Create-A-Culture: An Experiential Approach To Cross Cultural Communication Dynamics

This small group activity uses a pseudo-simulation approach to explore dynamics of enculturation, acculturation, third culture, and diaspora and the resulting influences upon cross-cultural communication competence. All human communication contexts are influenced by perceptual patterns which, in turn, are shaped by culture-based norms and views. Furthermore, as asserted by E.T. Hall, significant linkages exist between a group’s cultural influences and its communication practices. This guided, collaborative learning exercise also draws on the inherent diversity within the students’ personal cultural backgrounds and previous culture-based studies as they work together to create new (hypothetical) co-cultural groups. Through this multi-step exercise, students “experience” the long term processes by which a group develops its culture—as manifested in its observable elements, values, and contextual sensibilities. Students are encouraged to use their imaginations as informed by their historical, geographical, and anthropological knowledge in order to consider beyond their own personal cultural realities. This activity, which can be adjusted to a wide variety of class sizes and session-lengths, accomplishes several additional pedagogical objectives, including: collaborative learning, exploration of culture-based principles, and the application of systems theory to human communication practices (input-throughput-output)

What’s Wrong With This Slide? Helping students develop their presentation graphics skills from the inside out

As a means of enhancing students’ aesthetic awareness and skill in the creation of presentation visuals, this activity uses a small group, problem solving approach to deconstruct and then reconstruct slide show content. By grounding design choices in principles of color and visual theory and using samples of actual ineffective slides and/or of raw content from written sources, each team analyzes and devises a brief but “well-constructed” slide show by coordinating key factors (e.g. enhancement to message, adaptation to audience’s sensibilities, effective aesthetic design). Ultimately, each team reveals its creation and explains the structural, aesthetic, and software choices. This activity, which can be adjusted to a wide variety of class sizes and session-lengths, accomplishes several additional pedagogical objectives, including: collaborative learning, critical analysis, and the opportunity for practice in presenting with visual aids

The metabolism of levulose: a consideration of analytical methods and normal tolerance

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Boston Universit

The ASEAN Economic Community and the European Experience

In November 2002, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) committed itself to the creation of an ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), in which goods, services, capital, and skilled labor would flow freely by the year 2020, or possibly even 2015. Hence, the AEC will guide the ASEAN integration agenda for at least the medium-term. The object of this paper is to analyze the lessons (both positive and negative) for the AEC that might be gleaned from the European Union (EU)Â economic integration experience. The paper notes that while there is much that the EU experience can teach ASEAN, the region should not underestimate the substantive differences between the two regions or their differing historical contexts . Based on this analysis, the paper also suggests various approaches to the creation of the AEC that ASEAN might consider as it concretizes the AEC program.ASEAN economic integration; ASEAN Economic Community; EU integration and developing countries

Municipal public relations.

Thesis (M.S.)--Boston University Includes bibliographical references (leaf 62)

Toward Win-Win Regionalism in Asia: Issues and Challenges in Forming Efficient Trade Agreements

Many economists tend to be skeptical of the merits of Free-Trade Areas (FTAs) due to their second-best nature, while others support them under certain conditions, particularly as they allow for a more comprehensive treatment of trade- and investment-related issues than is currently possible under the 149-member WTO. This paper endeavors to bridge this analytical chasm by developing a blueprint for âÂÂfirst-bestâ regionalism based on âÂÂbest practices.â It then applies the associated set of rules to existing FTAs in Asia (both intra- and extra-regional) to guage the degree to which they approach best practices. In summary, we find that most accords receive high marks in most areas, with the exception of âÂÂrules of originâ and certain service sectors.Asian integration; free trade agreement; best practices; Asian development

Using Lexis Objects for Multi-State Models in R

The Lexis class in the R package Epi provides tools for creation, manipulation and display of data from multi-state models. Transitions between states are described by rates (intensities); Lexis objects represent this kind of data and provide tools to show states and transitions annotated by relevant summary numbers. Data can be transformed to a form that allows modelling of several transition rates with common parameters.