Critically interpretive knowledge in an increasingly global world

In the words of its 1997 mission statement, the Institute "seeks to develop critically interpretive knowledge about communications in a complex and increasingly global world." Its place within the College of Communications links Institute faculty and students to colleagues with equal stakes in communications and with perspectives that encompass scholarship, critical analysis, practical and professional experience, and public engagement with the world. The Institute today is widely regarded as a campus and national leader in successful interdisciplinary research and instruction. The program is highly selective, each year offering seven or eight places to more than two hundred applicants. ICR doctoral students come from superior universities across the United States and around the world. It also provides an interdisciplinary home to graduate students from other departments on the University of Illinois campus. Visiting international faculty and scholars also visit the Institute, often remaining in residence for a year or more. Our recent faculty hires include internationally acclaimed senior faculty in media and communications policy, telecommunications history, gender and ethnic studies of media and communication, media globalization, and the political economy of communication.