| The study. While there has been a recognition of the importance to Californians of the emerging culture and economy of the Pacific Rim, there are few programs at the community college level designed to educate citizens about the Pacific Rim. This participatory research study examines how a California Community College can best educate its students for Pacific Rim awareness and prepare them for interchange within this new culture and economy.;The purpose of this study is to offer curriculum guidelines to shape the content of business education to reflect requisite skills in communicative competence necessary to establish interpersonal relationships with those of a different culture or with those who hold different values. This research investigates not only what content should be included in business education curricula but also what assumptions should be addressed that will encourage students to gain a global perspective and to put that perspective into practice.;From interviews with selected community college instructional deans or directors, guidelines are suggested for business education curricula which includes provision for praxis, a practical application informed by reason. These guidelines unfold within a philosophical framework of critical-hermeneutic analysis which emphasizes universal human rationality, tradition, language and communication.;Educational implications. Within a framework of meaning provided by hermeneutics and critical theory, business education curricula which educates for the socio-economic interdependence of the Pacific Rim reflects tradition, language and praxis. If the goal of such curricula is to foster openness and understanding, educators must draw upon a new paradigm. Curricula must be seen, not just as an outline of courses, but as a creation of context in which students reflect upon their ethical responsibilities to encourage inter-cultural communication and mutual understanding. While this study focuses upon the Pacific Rim, the same issues of awareness of and openness to economic and cultural interdependence are applicable in a global context. |
