2009年2月25日 星期三

Featured Speaker_胡元正_生物技術革命

It's a great honor to invite Mr. 胡元正 to deliver a speech on biotechnological revolution. Not only does he have professional knowledge about the topic, but also wide experience in the biotech field.

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2009年2月21日 星期六

General Introduction

GTR: Syllabus

Course Description

The fundamentals of business and the economy are changing in every market, in every industry, and in every nation. From YouTube to eGovernment, from iPods, Wii to entertainment initiatives, the impact of technology is changing daily lives more and more each day. This course tries to point out how and why and shows ways we can take advantage of the "revolution" in our personal and professional lives. The class aims to provide various examples so that students will see that transformations are taking place and will think of the consequence.

Teaching in the course is mainly divided into two parts. First part, almost each week an expert with different profession will be invited to give us a talk in one’s own field, such as information technology, biology, macro economics, environmental protection and etc. In this part , students are also required to read the textbook, ”楊棨等著,《廿一世紀:全球科技革命之衝擊》”.

Second part, I will stand in the same opposition with students to think how to respond the technology transformation, how to survive, how to take advantage, and even criticize the legitimacy of a new technology. In this part, Henry C. Lucas’s Inside the Future: Surviving the Technology Revolution will be discussed more.

Requirements and Grading
Each student enrolled in the course is required to discuss frequently in class. And from 5th week(Mar. 17-18), each one in turn has to present an oral report in class about ten minutes. One who reports should turn in “PPT (Power Point) file”(or something similar)to the classmates a week ago. The report should introduce a new specific technology, and include the following questions (optional):
1. What is the technology? Your classmates and teacher may never hear of it.
2. How dose it change from the past?
3. What is its impact, especially “global impact”?
4. How do people use the technology?
5. What are advantages and disadvantages of the technology?
6. How shall we respond to the technology and take advantages?
7. Does the technology have any ethical, political problem? What’s the
debate? What’s your position?
8. What is the future goal of the technology? When will it succeed?
9. What will happen if people live without it?
10. Dose the technology lead to “unequal problem”?

Grading: Oral Report with “PPT file” 60%; Class Discussion 40%

Readings
Antón, Philip S. Richard Silberglitt, James Schneider, 2001, The Global Technology
Revolution: Bio/Nano/Materials Trends and Their Synergies with Information
Technology by 2015, Rand National Defense Research Council.
Ashall, Frank,1998,潘麗芬等譯,《科學大發現》,台北:幼獅。
Boyens, Ingeborg,1999,杜默譯,《基因騙術》,台北:時報。
OECD, 1999, 21st Century Technologies: Promises and Perils of a Dynamic Future,
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
Tumber, Howard and Frank Webster, 2006. Journalists Under Fire: Information War
and Journalistic Practices. London: Sage.
Lucas, Henry C. Jr., 2008, Inside The Future: Surviving The Technology Revolution.
楊棨等著,2005,《廿一世紀:全球科技革命之衝擊》,台北縣:淡江大學出版
中心。

Schedule of Class and Lecture Topics
1 Feb.17-18 Course Introduction
Assignment: Lucas’ Chapter 1
2 Feb. 24-25 Eugenics and Cloning
2/25 Speaker: 胡元正博士 (國防醫學院)
3 Mar. 3-4 Technologies and the New War
3/4 Speaker: 唐欣偉博士(Claremont Graduate University)
Only for 3:00-5:00 PM
4 Mar. 10-11 Energy Crisis & Energy-Saving
3/11 Speaker: 郭博堯博士 (North Carolina State University)
5 Mar. 17-18 Electronic Democracy
5/18 Speaker: 胡全威講師
6 Mar. 24-25 Information Technology
3/25 Speaker:謝昇達博士(國立東華大學電機博士)
Spring Vacation
8 Apr. 7-8 Global Financial Crisis
4/8 Speaker:胡聲安分析師(投信策略分析師)
9 Apr. 14-15 Oral Presentation

2009年1月31日 星期六

聽說讀寫

在學習英文的時候,一般從四個方面著手
聽說讀寫
其實,對於一個人文學者而言,所專長的,也不過就是聽說讀寫
人文領域中,語言的掌握很重要,特別對於各種原文典籍的理解,至少要能盡可能地不要讀錯。
聽,是當前網路發達,許多網路課程十分方便,而且是免費的,可以聽到許多有趣的議題。另外,聽對方說什麼,也很重要。人文不能離開人心,人的處境,所以,除了自我,客觀理論建構外,人文還注重聽的功夫。

說,就是在溝通、說服與教育。讀人文多少是有些目的性色彩,除了自己的娛樂價值之外,許多人文學者總是希望能產生一些影響力。影響力要看位置與權力,而說,是人文學者可以掌握的唯一管道。無論是道德的,歷史教訓的,或是文化素養,都可以透過口說來表達。所以,如何說,說些什麼,說話的形式與內容,也是人文學者會注意的地方。

寫,跟說一樣,寫還有使思想精確,寫下來之後,可以更明確知道,不是在空想,不是在邏輯跳躍,還是有一定的道理。


所以,我覺得一個好的人文學者,要能聽得懂別人說什麼;說得話,別人聽得懂;讀書時,確定讀得正確;寫文章時能表達清楚。

至於這些與就業的關係,我想,聽說讀寫的基本能力,也是面對人生、事業挑戰時,諸項基本能力。
就是抱持著 一切都可以嘗試學習,不要抱持排斥的態度。
當然有時候為了專心,還是會有所取捨。

就我個人經驗,生命還是有許多轉折,新的挑戰來臨時,就是被迫重新學習。有了上述聽說讀寫基本能力時,重新學習的時間就可以加快。當然,抱持著一個勇於挑戰的心與樂觀的態度,也是學習的必要條件。

2009年1月24日 星期六

政治學入門(高中人社資優生課程_2009)

在討論政治學的入門,第一個問題,恐怕就是什麼是政治?
雖然,學者們可以很精細討論這個概念,而且彼此針峰相對。
但事實上,一般人皆有常識能力,劃分什麼是政治的,什麼不是政治的。其實,政治學仰賴的,或是最終評價的,往往就是這種常識的能力。所以,我們大可從常識出發來理解「政治」。

什麼是政治?一般往往會從權力、國家、政府、公共事務、謀略等方面思考,這些確實大部分就是政治學處理的範圍。
考量權力,所以關心行政院與總統的關係,行政權與立法權、司法權的互動,以及人民與政府間的關係。

考量國家,就在問國家對人民的影響,為什麼人們要服從國家的法令?國家應該具備哪些功能?

考量政府,就在問政府組織的安排,如何更有效率?更符合民主的規範?
....

這些構成了政治學的內涵。

若更細部來看,以下將以投影片的方式,扼要介紹政治學門的內涵。

德沃金法哲學簡介

這是在玄奘大學法哲學,法學方法論課程中,介紹
當代法哲學,政治哲學大師:德沃金的基本主張

古典與現代自然權利

這是課堂演講,受邀到新竹玄奘大學
法理學的課程,講授有關自然法與實證法的爭議