NCA and Communication University of China Hold Beijing Conference
In June, scores of NCA members, staff, and leadership participated in the third biennial conference on “Communication, Media, and Governance in the Age of Globalization,” in Beijing, China. The conference was co-hosted by NCA and the Communication University of China (CUC), and addressed questions about how the United States and China engage with and envision each other, and how their interlinked imaginaries create both opportunities and obstacles for greater understanding and strengthened relations.
“With harsh rhetoric flying between Washington and Beijing, Communication scholars can play an important role in building the bridges of collaboration and understanding that can fuel international peace,” said NCA Immediate Past President Stephen J. Hartnett of the University of Colorado Denver.
Three key topics were explored in panel sessions and workshops:
- Green Public Spheres and Environmental Communication
- Social Media and Mobile Communication
- Global Health Inequalities and Communication Interventions
Noted Communication scholars offered keynote addresses concerning each topic; Phaedra Pezzullo (University of Colorado) discussed environmental communication, Guobin Yang (University of Pennsylvania) highlighted the history of the internet in China, and Mohan Dutta (Massey University) spoke about the critical importance of communication interventions to alleviate global health inequalities.