The 2008 Beijing Olympic Games: Public Diplomacy Triumph or Public Relations Spectacle?

The USC Center on Public Diplomacy, the USC Center for International Studies and the USC US-China Institute hosted the symposium on the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games: "Public Diplomacy Triumph or Public Relations Spectacle?" The symposium brought together scholars and practitioners to share research insights on China's public diplomacy strategies and the impact of these games on perceptions of China's soft power resources and global attitudes towards a rising China.

Click here to read CPD Fellow, Professor Monroe Price's Reflection on the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games as a Media Event.

Click here to read an Annenberg News article on the conference.

Symposium Schedule included;

Welcome: Geoffrey Wiseman, Director, USC Center on Public Diplomacy

Panel 1: China’s International Goals for the Olympics
Chair: Pat James, Director, USC Center for International Studies

Panelists:
• Xu Xin, Acting Director, China & Asia-Pacific Studies, Cornell University
• Jeffrey Wasserstrom, Professor of History, UC Irvine
• Shen Dingli, Deputy Director and Professor, Center for American Studies, Fudan University
• Discussant: Daniel Lynch, Associate Professsor, USC School of International Relations

11:00-12:30 Panel 2: The Domestic Political Ramifications of the Beijing Olympic Games
Chair and Discussant: Stanley Rosen, Professor of Political Science, USC

Panelists:
• Susan Brownell, Professor and Chair, Department of Anthropology, University of Missouri, St. Louis
• Jian Wang, Associate Professor, Annenberg School for Communication, USC

12:45-2:00 Luncheon and Keynote Speeches

Introductory Remarks: Barry Sanders, Chairman, Southern California Committee for the Olympic Games

Speakers:
• Janet Evans, 4-time Olympic Gold Medalist, US Women’s Swim Team and USC Annenberg Alumna
• Larsen Jensen, Bronze Medalist, US Men’s Swim Team, Beijing Olympics; Silver Medalist, Athens Olympics

2:15-3:45 Panel 3: The Economic Significance of the Beijing Olympic Games
Chair: Clay Dube, Associate Director, USC US-China Institute

Panelists:
• Jeffrey G. Owen, Visiting Assistant Professor, Dept. of Economics and Management, Gustavus Adolphus College
• Kelly C. Crabb, International Counsel, Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee
• Discussant: Chen Baizhu, Associate Professor of Clinical Finance and Business Economics, USC Marshall School of Business

4:00-5:30 Panel 4: The Role of the Media in the Beijing Olympic Games
Chair and Discussant: Dan Durbin, Associate Professor of Communication, USC

Panelists:
• Barbara Walkosz, Associate Professor of Communication, University of Colorado Denver
• Jian Wang, Associate Professor, Annenberg School for Communication, USC

5:45-7:00 Reception
University Club
University of Southern California

Sessions were structured to include presentations followed by discussion with the audience.

All sessions were free and open to USC students, staff, and faculty as well as members of the general public.

An Issues Brief will be produced shortly after the symposium and will be widely distributed.