Professor Sander Gilman, a renowned cultural and literary historian, shared with 300 students, staff, alumni on the value of studying humanities in the inaugural Common Core Distinguished Lectureon October 17, 2012. He also engaged in a conversation with students in a more informal session the next day to further elaborate on the topic.

    Prof. Gilman at the inaugural CC Distinguished Lecture
    Audience filled Rayson Huang Theater
    Dr. David Pomfret (Convenor of Humanities AoI) introduced the speaker
    A student raised a question about making accurate and ethical judgements
    Pro-Vice-Chancellor Prof. Amy Tsui presented a souvenir to Prof. Gilman
    Students engaged in a post-lecture conversation with Prof. Gilman

    Abstract
    The debates about the value of the Humanities taking place in North America and Europe have been answered to a degree by the new curriculum at the University of Hong Kong. These debates, however, ask not only HOW we should study the Humanities but also WHY we should do so. The answer to this is more than simply topical: What value does such knowledge have for us, for our world, and for our time?

    About Professor Sander Gilman
    Professor Sander Gilman is a distinguished professor of the Liberal Arts and Sciences as well as Professor of Psychiatry at Emory University. A cultural and literary historian, he is the author or editor of over eighty books.

    For twenty-five years, Professor Gilman was a member of the humanities and medical faculties at Cornell University where he held the Goldwin Smith Professorship of Humane Studies.  For six years he held the Henry R. Luce Distinguished Service Professorship of the Liberal Arts in Human Biology at the University of Chicago and for four years was a distinguished professor of the Liberal Arts and Medicine and creator of the Humanities Laboratory at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He has been a visiting professor at numerous universities in North America, South Africa, The United Kingdom, Germany, Israel, China, and New Zealand. Currently, he is a Visiting Research Professor at the University of Hong Kong.

    Presentation Powerpoint
    [bsbutton size=”large” style=”default” icon=”icon-play” iconcolor=”black” text=”Download here” link=”http://intraweb.hku.hk/reserved_1/tlearn/ccdls/l1.pdf” target=”This page”] (HKU Portal Login required)