CONFERENCE DETAILS
The 55th Annual Conference of the International Communication Association:
COMMUNICATION: QUESTIONING THE DIALOGUE

Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers
May 26-30, 2005
Pre-registration deadline: May 6, 2005

Web-site: http://www.icahdq.org/about/

Throughout the five-day conference, an estimated 2,000 scholars will attend over 400 presentations representing the latest advances in the field of communication. The conference will be large, diverse, and high in quality across the board. The conference theme, "Communication: Questioning the Dialogue," received a tremendous response. The voice of communication scholarship is just beginning to emerge as a "player" in the international dialogue of what constitutes appropriate areas of research within the social and behavioral sciences. To whet your appetite, here is an early look at just a few conference highlights:

a.. A special opening session on Thursday evening that examines communication research and public dialogue in the context of the United Nations. The opening session will feature United Nations Secretary- General Kofi Annan (invited) and United Nations Under Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information Shashi Tharoor.

b.. A plenary panel of scholars will explore Dialogue in Cross- Cultural Perspective featuring Tamar Katriel and Anna Wierzbicka.

c.. Another Plenary panel will explore dialogue through a look at the United Nations and the news media. The panel will feature three United Nations ambassadors and representatives from the news media (tentatively scheduled are Le Monde, Al Jazerra and the New York Times).

Division-sponsored panels of particular interest include the Public Relations panel providing a report by the Taskforce on Cross-National Research, which was charged with identifying, consolidating, and promoting opportunities for international public relations research, a Political Communication session exploring "From Image to Issue to Image: Televised Advertising, Debates, and the Internet," and. The division unit planners noted that their divisions' Top Paper panels would be especially excellent this year.

An outstanding lineup of preconference workshops will address, among other topics, Articulating the Media/Globalization Nexus, A Debate Between the Normative and Descriptive Traditions, A Research Design Workshop, Global Roundup From a Dialogic Perspective, and Conducting Research on the United Nations.

Other sessions of special interest to student members will include the annual Graduate Student Orientation and a Student Panel organized by ICA student Board members.

Our exhibit area will feature exhibit booths highlighting products, services and publishers important to communication research and action- packed with events including:

a.. Cyber Cafe

b.. Plenary Interactive Paper Sessions with authors onsite.

c.. Message Board (available to all attendees throughout the exhibit hours)

d.. Book Signings

ICA's local planning committee has arranged a variety of activities to round out the conference experience. Our 2005 annual conference in New York promises to be one of ICA's biggest and best ever. Don't miss it! The conference program will be posted on the ICA website in early March.