Overview
With the advent of new information and communication technologies (ICTs), citizens of the global village can now communicate beyond the constraints of space and time. Meanwhile, new ICTs are reforming human communication experiences with the growing trend towards miniaturization and mobility. The communication phenomena of this era are not only reflected in the widespread diffusion of cellular phones and personal communication systems but also in the ongoing convergence of all types of media and ICTs into the future.
Aside from these technological changes, the ongoing currents of globalization have also prompted the need for each country to cope with liberalization of trade and services, Thailand is, included. Through its membership and association with such regional and international organizations like ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and WTO (World Trade Organization), Thailand has in effect been incorporated into a new economic, political and social regime. Policy-making is no longer a national matter as international and regional trade agreements can directly influence and shape that process. Moreover, Thailand is now a major production base for foreign investment in many industries, for instance, agro-industrial, automobile, and electronics equipment. Transnational Corporations (TNCs) that have stakes in such local investment require that their personnel have a certain communicative fluency in English as well as an international outlook on things. This has given rise to the creation of international programs in many higher – education institutions in Thailand.
In the area of communication, Thailand has a strong potential to be base for overseas communication and production organizations, with relatively low labor cost and the existence and enforcement of Intellectual Property Law. With regard to local communication organizations, Thailand could be a production hub for exports of communication products since the usage of English has been quite widespread in the Thai environment, both on the production and consumption sides. Other facilities have also been developed to support English-speaking endeavor. Thus, there is indeed a need for communication graduates who have English proficiency, good conscience, competitiveness, and an ability to work in an international environment.
The challenge facing local communication institutions is to produce graduates with such attributes. The Faculty of Communication Arts, Chulalongkorn University, is meeting that challenge partly by developing a new international program in communication management. This program is developed at an opportune time when Chulalongkorn University, the oldest and one of the most prestigious academic institutions in the country, is transforming into an autonomous university under state regulation. In that transition, the Faculty of Communication Arts aims at becoming an academic resource in this fast-changing field of communication, for both local and international arenas. As outlined and reinforced in the design of the program, prospective graduates will be equipped with the ability to effectively manage information and communication in an international and media-laden environment, with good conscience.
