International Communication Association

International Communication Association
International Communication Association · Public domain · source
Name	International Communication Association
Abbreviation	ICA
Formation	1950s
Type	Learned society
Headquarters	United States
Region served	Worldwide
Language	English
Leader title	President

Contents

International Communication Association is a scholarly association dedicated to the study of Mass media processes, Political communication dynamics, Interpersonal communication contexts, and New media technologies. Founded in the mid-20th century, the association connects researchers from institutions such as University of Pennsylvania, University of Amsterdam, London School of Economics, University of California, Los Angeles, and National University of Singapore to advance communication research and pedagogy. It fosters collaborations among scholars associated with entities like American Psychological Association, National Communication Association, European Communication Research and Education Association, Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, and International Association for Media and Communication Research.

History

The association emerged in a period shaped by events including the Cold War, the rise of Television in the United States, and scholarly developments at organizations such as Harvard University, Columbia University, and University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign. Early leaders had affiliations with projects like the Bureau of Applied Social Research, the Public Opinion Quarterly editorial community, and research centers at Stanford University and MIT. Over decades the association responded to technological shifts driven by Internet, Satellite communications, and regulatory decisions influenced by bodies like the Federal Communications Commission and the European Commission. Prominent moments included intersections with debates around the Vietnam War, the spread of Cable television, and the emergence of Social networking service platforms linked to companies such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

Governance has involved elected officers, an executive director, and committees drawn from members affiliated with universities like University of Michigan, University of Southern California, and University of Amsterdam. The association's structure parallels models used by American Association for the Advancement of Science and Royal Society, with standing committees on ethics, finance, and publications linked to editorial boards at journals based at institutions such as Oxford University Press and SAGE Publications. Presidents and board members often have connections to doctoral programs at Stanford University, University of Wisconsin–Madison, and Northwestern University.

Membership encompasses faculty, graduate students, independent scholars, and practitioners from organizations such as BBC, Reuters, The New York Times, Al Jazeera, and NPR. Regional chapters and interest groups operate in locales including Tokyo, São Paulo, Toronto, London, and Cape Town and interact with university departments at University of Toronto, University of São Paulo, University of Tokyo, and University of Cape Town. Institutional affiliations frequently include research centers like the Pew Research Center, Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, and the Berkman Klein Center.

Annual conferences attract presenters from institutions such as Yale University, Princeton University, University of Oxford, and University of Melbourne. The conference program features panels, roundtables, and workshops tied to themes explored in venues comparable to International Communication Conference locations like San Diego, Singapore, Madrid, and Chicago. Special events have included collaborations with festivals and gatherings such as SXSW, symposia connected to the Association for Computing Machinery, and sessions co-organized with the IEEE Communications Society.

Scholarly output includes peer-reviewed journals and edited volumes produced in partnership with publishers like Routledge, Cambridge University Press, and Taylor & Francis. Journals cover topics spanning media effects, journalism studies, and technology and draw submissions from scholars at University of Texas at Austin, Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, Columbia Journalism School, and King's College London. Editorial boards have included editors who previously served at outlets such as Journal of Communication, Human Communication Research, and discipline-leading titles linked to SAGE Publications and Wiley-Blackwell.

The association bestows awards recognizing lifetime achievement, early career research, and outstanding publications, parallel to honors given by institutions like American Council of Learned Societies and prizes similar to those awarded by The Nobel Prize committees in prestige though distinct in scope. Recipients have come from universities including University of Pennsylvania, University of Southern California, University of Amsterdam, and research institutes such as the Annenberg Public Policy Center. Named lectures and fellowships have been associated with benefactors and partner organizations like MacArthur Foundation and Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Research promoted by the association informs policymaking at bodies like the European Commission, the Federal Communications Commission, and international organizations including the United Nations and World Bank. Studies presented address issues relating to elections studied in contexts such as the United States presidential election, 2008, public health campaigns referencing World Health Organization guidance, and misinformation examined alongside investigations into platforms like Google and Facebook. The association's work intersects with citation networks anchored at repositories and databases like Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar and influences curricula at schools including London School of Economics, University of California, Berkeley, and New York University.

Category:Learned societies