ACERP2014 - The Fourth Asian Conference on Ethics, Religion and Philosophy

ACERP2014 - The Fourth Asian Conference on Ethics, Religion and Philosophy 27th to 30th March 2014 Osaka, Japan Enquiries: acerp@iafor.org Web address: http://acerp.iafor.org Sponsored by: The International Academic Forum - IAFOR The International Academic Forum in conjunction with its global university partners is proud to announce the Fourth Asian Conference on Ethics, Religion and Philosophy, to be held from March 27-30 2014, at the Rihga Royal Hotel & the adjoining Osaka International Conference Center, Osaka, Japan. This international, intercultural and interdisciplinary academic conference on ethics, religion and philosophy is organised by IAFOR in conjunction with our global partners, Waseda University (Japan), London University (UK), Virginia Tech (USA), The Hong Kong Institute of Education (HKSAR), National Institute of Education (Singapore), Lincoln University (UK), Tainan National University (Taiwan). Hear the latest research, publish before a global audience, present in a supportive environment, network, engage in new relationships, experience Japan, explore Osaka and Kyoto, join a global academic community... ACERP2014 will again bring together a range of academics and practitioners to discuss outside the traditional confines of narrow fields of specialism, and in new directions of research and discovery in ethics, religion and philosophy. As with IAFOR's other events, and by bringing together a number of university scholars working throughout Japan, Asia, and beyond to share ideas, ACERP 2014 will afford the opportunity for renewing old acquaintances, making new contacts, and networking across higher education and beyond. 2014 Conference Theme: "Individual, Community & Society: Conflict, Resolution & Synergy" Conflict is an integral part of the human condition. The universal struggle between our personal selves â �who we are as unique, separate and different from others, with our specific blend of experiences, abilities, attitudes, aspirations, needs and wants â �and our social selves, intricately connected to, and interdependent on, others â �our loved ones, our friends and favoured groups, our communities and cultures â �leads inevitably to internal as well as interpersonal conflict. Conflict among our communities and societies is also natural, given that these groups are founded on commonality â �of geography, values, attitudes, beliefs, aspirations â �and differentiated from others based on these. Diversity, however, though it may lead to conflict, plays an important role in the flourishing of communities and societies. One of the challenges of modern society is harnessing the synergy that emerges from the interaction of these differences. We hope and expect that the conference theme will excite interesting new interpretations and explorations: We hope you can join us in Osaka in 2014! The Reverend Professor Stuart D. B. Picken Order of the Sacred Treasure, M.A. (Hons), B.D., Ph.D. (Glasgow), F.R.A.S. IAFOR International Advisory Board Chair & ACERP 2014 Conference Chair CALL FOR PAPERS NOW OPEN: DEADLINE DECEMBER 1 2013 For more information about submitting an abstract, please visit the conference website at www.acerp.iafor.org PUBLISHING OPPORTUNITIES Authors of accepted abstracts will have the opportunity of publishing their associated paper in the official conference proceedings, and a selection of papers will be considered for inclusion in the IAFOR Journal of Ethics, Religion and Philosophy. The Journal is edited by Professor Michael O'Sullivan of the Chinese University of Hong Kong. For more information about iafor's internationally peer-reviewed journals, and other publications, please click here. What is IAFOR? The International Academic Forum (IAFOR) is the network hub for individuals and institutions in higher education. IAFOR works with our university partners to nurture and encourage the best in international, intercultural and interdisciplinary research. The IAFOR global partnership alliance means that our interdisciplinary conferences are backed by some of the world's foremost institutions of learning. We work with senior administrators and professors in our partner institutions to develop programs which are timely, thought-provoking and academically rigorous. To find out more about the organization, our research, and our Open-Access publications please go to www.iafor.org ACP2014 The Asian Conference on Ethics, Religion and Philosophy 2014 will again be held alongside the Asian Conference on Psychology and the Behavioral Sciences. Registration for either conference will allow attendees the option of attending sessions in the other. ACERP/ACP FEATURED SPEAKERS ACP 2014 Conference Co-Chair & ACP/ACERP 2014 Featured Speaker Professor Jiro Takai Secretary General of the Asian Association for Social Psychology Professor of Social Psychology, Department of Psychology and Human Developmental Sciences, Graduate School of Education and Human Development, Nagoya University Jiro Takai is professor of social psychology at Nagoya University, and received his PhD from the University of California, Santa Barbara. He has served in the executive committees of the Japan Society for Social Psychology, the Japan Group Dynamics Society, the Japan Intercultural Education Society, the Communication Association of Japan, and the Japan-US Communication Association (affiliate of National Communication Association). Although he was born in Japan, he spent 15 years as a youth growing up in Canada, and has also spent two years living in the United States. Because of such a background, he has an interest in cross-cultural matters, particularly in the context of interpersonal communication as well as research interests in interpersonal competence, self-presentation and Multi-faceted self concept. ACP 2014 Conference Co-Chair Dr Monty P. Satiadarma Clinical Psychologist and Former Rector, Tarumanagara University, Indonesia Monty Satiadarma is an academic and psychologist who has lectured around the world, and who continues to practice in his native Indonesia. He was the Dean of the department of psychology at Tarumanagara University from 1997-2005, and Rector of the University from 2008-2010. Dr Satiadarma has a particular interest in educational psychology, and in music and art therapy, methods with which he treated survivors of the Indonesian tsunami on behalf of the International Red Cross and the United Nations. He is a board member and area chair of the International Council of Psychology, and a founder and board member of the Asian Psychology Association. ACP 2014 Conference Co-Chair Professor Dexter Da Silva Professor of Educational Psychology, Keisen University, Japan Dr Dexter Da Silva is currently Professor of Educational Psychology at Keisen University in Tokyo. He has taught EFL at junior high school, language schools, and universities in Sydney, and for the past two decades has been living and teaching at the tertiary level in Japan. Professor Da Silva was educated at the University of