Tag: japan

Nagoya University of Commerce & Business job ad (Japan)

Assistant Professor, Faculty of Communication
Nagoya University of Commerce and Business Administration
Application Deadline: December 5th, 2015

Founded in 1953, Nagoya University of Commerce and Business (NUCB) is situated on an exceptionally beautiful campus in the most economically productive region of Japan: Nagoya. One of the leading business schools in Japan, NUCB consistently receives high academic rankings and is strongly committed to global standards for excellence in scholarship and research. It is also the only business school in Japan to be accredited by both AACSB International and AMBA. NUCB is comprised of just over 3,500 students and 100 teaching staff. About 30 of the teaching staff are from abroad.

NUCB is now inviting motivated and academically inclined English language teaching scholars to join us in achieving our ambitious goals of our faculty. We are seeking to fill two positions for the 2016 academic year (contracts will start April 1st 2016).

Duties & responsibilities:
• Teaching responsibilities: 7 classes of 100 minutes per week, focusing on English language and cross-cultural communication with the aim of increasing student TOEIC scores.
• Non-teaching responsibilities: maintain office hours, provide additional support to students, conduct and publish research, and participate in all official university functions.
• Active participation in curriculum reform, course adaptation and faculty development.

Conditions:
Two-year renewable contract with a highly competitive salary based on qualifications and experience.
• Salary scheme will be paid in 14 installments per year.
• Holidays in line with normal Japanese university conventions.
• Excellent benefits package including private health insurance.
• Financial and other assistance in relocating to Japan (including obtaining a Japanese work visa) will be provided if necessary.

To apply, please gather the following application materials:
• Curriculum vitae including passport-type photo.
• List of academic and other publications.
• Letter of recommendation from current/previous academic supervisor/employer.
• Proof of degree qualifications, certificates etc.
• Statement of teaching and research philosophy and future research goals.

Application Procedure:
To apply for this position, please assemble all the application materials detailed above in electronic form, and emailed .

Applicants who meet the stated criteria will be contacted immediately upon receipt and invited for a teaching demonstration (in–person if in Japan or by recorded video if overseas) followed by an interview either in person, or by Skype for overseas applicants.

Minimum Qualifications:
• ABD or a Ph.D. / Ed. D. in TESOL / applied linguistics (English) combined with experience of teaching at a higher educational institution.
• Qualified in and experience of teaching TESOL.
• High level of English proficiency.

Additional Qualifications:
In addition to the minimum requirements stated above, the following qualities are desirable:
• Experience of living and working in a cultural environment different from their own.
• Basic Japanese language ability is a bonus but not essential.

CFP ICA 2016 Preconference: Communicating with New Power Blocs (Japan)

Call for proposals
ICA 2016 Pre-conference, Tokyo, Japan
Communicating with New Power Blocs: Culture and Ethics in BRICS Media
Aoyama Gakuin University, Tokyo, Japan
8 June 2016, Wednesday, 9am-5pm

Deadline for submissions: February 5, 2016

Organizers:
Sudeshna Roy (Stephen F. Austin state University, USA)
Daya Thussu (University of Westminster)
Herman Wasserman (University of Cape Town)

Co-sponsoring ICA Divisions:
Ethnicity and Race in Communication; Global Communication and Social Change
Additional ICA Division Affiliations: Communication Law and Policy; Journalism Studies

The influence and relevance of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) countries are being increasing felt in the global media arena, as has been evident in recent international news coverage of events in the member countries, such as Chinese moves to devalue their currency and the state visits abroad of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to court the Indian diaspora. Russia is in the news too with its military intervention in Syria and the continuing conflict in Ukraine; Brazil’s corruption scandal around petroleum giant Petrobas is making waves well beyond South America, and South Africa is grappling with political conflict and economic inequality, resulting in clashes such as the xenophobic attacks on foreigners. While the concept of BRICS is problematic in that they are very different countries both in terms of the size of their economies, and political and media systems, nevertheless they have in common a rapid and globalized growth in their media systems.

