| Inspired by Kulich?s call for publication analysis (2005, 2006-7) to map the IC field (2006), this thesis is based on 71 doctoral dissertations related to intercultural communication (IC) written in the past 10 years in China. Located on the CNKI database, the author selected this data pool according to their IC-related themes, titles, or key words. By analyzing the dissertations, the author hoped to gain a clearer view of the situation of IC studies in China, its development traits, strength and potential, and current disciplinary features, thus providing some references for future studies (as Guan has suggested, 2007). Methodologies applied mainly include literary textual analysis and comparative descriptions.Findings from this corpus show that: 1) the top three fields studied are language arts & literature, education, and business management, of which language arts & literature is given the most maturity and influence. The acculturation and IC capabilities of ethnic minorities, identity and values, interpersonal competence, arts and media context are newly emerging fields. 2) Most doctoral supervision appears to be random and broad, based more on students? interest than supervisor focus. The study of IC in doctoral programs is not yet inter-related or mature, suggesting there is much developmental space and potential left. 3) These studies represent various fields, different majors, and a wide variety of methods, demonstrating the multi-disciplinary background feature of IC. 4) East China Normal University (ECNU) and Shanghai International Studies University (SISU) have the most doctoral dissertations on topics related to IC published in CNKI. 5) Over the last ten years, the number of dissertations on topics related to IC is increasing, thanks to the rapid development of China as a whole and the increasing relevance and interest in this field.
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