Erasmus Graduate School

of Social Sciences
and the Humanities

PhD
programme
Media and
Communication

Lela Mosemghvdlishvili
PhD student and lecturer
researches the politics of
mobile code and devices

Introduction
Welcome The Erasmus University
Department of Media and
Communication is committed
We are proud of the fact that we are internationally one of the top to the development of
research centres in our field. And PhD students are an essential part comparative and multi-
of our department. They add a diversity in academic and cultural method approaches for media,
backgrounds which is crucial to analyse and, if needed, redefine communication and culture
existing preconceptions in academia and society at large. research. Researchers at the
department aim to understand
and qualify transformations
By stimulating and facilitating junior researchers in media, communication
to take doctoral courses and attend conferences and culture as well as their
transformational power in
abroad, we seek to sustain a research environment society.
which is both demanding and supportive.
Erasmus School of History,
In an increasingly competitive academic environment we are also very Culture and Communication
involved in the follow-up of a PhD trajectory. Beyond the educational (ESHCC)
needs and interests of your current project we will also work to give The Department of Media and
you the skills to successfully pursue an academic career beyond Communication is part of the
your PhD. Erasmus School of History,
Culture and Communication,
I look forward to welcoming you to our research community. a dynamic faculty with an
international staff and student
Prof. dr. Susanne Janssen body.
Professor of Sociology of Media and Culture
Head of the Department of Media and Communication A large part of the department’s
research takes place in the
framework of the Erasmus
Research Centre for Media,
Communication and Culture
(ERMeCC). This in-house
Contents
research centre unites senior
researchers and PhD students
from various disciplinary
backgrounds, whom share
a common interest in the
PhD research programmes 03 myriad relationships between
media, society, culture and
business. Its members regularly
Research excellence in Media, Communication and Culture 04 organise lectures, seminars and
other events geared towards
Meet our PhD candidates: Lela Mosemghvdlishvili 05 researchers, professionals and
students.
Selection of key (inter)national research projects 06
Research schools and application 07
02
PhD research
programmes
Research at the department focuses on a specific combination of
research themes and is not solely rooted in media and communication
studies but also in various other disciplines. As such, the department
occupies a unique position internationally. The individual and
collaborative research projects in the field of media, communication
and culture can be grouped into five interrelated themes.
Transformations in the Media and Cultural Industries
Researchers on this theme examine how media organisations and
industries have responded to altering international, national and local
(business) conditions brought about by wider technological, economic,
socio-cultural and political developments.
New Production and Consumption Practices
New media technologies are increasingly shaping interpersonal as well as
corporate and organisational communication. This line of research aims
to qualify the intertwinement of media production and consumption and
to clarify the mechanisms and processes that determine their mutual
relationships.
Globalisation, Diversity and Identity in Media and
Culture
Globalisation has greatly enhanced cultural diversity within Western
nation-states and has led to an increased awareness of the ‘Other’, as
well as to diversity politics and the production of exclusion. This research
strand addresses the consequences of globalisation and increased
diversity for agents, processes, structures, products and practices in
media and culture.
Socio-Political Impacts of Media and Communication
Researchers working on this theme focus on the role of media and
communication in the construction, contestation and blurring of
boundaries between, for instance, the public and the private, the local
and the global, services and commodities, and citizens and consumers.
Dynamics of the Symbolic Production of Culture
This theme studies how individual and organisational practices influence
the social valuation of particular cultural genres and products and the
shifting ways in which social inequalities – for instance, in terms of
gender, ethnicity or regional descent – are being (re)produced in cultural
classifications.
Visit the Graduate School website for more information on the
department’s research programmes: www.egs3h.eur.nl/research
03
“In my PhD supervision
I aim to strike a
balance between
maximising the PhD
researcher's academic
development and the
focus of the project.
On a day-to-day basis
this implies close
collaboration and
intense discussions
about our research
materials. Additionally,
knowledge utilisation
is high on the agenda,
as our research
contributes to
understanding the
ubiquitous practices
of interactive media
technology in society.”
Prof. dr. Jeroen Jansz
Professor of Media and
Communication
Also watch the video
testimonial of prof. dr. Susanne
Janssen on our website to
learn more about doing a PhD
in Media and Communication:
www.egs3h.eur.nl/research
> research-areas
> media-and-communication
04
Research excellence in Media,
Communication and Culture
The Department of Media and Communication is a flourishing academic
department, in tune with contemporary trends in terms of funding
acquisition, PhD training and facilitating quality academic output.
Leading
position
The PhD programmes of the
department cover a wide range of
topics related to the production,
diffusion and reception of arts,
media and cultural artefacts. In
many of these areas of research,
specifically cultural sociology
and cultural economics, the
department occupies a leading
position, both nationally and
internationally.
Innovation
Our high standards of research
are supported by the ERMeCC
Digital Research Lab which
facilitates research into the use
of television, computers, and
game consoles. In this state-of-
the-art media lab researchers