To what extent BRICS media have the power to shape media agendas and change dominant narratives about the global South? How are cultures and identities being represented in BRICS media? What changes are being experienced in the ethics of media institutions and their processes? What changes are taking place in notions of journalism in these countries? What place do ethnic media have in these countries? In an age of ultimate internet connectivity, in what ways are salience, potency and power of BRICS media being felt in social and cultural realm of BRICS countries and beyond? In light of the linkages between BRICS media and their power to shape, change, and influence cultures, politics, ethics and values not only in the respective BRICS countries but in regions around the world, this preconference aims to bring together scholars to explore the potential for BRICS media to offer new perspectives on media in Asia – also among major non-BRICS countries such as Japan and South Korea – as well as in a global context.

The invited panels will address the intersections of power, politics and ethics in media production, in keeping with the ICA 2016 theme of ‘Communicating with Power’. Panels will additionally address the increasing commercialization of media in the BRICS countries and how that impacts on journalism ethics and examine the role of censorship, visible in key BRICS nations – Russia and China – but also in democratic nations such as India.

The preconference will begin with an overview discussion of the ways in which BRICS media have grown in the past decade and what kinds of cultural, ethical, and power issues are arising from this growth. The following two invited panels will present and discuss scholarship that specifically engages with: ideology, culture, politics and identity representation in BRICS media; and ethics and journalism concerns at the media institutional and social levels. The final session will consist of concurrent roundtables on the media of each of the BRICS countries that will focus on an awareness of the different models of journalism, the tensions between them and the implications of each form as well as discuss the potential of other types of networks that are emerging in BRICS countries, networks that are outside the government control. Invited keynote speakers will feature scholars of BRICS media and, specifically, scholars from Japan and other Asian countries who have the opportunity to attend this year’s ICA taking place in Fukuoka, Japan.

Submissions for participation in the pre-conference should include a brief biographical sketch (50 word) and a 200-word statement describing specific strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats being demonstrated/ faced by BRICS media; and specific ways in which BRICS media can leverage their non-Euro-Atlantic origins and redress power imbalances in existing international institutions and structures. Organizers will identify areas of shared interest in submissions to organize breakout groups for the concurrent roundtable discussions. Scholars at all stages of their careers are encouraged to apply. All proposals must be emailed to Sudeshna Roy. The deadline for submissions is February 5, 2016. Submissions will be judged on relevance, originality, and fit with the preconference theme. Notifications of acceptance will be emailed by end of February 2016.

Cost of registration and attendance:
$65 per person for ICA full members who are not students
$40 per person for students
A limited number of fee waivers are available. To request a waiver,
please include a statement of your specific need in your proposal.

CFP ICA 2016 Preconference: The Politics and Economics of Chinese New Media Industries

Call for Papers: ICA 2016 Preconference:
The politics and economics of Chinese new media industries

[Selected full papers will be included in a special issue for International Communication Gazette, to be published in early-2018.]

Date and Venue
June 9th 2016, ICA conference hotel (Fukuoka, Japan)

Division Affiliations
Communication Law and Policy Division
Communication and Technology Division
Media Industry Studies Interest Group

Organizing committee:
Weiyu Zhang, Associate Professor, National University of Singapore
Zhan Li, Associate Professor, Xiamen University, China
Jing Wu, Professor, Peking University, China
Bingchun Meng, Associate Professor, London School of Economics, UK
Min Jiang, Associate Professor, University of North Carolina, Charlotte, US

Keynote Speaker
Prof. Stephen Reese, School of Journalism, University of Texas at Austin

Spotlight Presentation
Selected best submission will be featured as a spotlight presentation.

Conference Fee (lunch and two tea breaks included)
–         Free for presenters
–         25 USD for general audience

Sponsors
Xiamen University, China
Peking University, China

Aim and Scope
Just like many other indicators of China’s development, digital media industries in China are constantly generating impressive figures. For example, Alibaba’s initial public offering in 2014 was ranked world’s
biggest at $25 Billion; Wechat, the fastest rising social media app developed by Tencent, achieved a user base of 440 million within four years of its release. By February 2015, Chinese Internet users have
reached 641 million, more than double the number of users in the U.S. Numbers aside, however, there have not been much academic research on the regulatory context, the political and economic dynamics, as well as the broader implications at both domestic and global levels of such fast-pace development. For instance, there are increasing efforts from the Chinese government and elites to articulate alternative frameworks over the global governance of the Internet and new media industries.

