Kristina McGuiness-King (Hamilton) p.20-55
2003 Issue 3
Abstract
Particularly during the past two decades education systems have been confronted by globalisation and internationalisation, resulting diversification and integration of foreign and trading relations, increasingly multicultural societies, rapidly advancing technological developments and the dominance of the English language internationally as the language of international trade, and political and cultural communication. These changes have led to a process of ongoing restructuring in education internationally, the ‘marketisation’ of the education system and the determination of academic programmes according to the principle of consumer demand. This article summarises the key innovations that have occurred within the Germanistik or German Studies discipline in five Asian-Pacific countries in response to these changing national and international parameters. It is intended to contribute to the international debate about the future structure and development of the discipline.