Science & Technology Development Journal - Social Sciences & Humanities

The attitude of Vietnamese feudal intellectual class towards scientific and technological western knowledge from the 17th century to the first half of the 19th century

2021-07-24T00:57:53+00:00

During the period from the 17th century to the first half of the 19th century, Vietnam and Western countries exchanged knowledge and interacted with each other in many different fields, which is considered the first Western and Oriental cultural exchanges by scholars. These cultural exchanges with Western intellectuals facilitated easy entry of scientific and technological Western knowledge into Vietnam. In fact, Vietnamese feudal intellectual class gained easy access to scientific and technological Western knowledge. What were the attitude and actions of Vietnamese feudal intellectual class towards scientific and technological Western knowledge? What did the consequences result from their perceptions and actions towards scientific and technological Western knowledge? Through the answers to these questions, by historical and logical methods and the method of collecting, comparing the writings of the Vietnamese feudal intellectual class on Western, the article contributes another perspective to learn about the attitudes of the Vietnamese scholar class towards the Western science and technology. Therefore, finding out about this point will help us understand and clarify many issues in a more evident way, including the question why Vietnam couldn’t acculturate and gain ownership of Western knowledge in a successive way in order to develop and protect the country, thus, suffering from severe consequences.

Code switching as a communication strategy of German language students in Ho Chi Minh City – The case of German classes at USSH, VNU-HCM

2021-07-24T01:16:39+00:00

The phenomenon of code switching – the use of multiple language varieties in a conversation (Myers-Scotton, 2006) – has been widely researched and discussed in the fields of linguistics and education. In foreign language classes, how languages are used by teachers and learners shows not only the applied teaching methods but also creates classroom discourse. However, even in classrooms where the target language is allowed, all participants occasionally code switch for multiple purposes. In many recent researches, this mixing of language is considered to be a communication tool; there are arguments that language mixing can even facilitate the learner in second language acquisition. In this paper, we gathered data from German language classrooms at intermediate level in Ho Chi Minh City, in which learners interchangably used both Vietnamese and German. We considered these classrooms to be a community of practice and we used conversation analysis as research framework to look at the functions of the learners' code switching in order to gain insight into language application from this target group in particular and multilinguals in general. Therefore, we suggest an approach in which the foreign language learners are viewed as multilingual individuals, and foreign language teaching should be based on this target group.

Learners’ and employers’ feedback on Library and Information Science training program, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City

2021-07-24T01:57:28+00:00

Updating training program to meet practical requirements is one of the important tasks of educational institutions. A study accordingly was conducted to find out employers’ and learners’ feedback to the Library and Information Science training program, Faculty of Library and Information Science, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City. The study employs a survey research method through the use of questionnaires for 38 fourth-year Library and Information Science students, combined with the results from questionnaires and group interviews with 15 employers who are working in libraries and information centres in Ho Chi Minh City. Research results show that there is a consensus among employers and students on the training program. They provided positive feedback on the program. The study also found differences in opinions between employers and students. Despite positive feedback, changes to the curriculum objectives, learning outcomes, curriculum framework, and subject content still need to be made to ensure the practicality of the program. The study also helps to draw some experiences for future surveys.

The impact of cognitive factors and economic conditions on the custom of xem tuoi of some rural intellectual couples in the Mekong Delta

2021-07-24T02:04:02+00:00

Vietnam is a country with historical traditions and a rich and diverse culture in all aspects. Vietnamese people possess good customs and beliefs for a long time. Xem tuoi – to study age compatibility of the couple – is a necessary pre-marriage custom; however, nowadays, this custom faces many controversial opinions. Even the majority of the rural couples in rural areas in the Mekong Delta said that Xem tuoi is no longer an important factor affecting their marital happiness because there is no difference in the economic and material conditions along with the age groups (appropriate, normal, unsuitable age). The study surveyed 48 couples who are teachers in Hung Khanh Trung B commune, Cho Lach district, Ben Tre province, then conducted a statistical analysis to show this situation. If the definition of marital happiness includes financial security, well-being, the degree of job and life satisfaction of the couple, from the traditional viewpoint, couples with “age compatibility” will have a higher happiness rate than other couples. Nevertheless, the study results showed that there was no statistically significant difference in the economic and material conditions of the couples in all age categories. Love, sympathy and sharing are the key factors leading to a successful happy marriage.

Japan-Netherlands East Indies trade relationship in the late 19th Century to the 1930s

2021-07-17T22:43:53+00:00

In 1868, after the Meiji goverment was established, the new goverment conducted a comprehensive restoration. Regarding trade, the Meiji government established free trade domestically, then it also pushed to secure cooperation with countries around the world. Southeast Asia where there were long-standing trade relationships was quickly approached to establish business premises by Japanese businesses and traders. Especially after Japan's victory in the Russo-Japan War (1904- 1905), Japan quickly boosted cooperation on trade and invested in Southeast Asia. Since the end of the 19^thcentury, except for Thailand, most of the Southeast Asian countries were under the domination of Western countries. In particular, Netherlands East Indies (Indonesia) was under Netherlands' control. In the policy of promoting trade relations with Southeast Asian countries, Japan actively entered Maritime Southeast Asia, especially Netherlands East Indies because of favorable natural conditions, the diverse natural resources for industry and defense. In this paper we shall analyze Japan and Netherlands East Indies trade relationship in the late 19^th Century to the 1930s, then elucidate the Netherlands East Indies position in the promoting of Japan's trade during this period.

The "Earth" element in Emily Dickinson's poetry

2021-07-24T00:00:55+00:00

Gaston Bachelard (1884 – 1962) and Carl Gustav Jung (1875 – 1962) may have had similar ground for their theories about the images in human imagination, the ground that originated and was shaped very long ago in humankind’s history. However, Bachelard and Jung are principally dissimilar about their treatment of the notion of imagination. While the concept of “collective unconscious” shapes Jung’s explication, Bachelard confirms that it is essentially the elements of the universe, namely earth, water, fire, and air, that generate dreams and mental images. Those substances enable writers to create meaningful and timeless images, without which their symbols are but perishable and vain. He named it material imagination, or imaginative analysis of material. On studying Emily Dickinson’s life and poetry, I have come to acknowledge her talent in poetry as having grown on the substance of “earth.” This essay examines and analyzes her poetry under the theory of material imagination by Bachelard, thus arriving at the conclusion that the element “earth” is visibly present in her life and imagination, making her poetry heavily affected by that ancient element.

The phenomenon of code switching between Vietnamese and English in communication of Vietnamese office staff

2021-07-15T23:28:39+00:00

Under globalization, Vietnam has been one of the investment destinations for many foreign partners. Intercultural communication becomes an indispensable requirement for countries in general and Vietnam in particular. In Vietnam, intercultural communication can be found regularly among office staff in foreign-invested companies as well as those working for companies with relation to foreign partners. This has made a great influence on the language used. This article mentions the phenomenon of language switching among office employees in Vietnam, which happens so naturally that speakers are often unaware of it. Some English words are included in normal Vietnamese sentences, not only in spoken but also in written communication because of no Vietnamese equivalent. This trend becomes inevitable with the presence of cultural interaction and fuzziness. In addition, the article also identifies a number of not only some daily-used but also professional English words in trading. From this interesting perspective, it is expected that we would have a positive view towards the phenomenon of including English in the daily communication language among Vietnamese youth.