DiploNews – Issue 112 – 15 October 2007
Last Call for Applications to November Online Courses with Diplo
We are currently accepting applications for our November 2007 online courses::
-
Language and Diplomacy
(Dr Biljana Scott) -
Diplomatic Law: Privileges and Immunities
(Dr Jovan Kurbalija and Prof. Dietrich Kappeler)
These two courses are available as Online Certificate Courses. The application deadline is 22 October 2007. For further information, or to apply, click on the titles of the courses above, or visit our course website.
Second Life in Brazil
In news related to Second Life, Global Voices states in their article, “Second Life Brings Its Second Life to Brazil,” that Brazilian netizens, already famous for their domination of Google’s social networking site, Orkut, have, earlier this year, staked a claim in the digital world’s most popular virtual reality, Second Life. Jose Murilo Junior and fellow Brazilian bloggers describe the island geography of Second Life Brazil, while noting that much of “the buzz around the inauguration of Brazilian Second Life is its strong connection with big advertisement agencies dealing with advanced marketing strategies.” Even the Catholic Church is looking at the three dimensional online environment as a space for proselytizing.
New European Perspective on Cultural Diplomacy
In a recent article, “Beyond Cultural Diplomacy–International Cultural Co-operation,” the author Rod Fisher, Director of The International Arts Bureau, London, argues that a subtle, but important change is evident in recent policies of some cultural institutes and agencies. For many years, their role has been linked to cultural diplomacy, in which they presented positive images of a nation state through its culture (and with a view to obtaining advantage and to facilitate diplomatic operations). However, today they more likely aim at facilitating cultural relations and the promotion of mutual understanding and co-operation, rather than one-sided advantage. Consequently, their policies have more neutral effects. For example, agencies such as the British Council continue to promote high quality and diverse UK arts to audiences overseas, thus strengthening the arts community and cultural industries in the process. However, the emphasis is now on the development of sustainable, mutually beneficial, international partnerships in the arts.
Subscribe to Diplo's News
