Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: This paper is a comparative historical analysis of the protection of foreign copyrights in 19th century’s U.S. and that in contemporary China. Although the current Sino-American copyright dispute is presented like a morality play between the evil Chinese pirates and the genius of American authors, the historical examination shows that on the one hand the U.S. is in no position to claim such moral superiority, while on the other hand different countries should design their copyright legislation according to specific economic, political and cultural contexts rather than adopting one universal standard of copyright regime. The first part of this paper is a retrospective analysis of how the early U.S. copyright statute dealt with the copyright of foreign works and what the rationales were behind the discrimination against foreign authors’ rights. I then discussed the treatment of foreign works in the Chinese copyright law and argued that such treatment was under strong influence of the hegemonic power that the U.S. had established in the arena of international copyright. In the conclusion part of this paper, I draw together the two historical accounts to further criticize the impracticability and injustice in the current trend of the harmonization of international copyright.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: In the field of sociology, the role of African American thinker and activist, W.E.B. Du Bois, as theorist and activist is well known. The work of Gloria Anzaldúa, however, while widely discussed in other disciplines is only beginning to be recognized by sociologists as they begin to review and discuss her work. Moreover, while African Americans and Latinos/as are often linked by researchers discussions of major social problems including housing inequity, drug use, and imprisonment rates, sociological researchers have paid scant attention to the links between Black and Latino/a thinkers. This paper provides an analysis of 19th century African American thinker W.E.B. Du Bois’ concept of the“double-consciousness” in relation to 20th century Chicana feminist thinker Gloria Anzaldúa’s concept of the “mestiza consciousness,” among other aspects of their work, and argues that their work is related and represents resonant forms of oppositional culture or consciousness within a matrix of domination (Feagin and Mitchell 1995; Collins 2000). It is suggested that common threads of racial/ethnic and class oppression bind the works of these two thinkers, while discussion of issues related to gender and sexuality, lacking for the most part in Du Bois’ work, are developed more thoroughly by Anzaldúa.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: Understanding and addressing the North-South divide in the globalized classroom of the 21st century requires students and teachers alike to bridge the knowledge, as well as the technology divides. Increasingly, studying abroad as part of the university experience is becoming the rule, rather than the exception. As a result, students and teachers from the North, South, East and West, find themselves seated next to each other in the globalized international studies classroom. Many of todays "techno-tasking" students are are able to multi-task in ways that some of their teachers and classmates can hardly imagine. "Digital students" are being taught by teachers who are "digital immigrants." The resulting cultural, linguistic, knowledge, and technology gaps, call for changes in teaching and require greater efforts to integrate technology and active learning into the classroom. Drawing on examples from university international studies courses in law and politics, this paper will discuss how multimedia, interactive response systems, simulations, and other collaborative methods can be utilized in the globalized active learning classroom to foster 21st century active global citizens

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: Tocquevillian theory of associations will be examined in the context of his entire democratic theory and it will be shown how this is valuable in understanding Putnam's (2000) associational findings and improving his arguments on American democracy