Category: News

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On Speculation: A Seminar with Ranjana Khanna

by Sinan Farooqui

Facedown in the sand. The waves crashing relentlessly. The red t-shirt. Small, lifeless. Most of us are familiar with the image of Aylan Kurdi, a three-year old Syrian child whose body washed up in Turkey after the refugee boat he was in capsized. The unforgettable image of Aylan on the beach resulted in a record number of donations to charitable organizations aiding refugees and greater awareness for the crisis at hand. It is this crisis, the notion of death and speculation, and the value of such images which was discussed in the latest in the series of colloquia hosted by the DKU Humanities Research Center. Continue reading “On Speculation: A Seminar with Ranjana Khanna”

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India-China Talk Series: April 11-12, 2019

An Indian Town’s Entry into World War II: Ramgarh as the Chinese Expeditionary Force Training Center, Italian PoW Camp, and Indian Nationalist Movement Hub

CAO Yin, Associate Professor, Tsinghua University

Thursday April 11, 5.30pm-6.45pm in AB1079

India-China Discourse: The Knowledge Gap

Tansen Sen, Director, Center for Global Asia, and Professor, NYU-Shanghai

Friday April 12, 5.30pm-6.45pm, AB1079 Continue reading “India-China Talk Series: April 11-12, 2019”

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Art in Global China, February 23-24, 2019

by Xuenan Cao

Art in Global China was in the 1990s the site of intense contestation between market and art. This site continues in the present as both a public and private discourse space for gatherings of art historians, curators, artists, researchers and students, and others who are similarly invested in the making of the contemporary art scene. During the two-day event, Professor Eva Man, director of Film Academy and Chair Professor at Hong Kong Baptist University and Haoyang Zhao, MFA from Duke University gave academic talks on the institutional, cultural, and technical components that inscribe what make sense to us as art. The event also provided an opportunity for speakers and guests to review students’ photography and film works and nurture interests in these two prominent media of art-making. Continue reading “Art in Global China, February 23-24, 2019”

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Philosophy, Ethics, and Technology : A Conversation

by Sinan Farooqui

Philosophy, Ethics and Technology.

Three fields which have been interwoven into the fabric of time, overlapping increasingly due to the unstoppable tide of globalization in the modern era. The latest in the series of colloquiums hosted by the Humanities Research Center saw a conversation between two highly respected academics––Dr. Carl Mitcham (Professor Emeritus of Humanities, Colorado School of Mines) and Dr. Tom Wang (Associate Professor, School of Philosophy, Renmin University of China) ­–– who work in the intersection of these fields. Hosted in a different format than all that preceded it, this colloquium saw both speakers simply conversing with each other and the audience, based on a set of given questions, as opposed to just giving a lecture. Continue reading “Philosophy, Ethics, and Technology : A Conversation”

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Whitney Bauman: Thinking through the Anthropocene

by Sinan Farooqui

Over the eons, the incessant ticking of time has culminated in our present reality: the Anthropocene, or the age of humans. This title comes with implications and indications about the state of the world, its hierarchies and underlying attitudes. And it is upon these very concepts that our distinguished speaker, Professor Whitney Bauman spoke during his lecture as part of the Duke Kunshan Colloquium Series, hosted by the Humanities Research Center. Continue reading “Whitney Bauman: Thinking through the Anthropocene”

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Attending the 2019 Artificial Intelligence, Ethics and Society Conference

by Runya Liu

As a member of the Planetary Ethics and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (PETAL) I had the privilege of attending a conference on Artificial Intelligence, Ethics and Society with Duke Kunshan University Professor Daniel Lim in Hawai’i from January 27-28. The invited talks and presentations were wonderful opportunities to learn how people from different fields see the ethical issues related to AI. People majoring in law, engineering, computer science, philosophy, etc., were all here to discuss the future development of AI. People gathered because they want to contribute to problems that the whole human race is going to face. The hot discussion triggered by questions in talks and presentations created an sincere academic atmosphere. Continue reading “Attending the 2019 Artificial Intelligence, Ethics and Society Conference”

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Reflections on Pedagogy and Philosophy

by Julius Vaitkevicius, Nanjing University

The workshop on Philosophy and Pedagogy at Kunshan Duke University provided a valuable opportunity for educators around the world to discuss and share insights gained in teaching philosophies in cross-cultural environments. The theme of the workshop focused on the notion that philosophy could be taught not only as a bare conceptual discourse but as a way of life, a way that has therapeutic and psychological benefits on those who pursue philosophical studies. More specifically, teaching ancient Chinese Philosophies could help international students to adapt toliving in Chinese culture and facilitate in overcoming cross-cultural boundaries as well as learn how to deal with daily personal issues and challenges. But what pedagogical approaches could or should be taken to apply the philosophical pedagogy in practice? Participants had to admit that nobody would claim to have a ready-made answer to this question. There are certain theories, methods, strategies, and techniques, but it is up to the educator to decide which of the approaches would be the most appropriate and effective in a particular academic setting. Continue reading “Reflections on Pedagogy and Philosophy”

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Imran Khan: Carving a Creative Pathway in the Corporate World

By Hajra Farooqui

College students around the world constantly face an enormous dilemma: How does one choose a field of study that guarantees sustained intellectual stimulation, is applicable to the daily functioning of the real world, can offer financial support and can keep our indecisive moving selves rationally happy in the long term? The truth is, this is not an easy question, and is one with many answers. To help students think through these questions the Humanities Research Center joined with Duke Kunshan Careers Services to invite Imran Khan to present at the Humanities Career Forum. Continue reading “Imran Khan: Carving a Creative Pathway in the Corporate World”