can perform audience research
as well as the analysis of media
content. The lab also provides
tools and workshops for online
data collection.
These innovative efforts are
facilitated by a high-quality
university ICT infrastructure.
For example, group licenses
for analytical software and the
24EUR7 cloud allow staff to
work on their data and files from
anywhere, anytime.
Figures ERMeCC (2015)
Academic staff 35
PhD students 25
High
Meet our
potential PhD candidates:
As a PhD student you will
come to work in a high
potential environment
which will include individual
Lela Mosemghvdlishvili
agreements about career
development with clear
researches the politics of
research criteria. By making mobile code and devices
productivity and quality of
publications a factor in staff
evaluation, PhD students
are encouraged to aim
high when it comes to
publishing their research. In
To understand the driving forces
addition to high demands,
the department provides
that channel the process of
technological development, that
structural support and
is what Lela Mosemghvdlishvili is
training in, for instance,
interested in. After her Master’s
grant applications and
degree in Communication
strategic publishing.
Studies, she started conducting
industry and market research
for a huge multinational in
Amsterdam. “A very market-
oriented type of research,” Lela
remembers. “You don’t have
academic freedom to evaluate
processes, which for me was
very limiting. So I decided to go
back to academia.”
At Erasmus University, she is now
a lecturer and PhD candidate
at the Department of Media
and Communication. The
international character of the
university attracted Lela to EUR:
“The Bachelor’s programme is in
English and the university has a
very good staff of international
lecturers.”
Research
Her research project Politics
of Mobile Code and Devices
focuses on how mobile devices
are designed and developed.
“I’m not per se interested in the
appropriation of technologies,
how people use them,” Lela
explains.
“It can be a tough and
stressful process, but
in the end it’s very
rewarding.”
“I look at the prior process, where
decisions are made regarding
what kind of technology we have
in our hands. I want to contribute
to the idea that we need to
increase public involvement and
to democratise this initial phase of
how technologies are developed.”
Personalia
Name: Lela Mosemghvdlishvili
Place of birth: Tbilisi, Georgia
PhD project: Politics of Mobile Code
and Devices
Doctoral supervisor: prof. dr. Jeroen
Jansz
Academic career:
2004: BA (cum laude) Broadcast
Journalism, Tbilisi State University
(Georgia)
2008: MA (cum laude) Communication
Studies, University of Amsterdam.
Master thesis: Framing and praising
Allah on YouTube
2008 - 2010: Analyst in Technology,
Communication and Media, Spencer
Stuart, Amsterdam
2010 - present: Lecturer International
Bachelor Programme Communication
and Media; PhD research: “Politics of
Mobile Code and Devices”, Department
of Media and Communication, Erasmus
University Rotterdam
Intellectual quest
Her research is very important to
Lela, not only from a professional
perspective but also personally.
“I see my PhD as an intellectual
quest. At the beginning you feel
very lost,” she recalls.
“You dive into this huge amount
of literature, struggling to find your
way until at a certain point you
suddenly see the little contribution
your dissertation will bring to this
already immense knowledge we
have in academia. It can be a
tough and stressful process, but in
the end it’s very rewarding.”
Want to learn more about
Lela’s research? Visit the
Graduate School website for
the full interview:
www.egs3h.eur.nl/research
> meet-our-phd-candidates
05
Selection of key
(inter)national research
projects
As a junior researcher you will
also share in the resources and
expertise of the department’s
national and international
networks. In several major
research projects it plays a key
role. A small selection:
HERA funded Popular Music
Heritage, Cultural Memory
and Cultural Identity (POPID) –
explores the relationship between
popular music and contemporary
renderings of cultural identity
and local and national cultural
heritage in a pan-European
context. Prof. dr. Susanne Janssen
acts as coordinator of this
project which included partners
from the University of Ljubljana,
Vienna University of Music and
Performing Arts and the University
of Liverpool.
Netherlands Organisation for
Scientific Research (NWO) funded
Persuasive gaming. From theory-
based design to validation and
back – is concerned with the
characteristics, design principles,
and effectiveness of persuasive
gaming. This is a cooperative
project between Erasmus
University, Eindhoven University
of Technology, Utrecht University
and several industry partners.
NWO funded Cultures of
Innovation in the Creative
Industries (CICI) – focuses on
practices of innovation in Dutch
creative industries. The main
research question is how cultures
of innovation develop in co-
located creative industries. For this
project the department closely
cooperates with several industry
partners in the creative sector.
For more information on
current ERMeCC research
projects visit:
www.eshcc.eur.nl/english
> ermecc > projects
Research
schools
During your PhD track at the
department you will follow
courses and workshops, and
attend conferences, all geared
towards enhancing your research
and networking skills. These
events are coordinated by several
national research schools and the
on-campus Erasmus Graduate
School of Social Sciences and the
Humanities (EGS3H).
As a PhD student you are a
member of the Graduate School,
in addition to your ERMeCC
membership. You will be able
to participate in the activities of
both national and on-campus
schools. These activities provide
“I feel very fortunate to do my PhD at this an opportunity to interact
department. The work I do here with my with PhD students from other
EUR departments and various
supervisors and fellow researchers will be a
universities in the Netherlands.
life-changing experience.”
For more information on the
Qiong Gong Graduate School doctoral
PhD student education programme visit:
researches social media and political communication in a www.egs3h.eur.nl/
comparative perspective between Europe and China doctoral-education

