Institute of Communications Studies

International Communication

Professor Gary Rawnsley welcomes delegates to the Phil Taylor Memorial Conference.

The International Communications Research Group (ICRG) promotes advanced research, supports postgraduate teaching and enhances understanding of international communications across the University of Leeds and beyond.

International Communications has a long history in ICS: Professor Philip Taylor was the UK’s first Chair of International Communications; and international communications was the focus for the first research centre created in the 1990s.

The development of the ICRG is characterised by broad-based research programmes. Members and visiting scholars enjoy international reputations for research excellence and are distinguished by their interdisciplinary interests, projects and approaches. Current themes includee

• Public diplomacy and soft power (especially their de-westernization)
• Media-military relations
• International communications policy regimes
• International journalism

In December 2011 the ICRG hosted a major international conference, Propaganda, Power and Persuasion in memory of Professor Philip Taylor who passed away in December 2010. More details and photographs are available at http://wwwpdic.blogspot.com/2012/01/conference-in-memory-of-professor.html.

In addition to organising academic conferences and seminars, the ICRG is developing a forum for publishing work-in-progress and short ‘think pieces’ that will discuss both current research and developments in the practice of international communications. We welcome the submission of discussion papers, work in progress and short ‘think pieces’ of a few hundred words on any aspect of international communications. Please send your submission to Professor Gary Rawnsley at g.d.rawnsley@leeds.ac.uk.

Members are also involved in consultancy and regularly engage with policy communities in the UK and around the world. Recent activities in this area include briefings for the British Cabinet Office, the Ministry of Defence, and Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Government Information Office.

The ICRG is committed to research-led teaching, and this is demonstrated in the highly successful MA in International Communications. More information is available from the ICS website, from the Director of the programme (Professor Gary Rawnsley, g.d.rawnsley@leeds.ac.uk) or from the MA Administrators (ics-pg-admissions@leeds.ac.uk).

We also support a vibrant PhD programme, and we are interested in receiving proposals in all areas of international communications. For further information please contact ics-phd-admin@leeds.ac.uk.

For more information about the group and its activities, please contact Professor Gary Rawnsley.