INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE SEMIOSIS IN COMMUNICATION

New Challenges of Multimodality in the Digital Age

Bucharest, June 22-24, 2023

 

Conference description

The fourth edition of the International Conference Semiosis in Communication: New Challenges of Multimodality in the Digital Age will be organized by the National University of Political Studies and Public Administration, Bucharest, Romania (SNSPA), through the Applied Semiotics and Communication Lab (ASCL) - affiliated to the Centre for Research in Communication (CRC) of the Communication and Public Relations Faculty, FCRP, SNSPA - in participation with:

• SemioLab - Semiotics Laboratory affiliated with Aristotle University in Thessaloniki (Greece);
• Southeast European Center for Semiotic Studies (SEECSS) at New Bulgarian University (NBU), Sofia (Bulgaria);
• Semiotics and Visual Communication Research Lab at Cyprus University of Technology;
• The Department of Communication and Public Relations from the Faculty of Philosophy and Social-Political Sciences at the “Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University of Iaşi, Iaşi (RO);
• Romanian Association of Semiotic Studies (ROASS) and

under the auspices of the International Association for Semiotic Studies (IASS-AIS). It will be held in Bucharest, Romania, from the 22^th to the 24^th of June, 2023.

This conference explores the role of semiosis in communication. Objects of interdisciplinary knowledge par excellence, semiotics and communication are complementary ways of world mastery, of the big game, just like Solomon Marcus (2011) would say. The main objective of the International Conference Semiosis in Communication is to emphasize the importance of semiotic type queries in the communication sciences and to stimulate the exchange of ideas in these fields and areas of academic research. The main theme proposed for this fourth edition of the international conference Semiosis in Communication is New Challenges of Multimodality in the Digital Age and focuses on the new challenges of multimodality in communication, arising from the current digital ecosystem.

Whether we look at multimodality as a transdisciplinary field of research concerned with the meaning-making potential, use, and development of different semiotic resources (Kress and Van Leeuwen; Djonov and Zhao 2018), as a field of application rather than a theory (Jewitt 2013) , or as a way of characterizing communicative situations (considered very broadly) which rely upon combinations of different 'forms' of communication to be effective (Bateman, Wildfeuer, and Hiippala 2017), all these perspectives adopt a functional perspective on meaning making practices and contribute to a better understanding of the dynamics of the changes taking place in the field of communication in relation to the technological advancement.

• The conference is organized in several panels, which will address specific topics, such as:
• Multimodality and Intercultural Mediation;

• Multimodal Semiosis;
• Semiotics and Communication;
• Multimodal Interaction; Multimodality, Intermediality, & (Trans)Mediation;
• Multimodality and Identity;
• Multimodality and Media Literacy;
• Multimodal Learning;
• Multimodal Digital Humanities;
• Multimodality and Political Communication;
• Narrativity & Multimodal Communication;
• Social Semiotics Perspectives on Sustainability & Development;
• Mediation and Multimodal Meaning Making in Digital Environments;
• Theoretical, Methodological and Analytical Trends in Multimodal Research,

In the tradition of previous Semiosis in Communication (SC) editions, keynote speakers will be some internationally recognized experts in their fields of activity.

 

Keynote Speakers confirmed:

• Jean-Marie Klinkenberg - professor emeritus at the University of Liège (Belgium) – Jean-Marie Klinkenberg is Honorary Guest of the event - https://www.uliege.be/cms/c_9054334/en/directory?uid=u002156);
• Paul Cobley, President of IASS-AIS, International Association for Semiotic Studies, Deputy Dean Research & Knowledge Exchange at Middlesex University (U.K.) – Paul Cobley is Honorary Guest of the event - https://www.mdx.ac.uk/about-us/our- people/staff-directory/profile/cobley-paul;
• Kay O’Halloran – University of Liverpool(U.K.), Chair Professor and Head of Department of Communication and Media in the School of the Arts. She is also Visiting Distinguished Professor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China (2017-present) – https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/communication-and-media/staff/kay-ohalloran/?;
• David Machin – Professor of Linguistics at Zhejiang University China; Professor of Media and Communciation at          Örebro          University,          Sweden          - http://infadm.shisu.edu.cn/corpusen/69/82/c12943a158082/page.psp;
• Massimo Leone – Full Tenured Professor ("Professore Ordinario") of Philosophy of Communication and Cultural Semiotics at the Department of Philosophy and Educational Sciences, University of Turin, Italy, Permanent Part-Time Visiting Full Professor of Semiotics in the Department of Chinese Language and Literature, University of Shanghai, China, Associate Member of Cambridge Digital Humanities, Cambridge University, and Director of the Center for Religious Studies, "Bruno Kessler Foundation", Trento, Italy - https://www.unito.it/persone/maleone;
• Evangelos Kourdis – Professor in Translation Semiotics at the School of French Language and Literature, Faculty of Philosophy, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece - https://www.frl.auth.gr/admin/person.php?id=44&lang=_en&ilang=2; and
• Kristian Bankov – Professor of Semiotics at New Bulgarian University and Department Chair of the Southeast European Center for Semiotic Studies; Secretary General of IASS-AIS, International Association for Semiotic Studies - https://semiotics.nbu.bg/en/academic- staff/prof-kristian-bankov-ph-d.

 

Important deadlines

Submissions open: December 22, 2022

Deadline for submission of Abstracts: March 10^th, 2023 (you will receive an acknowledgment by email)

Notification of Acceptance: March 24^th, 2023 Deadline for participation fee: April 14^th, 2023 Conference: June 22-24, 2023

 

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
• Please use the abstract template available on the conference website. You can download the template of abstract directly from the conference website (doc - the same template as the 2021 edition).

