Two Ph.D. Studentships for the international project: "Evaluating the Cultural Quality of New Media Towards a Philosophy of Human-Media Relations"

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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"4) and the quality of society.

Project leader is Dr. Philip Brey. Two postdocs have already been appointed to the project: dr. A. Briggle, PhD, University of Colorado and dr. E. Spence, PhD, Sydney University. 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-Mediated 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 Appraisals 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. 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 going up to 2.472 - in the fourth year (Euro 25.552,- and 32.677,- per annum, respectively, including vacation pay). Each Ph.D. position comes with a budget of up to 8,000 - for travel and conference attendance.

Further 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@utwente.nl).

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