From 20 to 23 November local time, a delegation of seven students from the School of Journalism and Communication at Nanjing University traveled to Denver, USA, to attend the 111th Annual Convention of the National Communication Association (NCA). This year's NCA convention, themed "Communicate to Elevate," attracted over 4,000 communication scholars from around the world. At this conference, a total of 12 papers from our faculty and students were accepted. Through roundtable discussions, paper presentations, and poster sessions, they collectively showcased the school's innovative research in areas such as computational communication, health communication, and political communication, vividly demonstrating the academic vitality and international perspective of NJU students.
Our School's Students at the NCA Conference
This in-depth participation in the NCA Annual Convention is a microcosm of the school's active integration into the international mainstream academic community. In the field of communication studies, international academic platforms such as the International Communication Association (ICA), the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR), the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC), and the National Communication Association (NCA) are widely recognized and influential within academia. These annual conferences cover sub-fields of communication including political communication, health communication, computational communication, media and cultural studies, and organizational communication, collectively forming a global high ground for gaining insights into disciplinary frontiers and leading academic trends.
"In recent years, our students’ enthusiasm for participating in international conferences has been continuously rising," said Professor Sun Xinru, Vice Dean of the School of Journalism and Communication at NJU. To broaden students' international horizons, the school vigorously supports student participation in international academic exchanges by establishing special funds and providing mentorship. As a result, our faculty and students have emerged prominently with fruitful achievements at various international communication conferences.
Students of SJC Step onto the World Academic Stage
The School of Journalism and Communication at NJU adheres to the overall philosophy of "National Stance, International Perspective, Interdisciplinary Integration, and Integrated Development," considering internationalization a crucial direction for promoting the high-quality development of the discipline. Professor Sun Xinru pointed out, "A key part of disciplinary internationalization is enabling faculty and students to step onto the international stage, exchange results with scholars at international conferences, and make their voices heard in international journals." By organizing and supporting faculty and student participation in international conferences, the school achieves a two-way promotion of academic exchange and disciplinary construction.
In the past two years, our students have frequently shone on the international academic stage, reaping rich rewards. In 2024, a total of 4 faculty members and 24 students presented papers at top-tier international academic conferences. Among them, a paper authored by students including Sun Yixiao won the Best Student Paper Award from the Human Communication and Technology Division and the Top Paper Award from the Political Communication Division at the 2024 NCA Annual Convention.
In 2025, over 20 students from our school have taken the stage at several mainstream international communication conferences. Since June, our students have successively participated in the ICA in Denver, USA; IAMCR in Singapore; and AEJMC in San Francisco, USA in August. A paper co-authored by Assistant Professor Xie Zhuoxiao and Huang Yixin, a master's student enrolled in 2024, won the Best Paper Award from the Media Industry Studies Group of ICA, adding another highlight to the school's international academic exchanges. With the conclusion of NCA Annual Convention in November, our students have now appeared on multiple mainstream international academic platforms, fully demonstrating the vitality of academic exchange.
Professor Xie Zhuoxiao & Huang Yixin
For Huang Yixin, ICA was far more than just a presentation of results. She stated that this experience greatly expanded her academic horizons and also brought her research inspiration. She will continue to explore new paths in communication studies within the conference's theme of "Disrupting and Consolidating Communication Research." Huang Jingxiang, who attended the NCA, said that this participation allowed him to feel the inclusiveness and vitality of the international academic community. The revision suggestions proposed by attending scholars provided valuable direction for advancing his research.
Our School's Students Presenting and Exchanging at ICA, IAMCR, AEJMC, and NCA
(Students featured in order: Li Jiayi, Zhang Liwen, Wan Wan, Liu Yangdong)
From "participation" to "award-winning," from "listening" to "dialogue," our students are leaving a clear "NJU imprint" on the global academic map with solid research and confident expression.
Multilayered Support System: Funding and Guidance Working in Tandem
Behind the students' active participation in international academic conferences lies the systematic support system established by the school.
According to the "Management Measures for the School of Journalism and Communication, Nanjing University Project to Fund Student Participation in International Conferences," the school encourages graduate and undergraduate students to participate in high-level international academic conferences and has set up special funds to support necessary expenses such as conference registration fees, travel costs, and visa fees, alleviating students' financial pressure.
"Thanks to the school's funding support, I was able to exchange ideas with scholars from different countries and regions, gaining a more intuitive understanding of the diversity of journalism and communication research," Kuang Hui, who attended the AEJMC Convention in August this year, deeply felt this. At the convention, she shared her research findings on left-behind children in China through a poster presentation, receiving academic interactions that transcended national borders.
