Abstract:

The aim of our report is to present the interdisciplinary research, devoted to the further look into the contents and methods of Performing Arts and Language education. The need for the effective learning design improvement in Arts and Humanities is clear for the responsible educators worldwide. However, at first we have to find the balance between competency and knowledge, being aware of cognitive simplification and formal implementation of cutting-edge learning technologies. Developing the Methodological framework for our research, we summarize several concepts from the fundamental work by F. Machlup «Knowledge: its creation, distribution and economic significance». He regarded as imperative to include artistic creation and communication among the key factors for the productivity of education, and outlined the historical role of non-verbal knowledge (Performing Arts, Music, Dance etc.) into the educational universe. According to the linguistic nature of thinking, each discipline has its own discourse, as well as the discipline-specific «form of knowledge». The combination of these forms sets the level of cultural knowledge. Intercultural communication starts with understanding other cultures while firmly understanding native language culture: there is a Goethe saying that "one who does not know the foreign language does not even know the native language".

The Results of our research are structured as follows:
Firstly, we present methodological strategies based on the Russian and Japanese teaching tradition, accompanied by practical examples, relevant in the context of the global perspectives. The important point is how to convey Performing Arts and Foreign Languages to other than native language culture and non-native language speakers. As an example, we include the practical report of Advanced Japanese Language class, conducted by Prof. Masaki Ono in the University of Tsukuba, which is aimed at deepening foreign students’ interests and understanding of Japanese language and culture, as well as their mothers’ tongues. The class analyzes historical changes of the Japanese language in different areas of Japan, comparing Japanese with their mother tongue. Secondly, we analyze global teaching experience in Performing Arts, supported by data provided by Utsunomiya Hidekazu. The issues, committed to socio-cultural approaches to learning, critical thinking and cross-cultural understanding, are summarized for being adapted to the curricula of Performing Arts students in the St. Petersburg State University. Thirdly, enlightening the best transformative educational practices, we suggest lateral solutions for increasing Performing Arts graduates’ global employability, supported by language and cross-cultural adaptive skills. The intellectual chain reaction leads us to the holistic solutions, based on the concept of Global University as the centre of knowledge process in the epoch of «knowledge explosion».

In Conclusion we define that, nurturing the widening spectrum of specializations, Global University sustainable development needs to be balanced between the two different types of knowledge – Distinguishing as an intellectual (propositional) function, and Recognizing as a function, more based on the mental models of sense perceptions (seeing, hearing, touching etc.). We propose the integrated strategy for Language and Performing Arts education - from the native language and mother culture proficiency to cross-cultural understanding.

Keywords:

Performing Arts, Language, Critical Thinking, Competency, Knowledge Explosion, Global University, Cross-cultural Understanding.