When East Meets West: Media Research and Practice in US and China

The impetus for this book was a series of guest lectures for the Issues in Applied Cognition Institute sponsored by Fordham University’s Graduate School of Education May 26-27, 2005 and convened at Fordham University in New York City and May 30-June 7, 2005 at The Beijing Center for Language and Culture in Beijing. The book that has since emerged is designed to serve as a reference that brings together theoretical perspectives, research findings, and cultural practice in the examination of media from a primarily Sino-American vantage point, as commented upon by Chinese, U.S., and U.K. researchers and practitioners. The need for such a reference is prompted by China’s status as a nascent superpower and the ramifications of that emerging status for collaborative ventures and exchange of information with the U.S. Clearly, one flourishing context in which this sharing will occur is media. The goal of this volume is to provide the basis for consideration of the theoretical and practical issues that both China and the United States media will encounter as they move toward greater economic and political interdependence. This discussion is approached through the lens of media practice, research, and education and includes the voices of media market researchers, journalists and editors, developers of children’s educational programs, and academicians. Collectively, the chapters offer a select set of snapshots of how media in China and the U.S. look at one point in time.This moment is one that includes China preparing for the Beijing 2008 Olympics and the U.S. grappling with its involvement in an unpopular war.However, these images may capture what has been referred to in photojournalism as a decisive moment in the fledgling media interdependency between the U.S. and China.