20.187 PhD positions at Twente

               Humanist Discussion Group, Vol. 20, No. 187.
       Centre for Computing in the Humanities, King's College London
  www.kcl.ac.uk/schools/humanities/cch/research/publications/humanist.html
                        www.princeton.edu/humanist/
                     Submit to: humanist_at_princeton.edu

         Date: Wed, 13 Sep 2006 06:54:21 +0100
         From: "Spence, E.H. (Edward, GW)" <E.H.Spence_at_gw.utwente.nl>
         Subject: Two PhD positions in New Media at Twente

The Department of Philosophy of the University of Twente in the
Netherlands is looking for Two Ph.D. Students (M/F, fulltime) for the
international research project: Evaluating the Cultural Quality of
New Media: Towards a Philosophy of Human-Media Relations.

Women are strongly encouraged to apply.

The two PhD positions are part of a prestigious and exciting
international research project in philosophy named Evaluating the
Cultural Quality of New Media. This five-year project, which will
include five researchers and will involve collaboration with leading
international scholars and research centres, has as its aim to
develop a framework for better normative analyses of new media and
new media culture, especially in relation to their contribution to
the quality of life (the good life) and the quality of society.
Project leader is Dr. Philip Brey. Two postdocs have already been
appointed to the project: dr. A. Briggle, PhD (USA) and dr. E.
Spence, PhD (Australia). The project will be part of a new
international Centre of Excellence in Ethics and Technology of the
departments of philosophy of Twente University, Delft University of
Technology and Eindhoven University of Technology.

Applications are accepted for three different projects:

Ph.D Project 1 - The Quality of Virtual Environments and Tools

This subproject aims to perform a philosophical analysis of the
implications of the ever increasing virtualization for the quality of
life and of society. Virtualization is defined as the digital
production of interactive structures, whether graphical or symbolic,
that mirror things and events in the physical world. What are the
implications of this process for moral and social identity,
embodiment, and conceptions of reality, and how can these
implications be normatively evaluated?

Ph.D. Project 2 The Quality of Computer-Mediatedd Social Relations

This subproject focuses on computer-mediated social relations and
practices in friendships, love relationships, and community life.
Increasingly, the social world is held together by electronic
networks. More and more, communication, social relationships, and
community formation take place over such networks. The aim of the
project is to perform a philosophical analysis of the implications of
this trend for the quality of life and of society.

Ph.D. Project 3 Societal Appraisalls of the Cultural Quality of New Media

This subproject will perform a study of appraisals of new media that
are made by representatives of major ideologies or worldviews, with
the aim of assessing how they relate to conceptions of the good life
and the good society held by these ideologies. It will study
liberal, communitarian, conservative, religious and postmaterialist
evaluations of new media, and will try to assess which ideologies see
themselves as winners and losers in the development of a new media
culture. It will also provide critiques of current ideological
stances on new media.

Only the two best candidates out of all applicants will be offered a
position. Selection will only be based on the quality of the
candidate, and not on his or her preference for a particular project,
except that the two PhD appointments will be for different
projects. You may apply for more than one project if you wish.

Profile

For all three projects: a Master's degree or equivalent degree in
philosophy, with strength in ethics and/or political philosophy.
Consideration will also be given to candidates with a
multidisciplinary Master's degree on a topic relevant to the project
and some background in philosophy, and to exceptional candidates with
only a bachelor's degree in philosophy. Demonstrable interest in
philosophical issues relating to information technology and new
media. Good analytical skills. Good communication skills in English,
in writing as well as orally. Creativity, open-mindedness, and an
ability to develop new ideas.

Offer

A four-year full-time Ph.D. position starting November 1, 2006. The
gross salary is Euro 1.933,- in the first year goinng up to Euro
2.472,- in the fourth year (Euro 25.552,- an and Euro 32.677,- per
annum, respectively, including vacattion pay). Each Ph.D. position
comes with a budget of up to Euro 8,000,- for travel and conference attendance.

Information and application

A description of the overall project, the three subprojects and a FAQ
can be retrieved from http://www.ceptes.nl/vici. Applicants are
advised to read these texts carefully before applying. For questions
not answered on the website you can contact the project leader, dr.
Philip Brey (e-mail: p.a.e.brey_at_utwente.nl).

Your application should contain the following documents: a letter of
application which explains your interest in the position and explains
your qualifications (this letter should contain some suggestions on
how you would want to approach the project you apply for); a
curriculum vitae which includes the name and e-mail address/telephone
number of one of your professors, preferably the supervisor of your
master's thesis; a copy of your master's thesis; copies of
publications, if any; an academic transcript that contains a list of
subjects taken and grades received (this may be an unofficial version
or scanned copy; we can request the original later). Optionally, you
can also include letters of recommendation from your professors.

Your application can be sent by e-mail (preferred) or by normal post
to dr. ir. J.F.C. Verberne (e-mail: pz-gw_at_gw.utwente.nl), managing
director of the Faculty of Behavioural Sciences, University of
Twente, PO Box 217, 7500 AE Enschede, the Netherlands. Please mention
the vacancy number: 06/072-1 (project 1), 06/072-2 (project 2), or
06/072-3 (project 3). Your application should be in by October 2,
2006. Job interviews will be held between October 9 and 13.
Received on Wed Sep 13 2006 - 02:33:38 EDT