International Communications graduate students present findings at Southeast Asia Conference

April 27, 2015

Becks Larson

Texas State students participating in the graduate-level International Communications class, a hybrid class made up of International Studies and Mass Communication grad students, presented their research at the Southeast Asia Conference last week.Working in teams, the students singled out particular events, countries and media outlets in order to examine the complex communications landscape in Southeast Asia.The groups presented thoughtful conclusions concerning freedom of the press, political interference and cultural differences based on analysis of translated or English-language media coverage of their chosen topic or event.Topics researched ranged from coverage of violence against journalists in the Philippines to the different ways in which Vietnam and China represent their ongoing struggle for dominance in the South China Sea.Sandhya Rao, who heads the class, spoke briefly about the difficulty the students faced, and extra effort required when conducting research on topics and cultures one is unfamiliar with. She emphasized repeatedly how proud she was of the level of analysis the students were able to achieve.