"Interdisciplinary Research, Teaching and Practice"

DESCRIPTION

The primary objective of the Working Group on Public Diplomacy is to establish a productive community of scholars from across the disciplines and divisions of ISA in order to advance the scholarship and teaching on public diplomacy. Public diplomacy represents an increasingly important convergence of multiple research trajectories within the ISA – including theoretical and practical research on influence efforts and ‘soft power,’ comparative work on foreign policy and practices of public engagement, as well as the instrumental role of international communication and global media leveraged by state and non-state institutions. The Working Group invites scholars actively engaged in research and teaching that recognizes the increased salience of public diplomacy as a foreign policy imperative around the world, and, how public diplomacy has transformed conceptual boundaries between diplomacy, communication, and international politics.

The Working Group aims to build an inclusive and interdisciplinary forum that will address the pressing research, pedagogical, and practical issues pertaining to public diplomacy studies. The Working Group intends to cultivate a sustainable network of scholars to share perspectives and resources. An important aspect of this effort is to move the debate forward on what is increasingly a global phenomenon that has theoretical and practical linkages to the broader community of scholars in ISA. The Working Group will address three primary areas of concern related to public diplomacy scholarship: (1) the trajectory for interdisciplinary theoretical development and research methods, (2) the increased demand from international actors for measures of effectiveness and evaluation, (3) the need to share resources for academic program development in public diplomacy.

GROUP COORDINATORS

Craig Hayden, American University

chayden@american.edu

Craig Hayden is an assistant professor in the International Communication Program at American University’s School of International Service. His current research focuses on the discourse of public diplomacy, the rhetoric of foreign policy related to media technologies, as well as the impact of global  media and media convergence on international relations. He is particularly interested in the comparative study of public diplomacy and media culture as a pivotal resource for international relations, as well as the impact of communication technology on international influence. Dr. Hayden received his Ph.D. from the Annenberg School of Communication at the University of Southern California. Dr. Hayden's previous studies include analysis of media framing of the United States in pan-Arab media content, as well as analysis of media-based public argument by US presidential advisors prior to the invasion of Iraq in 2003. He also blogs at intermap.org.  His forthcoming book, "The Rhetoric of Soft Power: Public Diplomacy in Global Contexts" will be published in Spring 2011 by Lexington Books.

Kathy Fitzpatrick, Quinnipiac University

Kathy.fitzpatrick@quinnipiac.edu

Kathy R. Fitzpatrick is professor of public relations and director of graduate studies in public relations in the School of Communications at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut. She is a senior public  relations advisor, an attorney, and an internationally-recognized scholar whose research focuses on U.S. public diplomacy and legal and ethical issues in public relations. Her recent books include The Future of U.S. Public Diplomacy: An Uncertain Fate (Brill, 2009) and Ethics in Public Relations: Responsible Advocacy (Sage, 2006). Fitzpatrick is the co-editor of the Palgrave Macmillan Book Series on Global Public Diplomacy and serves on the international advisory board of PD Magazine. She frequently speaks at industry and professional forums and serves on the editorial review boards of Journal of Public Relations Research, Public Relations Review, Communications Quarterly, and the Journal of Mass Media Ethics. She is a member of the Arthur W. Page Society and a former head of the Educators Academy of the Public Relations Society of America. Fitzpatrick received her juris doctor degree from Southern Methodist University and master and bachelor degrees in journalism from West Virginia University.

SCHEDULE

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Pre-Conference Workshop | 8:30am - 5:00pm

8:30 - 9:00am	Welcome and Introductions
9:00 - 10:00am	Keynote and Discussion: Matthew Armstrong

Matthew Armstrong publishes Mountainrunner.us, the leading blog on U.S. public diplomacy and strategic communication and is president of the MountainRunner Institute, a nonprofit public diplomacy research firm.

10:00 - 10:30am	Coffee Break
10:30am - 12:00pm	Roundtable: "Measurement, Effectiveness and the implications of Institutional Research on Public Diplomacy"
12:00 - 1:30pm	Luncheon, Keynote Speaker and Discussion: Maureen Cormack "The implications of “engagement” for redefining the uses of technology in diplomacy"

Maureen Cormack currently serves as the Executive Assistant in the Office of the Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs.

1:30 - 3:00pm	Roundtable: "Research, Theory and Interdisciplinarity in Public Diplomacy Studies"
3:00 - 3:30pm	Coffee Break
3:30 - 5:00pm	Roundtable: "Public Diplomacy Pedagogy and Academic Program Development"

Thursday, March 17, 2011

4:00 - 5:45pm	Follow-up Meeting and Roundtable Presentation: "Public Diplomacy Subfield Presentation - International Broadcasting and New Media"

Amelia Arsenault (University of Pennsylvania), Shawn Powers (Georgia State University), Christina Archetti (University of Salford), Anthony Deos (University of Otago, NZ), and Ezzeddine Abdelmoula (Al-Jazeera). Presenters will address how public diplomacy is implicated by developments in the geo-politics of news, the rise of social media technology, the use of so-called “PD 2.0” strategies within diplomatic institutions, and impact of international journalism.

Saturday, March 19, 2011

8:15 – 10:00am	ISA Roundtable: "Multi-Disciplinary Approaches to Public Diplomacy"

This roundtable discussion will review the panels attended during the conference, address the future of public diplomacy studies at ISA, and discuss the enduring impact of the Working Group through a sustainable online social media platform for collaboration and communication.