CFP - InfoSocial: Where information and the social sciences collide

A graduate student conference hosted by the Media, Technology, and Society (MTS) program at Northwestern University

As the information infrastructure of contemporary social life becomes increasingly complex and visible, disparate modes of inquiry converge. We are surrounded by a proliferation of data that provides a unique window into a wide array of individual and collective behavior. The changes in the visibility and availability of such data have challenged the technical and conceptual boundaries of the social sciences. This, in turn, has triggered a growth in interdisciplinary collaboration, and in methodological and theoretical innovation. Our conference aims to contribute to these collaborative and innovative developments by bringing together graduate student scholarship from across the academic spectrum.

We seek papers authored by graduate students that address relevant topics within and across disciplines, including contributions from communication and media studies, sociology, psychology, computer science, science and technology studies, information science, political science, and anthropology, among others.

Possible submission topics include (but are not limited to):
• Linked data/semantic web and society
• Privacy and information management
• Measuring online behavior
• Collective action and crowd sourcing
• Internet skill and literacy
• Open source and innovation
• Complexity and technological change
• History and information
• Information at work
• Educational technology
• Networks and the information society
• Methodological developments

*Important Information:*
Extended abstract submission deadline: April 15, 2012
Acceptance notification date: May 15, 2012
Conference Dates: October 12-13, 2012
Location: Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois

Conference URL: http://bit.ly/InfoSocialCFP
Email: mtsconference@u.northwestern.edu

To submit, please visit http://bit.ly/NUMTSconference and upload an
extended abstract of no more than
500 words.

Note: There will be no fee to attend and/or participate in the conference. Meals will be provided and interested attendees may request to be housed with Northwestern students. While we can make no guarantees, we will do our best to accommodate requests.