SISU Hosts 7th Postgraduate Forum on Image Studies and Global Communication

 

By Hu Qiongwen, Zhou Hui, Shen Yuyan, Lv Yuhao, Xiao Xuxin, Yang Lian, Chen Buran, Wang Yuan, Jia Shuai

 Translated by Guo Yishun

 The 7th Postgraduate Forum on Image Studies and Global Communication was held at Shanghai International Studies University (SISU) on June 22, drawing more than 60 graduate and undergraduate students from universities across China.

 The forum opened with remarks from Prof. Yan Yining, vice dean of SISU’s School of Journalism and Communication, who emphasized the need for innovative thinking amid global communication challenges. The event featured keynote addresses by Prof. Wayne Wanta of the University of Florida and Assoc. Prof. Jiang Shaohai of the National University of Singapore. Wanta examined international media coverage through the lens of agenda-setting and world systems theory, while Jiang discussed aging and digital media in Singapore.

 Five themed panels explored topics including digital media practices, national image, media technology and governance, global cultural interaction, and discourse and emotional communication. Faculty from SISU, Fudan University, and other institutions moderated discussions and provided commentary, encouraging theoretical depth, methodological rigor, and interdisciplinary perspectives.

 Of 176 submitted papers, 44 were accepted through blind peer review. Awards were given to outstanding contributions, including research on body image anxiety and social media (Chen Yuxin, University of Zurich), AI and Eastern national image (Su Yidan, Xi’an Jiaotong University), and YouTube comment analysis on China vlogs (Liu Guanyi and Wang Jinhui, Renmin University of China).

 In closing, Prof. Yan highlighted the forum’s role in cultivating young scholars and invited participants to consider SISU’s doctoral program in global communication. The forum marked its seventh year as a platform for academic exchange in the field.