[ecrea] Cairo University Conference: Half a Century of Communication Research in Egypt and Internationally: Current and Future Trends

Cairo University Faculty of Mass Communication
17th International Conference
In collaboration with the
University of Westminster Arab Media Centre&  UNESCO Cairo Office

Half a Century of Communication Research in Egypt and Internationally: Current and Future Trends
December 13-15, 2011
Contemporary communication research has been heavily affected by the ongoing transformation of information and communication technologies and convergence between new and traditional media. Perhaps this is why research studies have failed to follow coherent programs or build on each other.  As one communication scholar observed, studies published in scholarly journals of mass communication too often seem to have no relationship to each other and very limited links with previous studies.

At the same time, Arab media and communication research seems fragmented. Studies appear isolated from each other, lacking a comparative perspective and lagging behind western scholarship in the field. Even though Arab media and communication research dates back to the Second World War, it is rare to find an Arab communication research program that outlines past experience, analyzes current research issues or predicts future trends.

This conference seeks to provide an international forum in which research into ongoing and dynamic changes in the era of globalized communication can be better understood. Scholars from different cultural backgrounds are invited to explore the nature of existing communication research and to discern significant patterns and trends in this body of literature. The conference aims to present theoretical and methodological reviews of selected areas of communication research through a critical assessment research or thematic meta-analysis of recent research publications. The conference welcomes group and individual papers that identify main research trends, highlight themes, trace methods and theories, and identify gaps in analysis.

The overall purpose is to identify general research trends occurring within a number of specific subfields of communication, to summarize a body of findings, to identify weaknesses within a body of research, and to suggest new directions for research. We hope the findings of this conference help achieve the following:
1-	Present global syntheses and critical assessments of studies and publications on media and communication research during the five decades from January 1960 to December 2010.
2-	Provide an overview of the major theories, hypotheses and findings of the research studies carried out in selected areas of media and communication research.
3-	Analyze the gap between the global trends in media and communication research and major research areas in the Arab region.
4-	Provide new insights for future research directions regarding all sub-fields under investigation.

Subfields of research to be investigated by conference papers may include, but are not limited to, the following:
1-	History of the press
2-	Media policy and law
3-	Audiences
4-	Political Communication&  Public opinion
5-	International communication
6-	Persuasive communication
7-	Gender and media
8-	Media management
9-	Development communication
10-	Advertising
11-	Agenda-setting
12-	Uses and gratifications
13-	New media
14-	Public relations
15-	Interpersonal communication
16-	Organizational communication
17-	Television violence&  cultivation research
18-	Print media layout and design
19-	Media literacy
20-	Media ethics
21-	Specialised press
22-	Integrated marketing communications
23-	Journalism education systems in Arab world
24-	Film and broadcast media discourse analysis
25-	Media framing

The main questions to be answered are:

1-	What broad themes and trends of research have been investigated?
2-	What theories, methods and techniques have been used?
3-	What have been the findings and conclusions?
4-	 What has changed over time?
5-	What gaps have been discovered that would lead to recommendations for the future?



Deadlines:
Deadline for submission of abstracts is October 10, 2011. The deadline for submission of the full text of papers is December 1, 2011.  Abstracts should be 300 words long and include: the title of the paper, name of the author/s, institutional affiliation, country, contact information, and three key words. The academic committee will release letters of papers' acceptance 10 days after submission of abstracts. Acceptance letters will include detailed information on accommodation, registration, and any other necessary information.

Important:

•	All Arabic and English Abstracts should be together addressed to both: Prof. Basyouni Hamada of Cairo University at: (basyouni.hamada /at/ gmail.com), and Prof. Naomi Sakr of University of Westminster at: (sakrn /at/ wmin.ac.uk)

•	The International Academic Committee of the conference represents most of the regions of the world. Prominent scholars of media and communication serve as members of this committee.

•	Simultaneous translation will be given.

•	The conference includes several plenary sessions as forums for open and free discussions.




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