ACUM 2017: International Colloquium of Social Sciences and Communication "Sergiu T. Chiriacescu" Aula of Transilvania University of Brasov Brasov, Romania, November 9-11, 2017 |
Conference website | http://www.unitbv.ro/acum |
Abstract registration deadline | August 31, 2017 |
Submission deadline | August 31, 2017 |
International Colloquium of Social Sciences and Communication ACUM 2017
Transilvania University of Braşov, Faculty of Sociology and Communication invites you to attend between 9 - 11 November 2017 the 9th edition of the International Colloquium of Social Sciences and Communication ACUM, entitled Challenges of Education and Research in the Social Sciences.
The present-day complexity, volatility and diversity of the globalised world present changes and ever-new challenges to higher education and research. In this context, a deep understanding of contemporary life requires an interdisciplinary approach, which is recognized as an opportunity to strengthen cooperation between research, education and business communities. Therefore, the aim of the conference is to bring together a wide audience of researchers, teachers, professionals and students around clearly circumscribed topics, engage participants in fruitful debates and facilitate mutual understanding.
The conference topic areas focus on the following disciplines: sociology, social psychology, anthropology, social work, human resources, communication, public relations, educational sciences.
Submission Guidelines
All papers must be original and not simultaneously submitted to another journal or conference. The following paper categories are welcome:
- Full papers
- Posters (may only be presented in Post-communist cities: memory, identity, challenges panel)
List of Topics
Panels for Researches, Teachers and Professionals
1. International relations and global challenges in the 21st century (coordinator: Ana-Maria Bolborici)
For the entire international community, the 21st century began with an effervescence more or less predictable, in this regard the Islamist terrorism represent one of the major causes. Nevertheless, the crises arising from the terrorist attacks are just one of the major global challenges, the crises at the beginning of the 21st century are extremely complex, mainly politico-military, having economic support given the multiplication of disparities and asymmetric threats. All those crises affect both the developed world but also the poor countries, faced with border wars, starvation, malnutrition, severe lack of jobs, etc. The core of the refugee crisis arising from such crises, currently one of these facing the European Union is linked to that of identity.
States are trying to deal with all these challenges, but often these prove to be vulnerable. What scenarios can be imagined in the medium term and even short-term, taking account of the global risks, threats and vulnerabilities? What would be the predictions for the next period concerning the security environment?
2. Space and place in social anthropology and the philosophy of culture (coordinator: Mihai Burlacu)
The spatial dimensions of cultural beliefs and practices have always represented subjects of interest both for anthropologists and for philosophers. In the last three decades, the anthropologists have begun to bring into foreground the concept of place when they approach the spatial dimensions of cultures. Thus, the thesis that all behaviours are located and built spatially has taken on a new meaning. This change is in accordance with the theoretical developments from sciences such as sociology and from some philosophical disciplines such as the philosophy of culture. In this section, we welcome papers that are dedicated to philosophical and/or anthropological approaches of space and place. The papers may include both the results of research and considerations regarding the current main theoretical and methodological tendencies from anthropology and philosophy.
3. The Active Aging - Challenges and Opportunities (coordinator: Diana Bódi)
The actual society, especially in the developed countries but also in the countries in developing, is experiencing with a growing process of demographic aging, whose causes are the demographic changes of the last century: a mortality rate substantially reduced which conducted to an increase of life expectancy, declining birth rate and a greater increase of the population over 65 years. These changes were influenced by some changes at the social level, such as the transition from traditional societies to industrialized societies, developing and improving medical technologies and other development of health insurance systems, generalization of social protection systems, etc.
The consequences of demographic aging, so much studied and publicized, appear not only in the demographic field, but also in the social area. Beyond the economic problems caused by this process, through the inability to sustain optimum in financial terms of all retirees, there are problems of the cultural, spiritual, moral and social nature which influence the perception of society over the elderly but also over their life quality.
One of solutions to this social problem is to promote the active aging that comes with new perspectives on retirement period. Active aging means elderly with optimal health, an active role in society and professional fulfillment, autonomy in daily life and involvement in civic activities.
I kindly invite you to participate with articles that describe best practices in terms of active aging, highlighting the positive effects of applying the concept in the daily life of elderly, researches which comes with a plus of value in the field.
