Dear Participants,
Welcome to the 8th International Summer School of
The European Ph.D
on Social Representations and Communication
I hope you will enjoy the innovation of the choice of this peaceful countryside location for the Summer School this year, at the Colonna Castle in Genazzano.
Those of you who were present last year at the 7th International Summer School of the European Ph.D. program may remember that after the lunch held on the panoramic terrace of the Caffé Capitolino, the European teaching staff left Rome to visit the Colonna Castle. While participants continued to enjoy the exceptional view of the hidden treasures of the surrounding archaeological area, we were welcomed by the Mayor and Town Councillor for Culture of Genazzano. This visit was of particular importance for us. Honouring the promise formally announced by the Rector last year, the Colonna Castle has now become the residential venue of the new cycle of the International Summer Schools (2002-2004) and of other scientific activities of a residential nature promoted by the European Doctoral programme.
Another of last year's dreams inspired by the magnificent view from of the terrace of the Caffé Capitolino has also been transformed into reality: the installation of the new Research Centre and Multimedia Lab of the European PhD on S.R. & C. in the heart of Rome at Piazza Ara Coeli, 1. Surprisingly, this beautiful facility is also named Colonna Palace, although it does not have any relationship to the Colonna Castle or to previous formal agreements between the noted Colonna family and the University of Rome "La Sapienza". On Sunday June 2, we invite you to come to the new European Ph.D. Research Centre and Multimedia Lab for a drink and for its formal inauguration in the presence of representatives from "La Sapienza". This is a very special day for Rome as it is the "Festa della Repubblica", our national day commemorating the foundation of the Italian Republic. On that occasion, Dr. Salvatore D'Amore, one of the participants in the Euro PhD programme, who defended his thesis in February 2002 in front of an international jury, will receive his final diploma .
Although, the administrative and secretarial staff still work out of the Faculty of Psychology at via dei Marsi, the new centre is the location for the daily co-ordination of scientific activities and the site for the production and diffusion of the "Innovative actions for developing the European PhD on S.R.& C." of the Internationalisation programme approved by the Italian Ministry for Scientific Research and co-funded by "La Sapienza".
By integrating face-to-face training activities like the International Summer School and O.D.L. training activities running on the web, a new impulse for producing the planned innovative actions will be derived from the parallel development of the E.L.V.I.R.T.I.S.S. project (E-Library and Videoconference Research Training Infrastructure on Social Sciences). Highly and positively received by the European Commission for Research, this project calls for an enlarged integrated physical and virtual lab that aims toward the further development and dissemination of multimedia tools produced for distance co-operative research activities and on-line advanced research training in the specialised multidisciplinary field of Social Representations and Communication. This will be led by European scientists for a world-wide scientific community located around the world. The complex package of multimedia tools to be developed and disseminated via Internet includes: a full bibliographic inventory, a meta-analysed inventory, an advanced search engine, an e-library in SR & C, digitalised studio produced videos, magisterial lectures produced in real time (videoconferences), Video-chat and Moderated Forum Discussions among participants with both academics and policy makers, and a "virtual campus" SR & C scientific community online database. During this International Summer School we will have a special session to present some of the multimedia tools already installed on the web site that have the goal of creating a virtual space for extending the opportunities for scientific exchanges from the International Summer School over the full year and "opening its walls" towards the virtual world-wide scientific community.
In the light of these goals to integrate face-to-face and computer mediated exchanges, I am very pleased to dedicate this year's cycle of the International Summer School to the area of the NEW MEDIA: Nets and Internet. Entitled "Communication, Media and Social Representations" (2002-2004) , I am very honoured that many experts from outside our networks – including some of the most famous scientists in this new specialised research field – have accepted our invitation to work together intensively.
For these guests, and for participants who do not already belong to our scientific network, I will say a few words about the history of European Ph.D. on S. R. & C. both past and the present. Realised in 1995 after the positive conclusion of the pioneer institutional phase, the European PhD in S.R. & C. was launched as an exciting intellectual adventure in 1993 thanks to a series of successful programmes that were repeatedly approved both by the European Commission EU DGXII and DGXXII and the Socrates' implementation phase. Dedicated to the diffusion action reserved for the 'best practices in Europe' as identified by EU DGXXII, the European PhD in S.R. & C. has become a prototype for others launching European doctoral programmes. In 2000, the European Commission for the Research (DG XII) designated the European PhD on S. R. & C. a centre of excellence as a Marie Curie Multipartner Training Site.
Therefore, I am particularly pleased to welcome the new Marie Curie Fellows to this International Summer School, which represents one of the intensive didactic "stages" provided by our training site. Selected from among many applicants, they will not only meet the Marie Curie tutors who welcomed them at their host institutions, but also other experts and professors invited from both within and outside the Marie Curie Multipartner Training Site, as well as other young researchers from within and outside the European PhD programme.
