Call for Participations

6^th International Joint Summer School (2014)

Language, Media, and Development in East and South-East Asia

Bangkok, Thailand, August 16-27, 2014

Hosted by:

Graduate School of Language and Communication, National Institute of Development Administration, Thailand

Sponsored by:

National Center for Radio and Television Studies, Communication University of China, China

The Communication and Media Research Institute, University of Westminster, UK

School of Journalism and Communication, Chinese University of HongKong, Hong Kong

School of Communication, Simon Fraser University, Canada

Introduction

Launched in 2009,the International Joint Summer School (IJSS), developed as an international non-commercial annual event, aims to provide both alternative perspectives towards communication and media studies and a platform for young scholars and students from around the world to exchange ideas and experiences. After 4 years(2009-2012) of being hosted by Communication University of China in Beijing,and in 2013 by Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, we are pleased to announcethat the National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA) in Bangkok, Thailand will host this year’s IJSS in conjunction with its 6th Annual International Conference on Language and Communication (ICLC 2014, visit the link for call for papers: http://iclc.nida.ac.th/main/index.php/abstracts).

Theme: Language, Media, and Development in East and South-East Asia

As the power structures of the world continue to realign in the early twenty-first century,attention is increasingly being drawn to the development of countries in the East and South-East Asian regions. What this development is and will lead to, ofcourse, is a highly contested area, with the previous teleological and unidirectional models largely being rejected in favour of more culturally-relevant explanations. This is due to not only the actual development paths taken by nations such as the People’s Republic of China, but also the diverse international and regional influences that now structure the development of nations such as Myanmar. The legacies of both colonialism and communism also further complicate the picture, as the rhetorical and political-economic strategies that countries can draw on no longer comes from a unipolar core, and more critical views of nations’ history are easily developed.

The place of media, language, and culture in this region is one of the key drivers of innovation and development and thus deserves a closer study. The dominance of anon-indigenous language, English, in regional trade and politics, and increasingly education as well, is also of note. Multilingualism and international professional and educational experience are now almost mandatory for those entering the workplace in sectors as diverse as hospitality and manufacturing.

The Asian media-scape as well is increasingly multi-faceted, with the strengthening of both national media markets and the increase of cross-importation of cultural products. This unique political-economic structure facilitates both the strengthening of the regional media market as well as allowing it to achieve adistinctive relationship to the ‘core’ American media industry for content andmedia platforms alike.

It is an exciting time to take a step back and view the multitude of changes that have taken place in the language and media sectors over the last several decades. The different paths of development taken by different elements also deserve acritique, and one done from a comparative perspective cannot but enlighten us as to the respective benefits and drawbacks.

Confirmed lecturers:

Prof. Zhengrong Hu,Vice President of Communication University of China

Prof. Yuezhi Zhao,Canada Research Chair in the Political Economy of Global Communication, SFU

Prof. Anthony Fung, Dean of School of Journalism and Communications, CUHK

Prof. Colin Sparks,Chair professor, School of Communication, Hong Kong Baptist University

Dr. Xin Xin, Reader in International Communications, University of Westminster

Application

This twelve-day summer school is calling for participants who have interest in media, language, and/ordevelopment, especially from an East or South-East Asian perspective. Prospective participants are required to fill in an application form (see attachment) with othersupporting documents (such as a CV, a personal statement, a detailed research proposal or an academic paper), which should be sent to bjss2009@gmail.com by May 1, 2014. Earlysubmission is recommended. Notification of acceptance will be sent on a first-come-first-served basis.

The IJSS is free of charge but all participants need to be responsible for their own travel costs and other relevant expenses.

Important Dates