<p> In Taiwan&rsquo;s experimental theatre, the &ldquo;Grotowski phenomenon&rdquo; is too prominent to be ignored. The &ldquo;Grotowski method,&rdquo; as it is called in Taiwan, has nurtured a generation of experimental theatre workers ever since the mid-1980s. In this dissertation I will investigate the entire picture of how the Grotowski-to-Taiwan transmission began. This investigation begins with the American encounter between the Polish exile and two Taiwanese overseas students in the Objective Drama Program at U.C. Irvine in 1985 &ndash; and what subsequently developed from that encounter in the context of Taiwan&rsquo;s Little Theatre Movement and New Age Movement. Their encounter is not simply a manifestation of Western cultural hegemony. Grotowski&rsquo;s physical training fills a cultural need in Taiwan, a place in which the grand narrative of the Great China ideology was dissolving and liberation of both language and body was beginning in earnest. Taiwan&rsquo;s liberal religious and spiritual environment gave Grotowski&rsquo;s post-theatrical work, particularly the &ldquo;inner aspect&rdquo; of his work, a promised land full of fertile ground. And it was upon this fertile ground that the seeds of Grotowski&rsquo;s ideas fell, with time took root, grew vigorously and finally bloomed in a way that Grotowski could never have imagined.</p>

This study explores the technological and economic aspects of the competition between natural rubber and the synthetics of the general purpose class. The first part of the thesis reviews the overall competitive position of natural rubber and its future prospects. The effects of the structure of the rubber producing industry (-natural and synthetic), economics of production, characteristics of demand and some aspects of marketing on the short and long term competitive position are analysed. It is concluded that natural rubber can remain competitive in all aspects if, greater co-operation between the natural rubber producers can be achieved to formulate a unified programme of production, research and development and marketing. In view of certain problems peculiar to Sri Lanka, the second part analyses the state of the rubber industry in Sri Lanka in respect of the changes taking place in other natural rubber producing countries, the developments in the synthetic rubber industry and the changing technological requirements of the rubber consuming industries. The commercial, economic and technical viability of certain projects in Sri Lanka and the areas for future research at the Rubber Research Institute of Sri Lanka are briefly explored. Since Sri Lanka is the largest producer of premium grade pale crepe rubber and in view of the declining demand for this rubber, the competitive position of pale crepe is studied in some detail and some recommendations are included to improve its competitive position. In view of the anticipated strong demand for natural rubber in the future, it is recommended that Sri Lanka should plan now to increase rubber production at a faster rate by 1980’s. It is also concluded that it is desirable to produce more special purpose premium grades of natural rubber in Sri Lanka than to produce more complex derivatives in the short term and a long term approach towards producing powdered rubber, liquid and thermoplastic rubber from latex is necessary.

<p> A fast-growing number of international students is entering the U.S. higher education system, making our college campuses more multicultural and multinational in recent years. This phenomenon represents a new mission for American colleges and universities&mdash;to promote global citizenship and a new 21^st-century worldview. </p><p> The increase of Chinese international students not only brings in revenue for the American higher education system but also enhances the diversity of the student body. Many institutions assert that, by having more international students on campus, they can bring awareness of global competitiveness and promote a 21^st-century worldview to their students. </p><p> To achieve the educational goal of bringing multicultural diversity and global awareness to U.S. campuses, interaction among domestic and international students is a fundamental factor in making this globalization phenomenon beneficial for all students. However, it is commonly observed that Chinese international students and U.S. domestic students often encounter difficulty in cross-group interaction. </p><p> This study investigates the interaction patterns among U.S. domestic students and Chinese international students at two four-year universities with large numbers of Chinese international students. These two institutions, one public and one private, each hosts more than 4,500 international students, with more than 10% of their total student population from overseas and more than 40% of them from China. The objective of this research is to highlight the importance of cross-cultural and cross-national friendship by understanding students&rsquo; interaction patterns and identifying both friendship initiators as well as barriers. </p><p> The research uncovers the social distance and stereotypes between the two groups as the common barriers to friendship. Conversely, the initiators of friendship are the shared experience and equal status between the Chinese international students and domestic students. Institutions should prepare the way for global interconnectedness by promoting inclusive, world-ready classrooms; implementing a campus climate that explicitly welcomes international participants; and advocating the concept of cross-national <i>global friendship</i> as a part of 21st-century education.</p>

