UGFH 1000K

In Dialogue with Humanity

201617 Term1 (September-December 2016)

Course Outline
Time & Room:

Lecture
K T01
K T02
K T03
K T04
K T05

Course Instructor:
Email:
Telephone:
Office:
Office Hours:

Dr Kevin Ka-Wai Ip
ka-wai.ip@cuhk.edu.hk
39431971
8/F, Hui Yeung Shing Building
By appointment

Friday, 2:30-3:15 pm
Tuesday, 9:30-11:15am
Thursday, 9:30-11:15am
Thursday, 2:30-4:15pm
Thursday, 4:30-6:15pm
Friday, 9:30-11:15am

Chen Kou Bun Bldg LT3

An Integrated Teach Bldg 211
Wu Ho Man Yuen Bldg 404
Wu Ho Man Yuen Bldg 504
Wu Ho Man Yuen Bldg 501
Yasumoto Int'l Acad Park 504

I. Course Description
This course invites you to explore the fundamental question of humanity what it means
to be human as individuals and as social beings. You will have the opportunity to engage
in dialogues with authors of the past who addressed some or all of the following questions:
What constitutes a good life? What makes a good society? How to make good life and
good society possible? You will read, discuss and write about a wide range of texts of
lasting influence, and you are encouraged to develop your own views on these issues by
examining the views and arguments expressed in these texts, and by considering the ways in
which they are relevant to our lives.

II. Course Promises/ Target Learning Outcomes

Provided that you are reasonably diligent and fulfill your obligations as a student, this
course will enable you to:
recognize major ideas that shape contemporary views of good life and good society;
read and discuss primary texts of the humanities with confidence;
evaluate the validity of different approaches to good life and good society from
multiple perspectives;
4. relate arguments and views expressed in the selected texts to contemporary human
conditions; and
5. appreciate diverse values and make informed personal judgment on good life and
good society.
1.
2.
3.

III. The Textbook

All required readings can be found in the textbook or Blackboard.
In Dialogue with Humanity, Fourth Edition, (Hong Kong: Office of
University General Education, CUHK, 2016)

which you can purchase in the University Bookstore. You should bring a copy of the text
with you to all tutorial sessions.
You will have to download the texts for Nicomachean Ethics and Animal Farm. If you are
using the 3rd or revised 3rd editions of the textbook, you should also download the texts for
the Analects, the Zhuangzi, the Quran and On Liberty.

IV. Course Arrangement

You are required to attend the weekly lectures and tutorials as scheduled. Please be
advised that the Friday lectures are an essential part of this course and all students are
required to attend these lectures so that they could be better prepared for the tutorial
discussions.
You will fail in this course if you are absent from THREE or more tutorial sessions
without a proper explanation. If you are unable to attend a tutorial session due to some
important reason, you should contact the instructor for his approval.
At the tutorials, you will be divided into smaller sub-groups consisting of 3 to 5 persons. You
will be asked to discuss some questions assigned by the instructor and then share your views
with the rest of the class.

V. Learning Support
1. CU eLearning System/ Blackboard
Please go to CU eLearning System (https://elearn.cuhk.edu.hk/) for the course materials
including each weeks reflective journal questions and lecture outlines.
The Chinese and the English translations of the texts can also be found in Blackboard.
A collection of useful articles and videos related to the topics discussed in class will also be
available.
2. Online Micro-Modules UGFH1010 Beyond the Dialogue with Humanity
UGFH1000 In Dialogue with Humanity invites students to read classics in the humanities
before interactive tutorials to address questions such as What constitutes a good life? and
What makes a good society? Students in the past have been actively engaged in these
discussions but have found it difficult to have in-depth exploration. In view of this, we have
initiated the UGFH1010 Beyond the Dialogue with Humanity project* to facilitate further
understanding of the selected text, highlighting its background or offering an alternative
perspective for analysis. In addition to the regular lectures of UGFH1000, students may
watch these mini-lectures anytime, anywhere via the KEEP course online platform, and check
their understanding with the interactive exercise online. At this stage, four modules have
been produced, including the Symposium, The Bible, the Quran and The Social Contract,
and will be available in the coming semester. We expect more modules to be produced in the
future.
Link to the course: https://edx.keep.edu.hk/courses/course-v1:cuhk+ugfh1000+2016_1/info
*This project is funded by Micro-Module Courseware Development Grant.
3. Special Reading Workshops
Four Special Reading Workshops will be offered in this term:
1. Symposium, 23 September 3:30-4:15pm CKB LT3
2. Nicomachean Ethics, 30 September 3:30-4:15pm CKB LT3
3. On Liberty, 11 November, 3:30-4:15pm CKB LT3
4. Marx EPM, 25 November, 3:30-4:15pm CKB LT3
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4. PASS- Peer Assisted Study Session

