Welcome to the Institute of Communication Studies!
Welcome to the Institute of Communication Studies (ICS) at Communication University of China! Inaugurated in April 2010 under the university’s restructuring scheme, ICS is one of the major academic bodies at CUC that hosts a highly diverse group of about 40 researchers drawn from different faculties of the university, including 11 professors and 12 associate professors.
The Institute’s primary mission is to integrate the university-wide resources of communication studies into one body and thus enhance the quality and efficiency of the University’s academic work in the field of communication and media research.
Our work mainly addresses some of the most fundamental issues at the intersection of communication studies, theory and practice of journalism, media industry, advertising, media education, and their relevance to the fast transformation of Chinese society.
We are also a group of assiduous educators, working with over 300 M.A. and PhD level students, including over 50 international students, to widen their academic vision and forge greater possibilities for their future careers.
All the current research centers are also coordinated under the Institute’s administration to provide counselling services for policy-makers and media professionals and promote constructive dialogues between governments, media, academia and the public. Based on our open and increasingly international partner network, we are also committed to pursuing inter-cultural understanding between China and the rest of the world by establishing double-degree or exchange programs with our international partners.
Whether you are a potential student or visiting scholar, I hope you will explore this brochure to learn more about our Institute. Feel free to contact us should you have any interest in studying or cooperating with us.
Sincerely,
Professor Yuejie Lei
Dean of ICS
RESEARCH CENTERS
Currently, we have 13 research centers, including
? Center for International Communication (CIC)
CIC, headed by Professor Weixing CHEN, deputy-Dean of ICS, is dedicated to theoretical studies of international communication history and policies from both global and local perspectives. Major projects run by the center include publication of translated books by key thinkers in the field of international communication, as well as first-class monographs by young Chinese scholars. Distinguished scholars and thinkers, such as Professor Régis Debray from France, have been invited by the center to give lectures to CUC staff and students.
? European Media Research Center (EMRC)
EMRC is the first research center in Asia which exclusively focuses on development and policy issues of European media industries. Several national and ministry-level research projects have been undertaken to facilitate policy making. Scholar and student exchanges with European universities and media institutions are also important matters on the center’s agenda. The center’s current director is Professor Chang LIU.
? Center for International Journalism (CIJ)
As one of the most time-honoured research centers, CIJ is a hub for scholars, students and practitioners from major Chinese media catering for international audiences. Its first group of MA students started their post-graduate study in 1986. The center has published a series of books, reports, and papers on the complex relationships between international relations, major geopolitical issues and journalism. It also provides training service for government officials in charge of information and public relations. The Center is headed by professor Xiaoying LIU.
? Audience Research Center (ARC)
ARC was founded in 1997. It focuses on audience research in context of Chinese media market. Major areas of interest include audience rating, data-mining, applied communication studies and methodologies, measurement of online media, surveying audience satisfaction, and so on. Award-winning works about these issues have been published. The center has also conducted several projects with major marketing organizations in the field of audience studies.
? Media Education Research Center (MERC)
The priority of MERC is to apply academic findings and achievements in the field of communication and media literacy studies, to help the public, especially young people, to make a shift in the ocean of overwhelming media information flows. The center has conducted many educational projects with governments and schools to improve young audiences’ literacy of media in China.
? I-WOM Research Center (IRI)
IRI was established in late 2007. The center’s major areas of study include online public opinion, online branding, crisis communication, and so on. It serves governments, companies and other social organizations’ needs for image and crisis management, as well as measurement of public opinion in online media. A report on trends in public opinion in Chinese online media is published annually.
? Public Opinion Institute (POI)
POI was founded in June 2010. The major academic fields of the institute are studies of public opinions in China, especially problems and challenges confronted by government. It helps the central and local governments to formulate effective policies for public information and public opinion management.
? Center for Ethnic Culture Communication and Development (CECCD)
CECCD aims, from an interdisciplinary perspective, to examine cultural issues of ethnic minority people in China by using visual ethnography and other methodologies from relevant disciplines. Major concerns include ethnic identity, cultural traditions, media culture and inter-cultural communication.
? Center for Editing and Publishing Studies (CEPS)
CEPS is dedicated to academic research on practice and policy issues of publishing industry in China. The center publishes the academic journal Modern Publishing Industry and several academic works on the history and development of the Chinese publishing industry.
? China Institute of International Communication Strategy (CIICS)
Jointly initiated by CUC and the Chinese People's Institute of Foreign Affairs, CIICS is a new think-tank institution which mainly handles issues concerning soft power strategies, national image promotion, media policy formulation, media and global governance, and so on.
? Center for African Media Studies (CAMS)
CAMS is a newly founded hub where local and visiting scholars are able to conduct academic projects about African media and social development. International conferences, joint-publications, student and scholar exchange, and other events, facilitate inter-cultural communication between China and Africa.
? Changjiang Scholars Workshop
This special workshop has been established exclusively for the University’s Changjiang Scholars. The Program of Changjiang Scholars is a higher education development program sponsored by the Ministry of Education of China and the Li Ka Shing Foundation. The current chair of the workshop is professor Yuezhi Zhao from Simon Fraser University in Canada.
INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION
ICS is one of the most internationalized institutions at CUC. Since 2011, the institute has been playing a leading role in administering the government-funded one year M.A. degree Program in International Communication for Developing Country Students. The majority of the enrollees are from over 30 developing countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America, including news reporters and media-related senior officials. Every student admitted to this program receives a scholarship from Chinese government which covers their tuition fees and living stipends. All courses are taught in English.
ICS has successfully started an English-taught Dual-Master Program in Global Communication in cooperation with the School of Communication at Simon Fraser University (SFU) in Canada since 2013. The program requires all students to spend their first academic year at SFU and the second academic year at CUC. They are supposed to fulfil academic requirements from both universities and receive an M.A. in Communication from SFU and an M.A. in Communication from CUC. The first cohort of 10 students started their one year study at SFU in September 2013.
Besides degree programs, ICS has also been committed to creating an internationalized educational environment for domestic students. With special funding support from the University, ICS hosts a series of academic workshops or lectures under the title “Face to Face with International Scholars”, chaired by internationally distinguished scholars in the field of communication studies or prestigious professionals from leading international media institutions. It is hoped that these events are not only helpful for our staff members and students to improve their critical thinking about their specific research issues, but also inspiring for our guest speakers through face-to-face communication across cultural and national boundaries.
Since its establishment, ICS has also developed a world-wide partner network covering Asia, Europe, North and South Americas, Africa and Oceania. Projects of visiting scholars, co-tutelle or double-degree PhD students, multi-degree MA students, short-term academic training, international academic conferences, co-authorship publications, and so on, have been successfully implemented based on frameworks specified by inter-institutional agreements.
CONTACT US
Institute of Communication Studies,
Communication University of China,
No. 1 Dingfuzhuang East Street, Chaoyang District,
Beijing, 10024, China
Tel: +86 10 6578 3687
Fax: +86 10 6578 3689
www.yishengmoju.com
ABOUT ICS