Mass Communication in India: A Sociological Perspective

Professor Dr. John Vergis Vil’anilam, Ph.D. in Mass Communication from the University of Amsterdam (1986). Master of Science (MS) in Communication, Temple University School of Communications and Theatre, Philadelphia, U.S.A. (1975), D. Litt. Bhagalpur University (1981) and M.A. in English Literature, Banaras Hindu University (1958) and Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from the University of Travancore (1954) has thirty years of teaching, research and administrative experience in India, and the U.S. Highlights of his long experience are given below: Vice-Chancellor and Professor & Head, Department of Communication & Journalism, University of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram; Adjunt Professor at the School of Communications & Theater, Temple University, Philadelphia; Visiting Scholar, Annenberg School of Communication, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia; Fellow of the Association of Commonwealth Universities, London, in which capacity he lectured at the departments of mass communication and journalism at various universities in Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong and Canada; K.R. Narayanan Professor at the National Institute of Social Work and Social Sciences (NISWASS), Bhubaneswar; Visiting Professor at Mangalore University (UGC Professor Emeritus), Karnatak University, Dharwar, Berhampur University, and the Makhanlal Chaturvedi National University of Journalism, Bhopal; Founder-Editor, Journal of Communication Studies and Indian Journal of Communication; Winner of the James W. Markham Prize awarded by the International Association for Mass Communication & Journalism, United States; Winner of the Kerala Sahitya Academy Award for the best book on advertising in Malayalam; Author of two dozen books and hundreds of journal articles on mass communication, economic development, advertising, occupational diseases, rubber technology, communication education, press performance, etc. and two collections of poems and essays in English and Frequent radio speaker in English and Malayalam.