Call for Proposals for Academic Year 2023-2024

The DKU Humanities Research Center (HRC) invites proposals from all DKU/Duke faculty and affiliates working on humanities-related projects. Projects should be based at DKU and/or connect Duke and DKU faculty. Proposals should be sent to James Miller <jem122@duke.edu> by June 15, 2023, with decisions to be announced by July 1, 2023.

  • Small Events
  • Large Events
  • Book Manuscript Workshops

Continue reading “Call for Proposals for Academic Year 2023-2024”

Third Space Lab – DKU Multilingual Storybook

Launched on May 11th, DKU Multilingual Storybook is an intercultural project initiated by the Third Space Lab in which DKU students create, translate, and illustrate. The children’s stories are written in Professor Stephanie Anderson’s LIT109: Writing Stories for Children classes and translated in Professor Emmanuelle Chiocca’s French102: Beginning French 2 classes, with illustrations from a small number of DKU student illustrators and CISK students. This is a non-profit project and the content contained in it is licensed and not for commercial use.

You can find the DKUY Multilingual Storybook here.

Bonne lecture!

The Superdeep Workshop

The Workshop is Superdeep‘s work-in-progress workshop for DKU’s philosophical community (students, faculty, guests), allowing participants to present, workshop, and refine their philosophical projects (essays, presentations, signature work, etc.). Generally meetings involve a participant’s brief presentation followed by general Q&A. The workshop usually meets Thu around 6pm in IB 2026; snacks and refreshments are served. The Workshop is both a forum for focused intellectual engagement and a space for students to socialize and share their thoughts and interests. Everyone is welcome to attend; no prior knowledge of philosophy required.

If you are interested in presenting or otherwise getting involved in the workshop, follow this link; for other feedback, follow this one.

Continue reading “The Superdeep Workshop”

OPEN CALL FOR RESEARCH ASSISTANTS & WORKSHOP PARTICIPANTS

As part of their residency project Drawing the Lines: Politics and Technology in China’s Industrial History with DKUNST Art on Campus, artist Ho Rui An and curator Zian Chen are seeking research assistants for their archival and field research within the Yangtze River Delta region and participants for a workshop that will culminate in a research-based exhibition.

Expanding the narrative developed in Ho’s recent film, Lining (2021), which examines the rise and decline of the textile industry in Hong Kong, their residency considers the development of the industry within the Yangtze River Delta region before their displacement to Hong Kong in the late 1940s as well as the subsequent “return” of industrial capitalism to the mainland following the launch of China’s economic reforms. A key line of inquiry looks into the shifting relations between labour, technology, and capital within this history, with a focus on the (de)politicization of technology as a result of these changes.

As an extension of their research, the artist and curator will also organise a two-week workshop, during which they will share their research process with the participants and explore with them different ways of engaging with industrial history. Topics to be covered include industrial modernity and cinema, mapping (post)industrial space, and aural/oral industrial history. Following the workshop, participants will have two to three weeks to work together with the artist and curator to realise a research-based exhibition at Ming Contemporary Art Museum in Shanghai.

More information on the residency: Artist Ho Rui An in Residence at DKU: Public Lecture
Watch the presentation recording (scan the QR code to watch)

Requirement for research assistants

Research assistants will assist the artist and curator during their archival and field research between July to August 2023. They will also participate in the production of a film and work together with the artist and curator to realise the exhibition at Ming Contemporary Art Museum. While participation in the workshop is optional, they are also welcome to join should they be interested and available. All research assistants will receive an honorarium and be covered for all travel-related expenses.
Period of Commitment
Induction for research assistants: 10 July 2023 (TBC)
Onsite and archival research: 17–28 July 2023*
Film production: 7–20 August 2023*

* Research assistants should ideally be available for the entire period as indicated. However, they can discuss with the artist and curator to work out a feasible schedule should they have other commitments during this period.

Requirement for workshop participants

Workshop participants will have to attend all four sessions of the workshop and work together with the artist and curator to realise the exhibition at Ming Contemporary Art Museum. They should also be prepared to be involved in the public programs that will be organised to accompany the exhibition. All participants will receive an honorarium for their involvement in the exhibition and its related programs.