A typical PASS session is an hour-long meeting led by a PASS Leader and might include a
review of lecture and assigned readings, group work and discussion, problem-solving and
preparation for assessments.
PASS sessions for this course will be held every Monday at 5:30-6:30pm in YIA 401.
5. Audio-Visual Materials
The following films are relevant to the issues we will discuss in this course. DVDs are
available at UC Library.
5.1. Films on Meanings of Life
About Schmidt
(2002) PN1997.2. A26 2002
A man upon retirement embarks on a journey to his estranged daughter's wedding
only to discover more about himself and life than he ever expected. -IMDb
Searching for Sugar Man
(2013) ML420.R757 S4 2013
Two South Africans set out to discover what happened to their unlikely musical hero,
the mysterious 1970s rock n roller, Rodriguez. (IMDb)
The Truman Show
Show (1998) PN1997. T785 2006
A movie about a man whose life is a nonstop TV show. Truman (Jim Carrey) doesn't
realize that his quaint hometown is a giant studio set run by a visionary
producer/director/creator (Ed Harris), that folks living and working there are
Hollywood actors, that even his incessantly bubbly wife is a contract player.
Gradually, Truman gets wise. (Library record)
5.2. Films on Faith
Life of Pi
Pi
(2013) PN1997.2. L549 2013
A young man who survives a disaster at sea is hurtled into an epic journey of
adventure and discovery. While cast away, he forms an unexpected connection with
another survivor: a fearsome Bengal tiger. (IMDb)
Big Fish
(2004) PN1997.2. B52 2004
A frustrated son tries to determine the fact from fiction in his dying father's life.
(IMDb)
Philomena
(2014) PN1997.2. P5265 2014
A world-weary political journalist picks up the story of a woman's search for her son,
who was taken away from her decades ago after she became pregnant and was forced
to live in a convent. (IMDb)
5.3. Films on Politics
Lincoln
(2013) PN1997.2. L5625 2013
As the Civil War continues to rage, America's president struggles with continuing
carnage on the battlefield and as he fights with many inside his own cabinet on the
decision to emancipate the slaves. (IMDb.)

No
(2013) PN1997.2 .N5925 2013
An ad executive comes up with a campaign to defeat Augusto Pinochet in Chile's
1988 referendum. (IMDb)
Selma
(2014) PN1997.2. S46534 2014
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s historical struggle to secure voting rights for all people.
A dangerous and terrifying campaign that culminated with an epic march from Selma
to Montgomery, Alabama in 1964. (Library record)
3

Suffragette
(2016) PN1997.2. S84635 2016
The foot soldiers of the early feminist movement, women who were forced
underground to pursue a dangerous game of cat and mouse with an increasingly brutal
State. (IMDb.)

6. DAIMON app for UGFH

Apart from the online interactive MC questions, we have developed a mobile app which you
can use as a reading companion for four difficult UGFH texts, namely, the Symposium,
Zhuangzi, the Qur'an, and the Social Contract. Based on the interactive online questions, we
revised and added new questions, mostly with brief interpretation. In the new Version 2, a
mini-dictionary with audio function is added. You are welcome to download the app by
clicking on the ITSC link:
https://campusapps.itsc.cuhk.edu.hk/store/
or by going to CUHK Mobile App Store (via Google Search)
7. GE Salon
The aim of GE Salon is to explore issues of common human concern from a crossdisciplinary and cross-cultural perspective, with a view to encouraging students to reflect
upon questions relating to the
world and to create an atmosphere for the
holdings of intellectual discussions on campus.
GE Salon FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/cuhkgesalon/

8. ILC Workshops for Academic Writing

The Independent Learning Centre organizes writing workshops for GEF students every term.
Reflective Journal and Term Paper Writing Workshops
Registration link: https://webapp.itsc.cuhk.edu.hk/ras/restricted/organizerList
Cantonese
Putonghua
English
Workshop 1
23 Sep, 2016 (Fri)
21 Sep, 2016 (Wed) 22 Sep, 2016 (Thu)
Reflective Journal 4:30 6:15 pm
4:30 6:15 pm
4:30 6:15 pm
Writing
YIA LT3
YIA LT4
YIA LT6
Workshop 2
18 Nov, 2016 (Fri)
16 Nov, 2016 (Wed) 15 Nov, 2016 (Tue)
Term Paper
4:30 6:15 pm
4:30 6:15 pm
4:30 6:15 pm
Writing
YIA LT3 (TBC)
YIA LT4 (TBC)
YIA LT6 (TBC)
Workshop 3
1 Dec, 2016 (Thu)
29 Nov, 2016 (Tue) Individual consultation
Advanced Term
2:30 4:00 pm
2:30 4:00 pm
by appointment*
Paper Writing
ILC Seminar Room ILC Seminar Room
Skills
* Please visit https://www.ilc.cuhk.edu.hk/EN/consultation.aspx for details.

