Editorial statement

Grounded in the interdisciplinary educational work of Cultural Studies, this paper examines the pedagogical potentials of narrative and performance for the teaching of writing as a mode of public discourse. Guided to address a wide readership, students engage in critical communication aimed at linking self inquiry and narrative discourse to the contextual analysis of the social. Drawing on research findings derived from the undergraduate teaching of cultural criticism as a genre of public writing at Lingnan University, Hong Kong, we look at how educational drama mediates the work of narrative and performative acts involving the young learner-writers and contributes to the shaping of a dialogic mode of address and communication, thus articulating the process and impact of writing to the public-oriented discourse in Cultural Studies education. In light of such acts in critical discourse and imagination targeted at the potential reader, we show how the young writers' own engagement with critical thinking and communication are opened up by drama-in-education adopted in the class, and argue how, in this sense, both writing and its learning process become effective stages in the making of the kind of cultural criticism we want to help students to learn.     

Managing Disagreement while Managing not to Disagree: Polite Disagreement in Negotiation Discourse

This paper explores the exercise of politeness by Malays in business negotiations with Japanese. The study looks at how disagreement is realized linguistically. Its linguistic configurations in the form of speech acts and discourse strategies and their underlying politeness strategies are identified and described. The study also reports on how Malay cultural values are reflected in the language use. The implications of the study for negotiation in general and the expression of disagreement in particular are then discussed. The findings are significant for an understanding of disagreement by Malays, particularly when interacting in English. Additionally it provides insights into how Malay cultural values impinge on Malay interaction styles vis-à-vis styles of disagreement. The findings work towards an understanding of how Malay values are manifested in the discourse of disagreement in oral communication.     

Passing on Political Information between Major Powers: The Key Role of Ambassadors between Byzantium and some of its Neighbours

Ambassadors and embassies were numerous between Byzantium and its Muslim and Western Christian neighbours during the Middle Byzantine Period. This article seeks to demonstrate that these official envoys constituted major players involved in the transfer of political information between the courts considered. Ambassadors were those who travelled the most in the Mediterranean area during our period – at least between 700 and 900. Furthermore, as official envoys acting for sovereigns, they were carefully listened to by those sovereigns when they returned. Information coming from ambassadors is found in various sources and concerned military matters and foreign policy. But we also find precise data on domestic affairs and internal political information. Furthermore, news of usurpations and troubles in Byzantium may have constituted an important part of the information transferred beyond the Empire. Foreign ambassadors witnessed usurpations and palace revolutions. Their testimonies could have nourished the idea of a Byzantine government weakened by political instability and this theme became prominent during the twelfth century in some Western Christian courts.     

Somewhere in the Middle: The Measurement of Third Culture

This study explores the concept of “third culture,” which has not been tested by quantified measures since it was introduced. This study develops the 10-item measurement of third culture based on three dimensions—equality, commonality, and transcendence. Two hundred and fifteen international married individuals from 42 countries participated in a self-administered email survey. The findings indicated that the new scale is reliable and functions as a single dimension instead of as three subdimensions. Suggestions for future study as well as several implications on theory and methodology are discussed, drawing on the experience of this study.     

2006年上海高校研究生教育德国培训团考察报告

德国有着悠久的高等教育办学历史,且独树一帜,对世界高等教育的发展曾产生过十分重要的影响。近年来,以提升其在国际范围内的竞争力和声誉度为目标,以推进欧洲高等教育一体化进程为手段,以科学专业建设为重点,而以管理体制和办学体制的改革探索为突破口,德国也开始对其传统的高等教育体系进行认真反省,并作大胆的革新,但其强调教学与科研相统一、注重理论结合社会实践发展的传统不仅未曾受到改革的冲击和影响,反而更因宏观层面的制度设计与安排以及微观层面的改进与加强而得到进一步的光大与彰显,值得我们认真学习借鉴。     

浅析媒介化生存对于我国体育产业发展的合理性建议

通过从两个层面阐述体育产业与大众传播媒介之间的行业互动,分析体育产业的媒介化趋势问题：一是“体育产业媒介依附论”,即体育产业对大众传播媒介具有依附性;二是“体育媒介论”,即体育、体育产业本身就是一种特殊的媒介,揭示出大众传播媒介与体育产业之间特殊的关系和内在联系。     

非物质文化遗产视野下的传统武术保护方法

传统武术属于非物质文化遗产,在我国的四级非物质文化遗产名录中,有越来越多的传统武术项目进入其中,怎么对传统武术进行保护是一个亟待解决的问题。本文认为,保护要注意以人为本、活态传承,可以采用"物质化"的保护方式。对濒危项目优先保护,保护时要注意项目的整体性和原真性,要发挥传承人的自主性,做到保护和利用并举。     

中国武术与奥林匹克运动之差异性研究

为使武术套路运动项目顺利进入奥林匹克运动会,文章采用文献资料法、比较法以及访问法,从文化、生存方式和比赛的评判标准三个方面寻找中国武术与奥林匹克运动之间的差异。以促进竞技武术的改革发展。早日实现中国武术的奥运梦。     

新世纪发展体育经济的战略思考

21世纪是信息时代,更是经济与体育全球化大比拼的时代。体育带动经济发展和经济推动体育进步,二者相互依存、同进同退,成为世界共识。为此,本文从发展经济学的角度,提出了"体育经济"的战略观点,并就体育与经济的紧密关系和发展体育经济的战略构思,进行了抛砖引玉式的分析。