Sydney (BA, Dip. Ed., M.A.), and the University of Western Sydney (Ph.D.) He has presented and co-presented at conferences in Asia, Australia, Europe and the U.S., and written or co-written articles and book chapters on education-related topics, such as trust, student motivation, autonomy, and content-based language teaching. He is a past editor and current associate editor of On CUE Journal, regular reviewer for conferences and proceedings, and recent co-chair of the 2011 CUE Conference on Motivation. ACERP 2014 Conference Co-Chair & ACP/ACERP 2014 Featured Speaker Reverend Professor Stuart Picken Chairman of the IAFOR IAB Stuart D. B. Picken is the founding chairman of the IAFOR International Advisory Board. The author of a dozen books and over 130 articles and papers, he is considered one of the foremost scholars on Japan, China, and Globalization in East Asia. As an academic, Professor Picken has devoted more than 30 years to scholarship in Japan, notably as a professor at the International Christian University in Tokyo, where he specialized in ethics and Japanese thought, and as International Adviser to the High Priest of Tsubaki Grand Shrine (Mie prefecture). He has also served as a consultant to various businesses, including Jun Ashida Ltd., Mitsui Mining & Smelting Corp., Kobe Steel, and Japan Air Lines. In November 2008, the Government of Japan awarded Professor Picken the Order of the Sacred Treasure for his pioneering research, and outstanding contribution to the promotion of friendship and mutual understanding between Japan and the UK. The honour is normally reserved for Japanese citizens and is a mark of the utmost respect in which Professor Picken is held by the Japanese Government. Although now resident in Scotland, Professor Picken maintains his interests in Japan, as Chair of the Japan Society of Scotland, and through his work with IAFOR. A fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society, he lives near Glasgow with his wife and two children. ACERP 2014 Featured Speaker Mr Lowell Sheppard Asia Pacific Director, HOPE International Development Agency Lowell Sheppard is Asia Pacific Director of the HOPE International Development Agency, an organization focused on working with the world's extreme poor in their quest to climb out of poverty. Aside from his 25-year involvement with Hope, Lowell has dedicated much of his life to social and environmental improvement projects throughout the world. He was the chairman of the Whose Earth initiative in the United Kingdom, and was the founding chairman of Novimost, a non-government organization responding to the needs caused by war in the Balkans. He was also CEO of one of the United Kingdom's largest youth charities and an executive member of Spring Harvest, an annual Christian festival which attracts more than 60,000 people each Easter, and raises more than one million dollars for charities every year. A fellow of the Royal Geographic Society, Mr Sheppard is the author of six books, which reflect his diverse intellectual interests, and life experience. His latest book, Boys Becoming Men, examines the importance of rites of passage, including adventures, for children becoming adults. Lowell is a noted public speaker, and has given lectures at both undergraduate and postgraduate level on Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability, and he is a former vice-chairman of the CSR Committee for the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan. ACP 2014 Featured Speakers Dr Kurt Bickford & Dr Tracy Covington For Dr. Kurt R. Bickford the pursuit of higher education is really the pursuit of knowledge leading to competence in training others to maximize their own personal growth and development. While education at the earlier levels (high school through bachelor's level) was often boring and uninteresting, advanced training became increasingly intriguing and rewarding. Dr. Bickford has earned two Masters' degrees and a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology, with specialization training in a number of areas including neuropsychology, neurotherapy, hypnosis, family systems and couples work. In addition to professional standing as a licensed Clinical Psychologist, he is also a licensed Marriage, Family and Child Therapist, a credentialed Educational Psychologist, and credentialed teacher. He is also an Independent Medical Examiner for the State of California. Dr. Bickford has practiced in the profession of psychology at a variety of levels since 1974, including positions at California State Hospital (Pacific State), Veterans Administration Hospital (J. Pettis VA Hospital), San Bernardino County Department of Behavioral Health, community clinics, teaching, counseling and educational psychologist positions in four California school districts, and a private practice in Redlands, California for the past twenty-five years. This practice has evolved to include executive and Consciousness coaching, working with private industry, educational institutions and healthcare systems. Dr. Bickford has also served as an expert witness for the Superior Court system in California. He continues to pursue advanced training from masters in the field, and is now teaching and training others in the understanding of human behavior, and the path of higher consciousness through a seminar series and a monthly radio show. He believes that all things start with the self/Self. Dr. Tracy J. Covington traveled an eclectic path, pursuing many interests before finding her passion in the field of psychology. Upon completion of a Master's Degree followed by a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology, she began her career as an Assistant Professor and Staff Psychologist at Loma Linda University Medical Center (LLUMC), Department of Anesthesia, in Southern California. During her tenure at LLUMC, she enjoyed opportunities integrating psychological concepts with a diversity of chronic pain conditions and life threatening illnesses. This included the creation of Transitions, a clinical support group specific to young adults challenged by severe health conditions such as cancer. With her life and business partner, Dr. Kurt Bickford, she developed a rehabilitation center for the treatment of chronic pain and stress conditions where she developed and utilized an inter-disciplinary approach, now a standard in the industry. Opportunities to share this treatment model and research were offered at both national and international levels. Her private practice of 23 years has been a composite of services including psychotherapy, applied physiology, executive and organizational coaching, collaboration on professional monthly seminars, a monthly radio show and a variety of publications emphasizing consciousness, psychology, temperament and the possibilities of the human endeavor. Dr. Covington is a licensed Clinical Psychologist who is Board Certified in Biofeedback and a Diplomate in Pain Management. Enquiries: acerp@iafor.org Web address: http://acerp.iafor.org Sponsored by: The International Academic Forum - IAFOR