Academic Research Center “Social and Cultural Studies Mainz”

Social and Cultural Studies Mainz (SOCUM)

The interdisciplinary academic research center “Social and Cultural Studies Mainz” (SOCUM) aims to promote interdisciplinary research.
Key terms: social science, cultural studies, academic research, university, transdisciplinarity, societies, minorities, majorities, public communication, differentiation, doing culture, categorization, media presentation, boundaries, discrimination, nonverbal performance, artifacts.

“SOCUM ” is the name of a project launched jointly by a group of academic researchers. It is supported (and sponsored) by the university and the ministry of education. Such projects usually last 3-5 years but could reach a permanent status. A central aim is to promote interdisciplinary research.
Therefore, researchers from their respective fields (e.g. sociology, anthropologies, linguistics, literary and cultural studies, as well as educational science) and departments at the university saw the need to merge their research activities in a new way in order to cope with current challenges of both social and cultural studies. SOCUM itself is structured like a small-size department (i.e., secretary, chair, staff, plenary etc.)

- Academic professionals doing research in the fields of social and cultural studies;
- Scholars and young researchers looking for PhD grants and stipends;
- Visitors (e.g. from the fields of economy, politics, cultural studies) interested in our research should also be addressed.

The website should have several functions:
1. Description of the idea behind the project “SOCUM” and its structure.
2. Detailed info about the subjects/departments and the participating researchers (approx. about 30 people)
3. A platform for organizing meetings, lectures and conferences
4. News section (teaser on frontpage?)
5. Internal area (login) for the members to exchange information and documents and to how to arrange appointments
6. Info about scholarship (stipends)
8. Contact info, probably Newsletter

Tagline: “Collective Research Center (Forschungszentrum)”
Final version should be submitted in fully layered Photoshop format easily convertible into a functioning HTML page.

We already have a Logo (http://www.sfb295.uni-mainz.de/hieg…oSOCUM.gif).

We require a homepage design and one subpage. Submit your design for the homepage first, and we will let you know if we would like you to continue with the subpage.
We like clear designs with a fresh and modern look. No color theme decision yet, but it should match the logo, while we prefer light over dark. We rely on your creativity! Whitespace is key (no heavy news site).

You can see a list of some of my clients favourite example sites here: http://www.sfb295.uni-mainz.de/hieg…ing-socum/.

In order to give you a better direction, I ask you to look at this flyer: http://www.sfb295.uni-mainz.de/hieg…plakat.pdf
This could guide your understanding of our identity and could be a model in terms of color scheme, font choice and overall style. Would be nice to see some entries based on this style.

Nice icons and Web 2.0 features (e.g. RSS) could be considered. We prefer sophisticated over bells and whistles.
Maybe an inspiring photo or image but nothing that needs heavy(!) JavaScript when coded.

Coding could possibly be commissioned later with the winning designer. Keep in mind that we plan to convert it to Wordpress and/or Joomla later (as yet undecided).

Central blocks could be titled:
- Forschung/Arbeitsgruppen
- Veranstaltungen/Summer Schools/Georg Forster Lectures
- Mitglieder

Main menu items could be:
Home, Structure, Aims, Members, Events, Publications

Wants:
- Membership option/area and login form
- Language changing option (German, English)