, Bulgaria;
Priscila Borges, Federal University of Ouro Preto, Brazil;
Alina Bârgăoanu, National University of Political Studies and Public Administration, Romania;
Dumitru Borțun, National University of Political Studies and Public Administration, Romania;
Nicoleta Corbu, National University of Political Studies and Public Administration, Romania;
Daniela Rovenţa Frumuşani, Faculty of Journalism and Communication Sciences, University of Bucharest, Romania;
Alin Olteanu, School of Education, University of Roehampton, London, England;

Organizing committee
Dumitru Borțun, National University of Political Studies and Public Administration, Romania – President of the Organizing Committee;
Bianca-Florentina Cheregi, National University of Political Studies and Public Administration, Romania;
Nicolae-Sorin Drăgan, National University of Political Studies and Public Administration, Romania.
Oana Chirică, National University of Political Studies and Public Administration, Romania;
Paula Drăgan, National University of Political Studies and Public Administration, Romania;
Voicu Liliana, National University of Political Studies and Public Administration, Romania;

For questions and details concerning the conference Semiosis in Communication, please write to alin.olteanu@roehampton.ac.uk