The 28th annual conference of the Arab-U.S. Association for Communication Educators (AUSACE), hosted by our AREACORE partner Ahram Canadian University, took place in Cairo, Egypt, from 26-28 October, 2024. This year’s theme, “Media Coverage and Its Effects in Times of Crisis,” brought together scholars and practitioners from across the Arab world, the United States, and Europe. The event facilitated in-depth discussions on the role of media in times of crisis, covering a wide range of topics related to a multitude of regional and global conflicts and challenges.

Key sessions included analysis of media representations and narratives around pressing regional conflicts, such as Gaza, as well as broader discussions on regional and global aspects of environmental crises, including water scarcity and economic instability. It also looked at opportunities and challenges of technology’s role during times of crises. Other areas of focus were public health crises, social instability, and the ongoing issues of migration and displacement driven by political conflicts across the Arab world. In addition to traditional media perspectives, participants explored the role of social media in shaping public understanding, examining the use of virtual reality in newsrooms, the influence of social media algorithms as modern-day “gatekeepers” but debating also the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in higher education, specifically in educating future journalists.

A special highlight of the conference was the AREACORE panel, “Othering in and through Media: International and Comparative Approaches in the Arab World and Europe.” This session featured contributions from several AREACORE coordinators and partners: Prof. Inas Abou Youssef and Prof. Inas Abdel Hamid from Ahram Canadian University, Prof. Hanan Badr from Salzburg University, and joining virtually were Prof. Abdulrahman Al-Shami from Qatar University, and Dr. Sahar Khalefa Salem Qartani from Al-Iraqia University. The panelists shared insights into how international academic collaboration through AREACORE has enriched their perspectives on teaching media and communication studies, enabling comparative analysis and understanding of local and global approaches within the field.

You can find the full programme here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1O_cBVxn8B_jrjNieQVWl0MqC_RfN-mLM/view

And an overview of all abstracts here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/15mWyZPniTFQ4LQFjwr2zqjd1TwMgGCUK/view?usp=drive_link