[Air-L] CfA from Hong Kong: digital methods & social development

[Jack Qiu]

Dear all,

See below if you are interested in joining us in Hong Kong from Aug 21-27,
this summer. The application deadline is May 21, 2016. We welcome
applicants from all fields and all countries, especially if you have some
prior experience using digital methods and/or working with civil society
organizations or social development agencies.

Enrollment is free. For admitted applicants, there will be a limited number
of travel subsidies and we will provide on-campus accommodation (twin
rooms).

Please feel free to spread the word.

Thanks and best,

Co-conveners:
Jack Linchuan Qiu (CUHK)
Richard Rogers (U of Amsterdam)

=========

Call for Applications: The Inaugural CUHK Research Summit: Digital Methods
& Social Development

Time: 21 - 27 August 2016
Place: C-Centre (Centre for Chinese Media & Comparative Communication
Research), School of Journalism and Communication, The Chinese University
of Hong Kong, Shatin, N.T., Hong Kong
Map of Location: http://ow.ly/4nj3Wu

Event flyer: http://ow.ly/4nja8y

// About the Summit



How can digital methods benefit not only academia but also society at
large? How does one select, develop, and use the most appropriate digital
research tools to tackle real-world issues in a week – such as an election,
an environmental campaign, labor advocacy, and data challenges facing a
social enterprise? How do the world’s leading scholars evaluate the state
of digital methods globally? How do they think about the future directions
of this burgeoning field beyond a Eurocentric Internet, beyond the norms of
liberal democracies?



>From 21-27 August 2016, the School of Journalism and Communication will
host the Inaugural CUHK Research Summit on “Digital Methods & Social
Development” at its C-Centre (Centre for Chinese Media & Comparative
Communication Research, http://c-centre.com.cuhk.edu.hk/).



The Summit builds on the format and pedagogical traditions of the Digital
Methods Summer School established since 2007 at the University of Amsterdam
(digitalmethods.net), while aspiring to extend it to reflect the social
needs in Hong Kong, China, Asia, and the Global South.



The planned activities will include (a) a high-level public event on August
21 consisting of keynote speeches and open discussions, and (b) a six-day
training program during August 22-27 for advanced PhD students and early
career researchers. We welcome applicants from Hong Kong, Asia, and other
parts of the world. From this pool, we will select twenty trainees from
diverse cultural, methodological & disciplinary backgrounds, to conduct
group work with help from experienced trainers throughout the week.



Speakers and trainers will come from around the world. The content to be
covered include social media analysis, network analysis, data
visualization, Big Data, and related research topics. Emphasis will be
placed on innovative thinking, the mastery of research tools, the matching
between analytical strategies and theoretical / practical questions posed
by subject experts, especially in the contexts of Chinese- & Asian-language
cyberspaces.



// About the Chinese University of Hong Kong



A leading research university with global reputation, the Chinese
University of Hong Kong (CUHK) is advancing the frontiers of knowledge and
technology during our digital age. CUHK excels in the preservation,
creation, application, and dissemination of knowledge through teaching,
research, and public service in a comprehensive range of disciplines,
thereby serving the needs and enhancing the well-being of citizens in Hong
Kong, China as a whole, and the wider world community.



// About C-Centre of the School of Journalism and Communication



A key hub of intellectual exchange, the C-Centre (the Centre for Chinese
Media and Comparative Communication Research) contributes to the studies of
media and communication by conducting frontline research in Greater China
and facilitating comparative scholarship globally.



// Keynote Speakers (for the August 21 public event)



Michael Best (Director and Professor, Institute on Computing and Society,
United Nations University)

Wenhong Chen (Assistant Professor, Department of Radio-TV-Film, University
of Texas at Austin)

Melissa Gregg (Co-director, Intel Science and Technology Center for Social
Computing)

Isaac Mao (Director, Social Brain Foundation; Co-Founder, Berry Labs)

Richard Rogers (Professor of New Media and Digital Culture, University of
Amsterdam)



// Training Program (from August 22-27)



The participants will be divided into four groups, and each will focus on
one project during a week-long training program led by professional
trainers. The major aim of the projects is to analyze the digital data
provided or requested by four social organizations with very different
nature. The following is an initial description of each group’s project:



1) Environmental initiative – Participants will examine the Des Voeux Road
Central Initiative (DVRC, http://www.dvrc.hk/), an on-going project of
the Hong Kong Clean Air Network. The aim is to create a pedestrian and tram
precinct in Hong Kong’s central business district, while promoting
sustainable lifestyle and reducing air pollution.



(2) Labor advocacy – This team will focus on the UNIQLO campaign launched
by Students and Scholars against Corporate Misbehavior (SACOM,
http://sacom.hk/), a key NGO in Hong Kong engaging in international labor
activism. Using a combination of social media channels to raise public
awareness, the campaign targets the largest Japanese fast-fashion company
whose subcontractors abused Chinese textile workers.



(3) Social enterprise – Participants in this group will analyze music data
provided by Aivvy (http://www.aivvy.com/), a tech startup that boasts the
world’s first smart music technology platform. More than a consumer
electronics company, Aivvy aims to foster social good by connecting less
well-known musicians with potential listeners using innovative device and
algorithms.



(4) Politics and democracy – The 2016 Hong Kong Legislative Election will
take place on September 4. Several of Hong Kong’s most experienced public
opinion researchers will conduct a new project covering the election. This
group of participants will study Facebook profiles of the candidates and
citizens’ online discussion in ways that shall inform the election study
from new, social media angles.



Prior to joining the Summit, we will send learning materials (e.g.,
readings, videos, software) to admitted participants, who are supposed to
go through the materials and start to get familiarized with the analytical
tools and methodological issues. In the morning of Aug 22 Monday, we will
hear presentations by experts from each of the four social organizations
mentioned above with regard to the project context, major questions at
stake, the most relevant data, and the research needs on the ground.



Then for the following five days (August 22-27), participants need to work
with trainers to decide on their analytical strategies, complete data
analysis, and prepare for public presentation in the afternoon of Aug 27
Saturday. During the Saturday afternoon session, experts from the social
organizations will be invited back to hear group presentations and provide
assessments along with members of the general public.



// Applications & Logistics



Advanced PhD students and young faculty members in all disciplines are
welcome to apply by emailing to Ms. Mandy Chan at the C-Centre (
c-centre at cuhk.edu.hk) a PDF file consisting of:

(1) a one-page letter explaining how training on digital methods and social
development would benefit your current work,

(2) your CV,

(3) a copy of your passport (details page only),

(4) a headshot photo, and

(5) a 100-word bio.



Deadline is 21 May 2016 for application to join the Summit including the
week-long training program.



Enrollment is free. For admitted participants from outside Hong Kong, we
will provide on-campus accommodation (in twin rooms) and a limited amount
of travel subsidies. If you wish to apply for travel subsidies, please use
one sentence to indicate in your one-page letter (first page of the
application PDF) that you have such financial need.



Admission decisions will be announced in early June.



Twitter hashtag #dm&sd



For additional inquiries please contact Ms. Mandy Chan at the C-Centre.



Email: c-centre at cuhk.edu.hk



Telephone: +852 3943 7701



Web: http://c-centre.com.cuhk.edu.hk