This preconference intends to serve as a platform to facilitate dialogues around the political, the economic, the institutional and the policy aspects of media industries in China, in view of the rapid
development of digital media. But this is not just about having ‘China experts’ analyzing Chinese companies or Chinese policies. We are keen to move beyond the ‘China exceptionalism” by taking an explicitly global and comparative perspective. For one thing, the ownership structure and the business practices of Chinese digital media companies are intricately related to global capitalism in general. For another, Chinese information technology companies, such as Baidu, Alibaba, ZTE and Huawei, are aggressively expanding their businesses overseas, especially in Africa and South East Asia, with varied degrees of success. Last but not the least, through platforms like the National Office for Internet and Information, and channels like the Sino-US Internet Forum, the Chinese authorities are actively participating in the construction of international and global policy frames concerning the future development of digital media industries.

With the global reach of Chinese IT companies and the international ambition of Chinese government, it is imperative to understand how the new developments in Chinese digital media industries, are reconfiguring the politics and the economics of information and communication technologies (ICTs).  Moreover, it is important to understand how traditional media such as mainstream newspapers respond to such changes and incorporate digitalization into their own industry plans. This preconference aims to invite scholars from all over the world to tackle the issue, primarily using China as a context in which innovative research questions and methods can be applied.

We are particularly interested in papers that address the following themes:
–         The globalization and internationalization of Chinese media industries, including both Internet and other traditional media
–         The roles of international regulatory bodies and international non-governmental organizations in shaping the landscape of new media in China
–         The roles of Chinese authorities in shaping global policies regarding information and communication technologies (ICTs)
–         The economics of Chinese new ICT companies, including foreign and local venture capitalists, shareholders, business models, sources of profits, consumer strategy, etc.
–         The evolving political parallelism in Chinese media industry
–         Comparisons of Chinese new media industry with other countries’ media industry

Abstract Submissions
Please submit a 500-words abstract in word or pdf format to ica15china@gmail.com.  All submissions will be subject to a double-blind review by at least 2 reviewers. To facilitate the review process, please write a separate cover sheet with the paper title and affiliation/s and omit the affiliations in the actual abstract.

Deadlines
–         Submission of abstracts: Jan 15th 2016
–         Notification of acceptance: March 1st 2016
–         Final paper submission: June 1st 2016

CFP Crossing Borders: Researching Transnational Media History (ICA 2016 in Japan)

Crossing Borders: Researching Transnational Media History
International Communication Association Preconference
Fukuoka, Japan, June 9, 2016
Sponsor: ICA Communication History Division
Co-Sponsor: ECREA Communication History Section
Organizers: Nelson Ribeiro and David Park

Media history has frequently been tied to the nation-state. This ICA pre-conference is dedicated to considering the history of media that operates across national borders. Indeed, communication has long been a central theme in historical schools of thought that stress the networked and interdependent nature of both the ancient and modern worlds. As such, we welcome papers on a wide array of historically grounded themes that explore transnational communication.

Submissions to this pre-conference are invited to consider the full breadth of transnational communication in history. States, businesses, commercial networks, and other institutions have long been preoccupied with managing the flow of communication across borders. These patterns raise numerous questions regarding the institutions connected to these flows, the messages they circulate, and the audiences they reach. More specifically, the pre-conference will be structured around three themes:
• Histories of transnational media organizations. Different technologies and media have been used to spread information and ideas across the borders. States and the Catholic Church were among the first institutions to understand the importance of having access to information produced abroad and to spread their own messages in different geographies. In modern times, transnational communication played a central role in disseminating political and religious ideals along with business information, thus contributing to early processes of globalization. Although several newspapers in the late 19th century were already operating internationally, in the 20th century the phenomenon of transnational communication became even more prevalent as media organizations played a central role in international propaganda and public diplomacy. The BBC, Voice of America, Radio Beijing, Radio Moscow, and Radio Tokyo are just a few examples that come to mind.
• Histories of transnational media content. Along with transnational media organizations, the content and form of media have never truly been hemmed in by national borders either, as genres, narratives, and franchises have circulated regionally and globally, contributing to hybrid cultural identities. British literature and U.S. music, film, and television serials are obvious examples but many others could be cited, namely Indian cinema, Japanese animation and videogames, and Brazilian telenovelas. After World War II, the circulation of transnational media content also became a major issue in the context of the Cold War leading to the creation, in Europe and Asia, of international organizations that promoted the exchange of television content among its members.
• Histories of transnational audiences. As is the case with the internet today, in earlier times newspapers, broadcasting, musical recordings, and video tapes were used to reach transnational audiences and create diasporic communities, a phenomenon of particular importance in the context of empire. Developing our understanding of how audiences received media content produced in different cultural contexts can expand our knowledge of how transnational networks operate and how communication technologies facilitate (or resist) these flows.

