Global Communication Comes to L.A.

What is believed to be the first degree program in global communication and media in the world is now being offered by the University of Southern California's Annenberg School for Communication.

The new M.A. degree in Global Communication is a two-year degree offered in partnership with the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Students who join this program will have the opportunity to spend their first year at the Annenberg School in Los Angeles and their second year at the LSE in London.

'It's an unprecedented opportunity for student s to be able to study globalization in these major communication capitals," said Patricia Riley, director of Annenberg's School of Communication.

There are a myriad of courses available that focus on the phenomenon of globalization from a variety of perspectives. For example, there are classes that examine the economics of global communication strategies, emerging global communication and information technologies, international communication, virtual groups and organizations, and the cultural impact of a worldwide entertainment industry.

Students will meet their counterparts at the other campus through videoconferencing technology and e-based instructional sessions. Students can also participate in specialized internships in global media organizations, high-technology corporations, or institutions like the World Bank that have been developed specifically for this program.

The faculties of the School of Communication and the LSE have met for the last two years to finalize the details of the program and to kick off a series of annual conferences on the theme of "Managing the Global."

The goal is to develop joint research projects as well as the joint degree. The first conference at Annenberg drew participants from around the world.

In December, the second conference was hosted by the LSE in London and featured research presentations by faculty members of both schools -- as well as by industry and government experts. The presentations are being considered for inclusion in a book tentatively titled "Globalization Matters," edited by Riley and Roger Silverstone, chair of the Media Programme at the LSE.

The keynote speech at the December conference on globalization was given by the director of the London School of Economics and Political Science, Anthony Giddens.

Giddens, who is the author of 34 books and numerous articles, is widely considered to be the most influential sociologist of the times and also one of the key architects of British Prime Minister Tony Blair's "Third Way' approach to government.

Giddens told Dean Geoffrey Cowan that he chose Annenberg's School of Communication as a partner in this important new arena because of its reputation as one of the highest ranking schools of communication in the U.S., and it's location in Los Angeles.

Anneberg is pleased by the partnership because the LSE is the highest ranked social science program in Great Britain.

Thomas Hollihan, professor of communications and associate dean for academic affairs at Annenberg noted, "In addition to the exchange of students, the new collaboration will permit the two faculties to come together for annual conferences and develop collaborative research projects that will shape the field of global communication for the next century."

In this first year of the M.A. program there are 16 entering students at Annenberg and the LSE. The plan is for both USC and the LSE to admit 20-25 students per year by year three of the program. Merit scholarships are available one competitive basis.

This program offers an opportunity for students and faculty alike to become better able to manage in a world that is changing rapidly and restructuring what we know and how we come to know it.

Philip Bonney is director of graduate recruitment at USC's Annenber School.