VI. Assessment
Assessment of this course has the following components:
25%
30%
15%
30%

Class Participation
Reflective journals (2 entries)
Quizzes
Term Paper

*All written assignments can be done in English or Chinese.

4

1. Class Participation You will be assessed on your participation in class discussions.

All students are expected to have read the assigned text each week and to engage in
informed discussions with the teacher and with each other. Critical responses and
diverse opinions are highly valued in this course. Students are therefore strongly
encouraged to raise their opinions whenever they disagree with the instructor and
they can expect a higher mark in class participation for their special contributions
to the discussions. (See Appendix 2 for further specifications)
2. Reflective Journals You are required to submit TWO reflective journals on ANY
TWO texts in our course (max. 600 words in English or 900 characters in Chinese).
You may respond to one of the reflective journal questions for each text (available in
Blackboard Learn). *Marks will most likely range from 9 to 12 (out of 15)*.
Reflective journals should be handed in to the instructor during the tutorial at
which the text is discussed or, in case of class suspension, in the following tutorial.
3. Quizzes There will be THREE scheduled quizzes. Each will cover four texts. They
will consist of multiple-choice questions drawn from the texts and the relevant
lectures.
4. Term paper You are required to submit a final term paper (max. 1,500 words in
English or 2000 characters in Chinese). The possible topics for the term paper will be
announced in class. The paper is due 5pm, 6th May 2016. Late submission will NOT
be accepted. However, if you feel that you have a legitimate reason for
submitting your paper late, you should contact the instructor for his approval.

VII. Academic Honesty

Attention is drawn to University policy and regulations on honesty in academic work, and to
the disciplinary guidelines and procedures applicable to breaches of such policy and
regulations. Details may be found at http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/policy/academichonesty/.
With each assignment, students will be required to submit a signed declaration that they are
aware of these policies, regulations, guidelines and procedures. In the case of group projects,
all students of the same group should be asked to sign the declaration, each of whom is
responsible and liable to disciplinary actions should there be any plagiarized contents in the
group project, irrespective of whether he/she has signed the declaration and whether he/she
has contributed directly or indirectly to the plagiarized contents.
For assignments in the form of a computer-generated document that is principally text-based
and submitted via VeriGuide, the statement, in the form of a receipt, will be issued by the
system upon students' uploading of the soft copy of the assignment.
Assignments without the properly signed declaration will not be graded by teachers.
Only the final version of the assignment should be submitted via VeriGuide.
The submission of a piece of work, or a part of a piece of work, for more than one purpose
(e.g. to satisfy the requirements in two different courses) without declaration to this effect
shall be regarded as having committed undeclared multiple submission. It is common and
acceptable to reuse a turn of phrase or a sentence or two from ones own work; but wholesale
reuse is problematic. In any case, agreement from the course teacher(s) concerned should be
obtained prior to the submission of the piece of work.

Appendix 1: CLASS SCHEDULE

Part I
Week

Date
Tutorial
Introduction

Text
Lecture

59 September

The Analects

Zhuangzi

1216 September
*16 September
Public Holiday
1923 September

Zhuangzi

2630 September

Symposium

Symposium
*Followed by Reading
Workshop
Nicomachean Ethics

The Analects

Book I Ch.1-8;Book II Ch. 1-8

37 October

Nicomachean Ethics

*Followed by Reading
Workshop
The Heart of Understanding

Book I Ch.1-5;Book II Ch. 1-8

#FIRST QUIZ 5%#

Part II

1014 October
The Heart of Understanding The Bible
*10 October Public
Holiday
17 21 October
The Bible
The Quran

2428 October

The Quran

Animal Farm

31 October4
November

Animal Farm
#SECOND QUIZ 5%#

Waiting for the Dawn

10

711 November

Waiting for the Dawn

11

1418 November

On Liberty

On Liberty
*Followed by Reading
Workshop
The Wealth of Nations

12

2125 November

The Wealth of Nations

13

28 November2
Marx, EPM
December
**Term Paper Due 5pm, 16th December 2016**
Deliver the hard copy of your paper to 8/F Hui Yeung Shing Building

Part III

Marx, EPM
*Followed by Reading
Workshop
# THIRD QUIZ#

Appendix 2

PARTICIPATING IN DISCUSSION HOW TO DO WELL?