Abstracts of 300 words (maximum) should be submitted no later than 30 November 2015. Proposals for full panels are also welcome: these should include a 250-word abstract for each individual presentation, and a 200-word rationale for the panel. Send abstracts to: nelson.ribeiro@ucp.pt. Authors will be informed regarding acceptance/rejection for the preconference no later than 10 January 2016. Full papers will need to be submitted no later than 30 May 2016 as these will be posted online and made available to all those participating in the preconference.

International Research Center for Japanese Studies: Visiting Research Scholar 2017-18

Visiting Research Scholar 2017 – 2018
The International Research Center for Japanese Studies is one of the constituent institutions of the National Institutes for the Humanities, which was established as an Inter-University Research Institute Corporation under a law effective April 2004. Founded in May 1987 as an inter-university research institute of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, this Center seeks to promote comprehensive, international, and interdisciplinary research on Japanese culture, and to foster cooperation among researchers in Japanese studies worldwide. In order to broaden and deepen research on Japanese culture and bring together researchers in a variety of specialized fields, the Center regularly appoints a number of scholars from around the world as Visiting Research Scholars.

The Center invites applications from scholars who wish to conduct research while in residence here. Visiting Research Scholars are expected to engage in collaborative activity with the Center’s permanent faculty by, for example, participating in at least one of our team research projects (“kyōdō kenkyū”).

Number of Openings
Several positions

Obligations
The Visiting Research Scholar will be free to carry out his/her individual research, but must join in at least one team research project.
You are required to submit a report about trends in Japanese Studies in your country.
You are required to submit one article to either one of the two Nichibunken journals, Nihon Kenkyū (in Japanese) or Japan Review (in English).

Qualifications and Eligibility
Researchers of any nationality not more than 65 years old when the research period begins, who live outside Japan, are eligible to apply. Others whom the Director-General of this Center deems to have equivalent qualifications as a researcher may apply, provided that they meet the age criteria.

Applicants who meet the following criteria are preferred
⑴ Researchers employed by a university or other research institution.
⑵ Researchers with a doctoral degree.
⑶ Those whom the Director-General deems to have equivalent qualifications as above ⑴ and ⑵.

Proposed Duration of Stay (Research Period)
We are now accepting applications from The Visiting Research Scholar candidates for the fiscal year 2017(April 1, 2017～March 31, 2018), expected to start their stay on a date within this period. The stay must be for a minimum of three (3) months but not exceed the maximum of twelve (12) months. (It is possible for a period of stay to extend into the following fiscal year.) Along with a first preference for a period of stay, please indicate a second preferred period.

Examples
2017 Apr. 1 ～ 2018 Mar. 31　(for one year)
2018 Jan. 1 ～ 2018 Dec. 31 (for one year)
2018 Mar. 1 ～ 2019 Jan. 31 (for eleven months)

Salary and Conditions
⑴ The Visiting Research Scholar’s salary will be determined on the basis of salary regulations and will reflect the Visiting Research Scholar’s seniority. It will be paid on the appointed day each month.
⑵ Roundtrip travel expenses will be paid according to a rate stipulated in the regulations.
⑶ A research allowance (including a domestic research travel expense allowance) will be disbursed to each Visiting Research Scholar.
⑷ The Center’s library, computers, and other facilities, including an individual research room, will be made available for the use of the Visiting Research Scholar, in the same way as for a regular full-time employee of the Center.
⑸ Visiting Research Scholars have opportunities for presentation of research findings in seminars, public lectures, and the Nichibunken Forum held by the Center.
⑹ Housing accommodations will be available on the site of the Center. (There are charges for the use of these facilities.)

