LAC COLUMN
Classics General Education Lectures: Initiating a conversation with the Soul - Dr. Wang Mei-Hung
The "Classic General Education Lectures" has been offered since the 93rd academic year, and has now been held for 10 years and 20 semesters. Each semester, around 200 students enroll, and nearly 4,000 students have participated. With the restructuring of general education courses, the classification of this course has changed from "Society" and "Advanced Citizenship" to "Life and Character Education" as a core competency category in the 110th academic year.
Each semester, 12 experts from different fields are invited to give lectures, sharing their professional knowledge. After the course was classified under "Life and Character Education," speakers also share their personal journeys and life experiences. The backgrounds of the speakers are diverse, including fields such as art, literature, architecture, nature, society, technology, and medicine, along with local Hsinchu studies and indigenous research. Additionally, the speakers come from a variety of institutions, including national research agencies, universities, and NGOs/NPOs.
The student assessment is diversified. Learning activities include pre-lecture readings, live lectures, and Q&A sessions. In addition, based on the lecture topics, "pre-lecture assignments" and "post-lecture assignments" are designed. For example, in the first semester of the 113th academic year, Professor Xiao Qiong-Rui's lecture on "The Source of Yang Yingfeng's Creative Flow" required students to take a photo with one of Yang Ying-Feng’s sculptures on the Guangfu campus and write a reflection. In the lecture "Let Enterprises and Local Culture Become Sustainable Partners" by the Executive Director of Hongmei Cultural and Creative Industry, students were required to visit the Hongmei Cultural Creative base. For Su Wen-Yu’s talk titled "Avoiding Shame but Finding Happiness," students had to read background materials provided by Su and submit two questions along with explanations before the lecture. After listening to National Literary Award winner Liu Song’s talk "Documenting Life: The Style and Details of Documentary Films," students were asked to develop a project proposal titled "I Also Want to Shoot a Documentary." At the end of the semester, students were required to write at least a 1,000-word "Reflection and Review," including: 1. The five most memorable and moving events or quotes from the semester’s lectures. Why were they so impactful to you? 2. A comprehensive analysis connecting the content or life stories of at least two speakers, identifying similarities and differences, and presenting your observations or insights.
Students have responded positively to the assignment design. One student commented, "The assignments after each lecture allow me to move from ‘listening’ to ‘interacting.’ I need to research the speaker's background before the lecture, which gives me a preliminary understanding of the speaker. The post-lecture assignments prompt me to reflect on the key points of the lecture and integrate them with my own insights. This makes me deeply understand the values conveyed in the lecture. This learning approach encourages active thinking, moving from passive knowledge absorption to more engaged learning, giving me a greater sense of involvement and achievement in my educational journey."
As the course’s host professor, I am very pleased that the "Classic General Education Lectures" have been categorized as "Life and Character Education." The speakers not only present their professional achievements but also share their life stories of "how they became who they are." This creates a warm and intimate atmosphere during the lectures, and students engage in deep and meaningful communications with the speakers. One student shared their experience: "I can describe my feelings about this course as ‘full of rewards.’ Each lecture offers a glimpse into the knowledge of experts from various fields, deepens my understanding of the value of art and culture, and even inspires me with the speakers' experiences. I also found that this course helped me align my values with content beyond academics, which is something I rarely experience in other courses."
Wang Mei-Hung, 2025/1/4
Each semester, 12 experts from different fields are invited to give lectures, sharing their professional knowledge. After the course was classified under "Life and Character Education," speakers also share their personal journeys and life experiences. The backgrounds of the speakers are diverse, including fields such as art, literature, architecture, nature, society, technology, and medicine, along with local Hsinchu studies and indigenous research. Additionally, the speakers come from a variety of institutions, including national research agencies, universities, and NGOs/NPOs.
The student assessment is diversified. Learning activities include pre-lecture readings, live lectures, and Q&A sessions. In addition, based on the lecture topics, "pre-lecture assignments" and "post-lecture assignments" are designed. For example, in the first semester of the 113th academic year, Professor Xiao Qiong-Rui's lecture on "The Source of Yang Yingfeng's Creative Flow" required students to take a photo with one of Yang Ying-Feng’s sculptures on the Guangfu campus and write a reflection. In the lecture "Let Enterprises and Local Culture Become Sustainable Partners" by the Executive Director of Hongmei Cultural and Creative Industry, students were required to visit the Hongmei Cultural Creative base. For Su Wen-Yu’s talk titled "Avoiding Shame but Finding Happiness," students had to read background materials provided by Su and submit two questions along with explanations before the lecture. After listening to National Literary Award winner Liu Song’s talk "Documenting Life: The Style and Details of Documentary Films," students were asked to develop a project proposal titled "I Also Want to Shoot a Documentary." At the end of the semester, students were required to write at least a 1,000-word "Reflection and Review," including: 1. The five most memorable and moving events or quotes from the semester’s lectures. Why were they so impactful to you? 2. A comprehensive analysis connecting the content or life stories of at least two speakers, identifying similarities and differences, and presenting your observations or insights.
Students have responded positively to the assignment design. One student commented, "The assignments after each lecture allow me to move from ‘listening’ to ‘interacting.’ I need to research the speaker's background before the lecture, which gives me a preliminary understanding of the speaker. The post-lecture assignments prompt me to reflect on the key points of the lecture and integrate them with my own insights. This makes me deeply understand the values conveyed in the lecture. This learning approach encourages active thinking, moving from passive knowledge absorption to more engaged learning, giving me a greater sense of involvement and achievement in my educational journey."
As the course’s host professor, I am very pleased that the "Classic General Education Lectures" have been categorized as "Life and Character Education." The speakers not only present their professional achievements but also share their life stories of "how they became who they are." This creates a warm and intimate atmosphere during the lectures, and students engage in deep and meaningful communications with the speakers. One student shared their experience: "I can describe my feelings about this course as ‘full of rewards.’ Each lecture offers a glimpse into the knowledge of experts from various fields, deepens my understanding of the value of art and culture, and even inspires me with the speakers' experiences. I also found that this course helped me align my values with content beyond academics, which is something I rarely experience in other courses."
Wang Mei-Hung, 2025/1/4
