Principal Supervisor(s): Dr. HO Wai Ming, Dr. WONG Yu Hin Sampson, Dr. YU Chi Chung Andy, Dr. CHIU Chu Lee Julie (retired in August 2021)
Co-supervisor(s): Dr. KAO Yu Min Sophia
The GEF course In Dialogue with Humanity covers a wide range of classics from Western and Eastern traditions. A detailed interpretation of key terms from these texts is important for a thorough, accurate understanding of the thinkers in question. Since their ideas are often embedded in a larger intellectual and cultural tradition, the terms they use/coin much to tell about the tradition. Yet most of the classic texts come from non-English/non-Chinese origins, students have to rely on translations to read. Translation, on the other hand, is a kind of cultural transplantation. Readers understand the texts in terms of the meanings, implications, and even of the cultural contexts of words used in translating the classics. Using translations is inevitable, but they also have limitations.
The courseware is designed to offer first-hand acquaintance with the traditions in which key terms from texts of non-Chinese/non-English origins are understood, discussed and reviewed. While enhancing student understanding of the texts, the courseware aims to inspire students to go beyond the syllabus and appreciate cultures and civilizations foreign to them.