4. Organizational studies across cultures (coordinator: Carmen Buzea, Horia Moaşa)
This section aims to promote a critical understanding of organizations from a cross-cultural perspective. The main assumption underlying the cultural variation of organizational behavior and processes is the direct link between culture and the individuals’ conceptualization and action, meaning that people may have different perceptions of organizational environment, depending on their exposure to a particular cultural context. We aim to explore organizational challenges across cultures and nations contributing to the increasing need to understand work behavior in a variety of contexts. Conceptually rigorous, empirically-grounded, and/or practice-relevant research should offer valuable and timely insights not only for academics, but also for professionals, consultants, and trainers. We encourage the interplay between theorizing and empirical research, in the belief that they should be mutually informative. It is a multidisciplinary section which is open to contributions of high innovation and quality, from any perspective relevant to the field and from any country.
5. Gender studies (coordinator: Alina Coman)
In the last decades, Gender Studies have introduced significant reinterpretations in our way of understanding the reality and everyday social practices as well. While the topic of equality of rights and opportunities is increasingly on the public agenda, there still have been persisting gender inequalities. This kind of dichotomy continues to challenge us to elaborate more subtle analyses of the ways in which society is shaped by gender.
This conference section is addressed to academics, researchers and professionals with a particular interest related to gender studies. We invite proposals from various disciplines including psychology, sociology, communication, political studies, anthropology, culture studies, history and literature.
6. Human Rights in the Context of Criminal Justice (coordinator: Simona Mihaiu)
From general perspective, respecting the human rights in criminal justice is the expression of a balance established between the rights of the individual, on one hand, and the interest of the community, on the other hand. However, some of the most serious human rights violations occur in this field- from police and prosecutiontill punishment. In this given situation, it is important for us to know, in theoretical and practical terms, the existing state of affairs regarding criminal justice in Romania, but also the criminal justice in other states. Thus, we can understand the contexts in which national criminal policy and international criminal policies guarantees or not the respect for human rights. For example, as far as our country is concerned, it is interesting to know if there are clear and consistent steps to remedy the current disparities in criminal justice. Are these based on balancing rights and obligations, on establishing standards in accordance to the sociopolitical context and on the non-discrimination in the exercise of human rights? The responses we need to seek, in the real state of affairs, may represent foundations for the conceptual and practical improvement of national criminal justice and international criminal justice.
7. Digital media and social diversity: digital literacy of different social groups (coordinators: Gyöngyvér Erika Tőkés, Florin Nechita)
Digital media usage in European societies bringsabout opportunities, risks and challenges. The meaningful use of digital media envolves in a specific social and cultural context. There is a large diversity of digital media practices within Romanian society.
The daily use of digital media and the adoption of meaningful digital practices are more frequent among people with a middle and high socioeconomic status living in urban areas. It is also known that young adults and families with children are more likely to have digital practices integrated in their daily routines. Among vulnerable users we find young people and children, but also older adults. Young people and children are heavy users of digital media, and therefore more exposed to risks, especially if they lack appropriate guidance and socio-cultural support. Older adults, due to their ageing problems, are disadvantaged in relation to engagement with digital media.
Digital literacy is beyond the use of digital devices, it is a “set of digital behavior, practices and identities” (ELINET 2016). Digital literacy encompasses multiple social and cultural patterns, which are mutable on the influence of daily digital activities (Powell 2007). Differences among users are related to these behaviors, practices and identities, which are shaped by users' digital skills, attitudes, values and knowledge.
Presentations of this section aim to discuss the issue of digital literacy as a set of social and sense-making practices among diverse socio-cultural groups in the Romanian context.
7. Post-communist cities: memory, identity, challenges (coordinator: Daniela Sorea)
The communist regimes imposed on Central and Eastern Europe specific trajectories of urban development. Economy planning, forced industrialization and attempts to reshape social memory modified urban topography, profile and identity. The fall of communism brought a new reconfiguration of the cities in this part of Europe. Wild capitalism, symbolic capital, claimed freedoms, borders, the delimitation of the recent past, revaluing of the neighborhood have left their mark on the urban structure and urban life. All these changes, the way the city as an organism responded to the challenges of history, is reflected in the townspeople’s memory. By this section we propose a critical and valorising incursion into this memory. It is a posters section.
8. New walls, new exodus. Migration and ethnicity challenges (coordinator: Giuseppina Cersosimo, Codrina Șandru)
There are more evidences of a globalization world which it overturns own premise: instead in to erase differences and inequalities, it underlines them. The new migratory waves, the anguish of terrorism and the revival of nationalism which is dominated by the metaphor (or the reality?) of the new walls bring it us to debate and analyze the migratory phenomenon and the dimension of ethnicity from a multidisciplinary perspective.
