PENANG, May 2014 - The field of communication studies today is no longer restricted to communication scholars only, on the contrary it has involved academics and others from different disciplines who conducted similar scope of study.

A professor of Communication Studies, Professor Dr. Adnan Hussein, said that communication scholars today have a challenge in confronting the widening scope of the field and should be ready to prepare themselves for the changing times.

He said the academia in the field of communications also needs to have an open mind and unshackled from the presumption that the field of communication is monopolised by them.

“The issues or problems in communication are not limited to experts of this field only. Scholars from other disciplines also studied and may provide an insight to the prevailing issues.

“Now we see people from the medical field helping to conduct study on human behavior in the context of medicine, which in reality the field itself is a discipline in communication,” he said.

Adnan said this at a press conference after delivering his inaugural professorial public talk titled Dari Bab edh-Dhra ke Perkampungan Sejagat: Kepelbagaian, Dinamisme dan Cabaran Pengajian Komunikasi Masakini here recently.

Among those present were the Acting Vice-Chancellor, Professor Dato’ Dr Muhamad Jantan; School of Communication Dean (SoC), Associate Professor Dr. Jamilah Ahmad and more than 300 participants, particularly students from USM SoC.

Adnan who is also Student Affairs and Development Division Deputy Vice-Chancellor added that he was also excited to see the developments in the field of communications having breached the border that existed between studies as was highlighted in the world's leading journal, Nature.

“The researchers in Physics conducted research in the discipline of Communication and was published in the journal Nature.

“This is a very exciting development which previously we certainly cannot imagine having research in this area of interest be published in a science-oriented journal,'' he said.

He added that this situation also poses some new challenges to communication scholars and they are deemed to no longer work within the current scope, instead they need to grapple with the future to ensure continued relevance.

He said that he took the metaphor of an oasis identified as Bab edh-Dhra which was formed about 5,000 years ago, near the Dead Sea which became a stopover for travelers in the Jordan desert to obtain water source.

He said that developments in the Communication studies requires changes in line with current developments without which, this field will lag behind and may be forgotten by the society.

Adnan also suggested that the field of communication is open to anybody who is interested to learn; it is no longer restricted to people who have communications background.

“Scholars in this field need to collaborate to carry out a transdisciplinary study, including with those from the Bachelor of Science. This integration is very necessary to ensure the continuity of this field in the future,” he said.

He added that the field of Communications studies at present is also facing major challenge to compete with the rapid development of information technology and the Internet which is characterised by too vast a difference with the existing communication theories.

Recalling his background, Adnan was the second of four siblings, received his early education at the Sekolah Rendah Jenis Kebangsaan (Inggeris) Ismail Petra, Kota Bharu.

Adnan pursued his higher education studies in 1982 and he obtained a Bachelor degree with Honours in the fields of anthropology and sociology in 1886.

The father of four children later furthered his study and graduated in the field of journalism and mass communication at the Iowa State University, Ames, followed by his doctoral studies at the University of Utah, Salt Lake City.

In terms of academic pursuits, Adnan has spearheaded studies in the field of environmental communications at USM, new media journalism, social media and tourism.

The results of his study and writings has been published in various journals, proceedings and publications, both locally and internationally which included the Asian Media and Information Centre (AMIC), Singapore; and ASPIKOM, Indonesia. - Translation: Yong Check Yoon/Text: Marziana Mohamed Alias/Photo: Mohd Fairus Md. Isa