PhD Tik-Tok Wars: Analyzing the Mobilization of Conflict Narratives on Social Media (V25.0200)

Applications are invited for a fully-funded four-year PhD position in the field of Critical Discourse Studies (CDS) at the Faculty of Arts, University of Groningen in the Netherlands. The PhD candidate will realize the project “Tik-Tok Wars: Analyzing the Mobilization of Conflict Narratives on Social Media” and contribute to teaching in selected BA/MA programmes at the Faculty. The position also includes an extensive training programme. The PhD candidate will be supervised jointly by associate professor Mike Huiskes, assistant professor Joanna Chojnicka and assistant professor Dimitris Serafis.

The PhD Project
Embedded in Critical Discourse Studies (CDS), this research project aims to map the complex landscape of conflict narratives on social media, exploring how different actors – from official government agencies, mainstream media outlets, to independent journalists, and civic society – tell the story of conflict on social media, and how these narratives shape public knowledge. More than ever before, today’s wars and conflicts are taking place right in front of our eyes: on the screens of our computers and smartphones. Social media in particular have become a powerful platform for sharing information about wars and conflicts – but also for turning them into a spectacle exploited for profit. The sheer number of social actors involved in reporting conflicts on social media and their varied interests make it increasingly difficult for news consumers to find unbiased information and critically engage with it. An important aspect of the project is its educational component, embedded in Critical Language Awareness (CLA) theory. The project aims to develop guidelines, recommendations and resources for educators and/ or journalists to foster awareness of the power of language and discourse in social life, including the skills of assessing the credibility of sources, recognizing different perspectives, and understanding the workings of power, ideology and bias.

You will be asked to

• Engage in regular meetings with supervisors to discuss the PhD project development.
• Write three publishable articles/chapters, with supervisory guidance.
• Complete the PhD in the specified timeframe (4 years).
• Teach in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th year of the project.
• Attend and present ongoing research at conferences, colloquia, summer/winter schools.
• Participate in the activities of relevant research groups, such as DisCo (Discourse & Communication), Center for Language and Cognition (CLCG) and RESPONSUS.
• Move to Groningen or its immediate vicinity.

Organisation
Since its foundation in 1614, the University of Groningen has established an international reputation as a dynamic and innovative university offering high-quality teaching and research. Its 27,000 students are encouraged to develop their own individual talents through challenging study- and career paths. The University of Groningen is an international centre of knowledge: It belongs to the best research universities in Europe and is allied with prestigious partner universities and networks worldwide.

The Faculty of Arts is a large, dynamic faculty in the heart of the city of Groningen. It has more than 5000 students and 700 staff members, who are working at the frontiers of knowledge every day. The Faculty offers a wide range of degree programmes: 15 Bachelor's programmes and over 35 Master's specialisations. Our research, which is internationally widely acclaimed, covers Archaeology, Cultural Studies, History, International Relations, Language and Literary Studies, Linguistics and Media and Journalism Studies.

• A Research Master’s or Master’s degree in any area related to the project (minimum grade 8.0 or equivalent) demonstrating an affinity with Critical Discourse Studies and confident use of methodologies relevant to CDS.
• Previous knowledge of methodologies relevant to social media research, with a preference for corpus linguistics and social network analysis.
• Excellent analytical skills and capacity to do innovative interdisciplinary research.
• A clear and well-articulated motivation for pursuing PhD research.
• Excellent academic writing skills in English.
• Knowledge of at least one another language.

In accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, the University of Groningen offers you

• A salary of € 2,901 gross per month in the first year, up to a maximum of € 3,707 gross per month in the final year, based on a full-time position.
• A holiday allowance of 8% gross annual income.
• An 8.3% end-of-the-year allowance.
• A temporary 1.0 FTE appointment for a specified period of four years. The candidate will first be appointed for twelve months. After six months, an assessment will take place of the candidate’s results and the progress of the PhD project, in order to decide whether employment will be continued.
• The PhD candidate is expected to conduct a total of 0.4 FTE teaching spread over the second, third and fourth year of their appointment.
• Excellent work-life balance.
• Willingness to move and reside in the Netherlands.

The appointment will commence on 1 September/October 2025 at the very latest. We allow 3 months from selection in case of VISA applications.

Applications should be made in English and contain the following materials

• A short statement (ca. 1000 words), explaining your motivation for applying.
• An outline of max 3000 words with your own research proposal in the wider frame of this project.
• A curriculum vitae.
• Copies of MA diploma and list of grades.
• Copy of MA thesis.
• If available, a copy of an article, book chapter or other academic text that you feel best represents your work.
• Contact details of two academic referees (no letters of recommendation are needed for the application process).
• In case your ReMA degree is not in English/Dutch, please include a language certificate.

Please send in your application as two PDF files (one for the MA thesis, and one for all other documents). You may apply for this position until 30 April 11:59pm / before 1 May 2025 Dutch local time (CEST) by means of the application form (click on "Apply" below on the advertisement on the university website).

Interviews with selected candidates will be held between 12 May and 16 May 2025.

The University of Groningen strives to be a university in which students and staff are respected and feel at home, regardless of differences in background, experiences, perspectives, and identities. We believe that working on our core values of inclusion and equality are a joint responsibility and we are constructively working on creating a socially safe environment. Diversity among students and staff members enriches academic debate and contributes to the quality of our teaching and research. We therefore invite applicants from underrepresented groups in particular to apply. For more information, see also our diversity policy webpage: https://www.rug.nl/about-ug/policy-and-strategy/diversity-and-inclusion/

Our selection procedure follows the guidelines of the Recruitment code (NVP): https://www.nvp-hrnetwerk.nl/sollicitatiecode/ and European Commission's European Code of Conduct for recruitment of researchers: https://euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/charter/code

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