The School of Communication's 50th Anniversary: From 1973 to 2023

In fall 2023, we are hosted a series of events that aimed to revisit and explore a range of critical scholarship and practice that has been a characteristic of the School since its beginning in 1973. Curated around the theme Communication as Critique, our 50th anniversary celebration highlighted the work of our past, present, and future world-class faculty and students and engaged in dialogue about the future of critical work in Communication and Media Studies.

The present historical moment is set upon by a series of cultural, economic, environmental, health and political crises that have challenged our ability to care for each other and imagine a common, democratic future. Many of these crises are not new, but are the result of the ongoing legacies of colonialism, imperialism, heteronormativity, patriarchy, racism and capitalism that persist across societies. In this context, the critique of power and the terms and conditions of contemporary mediated life is more pressing than ever.

Throughout its history, the School of Communication has sustained a rich and vibrant tradition of critical Communication research, teaching and engagement, that aims to make visible and disrupt structures of power, while contributing to the coordination and development of progressive social change. Across this work, critique has been taken up in a variety of ways, to address the political economy, technologies, cultures, discourses, and institutional and normative structures and practices of communication that shape societies around the world. In celebration of this history and the School of Communication’s 50th Anniversary, the School will lead a series of events that aim to revisit and explore a range of critical scholarship and practice that has been a feature of the School since its beginning. By focusing on four distinct areas of work, we celebrate Communication as Critique, to highlight the School’s rich tradition of scholarship in communication and media studies, past, present and future.

Our fall celebrations were highlighted by three significant events: a Speakers' Series, an Alumni Celebration, and a Symposium.