[Air-L] call for interest: MA scholarship to study social media and fire safety in Aotearoa New Zealand

[Donald Matheson]

Dear colleagues,

Please forward to students who might be interested. Thanks, Donald

MA scholarship to study social media and fire safety communication in
Aotearoa New Zealand

University of Canterbury and New Zealand Fire Service Commission

I¹m looking for an MA student to work on a project starting as soon as
possible (April 2011 or as soon after that date as practicable), for the New
Zealand Fire Service Commission on how social media intersect with
communication around public information, with an emphasis on marginalised
groups in society and on fire risk and safety. The student will contribute
to a report for the Commission and complete an MA thesis at the same time at
the University of Canterbury. The research will involve conducting focus
groups in Auckland and Christchurch, New Zealand.

Scholarship: NZ$25,000 plus fees for one year

Dates: preferably April 2011 to April 2012

Project description: The aim is to explore how social media can be used to
help people in marginalised groups in society develop their knowledge of
fire risk and safety, opening up new areas of research and practice for the
Commission. The research eschews social marketing models for models that
foreground intergroup communication in social networks.

The project arises directly from the Fire Service Commission¹s call for
research that will investigate the effectiveness of digital media and in
particular social networking to reach identified at-risk groups. In terms of
that call, the research aims in particular to:

- study the uses of social media for public good information by marginalised
groups in society 
- provide a framework for planning the communication of fire safety that
aligns better with emerging social media than prevailing frameworks derived
from social marketing theory
- propose, as a result, some theoretically robust and empirically grounded
strategies for using social media for fire safety communication with these
groups.

I can send a more detailed description of the project to prospective
applicants.

Selection process: If you are interested, please contact me at
donald.matheson at canterbury.ac.nz as soon as possible. I will make a
decision, after consulting the postgraduate student coordinator in my
programme, based on the criteria below and contact you within the week
after. I may request a phone interview or references.

The successful recipient will have:
* an Honours degree in Media and Communication or equivalent, or
alternatively an Honours degree in another field and professional experience
in media or communication work
* an excellent academic record
* appropriate research skills
* a rich understanding of emergent media and their implications
* excellent work habits and professional manner.


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