Academic and societal impact
Research in media and
communication necessitates
contacts in various artistic
fields, societal organisations,
media enterprises and public
institutions. In all of the
department’s research activities,
special attention is paid to the
societal context and impact of
its research. This is achieved
by actively contributing
to public debates and by
providing presentation and
networking training to junior
researchers. The department
also provides financial means
for PhD students to engage
with their peers at international
conferences and at other
forums. As a result, both junior
and senior members of the
department are highly visible
in international organisations
and editorial boards, in several
cases as founding members or
editors-in-chief of key journals.
Practical matters: application
Erasmus University has two types
of PhD students: ‘internal’ students
with full employment status and
‘external’, or self-funded, students.
Positions for internal PhD students
are announced on the EUR PhD
vacancies webpage and on the
website of Academic Transfer.
External PhD students have
their own research proposal
and are able to secure funding
for their project through private
resources or grants, for instance,
scholarships from national or local
governments. If you have your
own proposal and funding, you
can apply via the Graduate School,
which uses an online application
system (iApply) to provide an
efficient application service.
Visit the Graduate School
website for a step-by-step
guide on the admission
procedure:
www.egs3h.eur.nl/admission
Colophon
Publication: Erasmus University
Rotterdam
Coordination: Erasmus Graduate
School of Social Sciences and the
Humanities
Design: PanArt creatie en
communicatie
Photography: Graduate School,
Michelle Muus (p.4) and Levien
Willemse (p.6)
Printing: De Bondt Grafimedia
Edition: 2015
Meet our PhD candidates
Photography: Tim Leguijt
Fotografie (cover, p.5 and 7)
Text: Spotted by Gaby
(Gaby van der Zee)

06 07
Visit our website
for more information
on PhD research in
Media and
Communication
www.egs3h.eur.nl/research

Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR)

Erasmus Graduate School of Social Sciences
and the Humanities (EGS3H)

Woudestein campus
Mandeville building T15-33
Burgemeester Oudlaan 50
3062 PA Rotterdam, The Netherlands
T +31 10 408 2607
E contact@egs3h.eur.nl

www.egs3h.eur.nl