At the IAMCR Annual Conference in July, He Yanling delivered full English oral presentations in both the "Health Communication" and "Gender Studies" parallel sessions, engaging in in-depth dialogues with scholars from multiple countries. He Yanling said, "I am very grateful for the school's support, which allowed me to go abroad, engage in dialogue with scholars from various countries at top conferences. These academic exchanges make me feel very happy."
Kuang Hui at the AEJMC Convention
He Yanling at the IAMCR Annual Conference
While providing financial support, the school also attaches great importance to the cultivation of academic ability and the inheritance of experience.
Experience-sharing seminar
The school organizes international conference experience-sharing sessions, inviting faculty and students who have previously attended to introduce key points such as paper submission, conference procedures, and travel preparation, helping more students become familiar with the entire process of international academic exchange. Meanwhile, platforms such as the school's Graduate Student Association and "Doctoral Home 418" regularly invite domestic and international scholars to host themed lectures on international exchange, providing students with practical references. In March this year, the school invited alumna Associate Professor Huang Shuzhen from the Department of Communication at Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania to give a lecture titled "The Path of Overseas Academia: PhD Studies, Conferences, and Publications," interacting and exchanging with students on topics related to submitting to international conferences and overseas journals.
Lecture by Professor Huang
Furthermore, during the preparation process for research writing and conference submissions, mentor support runs throughout. Students' academic training often begins within their mentor groups or research teams. Subsequent key stages such as paper topic selection and revision also rely on mentor guidance. Regarding how to submit papers and attend conferences, mentors provide a wealth of experiential judgment, supporting students to step onto a broader academic stage.
For students aspiring to step onto the international academic stage, Professor Sun Xinru advises, "Participating in international conferences should not be blind; it should be combined with one's own academic positioning and development plan." Specifically, she offers three suggestions: Firstly, plan ahead and incorporate international conferences into your personal academic development blueprint. Secondly, match precisely by fully understanding the academic positioning and characteristics of conferences to improve the pertinence of submissions. Thirdly, communicate actively by proactively discussing ideas with mentors to seek academic guidance. At the same time, she reminds students to maintain a ordinary heart: "Do not pursue the quantity of conferences attended; instead, accumulate and grow with each exchange. The essence of academic research lies in innovation and depth; international conferences are merely one channel for presenting results and engaging in academic exchange and learning."
Internationalized Curriculum, Global Research Training, and International Student Cultivation Development Advance in Synergy
While supporting student participation in international conferences, SJC, NJU continuously improves its international cultivation system, steadily advancing in curriculum construction, international research cooperation, and international student cultivation. The school promotes both "bringing in" and "going out," constantly broadening students' global vision and cross-cultural communication skills.
1. Curriculum System Development
The school actively builds an internationalized curriculum system, vigorously promoting the development of full English-taught courses and the introduction of foreign faculty. In 2019, the school hired Farland Chang, former CNN International business news anchor and Emmy Award winner, as a specially appointed foreign researcher). He offers multiple journalism practice-oriented full English-taught courses, helping students broaden their horizons, train in practical news skills, and improve their English expression abilities. Building on this, the school continues to advance the recruitment of full-time foreign faculty, planning to add 2-3 new full English-taught courses each year, continuously improving the internationalized curriculum system.
Mr. Farland Chang
While "bringing in," the school highly values enabling students to "go out," encouraging them to broaden their horizons and innovate through overseas exchanges. From 2017 to before the pandemic, the school invested over 1 million RMB annually in special funds to create overseas study tour projects for the Journalism and Communication Undergraduate Experimental Class, organizing students to participate in projects such as the UBC Global Reporting program in Canada, interviews at the Hong Kong Book Fair, and research at advertising agencies in Japan and South Korea. Furthermore, the school has established long-term cooperative relationships with multiple overseas universities, encouraging students to broaden their research perspectives through exchange and visiting study programs. Professor Sun Wenzheng, the school's foreign affairs secretary, introduced: "This year, students applying for overseas study tours and exchanges have been very enthusiastic, and the destination institutions are widely distributed, covering many well-known universities such as Vrije Universiteit Brussel in Belgium, University College London, University of Göttingen in Germany, and the University of Melbourne in Australia."