<p>This thesis research examines changes in food culture as a means of adaptation for Cambodians, who migrated to Long Beach, California after the Cambodian genocide (1975- 1979). This research examines how ?place,? defined as experience and neighborhood, influences the ability or desire to maintain certain cultural food practices of the homeland such as passing down the knowledge to the Cambodian younger generation in order to sustain their cultural heritage. An array of qualitative methods was employed for this thesis research which included participant observation, structured interviews, and semi-structured interviews in both Cambodia and Long Beach. For the older Cambodian generation, adaptation of their food culture has occurred through home gardens, shopping at Asian markets in the Long Beach area, and importing certain dried ingredients from Cambodia. The translation of the Khmer food culture transpires when the Cambodian youth takes an interest and they watch their parent(s) prepare the meals. Overall, their place of residence and the willingness to travel a certain distance to shop were influencing factors for Cambodians in the Long Beach area in terms of what types of meals they prepared which included dishes from Asian influences in the surrounding area.

<p> In this study, I re-tell the life stories of two Khmer high school &ldquo;dropouts,&rdquo; Thom and Kevin. Through the collection and reflection of their life stories, I specifically discovered what led Thom and Kevin to &ldquo;drop out&rdquo; and uncover whether either had planned on pursuing or dreamt of a four-year postsecondary education in high school. Through interviewing, surveying, and participant-produced visual art, I offered glimpses into their everyday experiences and hopes and dreams for their futures. Based on the stories of Thom and Kevin and Khmer stories in the literature, I provided &ldquo;Khmer-up,&rdquo; culturally responsive, and proactive actions to see educational justice for Khmer lives. Issues of invisibility, loneliness, lack of a sense of belonging, personal hardships, challenges in school and community, and their desires for better lives for themselves ricocheted from their stories.</p>

<p> China is poised to introduce sweeping innovation and disruptive social change onto their national stage. As China&rsquo;s leadership, economic power, and authority increase the country will be subject to increasing internal and external challenges. This study seeks to identify the significant internal social challenges China is most likely to confront along its path to global leadership. The purpose is to explore and discover the social challenges that are likely to face China and to predict the direction the country&rsquo;s leadership will take over the next decade. The study approaches the problem by undertaking an initial 9-step process of investigating 6 environmental categories as influencers or drivers of change. This approach utilizes Schmieder and Mallette&rsquo;s SPELIT Matrix Model; Saldana&rsquo;s Themeing and Coding technique; and, Turoff&rsquo;s Real-time Policy Delphi Method to identify these influential environmental categories and factors. The study then focuses on examining cultural ideologies, leadership, and organizational behavior as they converge to influence China&rsquo;s social priorities. This study&rsquo;s design and approach places emphasis on developing an extensive background and investigation into China&rsquo;s historic, present, and future leadership ideologies as they are likely to drive the country&rsquo;s social security and health care reforms. As a means of identifying critical themes and determining a valid focus, the study combines complex algorithmic analysis with a relevant Policy Delphi study to discover and confirm a set of valid policy reform predictions. This study assumes that China&rsquo;s future challenges will be shaped by the country&rsquo;s global growth, internal social environmental, transitioning ethnological, and intercultural ideologies as it shifts to a position of global superiority. This study&rsquo;s findings and recommendations are significant in the context of assisting leaders, scholars, and analysts frame a subsequent narrative toward shaping policy decisions by addressing China&rsquo;s present and future internal tensions due to a social security and health care crisis.</p><p>

