Purpose

The 2nd Symposium on Academic Globalization: AG 2008, part of the Academic Globalization Project, is being organized in the context of WMSCI 2008, and its collocated conferences.

The purpose of AG 2008 is to bring together scholars, educators and practitioners with the objective of exploring, reflecting and sharing ideas with regards to the impact that the Globalization Phenomena is having or might have on universities (research, teaching and continuing education), and vice versa: the impact that academia is generating, or could generate on the phenomenon of globalization. Questions such as the following are examples of those that could be addressed at the Symposium in order to generate possible answers and/or reflections, as well as possible research:

• Will Academic Globalization emerge as part of the Globalization Phenomenon?
• Will Academic Globalization serve as a catalyst for General Globalization Phenomena? Will it be the inverse way? Will it be both ways catalyzing each other in a positive feedback loop?
• Are Academic Internationalization and/or Transnational Education parts of the forces driving and accelerating Academic Globalization? Are they in opposite and dialectical relationships with each other?
• How strongly related are Academic Globalization and the Knowledge Society?
• What kind relationships exist among Academic Globalization, Information and Communications Technology and the Knowledge Economy?
• How is the Globalization Phenomenon transforming academic objectives and activities?

Questions like these require multi-cultural, multi-disciplinary and multi-epistemological perspectives, so they can serve as input for integrative research, studies and approaches for a better understanding of what is or what might be the opportunities and threats/uncertainties, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of present trends in Academic Globalization and how this trend might be re-oriented for better and more desirable results.

• Papers/Abstracts submissions and invited sessions or panels proposals: April 24th, 2008.
• Acceptance notification: A maximum of 10 days after submission's date.
• Camera-ready for the pre-conference proceedings: May 22nd, 2008
• Camera-ready for the Post-Conference volume of the Proceedings: July 2nd.

ALL SUBMITTED ABSTRACT/PAPERS WILL BE POSTED AS RECEIVED in a web site, with limited access, without any previous reviewing or screening, so they can have a participative peer reviewing (PPR) process, from scholars sending similar papers, beside the traditional peer reviewing. PPR will be done by other contributors to the conference, and, after removing those abstracts/papers which content has nothing to do with the topics of the conference (including possible electronic vandalism that might happen with this kind of solutions); the remaining submitted papers will be considered for their presentation at the conference.

Submissions of abstracts/papers, and invited sessions or panels proposals:

• Submissions of abstract/papers can be done via WMSCI 2008 web site in the area of Academic Globalization, or using the email address AG2008@sciiis.org.
• Proposals of invited Sessions or panels can also be made via WMSCI 2008 web site, clicking on the menu option "Invited Sessions"
• Individuals may propose themselves as panelists sending, via email (AG2008@sciiis.org), a short abstract (100 - 200 words) of their presentations and a short biography. They should be prepared to take and answer questions.
• Submissions that will be accepted are among the following:
  • Research papers
  • Reflection papers
  • Case Studies
  • Position papers (especially in the case of panelists)
  • Action-research projects or programs
  • Action-reflection projects or programs

Topics

Non-exclusive topics suggested are the followings:

• Imp-act of the Globalization Phenomena on Higher Education.
• Impact of Higher Education on the Globalization Phenomena.
• Relationships of Academic Globalization and Internationalization of Higher Education.
• Globalization, Regionalization and Higher Education.
• Globalization and Scientific Research.
• Relationships between Academic Globalization and Knowledge Society/Economy.
• International Academic Networks and Alliances.
• Academic Cooperation.
• Academic Associations.
• Academic Consortia.
• Institutional Networks.
• Success and failure factor in Higher Education Internationalization.
• Comparative Higher Education Research
• Transnational Education.
• Quality and the Internationalization of Higher Education.
• Research and Global Networks.
• Research and Global Knowledge Infrastructures.
• Strategies and Organizational Models.

Program and Organizing committees

WMSCI 2008's Program and organizing Committees, as well as its additional reviewers will support the organizational process of "Academic Globalization 2008".