Monday, September 08, 2008

CALL FOR CHAPTER PROPOSALS: Interpersonal Relations and Social Patterns in Communication Technologies: Discourse Norms, Language Structures and Cultur

CALL FOR CHAPTER PROPOSALS: Interpersonal Relations and Social Patterns in Communication Technologies: Discourse Norms, Language Structures and Cultural Variables

Proposal Submission Deadline: October 30, 2008

Interpersonal Relations and Social Patterns in Communication Technologies: Discourse Norms, Language Structures and Cultural Variables

A book edited by Dr. Jung-ran Park
College of Information Science and Technology
Drexel University

Introduction
Through an interdisciplinary perspective, this book will explore interpersonal discourse realized in computer-mediated communication (CMC). Interpersonal discourse concerns communication with another person in a dyadic, public or small-group context. Human interaction in a dyadic, public or group context through networked computers constitutes computer-mediated communication. The development of communication technologies enables dynamic social interaction through the CMC channel. Accordingly, there has been rapid growth in multiple genres of social interaction and online learning through the CMC channel. There exists a need to explore the impact of interpersonal discourse in carrying effective online learning and information seeking. This book will address such an impact by applying conceptual fundamentals of interpersonal discourse and online language usage to CMC contexts.

Objective of the Book
The rapid growth of CMC genres demands new perspectives, frameworks and tools for research and practice. Also necessitated is an understanding of online social interaction and an analysis of online discourse. This book will aim to, through an interdisciplinary perspective, explore three fundamental components of CMC: language, interpersonal relations/communication and information technology. It will aim to provide relevant theoretical frameworks and the latest empirical research findings in the area. It also aims to address the impact of interpersonal discourse in the building of online communities and in the design of interaction systems and social technology.

Target Audience
The target audience of this book will be composed of professionals and researchers working in the field of information and communication in various disciplines, e.g. library, information and communication sciences, linguistics, computer science, information technology, education, and management. Moreover, this book will provide advanced undergraduates and graduate students in the above mentioned fields with an understanding of the online social interaction and applications of interpersonal discourse for effective online interaction across CMC channels.

Recommended topics include, but are not limited to, the following:
Interpersonal relations in CMC—a conceptual framework
Social and affective aspects of communication in the CMC
Communication norms for social interaction through CMC (e.g., netiquette)
Online language usage and discourse structure
Face, self, identity in online communication
Verbal and non-verbal signals for interpersonal communication in CMC
Meaning seeking and negotiation in CMC
Applications of interpersonal discourse to CMC contexts
Building online communities and interpersonal communication skills
Group interaction and virtual teams
Interpersonal relations in online learning and education
Digital information service and interpersonal relations
Interaction system design, social technology, social interface
Online interaction across languages and cultures

Submission Procedure
Researchers and practitioners are invited to submit on or before October 30, 2008, a 2-3 page chapter proposal clearly explaining the objective and concerns of his or her proposed chapter. Authors of accepted proposals will be notified by November 30, 2008 about the status of their proposals and sent chapter guidelines. Full chapters (7000+ words) are expected to be submitted by February 15, 2009. All submitted chapters will be reviewed on a double-blind review basis. This book is scheduled to be published by IGI Global (formerly Idea Group Inc.), publisher of the “Information Science Reference” (formerly Idea Group Reference) and “Medical Information Science Reference” imprints. For additional information regarding the publisher, please visit www.igi-global.com.



Inquiries and submissions can be forwarded electronically (Word document) or by mail at:
Dr. Jung-ran Park
College of Information Science and Technology
DREXEL UNIVERSITY
Tel.: +1 215 895 1669 • Fax: + 1 215 895 2494
E-mail: jung-ran.park@ischool.drexel.edu