Abstract
The syllabus of In Dialogue with Humanity (UGFH1000) covers ten-plus classics that can rightly be called “global core texts”—“global” for the range of cultural traditions concerned and “core” for the perennial human concerns surpassing geographical and temporal boundaries. To fully appreciate these texts so as to be able to think with them when facing contemporary issues as a global citizen, some knowledge of the historical and conceptual backgrounds and of the key concerns of each text is necessary.
Formerly, with the support of MMCDG 2016-17, three micro-modules (as “explainer videos”) were produced to enhance students’ reading of the Analects and the Heart Sutra. The finished products were warmly received by students, with some 1,000 viewings recorded during the soft launch. Having been introduced to other teachers of the course, the videos are expected to benefit more in future. These videos, however, were produced with a Cantonese voiceover only. Non-local students have complained of limited access to learning support and enrichment activities because they do not speak Cantonese. This project proposes to make the explainer videos accessible to them by producing a Putonghua version and an English version of each of the three videos.
Riding on the success of the above explainer videos, the core of this project is to create a new set of explainer videos on the Zhuangzi, a challenging text for international as well as local students yet important for the alternative tool of thinking it offers. In the book, Zhuangzi mocks and argues with an imaginary Confucius, whose historical counterpart lived before him and whose teachings had become highly influential. Zhuangzi’s philosophy of life markedly contrasts with that of Confucius, while his thoughts bear certain similarities with Buddhist teachings yet fundamentally different in the priority set between self and others. If well understood, the Zhuangzi can serve as a good philosophical transition between the Analects and the Heart Sutra, and together present three major approaches to personal life and society. Yet Zhuangzi’s out-of-the-box thinking, and his outlandish, eccentric style of writing render his ideas difficult to grasp, or easy to misread and oversimplify. A set of explainer videos on the Zhuangzi, giving the background and key concepts in visual and dramatic presentations, with voiceover in Cantonese, Putonghua, and English, respectively, and extended discussion questions, will help bridge the gap of culture, time and style.
Our aim of the course is to meet the demands of international students for more learning aids, but above all to introduce ancient Eastern thoughts to modern students local and non-local, so that the approaches to life in the three key classics of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism are at ready disposal for our students as future global citizens. The production and use of the videos will be a step to further strengthen implementation of a curriculum that is by nature internationalized for the range of cultures it incorporates and the spirit of mutual learning and respect it promotes.
Brief write-up
Project objectives
The syllabus of In
Dialogue with Humanity (UGFH1000) covers ten-plus classics that can rightly be called “global core texts”—“global” for the range of cultural traditions concerned and “core” for the perennial human concerns surpassing geographical and temporal boundaries. But understanding classics is not always an easy task. In the past, we developed a set of explainer videos for local students, but non-local students cannot get help from the videos as they do not understand Cantonese. In view of this, we work on adding VO in English and Putonghua (PTH) to the existing videos, and we also develop new videos for understanding
Zhuangzi. The new video clips are accessible to both local and non-local students.
Activities, process and outcomes
The project aims to add VO in English and in PTH to the three existing explainer videos developed under the previous project supported by the Micro-modules Courseware Development Grant Scheme (MMCDG) 2016-17, so that non-local students can profit from the developed learning aids. Apart from this, the project team also develop two new explainer videos for the understanding of the philosophy of
Zhuangzi. The new clips can also be used by both local and non-local students. Accompanying interactive MCQ will be created as supporting part of the explainer videos.
Deliverables and evaluation
For the existing videos, new voice-over recordings in English and in PTH were completed. For the new videos on
Zhuangzi, the production is approaching the end. Certain post-production work such as voice-acting has to be done.
Dissemination, diffusion, impact and sharing of good practices
The explainer videos with PTH and English VO were introduced to teachers of General Education Foundation (GEF) course, especially those who teach English and PTH classes. One of the explainer video with English VO was used for an exchange programme with Ursinus College in the US. The new video clips will be introduced to teachers of “In Dialogue with Humanity” once the production is completed.
Impact on teaching and learning
The courseware is an implementation of flipped classroom concept. Students watch the videos and attempt the interactive MCQ whenever they want.
Zhuangzi’s thought and his style of writing is charmingly challenging. Focus of teaching is placed on reading the texts, which are the basic. But the animations offer another way, a visual one, to interpret
Zhuangzi. Combining reading and textual understanding with visual presentation of abstract thought is a new attempt to teach, and for students it is a relatively new experience of learning.
