Sagara and Interracial Communication

Intercultural PedagogyMichelle Sagara (AKA Michelle West, and Michelle Sagara West) is a Japanese-Canadian author based in Toronto, Canada. She has published the Chronicles of Elantra, a science fiction series (13 books and a novella so far) featuring interactions among 5 races of beings, some mortal and some not. For anyone looking to introduce fiction into a course on intercultural communication, they would make a good possibility.

For those interested in more academic discussions of the ways in which fiction generally, science fiction specifically, or films, can contribute to intercultural and/or interracial understanding, here are some beginning points:

Condon, J. (1986). Exploring intercultural communication through literature and film. World Englishes, 5(2-3), 153-161.

Hoff, H.E. (2013). ‘Self’ and ‘Other’ in meaningful interaction: Using fiction to develop intercultural competence in the English classroom. Tidsskriftet FoU i praksis, 7(2), 27–50.

Kawai, Y. (2008). Implicating knowledge with practice: Intercultural communication education with the novel. In C. C. Irvine (Ed.), Teaching the novel across the curriculum: A handbook for educators (pp. 73-83). Westport, CN: Greenwood.

Kramsch, C. & Kramsch, O. (2000). The avatars of literature in language study. The Modern Language Journal, 84(4), 553–573.

Lewis, T. J., & Jungman, R. E. (Eds.). (1986). On being foreign: Culture shock in short fiction. Yarmouth, ME: Intercultural Press.

Pratiwi, W. R. (2017). Exploring intercultural values from the perspective of Western-Asian way of life: A study of Lilting film. Journal of English Education, 2(2), 113-123.

Wilkinson, L. C. (2007). A developmental approach to uses of moving pictures in intercultural education. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 31(1), 1-27.

 

CFP Conference on Communication & Management 2019 (Greece)

ConferencesCall for Papers, 5th Annual International Conference on Communication and Management (ICCM2019), 15-18 April 2019, Athens, Greece. Deadline: 12 March 2019.

ICCM 2019

Panels will include:

a) International Leadership and Management
b) Multidisciplinary Approaches to New Media Technologies
c) New Horizons in Journalism

 

Award of Excellence CID Video Competition: Victoria Wasner

CID Video CompetitionCID’s first video competition is now over, and the judges have reviewed all the videos. As a reminder, the instructions were to answer the question “What does intercultural dialogue look like?” in 90-120 seconds, on video.

Victoria Wasner

An award of excellence goes to Victoria Wasner. She is doctoral student in Education at Durham University (UK). Judges praised her video as well put together, and said it truly got at the essence of intercultural dialogue. They found it entertaining, and liked the mix of music, still photos, and video clips.

Title: ‘Learning about, with and from each other’

Description: “Intercultural dialogue is ultimately about learning. We have to learn about each other so that we do not become culturally ignorant or blind to the reality of others whom we encounter. We have to learn with each other so that we can feel what it is like to live the reality of others. We have to learn from each other so that we understand that others have something to give us, not only that we may have something to give them. This short video captures moments from short visits of students and teachers at an international school in Switzerland to our friends in Orissa, India. When going there, it is the human contact that is important and the willingness to learn and let go of what we think we know about the world. I am a teacher, a researcher and ultimately a human being who believes in the transformative power of education. Intercultural dialogue is a vital part of that education.”

There were first, second and third place winners, as well as 3 videos that merited awards of excellence. Each of these is being highlighted in a separate post, as they warrant our attention. My thanks to the judges of the competition, professionals who made time to review student videos. Thanks also to all the competitors, who took the time to really think about the question of how to show intercultural dialogue visually.

Wendy Leeds-Hurwitz, Director
Center for Intercultural Dialogue

Scottish Policy Innovation and Research Exchange Job Ad: Director (UK)

Job adsDirector, Scottish Policy Innovation and Research Exchange, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK. Deadline: 17 August 2018.

The Scottish Policy Innovation and Research Exchange (SPIRE) is a new initiative of the Campaign for Social Science in Scotland, part of the Academy of Social Sciences. The Campaign was established in 2011 to promote the use of social science in public policy making and in wider society.

As the founding Director, you will take the lead in establishing SPIRE’s digital platforms, ensuring they earn a reputation for academic excellence as well as accessibility and relevance to the policy community. Working with relevant partners, you will instigate and embed the mentoring network and establish the training programme. In addition, you will be expected to develop and introduce further tools to help social scientists and policymakers work more effectively together.

Hong Kong Polytechnic Job Ads: Bilingualism & Communication (Hong Kong)

Job adsProfessor in Applied Language Sciences / Bilingualism and Communication / Chinese Linguistics / Chinese Language Education (2 positions), Department of Chinese and Bilingual Studies, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University in Hong Kong. Deadline: August 2, 2018.

