As the world draws towards the end of the first decade of this millennium, the development community continues to grapple with many of the same long-standing questions on how to tackle complex issues in the development field. The role of communication in advancing efforts toward finding solutions to the challenges of our day has become increasingly central to international development efforts and remains a major issue of concern for scholars and practitioners.

The Communication and Development Studies Program, in collaboration with the CommDev Student Association, invites submissions from scholars and practitioners who are interested on the role of media and communication for development and social change. Submissions can cover issues that include, but are not limited to, Education, Media, Governance, ICTs, Health, Gender, Children, Religion, Human Rights, and Globalization. Graduate students, faculty and practitioners from any discipline with research interests in development and social change are welcome to submit their papers. This conference is intended to be a platform for engagement and reflection on new approaches to research and practice in communication for development and social change.

The Communication and Development Studies is a unique program devoted to multidisciplinary teaching of, and research on, the utilization of information and communication systems and processes to promote community, national and regional development, to support specific development projects, and to facilitate social change. The program is jointly sponsored by the Center for International Studies, and the School of Media Arts and Studies.