<p> China is poised to introduce sweeping innovation and disruptive social change onto their national stage. As China&rsquo;s leadership, economic power, and authority increase the country will be subject to increasing internal and external challenges. This study seeks to identify the significant internal social challenges China is most likely to confront along its path to global leadership. The purpose is to explore and discover the social challenges that are likely to face China and to predict the direction the country&rsquo;s leadership will take over the next decade. The study approaches the problem by undertaking an initial 9-step process of investigating 6 environmental categories as influencers or drivers of change. This approach utilizes Schmieder and Mallette&rsquo;s SPELIT Matrix Model; Saldana&rsquo;s Themeing and Coding technique; and, Turoff&rsquo;s Real-time Policy Delphi Method to identify these influential environmental categories and factors. The study then focuses on examining cultural ideologies, leadership, and organizational behavior as they converge to influence China&rsquo;s social priorities. This study&rsquo;s design and approach places emphasis on developing an extensive background and investigation into China&rsquo;s historic, present, and future leadership ideologies as they are likely to drive the country&rsquo;s social security and health care reforms. As a means of identifying critical themes and determining a valid focus, the study combines complex algorithmic analysis with a relevant Policy Delphi study to discover and confirm a set of valid policy reform predictions. This study assumes that China&rsquo;s future challenges will be shaped by the country&rsquo;s global growth, internal social environmental, transitioning ethnological, and intercultural ideologies as it shifts to a position of global superiority. This study&rsquo;s findings and recommendations are significant in the context of assisting leaders, scholars, and analysts frame a subsequent narrative toward shaping policy decisions by addressing China&rsquo;s present and future internal tensions due to a social security and health care crisis. </p><p>

<p> Smokeless tobacco use is an increasingly growing health concern among South Asians immigrants. Different studied suggested that prolonged use of smokeless and chewing tobacco has adverse impact on physical and neurological health. However, there is lack of research on psychological effects of smokeless tobacco among South Asian population. The purpose of the present study was to examine the psychological dependence that develops from using smokeless and chewing tobacco among South Asian immigrants in the USA. The study utilized a quantitative research design using survey method including standardized questionnaires. Interviews were conducted with 24 male and 48 females (N=72) from South Asian immigrants in the USA. Overall, there was no significant differences were found between gender, level of education, types of employment, and attempts to stop and positive dependence. Although there is a small positive correlation between age and positive dependence (r=.26). Results suggest that there is strong correlation between positive dependence and tolerance (r=.95) and strong positive correlations between positive dependence and cravings (r=.92). The results also indicated a positive relationship between positive relations and smokeless tobacco use (r=.91, ?.05) and secondary dependence and smoke?less tobacco use (r=.98, ?.05). The study also showed that there is a positive correlation between behavior patterns (frequency of daily use and number of use) and level of craving and withdrawals was higher. The implications of the study for both researchers and health professionals need to understand the culture-specific reasons for its use along with other covariates to assess the prevalence, screen for risks, and build culture specific intervention strategies. </p><p>

<p> The social behavior and stigma of epilepsy in Korean nationals and Korean Americans throughout California are studied. This study seeks to explore the cultural differences in the social behavior of participants, their thoughts about epilepsy, their familiarity, social order, stigma, and educational knowledge about epilepsy between the Korean national and Korean American society. It argues that Americanization has influenced a positive change in the portrayal of neurological disorder and disease. The method of data collections and analysis were done through convenience sampling with the use of mixed methods. 56 face to face semi-structured audio recorded interviews were done to collect data. The findings of my study came to be of little difference between the two cultures. My hypothesis of the more Americanized a person is the more understanding, less stigmatic with fair social behavior towards epilepsy was correct but only at a baseline level. The key findings that education, cultural outlook and time gap were the main reasons of these results. Link and Phelan&rsquo;s model of stigmatization holds strongly toward the outlook of stigmatism and Americanization in the Korean national and Korean American cultures. In this research paper my created hypothesis will be backed up by theories and history of epilepsy, the methods of how I approached the interviews, the questions asked, how the results came to be, and the conclusion of if my hypothesis was correct or incorrect.</p><p>

<p> The 24 items of the original English version of the Social Justice Scale (Torres-Harding et al., 2012) were translated into Korean by four translators, who discussed and agreed upon consensus versions. Four different translators then back translated this version into English. The resulting Korean version of SJS (K-SJS) was completed by 537 adult native Korean speakers. Confirmatory factor analysis, exploratory factor analysis, and multi-group confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the K-SJS has high internal consistency, factors appropriately, fits the original model well, and demonstrates invariance across Korean men and women. Structural equation modeling indicated that the effects of attitude, perceived behavioral control, and subjective norms on behavioral intentions were positive and significant. In short, the K-SJS showed acceptable reliability and validity based on a large sample of South Korean adults and shows promise as a new tool to study social justice attitudes among Korean speakers.</p><p>