The daily programme of the International Summer School will run according to a well-tested didactic formula that integrates the keynote lectures in the plenary session, parallel workshops and group seminars, an intensive advanced methodological training, presentations of the multimedia tools on the web site, individual and group tutoring and co-tutoring, monitoring and evaluative sessions, as well as informal meetings alongside the swimming pool at the Agriturismo Aminta or during the visits to Rome and the Roman castles.
Three parallel group seminars will be focussed on the specific topic of this International Summer School or dedicated to the presentation of research reports by students currently enrolled in the European doctoral programme (including the new outstanding candidates admitted for academic year 2002-2003), those selected as Marie Curie Fellows as well as a number of other young researchers enrolled in national doctoral programmes outside the network. Following the suggestion of Programme Director Serge Moscovici, this is the first year that the participants enrolled into the Euro PhD programme will attend a special training session reserved for them to share adviseabout their projects, as a monitor system, and to reinforce their sense of belonging to our institutional scientific community.
On the basis of previous successful experience, we are confident that the scientific and social climate will be stimulated by the participation of about 40 researchers from 15 different nationalities (30 from the European Union, 5 from other European countries, 2 from Israel and 3 from North America) and of an ample teaching staff, including professors from universities and research centres spread over 4 European countries (Finland, France, Portugal, Italy) and outside Europe (Israel & U.S.A.). As you can see by reading the programme materials provided, the participants in this event are not only diverse in provenance, but also have diverse research interests within the field of Social Representations and Communication.
Finally, I would like to thank all those taking part in the International Summer School including naturally the Euro PhD Programme Director, my colleagues and the young researchers, the European Union DG XII, which supported the participation of the Marie Curie Fellows, the University of Rome "La Sapienza" - Co-ordinator of the European PhD on S.R. & C., which in previous years co-funded the Socrates programmes approved by the European Union DG XXII and the Internationalisation programme approved by the Italian Ministry for Scientific Research (MIUR).
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the Mayor of Genazzano, Dr. Margherita Coluccini, who along with the Rector of "La Sapienza" University – agreed to host the European PhD programme and its related activities to Castello Colonna. I also would like to thank the local staff that the Mayor kindly assigned to the task, in particular Councillor Ciprotti, Mr. D’Attilia, Ms. Angelucci and the Cooperative Luciani for welcoming the participants on the same day of its official opening. Always in Genazzano, I want to express many thanks to the very friendly family Bottega for their hospitality at the Agriturismo Aminta.
I also wish to thank the University representatives that accepted our invitation to attend the inaugural welcome cocktail at the new research centre and multimedia lab, even although it falls on the very special day of June 2.
To conclude, my gratitude also goes to the Department 's administrative staff for the immense amount of work they produce each year to organise the events and to the Euro PhD staff engaged with our own financial resources - Dr. Zoe De Smet (Scientific Secretary), Dr Stefania Occhio (Administrative Accountant), Dr Patrizio Bellafiore (Computer and Video Technician ), Marco Meloni (the new Webmaster for the Euro PhD site), as well as Dr. Elena Arena (Research Assistant dedicated to the co-ordination of the trans-national research team working on the meta-analysis of the S.R. literature and to the creation of the virtual library), Iris Wangermann and Francesco Maggiore (assistants for the long term preparation of the event). I can’t forget to officially thank my son Massimiliano, for the dynamic impulse and the great expertise he dedicates to the renovation of our website.
All of them performed admirably and skilfully in executing the very complex work goals set both within my office at the Faculty and at the new multi-media lab!
Again, a thank you to all participants in this event, from young researchers to professors and academic representatives. I wish you all a very fruitful stay.
Yours sincerely,
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Annamaria Silvana de Rosa
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International Summer School Organiser
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In your folder, which is our new "gadget" produced specially for this occasion, you will find:
(1) International Summer School scientific programme timetable,
(2) list of participants and teaching staff,
(3) list of parallel group seminars,
(4) didactic materials, also available on the dedicated web site as another step towards realising the new virtual
library,
(5) information about the European PhD on S.R. & C. (leaflet, list of participants enrolled in the programme, etc.)
(6) evaluation form for the 8th International Summer School,
(7) attendance certificate
(8) a mouse pad with the logo of all the partner Universities of the European PhD on S.R.& C.
(9) a badge with your name, with the ‘pin’ of the Euro PhD on SR & C
(10) an invitation card for the exhibition of contemporary artist Enzo Cucchi at the Colonna Castle
(11) tourist brochures and information
(12) Exclusively for the students of the Euro PhD on SR & C, the book “Penser la vie, le social, la nature. Mélanges en hommage à Serge Moscovici”, as didactic material.