Conference on argumentation in mediation

The annual assembly of the Associazione Ticinese per la Mediazione (ATME), foreseen for June 17, 2009 in Lugano, will be preceded this year by a conference devoted to argumentation in mediation.

See http://www.mediazioneticino.ch/
8. Assemblea ordinaria dei soci ATME
mercoledi 17 giugno 2009 alle ore 17:30
presso il Centro della Mediazioni, via Carducci 4 (Piazza San Rocco), Lugano
17.30C onferenza di Sara Greco Morasso dal titolo: "La mediazione come dialogo ragionevole"
18.30 Assemblea annuale

'Research week' at the University of Neuchâtel

Today I completed a research week that I had the opportunity to live at the Institut de Psychologie et Education of the University of Neuchâtel. I had a beautiful opportunity to discuss with several colleagues and open new possible research paths on argumentation. I am thankful to all of them.

***

During this week, I have also finished teaching my two 2009 courses - "Argumentation et construction des connaissances" and "Argumentation et formation" - together with a group of very active students, whom I would also like to thank.

New publication - GLOBAL LINGUISTICS

A new volume on intercultural communication with some interesting insights on argumentation in the delicate context of intercultural relationships:

Danesi, Marcel / Rocci, Andrea
Global Linguistics
An Introduction
2009. 23 x 15.5 cm. X, 270 pages. 30 fig. 21 tables. Paperback. RRP Euro [D] 34.95 / for USA, Canada, Mexico US$ 39.95.
ISBN 978-3-11-021406-2 Series: Mouton Textbook
MOUTON DE GRUYTER
http://www.degruyter.de/cont/fb/sk/detailEn.cfm?isbn=978-3-11-021406-2

***About this Title (from Mouton De Gruyter's website):
The book provides an introduction to an interdisciplinary field of inquiry that can be called “global linguistics” (GL). GL emerges to tackle the ever-growing phenomenon of intercultural communication (IC) in today’s world of international contacts. The specific aim of GL is to look at the form and contents of dialogues among speakers of different cultural backgrounds who will use a “default language” or koiné (usually English) to interact, in order to detect communication breakdowns at various levels of “depth,” as well as the opportunities for developing sound intercultural communication practice. The book includes an accessible presentation of fundamental questions concerning languages and language use. Among the questions addressed are the universal design features of languages, the connection between language and conceptual systems, how people use language to coordinate their actions and interact in a variety of social contexts, and the place of language in a semiotic view of culture. The volume also addresses how language, context and culture shape the way in which we argue a point and try to persuade other people, and why intercultural argumentation is both necessary and risky.Global Linguistics: An Introduction describes fundamental notions in linguistics and cognate fields and is thus well-suited for use as a textbook in courses dealing with IC in general. At the same time, the book is of general interest to scholars in linguistics and communication studies, as it places particular emphasis on theoretical models such as argumentation theory and conceptual metaphor theory, which are generally not presented in textbooks on language and IC.

Call for papers - Argumentative processes and communication contexts

Call for Papers

Studies in Communication Sciences – An International Journal

Thematic Section on:

Argumentative processes and communication contexts

Guest Editors: Eddo Rigotti and Sara Greco Morasso, Università della Svizzera italiana, Faculty of Communication Sciences, Switzerland

The relevance of the role played by argumentation in shaping the communicative practices occurring in different contexts and activity types is increasingly acknowledged. Argumentation is rooted in the contexts in which it takes place and is significantly determined by them: from social and political institutions to media discourse and journalism, from social and ethical debate to the economic and financial sphere, from health communication to the various domains of interpersonal interactions.More specifically, argumentation, insofar as it fosters a reasonable management of disagreement and a critical attitude in the solution of conflicts of opinion and of interest, significantly conditions the quality of decision-making and of the building of consent in the communicative activities carried out in these contexts.A thorough study of argumentative processes in different communication contexts cannot originate but from an interdisciplinary effort connecting the awareness of the proper dynamics of specific communication contexts with theoretical knowledge of the argumentative processes. Consequently, the thematic section of this issue of Studies in Communication Sciences intends to bring together two categories of researchers. The first, dealing with the structure and dynamics of a specific communication context and perceiving the significance of argumentation within this context, aims at adequately defining the role of argumentative processes. The second category, mainly concerned with argumentative strategies, intends to verify how such strategies are molded on and influenced by the communication context to which they are applied.

Article Format and Topics:
Articles in the special issue can have a length of up to 10 pages (2300 characters, with spaces, per page), including abstract, footnotes and references. Contributions can be in English, Italian, French or German. Each author receives 25 free bound reprints of his or her article. The list of possible communication contexts in which argumentative processes can be analyzed includes (but is not limited to):
• Public communication and political discourse
• Communication practices in different mass-media and new-media platforms (newspapers, internet discussions tools, newsgroups, etc.)
• Controversies in scientific communication
• Social debate
• Economic and financial discourse
• Interpersonal communication in different institutional environments (family, school, and others)
• Other significant communication contexts

Key Dates:
• Submission of Articles: August 20th, 2009
• Feedback from Reviewers: October 10th, 2009
• Final Version due: October 31st, 2009
• Publication of the Journal: December 2009

Contact Information:
For questions about the contents, please contact: eddo.rigotti@lu.unisi.ch or sara.greco@lu.unisi.chTo submit your paper: info@scoms.ch
The Journal’s website (incl. notes for contributors) can be found at: www.scoms.ch

Working for the PhD dissertation defense...

...With the precious help of Giacomo.