2. International Research Cooperation
In recent years, the school has actively built international cooperative research platforms, establishing stable cooperative relationships with world-class universities such as Stanford University, University of Stirling in the UK, and University of Freiburg in Germany. Among these, the "Intelligent Communication and Innovative Social Development" project, cooperated with the Stanford Social Media Lab, was approved as a major project under the "Nanjing University Global Strategic Partnership Promotion Plan" in 2021. This project is dedicated to becoming the first research center in China focusing on intelligent communication and innovative society, bringing together top Chinese and American universities in communication studies, computer science, and artificial intelligence. Relying on this project, the school has launched some of China's earlier specialized courses in Human-Machine Communication and Digital Communication Research. Papers co-authored by our students and Stanford members have been accepted at international conferences and submitted to SSCI journals.
International Research Project Poster Presentation
Additionally, the school regularly holds the "Master Forum" series of academic activities, continuously building a high-level internationalized academic exchange platform. This forum has successively invited renowned overseas scholars including Professor Jeff Hancock from Stanford University and Professor Klaus Sachs-Hombach from the University of Tübingen, Germany, to give lectures at the school. Topics cover cutting-edge fields such as artificial intelligence communication and visual & multimodality, providing faculty and students with valuable opportunities for direct dialogue with top global scholars.
Lecture by Professor Jeff Hancock
3. International Scientific Expedition Project Training
The school actively explores internationalized research practice training. Over the years, the projects have covered Thailand, South Korea, Hong Kong, China and other regions, involving fields such as advertising creativity and cultural communication.
The school's exploration in the field of international scientific expeditions started early, features diverse forms, and spans widely. During the 2017 Thailand study tour, students visited many advertising agencies, observing up close the industry practice of "small country, big creativity." In 2018, a joint team of 15 faculty and students from our school and the School of Journalism and Communication at Renmin University of China conducted joint coverage of the 29th Hong Kong Book Fair. In 2019, the school organized the "Hong Kong Cultural and Creative Investigation and Experience Camp" activity, systematically researching the development and communication mechanisms of cultural and creative products centered around the 30th Hong Kong Book Fair, expanding students' cultural perception and industry vision.
Scientific Training Team Visited Macao, China
In recent years, the school has focused on the frontier proposition of "Overseas Communication of Chinese Brands," conducting continuous scientific investigation and research work. Following the initial organization of related research in 2024, in August this year, the school re-organized the Chinese Brands Overseas Communication Scientific Expedition Team to deeply investigate the Greater Bay Area for research training. The project guides students to contemplate the future pathways for the internationalization of Chinese brands and helps Chinese brands better integrate into the world through a series of on-site investigations covering media institutions, technology innovation enterprises, and urban culture.
4. International Student Cultivation
International student cultivation is an important component of the school's internationalization construction. Professor Sun Xinru emphasized, "International exchange is not only academic exchange but also a collision and fusion between cultures." Currently, the school has gradually established a distinctive path for international student cultivation.
"Xiao Wai in Nanjing"
The school offers a master's degree program in "Digital Media and Communication" for overseas international students, gathering students from countries including Malaysia, Vietnam, South Korea, Indonesia, Thailand, Russia, and Tajikistan to form a diverse and integrated learning community. While cultivating modern communication concepts and imparting digital media skills, the program also focuses on guiding international students to deeply perceive Chinese society and culture. Professor Bai Jing initiated the "Xiao Wai in Nanjing" short video creation activity, allowing international students to walk around the streets and alleys, record Chinese cultural scenes and daily life with their cameras, participate in city image construction, thereby gaining an in-depth understanding of Chinese society and the media environment, and promoting the exchange and mutual learning of Chinese and foreign cultures in practice.
"Xiao Wai in Nanjing" Short Video Creation Activity
Through course learning, project practice, and cultural experience, the school is opening a window for more overseas youth to understand China, integrate into China, and tell China's stories, contributing to the construction of a communication education system with international influence. Li Fangjie from Malaysia stated that this program not only broadened her professional vision but also allowed her to get to know partners from around the world. Vietnamese student Le Hoang Long believes that his learning experience at the school gave him a more in-depth understanding of the Chinese media environment. "This is very important for my future career development."
Cultural Activities of the "Digital Media and Communication" International Students
Over the years, the School of Journalism and Communication at Nanjing University has steadily advanced in internationalization construction. From deep participation in international conferences to the steady expansion of global cooperative projects, from the systematic upgrading of the curriculum system to the exploration and development of diverse student cultivation paths, the school continuously accumulates experience and improves mechanisms, truly integrating internationalization into the daily practice of disciplinary development and talent cultivation. In the future, the school will continue to uphold the principles of "National Stance, International Perspective," strengthen international academic dialogue with an open attitude, deepen research training and communication practices under a global vision, and assist more journalism and communication students to better understand the world and tell China's stories.