Researchers with an interest in the micro-analysis of social interaction are invited to participate in a four day international symposium and workshop to be held at Kansai University (Suita, Osaka, Japan) on 18-21 February 2012. This event is designed to (1) engender discussion and debate regarding future directions of micro-analytic research, in terms of practical and theoretical issues in the collection, transcription and analysis of recorded interaction data, and (2) provide training in these skills using the CLAN software tool.

Applications for participation and presentation are welcome. Please see below for details of the symposium and workshop.

Schedule outline

• Saturday 18 February:  International symposium: Presentations and discussion
• Sunday 19 February (AM):  International symposium: Data session and discussion
• Sunday 19 Feb (PM) - Tuesday 21 Feb:  CLAN workshop

The micro-analysis of social interaction has become increasingly prevalent among the social sciences - within anthropology, sociology, psychology and applied linguistics - since its emergence in the 1960s. At that time, this new means of social scientific research was able to emerge thanks to technological advances, which allowed for human encounters to be recorded and re-observed on multiple occasions.

Over 50 years later, the micro-analytic landscape is quite different. Researchers are now able to include also the visual elements of interaction, and can do so from multiple camera angles. This is allowing researchers to pay attention to the multiple semiotic fields through which interactants communicate simultaneously and, as a result, the complexity of social interaction is being further unpacked. Additionally, while technologies are helping researchers understand social interaction in more detail, and indeed modify our existing theories, technologies are also changing the way interaction itself is being conducted.

Because of these advances, interaction analysts are facing new challenges, and the research domain is exploring new directions. The aim of this international symposium is to bring together researchers with an interest in the micro-analysis of social interaction, in order to facilitate discussion and debate regarding what directions this field of research can take. The event will include time for discussion, which will be facilitated by the issues raised in presentations and data analyses. Invited speakers include Hartmut Haberland (Reader at Roskilde University / CALPIU) and Christopher Jenks (Assistant Professor at City University of Hong Kong).

This workshop will cover the basics, from installing the software and uploading data, through to transcribing, analysing and presenting findings through CLAN. It will be useful for any researchers interested in the analysis of social interaction, who have little or no experience of using the software.

The workshop will be facilitated by Spencer Hazel and Janus Mortensen from the CALPIU Research Centre at Roskilde University, where they are currently engaged in a large research project on interaction in international universities. Both have extensive experience of using CLAN in that project, and have recently delivered a similar workshop to PhD students and researchers in King’s College, London.

• The international symposium (only)
• The CLAN workshop (only)
• Both the international symposium and CLAN workshop

• Data collection (for example, how can researchers collect data in newly-emerging interactional settings, such as those which occur ‘virtually’ and/or while participants are in transit?)
• Data representation (how can multimodal data best be represented for dissemination and publication?)
• Data analysis (how can analysts best make sense of multiple simultaneous semiotic modes, and how does this analysis build upon, or challenge, existing understandings of interaction?)

Because of very limited spaces for the workshop (10-15), workshop participants are required to be present for its full duration. Additionally, participants who have their own data to transcribe and work on will be given priority.

Those interested in either or both events are invited to contact Adam Brandt (adambrandt [at] me.com) or Keiko Ikeda (keikoike [at] ipcku.kansai-u.ac.jp) no later than Monday 12th December 2011. Please indicate clearly which event(s) you wish to participate in.

The language of both the symposium and workshop will be English.