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 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.within March 10^th, 2023. Only one paper for each participant (as a first author) will be accepted.

The official language of the conference is English, but there will also be sessions in which the papers can be presented in French.

The authors will receive confirmation via e-mail.

 

Registration & Conference fee

Early bird registration - by April 14^th, 2023:

Delegates should pay the conference fee - 100 Euro/participant - after the notification of abstract acceptance. For delegates only attending the conference (without presenting), the fee is 30 Euro/participant.

Late registration - after April14^th, 2021:

Delegates should pay the conference fee - 120 Euro/participant - after the notification of abstract acceptance. Members of the IASS-AIS will pay 100 Euro/participant. For delegates only attending the conference (without presenting), the fee is 50 Euro/participant.

The fee includes conference attendance, lunch, refreshments during coffee breaks, conference bag, publication in conference proceedings, Romanian Journal of Communication and Public Relations, Journal of Media Research or Technium Social Sciences Journal (selected papers only), as well as in other international academic journals with which we have partnerships, refreshments during coffee breaks and lunch.

After the payment delegates are required to send the payment confirmation to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.in order to register for the conference.

 

Publication

For conference delegates, we offer more publishing possibilities. In all instances your papers are subject to a double-blind peer review. Each journal has its own peer review process that will be followed. If you have committed your paper for other venues, you may just present your paper at the conference. Please note that only the papers that have been presented at the conference 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 (http://www.journalofcommunication.ro/), an academic journal indexed in the following research data-bases: Web of Science Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI), Scopus, EBSCO, ProQuest, DOAJ, CEEOL, CNKI, ERIH Plus, Index Copernicus, ROAD, Cabell's, and Genamics Journal
• Journal of Media Research (http://mrjournal.ro/). The Journal of Media Research is a scientific research journal focusing on the field of media and communication. It is a peer reviewed academic publication for interdisciplinary quantitative and qualitative research in the social sciences. Carefully read the guidelines for authors. The journal is indexed in the following international databases: EBSCO, ProQuest, and
• The Technium                    Social                    Sciences                    Journal (https://techniumscience.com/index.php/socialsciences), an academic journal indexed in the following research data-bases: Google Scholar, Index Copernicus, Directory of Open Access Scholarly Resources, Directory of Research Journals Indexing, RePEc, Econpapers, Ideas, SCIPIO, Elektronische Zeitschriftenbibliothek (EZB) and Ulrich’s Periodical
• A volume with the best papers presented at the conference that will be published at a prestigious international publishing house - the first volume of the event in Bucharest, which contains a selection of articles presented in the second edition of the international conference Semiosis in Communication II, from June 2018, it already appeared in 2021 (https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/9783110662900/html).

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 (SNSPA), Bucharest, Romania

International Association for Semiotic Studies (IASS-AIS)

SemioLab - Semiotics Laboratory affiliated with Aristotle University in Thessaloniki (Greece);

Southeast European Center for Semiotic Studies (SEECSS) at New Bulgarian University (NBU), Sofia (Bulgaria);

Semiotics and Visual Communication Research Lab at Cyprus University of Technology;

Romanian Association of Semiotic Studies (ROASS)

The Department of Communication and Public Relations from the Faculty of Philosophy and Social-Political Sciences at the “Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University of Iaşi, Iaşi (RO)

 

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

Kristian Bankov, New Bulgarian University, Sofia, Bulgaria;

Alina Bârgăoanu, National University of Political Studies and Public Administration (RO); Dumitru Borțun, National University of Political Studies and Public Administration (RO); Luis Emilio Bruni, Aalborg University Copenhagen, Denmark;

Corina Buzoianu, National University of Political Studies and Public Administration (RO);

Paul Cobley, Middlesex University (U.K.);

Nicoleta Corbu, National University of Political Studies and Public Administration (RO); Nicolae-Sorin Drăgan, National University of Political Studies and Public Administration (RO); Gheorghe-Ilie Fârte, “Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University of Iaşi, Iaşi (RO)

Loredana Ivan, National University of Political Studies and Public Administration (RO);

Evangelos Kourdis, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Department of French Language and Literature, Greece;

Massimo Leone, Department of Philosophy, University of Turin, Italy;

David Machin, Zhejiang University China;

Daniel Rareș Obadă, “Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University of Iaşi, Iaşi (RO);

Constantin Popescu, Department of Communication Sciences, Faculty of Letters, University of Bucharest (RO);

Daniela Rovența-Frumușani, University of Bucharest (RO); Peeter Torop, University of Tartu, Department of Semiotics; Andreas Ventsel, University of Tartu, Department of Semiotics;

Evripides Zantides, Department of Multimedia and Graphic Arts, Cyprus University of Technology.

 

Organizing committee

Dumitru Borțun, National University of Political Studies and Public Administration (RO);

Oana Chirică, National University of Political Studies and Public Administration (RO);

Nicolae-Sorin Drăgan, National University of Political Studies and Public Administration (RO). Paula Drăgan, National University of Political Studies and Public Administration (RO); Sebastian Fitzek, National University of Political Studies and Public Administration (RO); Daniel Rareș Obadă, “Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University of Iaşi, Iaşi (RO)

Dan Sultănescu, National University of Political Studies and Public Administration (RO); George Tudorie, National University of Political Studies and Public Administration (RO); Liliana Voicu, National University of Political Studies and Public Administration (RO); Florin Zeru, National University of Political Studies and Public Administration (RO).

 

For questions and details concerning the conference Semiosis in Communication: Culture, Communication and Social Change, please write to Nicolae-Sorin Drăgan at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..