The minimal standard for classroom discussion requires that you read, think about, and bring
to class the text; that you are prepared to discuss the text; and that you show respect for other
participants. The following guidelines differentiate contributors in the following areas:
mastery of material, quality of ideas, effectiveness of argumentation, and general impression.
A Contributor
Contributions in class reflect exceptional preparation as evidenced by frequent authoritative
and/or creative use of textual/material evidence. Ideas offered are always substantive (i.e.,
unusually perceptive, original, and/or synthetic) and provide one or more major insights as
well as direction for the class. Improving Classroom Discussion: Agreements and/or
disagreements are well substantiated and persuasively presented.
If this person were not a member of the class, the quality of discussion would be diminished
markedly.
B Contributor
Contributions in class reflect thorough preparation as evidenced by competent and
occasionally authoritative and/or creative reference to textual/ material evidence. Ideas
offered are usually substantive and provide good insights and sometimes direction for the
class. Agreements and/or disagreements are fairly well substantiated and/or sometimes
persuasive.
If this person were not a member of the class, the quality of discussion would be diminished.
C Contributor
Contributions in this class reflect satisfactory preparation as evidenced by at least some
acquaintance with textual/material evidence. Ideas offered are sometimes substantive and
provide generally useful insights but seldom offer a new direction for discussion. Sometimes
insightful disagreements and agreements are voiced with little to no substantiation.
If this person were not a member of the class, the quality of discussion would be diminished
somewhat.
DF Contributor
Contributions in class reflect inadequate preparation. Ideas are seldom substantive and
provide few if any insights and never a constructive direction for the class. Integrative
comments and effective challenges are absent.
If this person were not a member of the class, valuable airtime would be saved.
Nonparticipant
Little or nothing contributed in class; hence, there is not an adequate basis for evaluation.
If this person were not a member of the class, the quality of discussion would not be changed.
(Said persons need to leave this category and move into a contributor category.)
Compiled by Kristine S. Bruss. This is a slightly modified version of a guide credited to John Tyler of Brown
University, Richard Murnane of Harvard, and others
(http://www.brown.edu/ Departments/Italian_Studies/dweb/pedagogy/particip-assessm.shtml).

Appendix 3

ADVICE FOR WRITING YOUR REFLECTIVE JOURNALS

Questions for these journals can be found in the eLearning platform (log in to
Blackboard; and go to Course Content.) Throughout this course you are required to write
TWO reflective journals (max. 600 words in English or 900 characters in Chinese). These are
records of your reflections on the selected texts.
To submit your reflective journals, you should (1) submit it to Veriguide for
checking and print out an academic honesty statement; and (2) hand in a hard copy
of your journal, using the signed academic honesty statement as the cover page, to the
instructor at the beginning of the tutorial session in which the text is discussed. Late
submissions will not be marked.
Please take note of the following advice:
1.

Dont Plagiarize. Plagiarism will result in disciplinary actions. If you are quoting from
someone elses work or are simply making use of some elses ideas, you should indicate
that clearly in your essay.

2.

Be Truthful. Dont speculate the position of the instructor on a particular issue. Your
reflective journals can be part of a meaningful dialogue with the instructor despite
such differences of opinions.

3.

Use the Text Wisely. Show me you have read the text you are writing about. Try to cite
relevant passages in making your points.

4.

Be Thoughtful. Dont just tell the reader about your opinions. Try to support them with
reasoned arguments.

5.

Be Concise. Take the word limit seriously.

6.

Be Clear. Clarity is a very important virtue of academic writing. Ambiguous sentences

often suggest unclear thinking. So try to use simple words and short sentences to convey
your ideas.

7.

Be Critical (but fair). Although the authors of our texts have been considered by many
to be authoritative, you do NOT have to agree with everything they say. But be fair. It
means that (a) you should read the texts carefully, and (b) offer grounds for your
objections.

8.

Write efficiently. These reflective journals are opportunities for you to show me that
you have read the texts properly and have given some thoughts to them. It should NOT
occupy too much of your time and it certainly does NOT require a lot of research. So
you do not have to bury yourself with secondary literature.