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Internet Studies – Perspectives from East and West II

Together with our Partners of the Fudan University Shangai, we held the third round of the SSSS-Conference 2017 in Salzburg. The next conference will take place in June 2018 in Shanghai!

Find the programme here: PROGRAM_SSSS_Conference2017

Shanghai-Salzburg Seminar Series (SSSS) 2016

January 29-30, 2015

Department of Communication and ICT&S Center
ICT&S Center
Sigmund-Haffner-Gasse 18
University of Salzburg, Austria

The 1. Shanghai-Salzburg-Seminar will bring together academics and researcher from the two cooperating departments/Universities to discuss the general topic “Internet Studies” alongside four special sub-themes:

a)   Digital Economy
b)   Social Media
c)   eParticipation
d)   Culture & Values

Each theme will be introduced by two input statements, one from Western/European and one from Asian/Chinese perspective. The inputs will give an overview of the state-of-the-art of research in the respective field. After an academic discussion related to the two inputs, a workshop with invited discussants from both academic institutions aims for a joint research agenda according to existing competences, interests, and resources of the two partners. Goal of the workshops are sketches of joint research projects which enhances current research by integrating Western and Asian perspectives. >Read more about the Joint Research Program or download the Program SSSS 2015

Farewell to the MCM-Students of 2016/17. Have a safe trip back to China! An for the Salzburg participants, we hope that you are ready for Shanghai!

Early November, 26 students of the Master Exchange Program Media and Communication Management went on a field trip to Brussels in order to study media production practices on EU level. The excursions to several independent media organizations, political representations and the three core institutions of the European Union were led by course lecturer Stefan Huber.

There was a tight and exciting schedule ahead of the 26 students of the MCM Program when they arrived in Brussels on Monday, November 3rd, 2014. In cooperation with the permanent representation of Salzburg to the European Union, course lecturer Stefan Huber and MCM assistant Carolin Aichhorn had organized more than 12 talks and discussions with experts in the field of European media and interest representation during the next three days. On day one, students had the opportunity to visit the Council of the European Union. Mrs. Isabelle Brusselmans, head of the audiovisual sector in the council’s media unit, introduced the council’s audiovisual media relations and answered questions about its current status and future plans.
In the afternoon Mrs. Mirjam Dondi of the Austrian Permanent Representation to the European Union involved students in a vivid discussion about the European Union. This was followed by another highlight: a discussion with ORF’s star journalist Raimund Löw, who has been reporting from Brussels for several years and is now preparing to move to China as ORF’s new China correspondent.
In the late afternoon a visit to the offices of the Germanspeaking community in Belgium offered the opportunity to discuss the important topic of minority rights in the context of media law.
Mr. Alexander Homann, head of the office, impressed students with a passionate and eloquent talk about the history and future of Germanspeaking media in Belgium and abroad.

On day two of the field trip to Brussels, Mrs. Michaela Petz-Michez, head of the EU representation of the region of Salzburg, invited the MCM students to learn about the office’s history, functions and media relations. Mrs. Petz-Michez had also arranged a talk with the EU-correspondent of the Salzburger Nachrichten, Mrs. Stephanie Pack, who offered a detailed look into the working conditions and media output of a newspaper correspondent in Brussels. In the afternoon, students had the opportunity to visit the European Parliament. MEP and member of the China-Delegation Mrs. Angelika Mlinar was happy to join the students for a discussion. This was followed by Mrs. Michaela Findeis, press officer at the EP’s media directorate, who introduced Europarl TV and its media production activities.

Day 3 of the field trip started with a visit to the European Commission. With the help of the EU representation of the region of Salzburg, it was – for the first time in the history of the MCM Program – possible to talk to 4 commission officials. Mr. Jo Vandercappellen of the directorate-general for communication started by generally introducing the role of the European Commission within the European Union. He was followed by Mr. Stephen Pearson of the directorate-general for communication networks, content and technology who summarized the commissions “Digital Agenda”. When Mr. Fred D’Hondt joined the students they were allowed to visit the European broadcasting studios provided by the commission. Finally, Mrs. Michelle Gill of the directorate-general for communication introduced the students to the commission’s web services dedicated to the professional needs of journalists.
After this intense morning visit to the European commission, two more professional journalist’s organizations were waiting for the MCM students. First was the International Federation of Journalists. Mr. Ernest Sagaga, head of the department for human rights and safety, talked passionately about his professional experience as a journalist in dangerous environments. He encouraged students to make personal safety a priority when reporting from dangerous places.
And last but not least, Mr. Wilfried Rüten of the European Journalism Centre introduced the MCM students to the support measures for professional journalists offered by the EJC. At the end of the field trip the MCM students had gathered insight into media production practices, policies, theories and realities on European level.

As one student put it: “This field trip was like experiencing the whole of Europe in a nutshell.”

Ass.Prof. Dr. Ursula Maier-Rabler and Ass.Prof. Dr. Thomas Herdin, coordinators of the MCM activities at the University of Salzburg, will be in China from June 7^th to June 15^th to meet their partners for talks about the future development of the Sino-Austrian Center for Media and Communication Management (MCM). After two days at Fudan University in Shanghai, they will also meet representatives at Nanjing Normal University (NNU) and Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU).

Main subject of the talks will be the future development of the activities of the MCM. The Master Exchange Program has been successfully established, but further planning for faculty exchange and joint research is needed.

The trip will bring all partner institutions closer together in this network and will fuel the development of the future activities. It is made possible by the OeAD, the Austrian agency for international mobility and cooperation in education, science and research.

This year’s Autrian Days in Shanghai were themed “Austria – Surprisingly Contemporary” and took place from May 22^nd to May 25^th, 2014. The Austrian Center at Fudan University organized a very diverse program in co-operation with the Eurasia Pacific Uninet (EPU) and the Austrian General Consulate in Shanghai.

The MCM Master Exchange Students, who currently complete their semester at Fudan University, participated in a range of the offered events, such as the Opening Ceremony, an exhibition opening or the screening of Austrian short films. Three young Austrian Artists were invited to Shanghai and represented Austrian contemporary art: the pianist David Six, the artist Birgit Petri and the writer Gerhild Steinbuch. The MCM assistant from the University of Salzburg, Friederike Zuber-Goos, was also there and took the chance to talk about the MCM Master Exchange Program to a group of OeAD and EPU officials at a lecture session.

The interest of Chinese students in the German language and Austria’s culture and history is very big and over all 750 persons joined in the many events.