Applicants should have (a) a PhD degree in a relevant discipline, preferably with one of the following specialisms: i) Clinical Linguistics, Special Education Needs, Language Pathology, Speech Therapy, Neuroscience or Computational Linguistics with usage of language technology in digital humanities and big data analytics. Additional expertise in other areas of the humanities such as media studies or language and literature will be a significant advantage; ii) Bilingual Corporate Communication, Intercultural Communication, Bilingualism/Multilingualism or related fields; iii) Cantonese Linguistics (e.g. Syntax, Semantics, Sociolinguistics or Phonology); or iv) Chinese Language Education, and/or Teaching Chinese as a Second/Foreign Language; (b) substantial years of relevant post-qualification experience and an excellent record of relevant academic and/or professional achievements; (c) a high level of fluency in English; and (d) a strong commitment to excellence in teaching, scholarly activities and professional service.  For the post in Applied Language Sciences / Bilingualism and Communication, preference will be given to those who are fluent in Cantonese or Putonghua and literate in written Chinese.  For the post in Chinese Language Education, preference will be given to those who are familiar with primary and secondary education in Hong Kong, and/or the International Baccalaureate curriculum.

U Queensland Job Ad: Applied Linguistics (Australia)

Job adsLecturer in Applied Linguistics, School of Languages and Cultures, The University of Queensland (Australia). Deadline: July 28, 2018.

The School is looking to appoint a Lecturer in Applied Linguistics in the process of building an international research profile in an area of relevance to the current teaching and research profile of the program.  Individuals with research and teaching interests in any area of applied linguistics are welcome to apply, although those with an interest in one or more of the following are especially encouraged to apply: intercultural communication, discourse and pragmatics, sociolinguistics.  Research interests in one or more of the languages taught in the school would also be advantageous.  The successful appointee will engage in undergraduate teaching and postgraduate supervision, undertake and contribute to further development of the School’s Applied Linguistics program, as well as performing research, service/engagement and other activities associated with the School.

Cities of Migration

Applied ICDCities of Migration showcases good ideas in immigrant integration and promotes innovative practices that create inclusion and urban prosperity. They focus on ideas that are practical, innovative, successful, and transferable. They summarize good ideas in immigration, building inclusive cities, prepare a monthly summary of Conversations in Integration,  and host a monthly webinar called Learning Exchange – the next one is titled In the Classroom and Beyond: Supporting Refugee Students. They’ve also just prepared a diagnostic tool called Test my City, to make generalizations come alive by showing how they apply to any specific city.

EIUC Electoral Observers Training 2018 (Italy)

Applied ICDInternational electoral observers training course, Global Campus of Human Rights, November 26-30, 2018, Venice, Italy. Registration deadline: October 15, 2018.

Open and legitimate elections are the indispensable foundation for sustainable development and an effective democracy. Actions supporting the right to participate in genuine elections can play a major role in sustaining peace, security and conflict prevention. Support takes the form of electoral assistance projects and election observation missions. This requires skilled and trained observers. EIUC (European Inter-University Centre for Human Rights and Democratisation) has developed a course aiming at providing training to civilian staff in election observation missions at the first steps of their career. Selected applicants will be allowed to become aware of the role, the tasks and the status of international observers, and will be given a theoretical and practical training on election observation and election observation missions functioning.

WhatsApp Research Awards

GrantsWhatsApp Research Awards for Social Science and Misinformation. Grant amount: $50,000. Deadline: August 12, 2018.

WhatsApp will seriously consider proposals from any social science and technological perspective that propose projects that enrich understanding of the problem of misinformation on WhatsApp. High priority areas include (but are not limited to): information processing of problematic content, election related information, network effects and virality, and detection of problematic behavior within encrypted systems. The program will make unrestricted awards of up to $50,000 per research proposal. All applications will be reviewed by WhatsApp research staff, with consultation from external experts. Payment will be made to the proposer’s host university or organization as an unrestricted gift.

Other research awards are also available from Facebook (the parent company of WhatsApp). Each program has a different award amount, application deadline, and topic.

CFP International Conference on Education (Greece)

ConferencesCall for Papers: International Conference on Education (EDU2019), 13-16 May 2019, Athens, Greece, sponsored by Faculty of Education at Beijing Normal University, China. Deadline: 26 February 2019.

EDU 2019

The conference aims to provide an opportunity for academics, professionals and industry experts from various fields, with cross-disciplinary interests, to discuss the future prospects in the evolution of Education. Topics include, but are not confined to: Bilingual Education, Identity and Education, Educational Psychology, Teaching Approaches, Teacher and Student, Education Strategy, Teacher Education, Educational Foundations, Online Education, Education Technology, Special Education, Teaching Methodology, Art Education/Art therapy, Bilingual Education, Computer Education, Early childhood Education, Elementary Education, Secondary Education, Higher Education, Multicultural Education, Science Education, Educational Psychology, Educational Foundations, Health Education, Career and Technical Education, Adult Education, Business Education (Education Leadership), Ethical issues in Education, Diversity and Equality in Education, Cross-disciplinary areas of Education, Life-long Learning Education. Topics are broadly defined, but not limited to the above.