International Communication — AEJMC Hot Topics

Public Relations Education Around the Globe

By Patricia Swann, Utica College | Public Relations

United States invented the modern-day profession we know as public relations. The United States has also pioneered the creation of public relations education.

Public relations educators in the United States have long rallied around Public Relations Society of America’s Commission of Public Relations Education report, “The Professional Bond,” which endorses a five-course standard. Those courses include principles of public relations, research methods, public relations writing, internship, and an additional class in campaigns or case studies. [Read more...]

What’s New in Cross-National Comparative Communication Research

By Vanessa de Macedo Higgins, The University of Texas at Austin
with collaboration of Thomas Hanitzsch, University of Munich

International Communication • Comparative communication research, an inherent part of international communication studies, is receiving increasing attention from communication scholars, funding organizations and publications. Technological, political and economical developments of the late 20th century, combined with increased global media and transnationalism, have elevated the subject of comparative research to new prominence.

Comparative communication research has also faced its share of critics. There are those who doubt the accuracy of cross-national and cross-cultural comparisons, who fear reductionism and the lack of theoretical base in such studies. In a wide range of studies, cross-national communication researchers have recently undertaken major efforts to address such methodological and theoretical challenges. These projects bring innovation and a better understanding of communication phenomena, cultures and initiatives. [Read more...]