................................................................................................i ÖZ............................................................................................................ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENT.............................................................................iii PROLOGUE.....................................................................................

My initial premise is that virtual heritage environments currently do not provide a sense of ‘cultural’ engagement, and, secondly, that is it important to fulfill these needs. Indeed, how can we develop virtual environments for cultural applications that successfully evoke a sense of engagement or immersion? This paper suggests that the above issue has been indirectly addressed by entertainment...

My initial premise is that virtual heritage environments currently do not provide a sense of ‘cultural’ engagement, and, secondly, that is it important to fulfill these needs. Indeed, how can we develop virtual environments for cultural applications that successfully evoke a sense of engagement or immersion? This paper suggests that the above issue has been indirectly addressed by entertainment...

Most of the world's population has knowledge of at least two languages. Many of these bilinguals are also exposed to and identify with at least two cultures. Because language knowledge enables participation in cultural practices and expression of cultural beliefs, bilingual experience and cultural identity are interconnected. However, the specific links between bilingualism and cultural identit...

INTRODUCTION Language and cultural barriers are detriments to quality health care. In acute medical settings, these barriers are more pronounced, which can lead to poor patient outcomes. MATERIALS AND METHODS We implemented a longitudinal Spanish-language immersion curriculum for emergency medicine (EM) resident physicians. This curriculum includes language and cultural instruction, and is in...