July 11, 2012

On the website of the Association for Asian Studies I noticed the announcement about free access to articles from back issues of Education About Asia. Perhaps you have already done so, but all you have to do is register with your email address and you get a password in your inbox straight away. You can search the tables of contents from all published issues dating back to 1996 but you can only view the articles from issues older than three years—at the moment that is 1996-2008. The searchable options are ‘title keyword’, ‘country or region’, ‘author’ and ‘issue theme’.

My search on ‘literature’ and ‘China’ generated eight results, one of which was the article ‘Culture and Text in Teaching Chinese Literature’ by Professor Yanfang Tang in which he introduces his approach to teaching the ‘Lisao.’ As some of his students thought Qu Yuan was boasting and whining, Tang examined what cultural context is essential for the Lisao so that students understand the right interpretation of the poem. 

But before I stray off: the articles are available in PDF and there is a permissions note saying: ‘archive articles may be downloaded and reproduced for personal or classroom only.’ But of course you can also subscribe to the print publication.

Written by: Audrey

December 30, 2011

Another year comes to an end. It is the time of year to look back on the past and make plans for the future. For both the Centre as an organisation as well as the individuals within, major changes continue to take place in terms of teaching programmes and staffing as part of the curriculum reform in Hong Kong.

Gradually, the existing CCIV courses on Chinese Civilisation are phasing out, while new students have started taking the new GE Core Course ‘Chinese Civilisation—History and Philosophy’. Besides this core course which is compulsory for all new incoming undergraduates, the Centre has also designed nine other GE Courses on a wide range of subjects related to Chinese Civilisation.

The courses ‘Chinese Cultural Heritage in Modern Perspective’, ‘Chinese Cultural Canons and their Modern Application’, ‘Chinese Music Appreciation’, ‘Chinese Art Appreciation’, ‘The City in Chinese History and Culture’, ‘The Silk Road: A Pathway of Interactive Culture from the Ancient to the Modern World’ and ‘Women’s Lives in Chinese History’ have already been successfully launched.

Another two new courses will be offered starting from Semester B 2011/12: ‘Diseases, Culture and History: Hong Kong, China and the World’ and ‘Chan Culture and Contemporary Society.’

Besides the posts of Assisting Professors added not so long ago, the Centre has also newly appointed two Visiting Assistant Professors this year and if you look under ‘Current Openings’ on the Human Resources Office page of the City University of Hong Kong, you will notice that the Centre is seeking candidates for ‘Chair Professor/ Professor’.

While more changes are hanging in the air, the Centre can look back on a busy and successful year with many activities, including seminars, exhibitions, performances, operas and symposiums. One of the major highlights this year was the international conference on ceramics in May which many renowned experts from all over the world attended.

A vote of thanks is in place to our readers and contributors: your support is greatly appreciated. Enjoy the festive season and all the best for 2012!

NB: The next issue of our newsletter Nanfeng is due to come out soon and remember to pick up your copy of the new CCIV activities brochure (Sem B 2011/12) next month.

Written by: Audrey

October 14, 2011

This afternoon the ceremony for the outstanding student awards (2010/11 Semester B and Summer Course) was held at the Chinese Civilization Centre. The awards were presented by Professor Zhou Zhenhe and Professor Cheng Pei-kai. In his speech Professor Cheng Pei-kai stressed that the recipients of this award represent the top students in Chinese civilization.

Apart from the certificates, students also received a copy of the catalogue of the works by renowned calligrapher Zhang Sen. Professor Cheng expressed hope that the art of calligraphy would encourage the students to reflect on their own handwriting especially in this electronic age. The example that Professor Cheng gave was those with beautiful handwriting will have an edge: you can impress your girl or boyfriend with a personal handwritten message.

The list of names of students who won the awards can be found on the website of the CCIV (in Chinese).

Written by: Audrey

April 19, 2011

The CCIV is pleased to announce that Instructor Mr Kwok Kam Hung has won this year’s Teaching Excellence Award (TEA). The aims of the award as stipulated on the website are to recognise and reward distinguished teachers; to emphasize the University’s commitment to supporting a teaching culture; to ensure continuous enhancement of learning effectiveness in the delivery of the University’s academic programmes; and to encourage teachers to reflect on and develop their skills related to teaching and learning.

Devoted to teaching Mr Kwok advocates that education should focus on the experience of the students. He strongly believes that inspirational teaching will ensure that students become and remain motivated and he has many methods to nurture his students’ love for learning. Congratulations to Mr Kwok Kam Hung!

Written by: Audrey

March 25, 2009

Have recently read an old article by Martin Ince in Times Higher Education in 2007. It was an article written two years ago yet a couple of paragraphs from this article have left a deep impression on me and that’s why I want to share it to all readers of the Pulse.

“Despite their essential role in leading political and cultural debate, arts and humanities are often relegated to the back seat by the sciences.

Researchers in the arts and humanities often do not publish their most important work in refereed journals. They might write a book, compose a symphony or curate an exhibition with a scholarly catalogue. This means that academic success is harder to define here than in other areas of scholarship. It also explains why this table (the table refers to the subject ranking conducted by the Times Higher Education) does not attempt to measure academic achievement in these subjects by looking at publications.” by Martin Ince

The above paragraphs have expounded on the difficulty in using a quantitative method to measure academic achievements in arts and humanities subjects. And what I want to add to this is when everybody’s talking about the application of their knowledge to practical uses and how to measure one’s progress in absolute terms these days, many have started to forget the meaning of arts and humanities education.

It may sound old-fashioned or out of tune these days, but there’s once my classmate and I standing in front of an English lake, and shared our feelings about literature and what we’ve learnt from it. We have never thought of its practical uses, but rather, treats it as a window through which we can take a glimpse of another culture, another unknown world – whether it is the past, the present or the future, and reflect on our own existence. I believe it is also true in many other humanities subjects like history, philosophy……

Universities should be a place for the pursuit of knowledge, not a vocational institute. Yes, many people often cite this line in social functions or when delivering speeches on special occasions. But when it comes to actual practice, how many people still remember it?

Written by: hiuylee

March 17, 2009

So finally the English website of the Chinese Civilisation Centre attains a new outlook!

http://www.english.cciv.cityu.edu.hk/home/

Please leave any comment on what you would like to see on this website, or any suggestion for improvements….because we’re still in the process of updating it and consolidating its content so that it not only actas as a platform through which important information of the Centre is disseminated but also can be of use not only to CityU students but also Chinese culture lovers as well!

Written by: hiuylee

February 19, 2009

 

The weather’s turning pretty nice these days, and always thought it’s good time to get out of the city to venture into countryside or even set sail to another shore. In fact, here comes the chance! Every year the Chinese Civilisation Centre organises field trips for CityU students to different parts of the mainland so as to let them have first-hand experience of their culture and heritage. This year they will go to Xian, Hanzhou, Shanghai and Shandong! All places of distinct cultural and social environment. So just take action if you want to have these valuable experiences! Details of the trips can go to http://www.english.cciv.cityu.edu.hk

Written by: hiuylee

November 3, 2008

Now, the 21st century finds people see “humanities” just as a school subject when talking about “humanistic education” or “human sciences”. Now the word “human” is not used in a broad sense any longer. Subconsciously, people accept the socio-economic reality of a capitalistic society and bow to its view that efficiency plus profit is king. So they simply let “humanities” decorate civilisation like a diamond ring that allows its wearer to look down upon others though it has no practical use. In fact, the decline of “humanism”, the wane of humanistic education, and the miserably low status of human sciences in tertiary schools all stem from this utility-only view of life. (more…)

Written by: hiuylee