Period of Commitment

Workshop dates: 25 (Fri) & 26 (Sat) August, 1 (Fri) & 2 (Sat) September 2023
Installation period for exhibition: 16 – 20 September 2023 (TBC) *
Exhibition: 21 September – 8 October 2023 (TBC) *

* Workshop participants should work out a feasible schedule with the artist and curator for their involvement in the installation and public programs for the exhibition.

Application deadlines

For research assistants, please complete your submissions by 9 May 2023, 23:59.
For workshop participants, please complete your submissions by 18 August 2023, 23:59.

Click the link to apply: https://duke.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_2gV5760dKTwNXAa

Student Report on Women’s History Month Student Workshop

Reported by Vicky Yongkun Wu, Class of 2026

This workshop was part of the Women’s History Month 2023 events organized by the HRC’s Gender Studies Initiative. 

The Women’s History Month Student Workshop 2023, hosted by Professor Titas Chakraborty, focused on 9 student papers. On Friday April 21, after Professor James Miller’s opening remarks, student presenters, who were accordingly distributed to three panels, gender in China, women and conflict, and feminism and media, were given approximately 10 minutes to introduce their projects, followed by professors’ comments and the Q&A session. The wide range of gender topics covered in the workshop was impressive and truly enhanced gender studies at DKU. Continue reading “Student Report on Women’s History Month Student Workshop”

Report on the Live Tour of Prehistory: Exploring the Lascaux Cave of Southwest France

Reported by Scott Mauldin

The DKU Community was invited on Friday, April 7th, to a live tour via Zoom of the Lascaux Cave complex, one of the world’s most famous and significant sites of prehistoric cave paintings. For nearly two hours, Lascaux guide Olivier and Lascaux IV technical coordinator Laurent Puichaud demonstrated the wealth of paintings, carvings, and other archeological traces from the cave system, located in Southwest France, which was inhabited and decorated more than 17,000 years ago during the last Ice Age. The more than 600 paintings and 6000 figures in the cave depict many of the animals that the artists shared the area with, including images that resemble extinct species (aurochs), species no longer found in the area (Przewalski’s horses), or even mythical animals (unicorn). Significantly, the cave also depicts geometric and abstract shapes, giving insights into the development of human art and psychology, and possibly spirituality. The guide answered many questions from the more than 50 students, faculty, and staff in attendance.

The event was organized by Emmanuelle Chiocca, Assistant Professor of Applied Linguistics and International Education in the Language and Culture Center, and was originally planned only for the students of her French 102 course. However, after high excitement and interest, the event was opened to the entire DKU Community. The event was sponsored by the Third Space Lab, Humanities Research Center, Language and Culture Center, and the Office of Undergraduate Studies, which helped to cover the fees for the tour as well as refreshments for attendees of the on-campus viewing.

If you are interested in watching the recording of the live tour, please email Dr. Emmanuelle Chiocca at emmanuelle.chiocca@dukekunshan.edu.cn or join the Third Space Lab Sakai site with your Duke Net ID.

Superdeep

Superdeep is DKU’s extracurricular philosophical* ecosystem.
It currently comprises:

    • the Workshop: a work-in-progress research workshop for DKU’s philosophical community (students, faculty, & guests). Presentation followed by Q&A (& snacks & refreshments). The Workshop typically meets on Thursdays around 6:30pm in IB 2026. More info here.
    • the Philosophers’ Cave: a shared quiet space for writing & other Superdeep work (& coffee, tea, & snacks). The Cave opens Mondays 9am till late in IB 2026, to start the week on a Superdeep high note. More info here.
    • the Nighthawks: a space for late birds to take Superdeep respite after a week of classes. The Nighthawks assemble on Thursdays at 9pm, currently for a screening series on dreams (& food & drink). More info here.
    • Party: self-explanatory, for our community, happening roughly once a semester. Like this one.

* If you ask yourself who qualifies as philosophical, you already do 😉

* * * Continue reading “Superdeep”