General Update & Inquiry to Advisors
1. Current Activities
1.1 Japanese Class
Goal:
- To be able to research primary source for dissertation.
- To enhance experience in practicing Japanese martial arts. Present sensei and students are all Japanese.
- To prepare for Annual Japanese Proficiency Language Exam in December. (Now Level 3, going for Level 2).
- To enrich overall communication & learning experience with Japanese people in Thailand via different platform, i.e. on-going dialogue on cultural & social issues, etc. Long-term plan includes holding meditation course for Japanese residents in Thailand.
- To prepare for future research trips to Japan, if required.
Classes Presently Taken: (All Classes are at Thai-Japan Technology Promotion Association, Sukhumvit 29)
Tuesday, Thursday: Annual Japanese Proficiency Exam Prep Class, Level 2.
Wednesday: Business Japanese
Sunday: Intermediate Japanese M5 (On-going Comprehensive Curriculum)
1.2 Samurai Sword Class
Goal:
- To practice zen meditation with samurai sword.
- To understand the principles behind the practice in order to incorporate in dissertation.
- (For Sports Chanbara Class), to put samurai sword practice into real fighting situation to learn about mind-body relation in such situation and the development of Mushin (No-Mind) state.
- To learn about oneself and to develop one's characteristics at the pace and method deemed fit by Sensei.
- To observe Sensei's leadership and teaching style, in order to incorpirate in dissertation.
Classes Presently Taken: (Classes are now by appointment only, taken at either Supalai Fitness Center or Nai Lert Park Hotel)
Thursday: Sports Chanbara
Saturaday: Sports Chanbara, Samurai Martial Arts
Sunday: Samurai Martial Arts
1.3 On-Going Activities with Mahidol University's Center for Contemplative and Transformative Education Studies
Goal:
- To exchange views and update latest learning on contemplative and transformative education for use in dissertation.
- To volunteer own skills for the Center's social activities.
- To explore opportunity for future affiliation.
Latest Activities:
- Attending the Center's monthly "Jittapanya Sewana Suksa," a lecture-cum-discusssion among people working on body-mind development.
- Attending the Center's "Authentic Leadership"'s 3-day training in Cha-Am, Petchburi, March 25-28. Goal of meeting: how to incorporate contemplative and transformative education into university system and subsequently the whole Thai society.
- Now volunteering to teach course in "Meditation Retreat" when the Center starts to accept students for its Master's Degree Program next academic year (2551).
1.4 Reading List Update
Already ordered the following books from Amazon and now waiting for delivery.
1.4.1 Ritzer, George. Contemporary Sociogolical Theory and its Classical Roots: The Basics
1.4.2 Transformational and Charismatic Leadership (Monographs in Leadership and Management)
Items not yet shipped:
Delivery estimate: May 1, 2007 - May 12, 2007
  (2 customer reviews) |
1.4.3 Leadership (Paperback)
by James MacGregor Burns (Author)
Delivery estimate: April 30, 2007 - May 9, 2007
1.4.4 Transformational Leadership (Paperback)
by Bernard M. Bass (Author), Ronald E. Riggio (Author)
Delivery estimate: June 28, 2007 - July 10, 2007
1.5 Book Project
Description:
Biography of two ancestors (Great-Grandfather and Great, Great-Grandfather) that
went to Japan 104 years ago as Thai Ambassador and first Thai student respectively,
the latter went on to be the first Thai cadet in Japan's Imperial Army College and
subsequently prestigious Imperial War College.
Current Status: Data compilation almost complete. Also started writing.
Goal:
To publish within this year (2007) to commemorate 120th anniversary of diplomatic
relationship between Thailand and Japan.
2. Logistics Inquiry
2.1 In the requirement for first proposal submission, the part of Methodology is not required.
However, researcher has already got scholarship to collect some preliminary data in Japan
(Martial Arts Practice, plus local, national and world championship tournaments in addition
to Desk Research in university.)
2.2 Question:
2.2.1 Can that preliminary findings from Japan be incorporate into the first proposal?
2.2.2 If so, how best to treat that kind of data? As part of literature review or methodology?
3. Dissertation Content
Concern: Too many factors?
| Current Main Factors: | In What Social Context | To What Social Group |
| Bushido Literature | Tokugawa Japan | Tokugawa Samurai |
| Koryu Budo (Traditional Martial Arts Practice) | | |
| Mindfulness | | |
| Transformational Leadership Development | | |
How about:
(Using the concept of Mindfulness in Buddhism and Transformational Leadership Theory
to develop tools to measure such relationship.)
2. Find the relationship between Mindfulness and Bushido during Tokugawa period
(by content analysis in the period's Bushido literature)
3. Find the relationship between Mindfulness in Koryu Budo (by observant participation)
If it can be proved that:
1. "Mindfulness" is an important factor that contributes positively to Transformational Leadership Development,
and,
2. That same "Mindfulness" exists abundantly in the "Bushido" way of living and Budo practice,
then, it may be possible to say that Bushido and Budo contribute positively to Transformational Leadership Development.
Update:
3.2 Literature Review = To be updated bi-monthly (or visit http://nash-final.blogspot.com for daily update.)
3.3 Targeted Time Frame for Proposal Defense = August 2007
No comments:
Post a Comment