Application Procedure
Please fill in the application form below and submit it as an e-mail attachment. You will receive an e-mail confirmation when it arrives.　If you do not receive an e-mail confirmation of its arrival, please send an e-mail to the address “for inquiries only” or inquire at Nichibunken by telephone or fax.
PDF file (210KB)
MS Word file（131KB)

Application Deadline
The application must reach the Center before the end of the day (Japan time) on Saturday, October 31, 2015.

Result
All the applicants will be notified of the results by the middle of March, 2016 by post only (to the address of your affiliation)

Address for the Application
Application form only: shinseivrs@nichibun.ac.jp

For Inquiries Only (please use for inquiries concerning applications) :
vrsinquiry@nichibun.ac.jp

International Research Center for Japanese Studies
Research Cooperation Division
3-2 Oeyama-cho, Goryo, Nishikyo-ku, Kyoto 610-1192, Japan
Phone: +81(0)75-335-2041 Fax: +81(0)75-335-2092

CFP ICA 2016 Communicating with Power (Fukuoka, Japan)

CFP International Communication Association convention
Fukuoka, Japan, 9-13 June 2016

As communication scholars, we research a field so important that it is protected by all constitutions and, at the highest level, by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The subject matter of our study, human expression and its formal form as media, is protected because governments recognise (or at least declare that they do) human expression and the media can be politically charged. Through communication, we make the difference to democracy and thereby make a difference in the lives of others.

Although communication is present in many important areas of policy making and in the ways our societies are governed, yet we are not often heard or even consulted. The theme of this year’s conference is reminder to ourselves as well as the larger world about the potential contribution of our work and raising awareness about such contribution. The theme of the conference is therefore aimed at raising our profile in communicating effectively with not only government agencies and corporate players but also civil society and grassroots organizations. The acts of communication occur at micro, meso, and macro levels, from the psychological to interpersonal, from organizational to global. They need more theoretical critique, methodological rigor, philosophical reflection, creative intervention, and alternative historical imagination.

The theme may be understood at a couple of levels. Communicating power is about communicating—both sending and receiving—powerfully or forcefully. This is reaching out to the influencers, not necessarily just those holding formal positions. It is speaking with a louder voice, designing with cleverer graphics, shooting with more artistic and appealing videography. It is gamification so that messages are absorbed and acted upon. It is investigating phenomena and variables that, when better understood, will make a bigger difference with more people, making a corner of the world a better place.

But there is a level I would like members to consider: how can we make our research better understood by those with the power to use them for good. This is not just for the law and policy crowd and policy makers. How can, for example, health communication scholars reach their target audience—be they doctors, public policy-makers, citizens—with their findings? How can colleagues studying culture and identity help children and youth, who grow up in today’s global culture, to understand their own identity? After studying the latest video games or the next Gangnam Style, how can we communicate our meaningful discoveries to parents and teachers, to multimedia corporations such as Sony?

We cannot be naïve if we want to communicate with power. Sometimes, communicating with power requires us to bypass power centres entirely because they are flawed or corrupted and appeal directly to our audience. What are such occasions? What are the limiting conditions in appealing to power centres?

The currency of academia is influence. If we can influence to make a positive difference, we would have communicated with power.

Conference Program Chair
Peng Hwa Ang, President Elect
Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

Theme Session Proposals
Submissions to theme session must follow general guidelines (i.e., papers must be blinded and will be peer-reviewed; they should be no longer than 25 pages or approximately 8,000 words). Proposals for papers and panels on the conference theme are invited from all sectors of the field, and will be evaluated competitively by anonymous referees. Theme-based submissions should be cross-divisional; that is, they should span the interests and purview of more than one ICA Division or Interest Group. Papers or panels must not, however, be submitted simultaneously for consideration to more than one Division or Interest Group. All submissions should have broad appeal across the units of the association. All theme-based papers and panels may also be programmed on special panels or within the interactive paper (poster) session. Panel proposals on the conference theme must include a 400-word rationale explaining how the panel fits the conference theme and a 75-word summary of the rationale to appear in the conference program. In keeping with ICA tradition, an edited volume focusing on the conference theme will be published. This volume will draw from presentations in Divisions, Interest Groups, and theme sessions.

Save

Konosuke Matsushita Memorial Foundation Research Grants Available

The Konosuke Matsushita Memorial Foundation has research grants available.