This section aims to find answers to certain questions such as: Which are the causes, the process and the consequences of the international migration? Which is the dynamic of social policies and of the community actions in relation to the new migration waves? How are developed the integration policies? How does Europe redefines itself in a world threatened by terrorism and by new waves of migration? Does today society maintain inequities by ethnicity? How does Romania place itself in the context of new national and international ethno-cultural challenges? Does contemporary society build new walls and boundaries? Do we need new boundaries theories of citizenship and democracy?
To answer these tough questions, we need multidisciplinary perspectives. We need to understand, from a sociological and anthropological view, who are we, who are the others and how to negotiate the contact between cultures, in everyday life but to the institutional level, too. We need social work researches, to understand the issues and to intervene efficiently in the risk situations. Although, we need, studies about public communication products and about the way in which mass media build or overturn the prejudices and beliefs.
We are pleased to invite you attend to this section with macro or micro social, quantitative and qualitative studies, for a veritable debate and to obtain knowledge in a field which is actual again.
9. Third Sector - inclusion and social responsibility (coordinator: Marinela Șimon)
It is well known that in social services domain, the third sector, which is also called nonprofit or nongovernmental field, is an important alternative to the market demand and to the public system. This section is aimed to highlight the role of NGOs in identifying community needs not fully covered by public institutions or by the economic environment, in providing public goods and services, in facilitating the social integration of vulnerable groups and not least, in growth responsibility and social cohesion. Also, we are interested to know what are the tendencies in this area and what are the challenges faced by non-governmental organizations in achieving their mission.
Panels for Students
1. ACUM student (coordinator: Florin Nechita)
2. Digital media (coordinator: Florin Nechita)
Workshop
Initial and continuous training in social work. Requirements, opportunities, challenges (coordinators: Mariana Busuioc, Mihaela Gotea)
This workshop investigates perceptions of social workers about the professional training, promotes interaction and exchange of ideas among practitioners, future specialists and teachers from academia, and provides shaping new directions in training and development of human resource which is offering social services.
During the workshop, participants will discuss topics such as the application of theoretical knowledge acquired during university studies in social work practice, difficulties as a debutant in the organizational environment, continuous training needs of social workers, legislative provisions, previous experiences in training, organizational resources for training social workers, the market of service providers for human resource training and development (specialized for social care professionals), proposals to improve these aspects.
At this workshop, we invite practitioners, students and teachers interested in improving professional training of specialists from the social work system, both governmental and non-governmental. Perceptions and views of the parties involved in the debate can identify barriers and solutions to facilitate insertion of the social worker into its field.
Committees
Organizing committee
- Carmen Buzea, Transilvania University of Braşov
- Gabriela Rățulea, Transilvania University of Braşov
- Alina Coman, Transilvania University of Braşov
- Codrina Șandru, Transilvania University of Braşov
- Diana Bódi, Transilvania University of Braşov
- Ana Maria Bolborici, Transilvania University of Braşov
- Mihai Burlacu, Transilvania University of Braşov
- Mihaela Gotea, Transilvania University of Braşov
- Daniela Sorea, Transilvania University of Braşov
- Marinela Șimon, Transilvania University of Braşov
Invited Speakers
Fons J. R. van de Vijver, Tilburg University, Olanda - Educational Achievement of Immigrant and Nonimmigrant Students: A Cross-Cultural Perspective
Shigeo Kikuchi, Meisei University, Japonia - Representation of Africa in Japan Today: From the Field of Higher Education
Dumitru Sandu, Bucharest University, Romania - What brings poor/better life into rural places of Romania?
Ştefan Ungurean, Transilvania University of Braşov, Romania - Sociology and literature - a case study in a postmodern reading
Publication
ACUM 2017 proceedings will be published in one of the special issues of Bulletin of the Transilvania University of Brasov, series VII. The Journal is indexed in EBSCO Publishing DataBase, DOAJ and CEEOL.
For more information about publishing the articles in the Bulletin of the Transilvania University of Braşov you can access http://webbut.unitbv.ro/Bulletin/calendar.html.
Venue
The conference will be held in Brașov County.
Contact
All questions about submissions should be emailed to acum@unitbv.ro.