Two major objectives of the Konosuke Matsushita Memorial Foundation are:
1) to contribute to the society by promoting international understanding and
2) to realize the society where mankind respect and harmonize with nature under the concept — coexistence of Nature and Mankind.
In line with these goals, the Foundation provides funds to research activities in the areas of humanities and social sciences which pertain to above mentioned two objectives. Research activities of social, academic and international needs in the areas of humanities and social sciences which promote international understanding and/or coexistence of Nature and Mankind. Those should contribute to the society by developing personnel with international perspective, establishing international relationships, solving various issues existing between Japan and other countries, and coexistence of Nature and Mankind.
Pioneering research based on creative ideas is especially welcomed.

Eligibility: Students in doctoral course and researchers within five years after finishing doctoral course, who have not received grants from the foundation in the past. There are no restrictions based on nationality, affiliation, or area of residence. Around 40 grants will be awarded. The maximum amount per researcher is 500,000 yen.

Deadline: Application forms must reach the Foundation by May 15, 2015.

If you have any inquires about application, please send E-mail to the Foundation directly.

CFP Theorizing Homogenizing Discourse: Japan

Call for Chapters
Theorizing Homogenizing Discourse: Japan, a Case Study

Anthology Editors:
Satoshi Toyosaki, Ph.D.
Southern Illinois University Carbondale

Shinsuke Eguchi, Ph.D.
University of New Mexico

Japan is heterogeneous and culturally diverse. However, Japan has socially, culturally, politically, and intellectually constructed and, some cases, insisted its distinct and homogeneous identity. Recently, such a national identity construction has been rightfully questioned and challenged by Japan’s culturally diverse groups and research activities. The primary focus of this anthology lies at the mysterious and discursive system that regenerates the illusion of Japan as a homogenous nation. We look for chapters that, first, investigate the discursive push-and-pull between the homogenizing and heterogenizing discourses at various cultural fronts, particularly from the critical intercultural communication perspective, and that, second, examine and critique those homogenizing discourses. We hope that this anthology helps theorize the complex push-and-pull of homogenizing and heterogenizing discourses focusing on their co-constitutive and responsive relations, instead of situating them simply as the oppositional.

Topics/research sites/areas of interest include, but are not limited to, gender/sex, LGBTQQ, Japanese regions, Gaijin identity, multiracial/national Japanese, Zainichi-identities, media, sport fandom, tourism, foreign labor, and anti-/pro-Japan rhetoric. Research sites (data sources) can be both Japan-domestic and international. We are working toward making a persuasive proposal for this anthology. In so doing, we seek exciting chapter contributors, innovative research projects, and theoretically rigorous chapters. For more details, please don’t hesitate to contact us at the aforementioned email addresses. Please send us your 200-word abstract that identifies your research goal(s), data/artifacts, and methodological approach(es) by March 15th, 2015. Your abstract needs to be saved in MS word format and sent to both Satoshi Toyosaki and Shinsuke Eguchi. The anticipated timeline for a complete manuscript is July 31, 2015.

Inga Milevica – Micro grant report

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

In Spring 2014, Inga Milevica was awarded a micro grant funded by the Association for Business Communication. The following is her report.

The first and the main scientific-practical task of my project was to participate in an international forum and represent one of the private colleges of Latvia – Alberta College. The international forum “Socio-Cultural and Linguistic Aspects in Educational and Scientific Context” took place in Kyoto (Japan) at Kyoto Sangyo University from September 25-29, 2014. During the forum I presented my paper, “Naive Argumentation of Authority.” Colleagues recognized that they have similar problems (such as plagiarism, lack of knowledge of style, unwillingness to see the limits of text, ignorance of sources of information, glorification of online information sources). Also, I received an invitation from colleagues from the University of Ural publish my research the wider format (as part of a book). I gladly accepted this invitation. Thus, the first phase of the project has been very successful.

As a result of this trip, colleagues from many countries (including Korea, Japan, Kazakhstan, Belarus and Russia) learned about my college. I received multiple invitations for cooperation between my college (Alberta College in Riga, Latvia) and national institutions from many countries on the following topics: foreign language teaching methodology, innovations of linguistic science, bilingual education opportunities and perspective, new paradigm of instructional theory, intercultural aspects of pedagogical activity, information technologies in education, and horizons of literature.

The second goal of my project was methodical planning. The partners in the forum included Kyoto Sangyo University (Kyoto, Japan), Middlebury College (Vermont, USA), University of Bologna (Bologna, Italy), Sangmyung University of South Korea (Cheonan, South Korea), Almaty Institute of Power and Communication (Alamty, Republic of Kazakhstan), International Centre of Scientific-Educational Platform of Interaction of Cultures (Yekaterinburg, Russia), and the Institute of Foreign Languages and Multimedia at University of Greifswald (Greifswald, Federal Republic of Germany). I was able to discuss important issues of cooperation (different forms of cooperation, the uniqueness of cooperation programs, the most successful and unsuccessful programs, etc.) with colleges from Japan, Korea, Kazakhstan, Russia, Germany and USA. The most successful are developing virtual forms of cooperation, many colleagues said.

My third goal in this project was educational enrichment. I teach students in Business in such courses as Communication and Ethics, and Corporate Culture. In these courses, themes of intercultural communication are greatly emphasized (with a focus on making contacts with foreign colleagues, partners, clients). I can say that I was lucky: I saw the careful attitude to the time, I saw the specifics of Japanese design space (at the university, in the hotel, as well as in the cities). Also, I watched the beginning of the Japanese builders‘ working day: they do some exercises and sing a song in a daily ritual that helps establish a working mood. Particularly interesting was listening to Japanese speech because their form of argument is different from that of Europeans.

In conclusion, I want to say thank you to both the Association for Business Communication and the Center for Intercultural Dialogue for this grant, which provided a unique opportunity in terms of work, as well as my personal and professional interests!

 

 

Inga Milevica – Micro grant award

MilevicaInga Milevica has been awarded a micro grant for international travel, funded by the Association for Business Communication through the Center for Intercultural Dialogue. The following is her description of herself and the project. You can also read the main article describing all award winners.

Dr. Inga Milevica is a researcher and teacher in Latvia, author of more than 90 scientific papers. Her main research interests are: gender communication, business communication, mass communication and translation problems, in particular, problems of translation in films. Milevica has been working at Alberta College since 2008 in all its fields of study: Legal foundation of the business, Entertainment management and production, Cultural tourism management, Marketing and marketing′s innovations, Staff work organization, Business accountancy and taxes, Information technology, Game development, Economics and organization of small companies and Public relations. She teaches the following courses: Rhetoric and Presentation Skills, Introduction into Communication Theory, Corporate Culture, Business Communication and professional Ethics, Stylistics and Culture of Latvian Language.

The first and the main scientific-practical task of the project is to participate in the international forum and represent one of the private colleges of Latvia – Alberta College. The international forum “Socio-Cultural and Linguistic Aspects in Educational and Scientific Context” will take place in Kyoto (Japan) in Kyoto Sangyo University, September 25-29, 2014. The paper “Naive Argumentation of Authority” is being prepared for the section Intercultural Aspects in Pedagogical Activity. There will be basic peculiarities of the argumentation and especially of an argument authority discussed in the paper, based on the verbal and written discourse of the students.

The second task deals with methodical planning. The partners of the forum are such famous and respected educational institutions of the world as Kyoto Sangyo University (Kyoto, Japan), Middlebury College (Vermont, USA), University of Bologna (Bologna, Italy), Sangmyung University of South Korea (Cheonan, South Korea), Almaty Institute of Power and Communication (Alamty, Republic of Kazakhstan), International Centre of Scientific-Educational Platform of Interaction of Cultures (Yekaterinburg, Russia), Institute of Foreign Languages and Multimedia at University of Greifswald (Greifswald, Federal Republic of Germany). The author intends to discuss with the representatives of the universities possibilities of the programme Erasmus+, which starting from 2014 will expand both geography of the trips and scientific and educational profiles, both for the students and teaching staff.

In addition, this project will help to perfect practical knowledge about the distinctive culture of Japan. For example, such important categories for successful communication and overcoming potential barriers as time (monochrome or polychrome perception) and place (public or private – and to what extent) should be felt already on the airplane, in the hotel, on the streets, at the university, etc., and such a category as argumentation (linear or holistic) also can and must be experienced in real communication.