John goes to China for a Conference
International Society for the Comparative Study of Civilizations
Soochow University, Suzchou China
June 13-21, 2018
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| Soochow University, Suzchou China |
John’s conference presentations focused on his review of Eric Ashley Hairston’s The Ebony Column: Classics, Civilization, and The African American Reclamation of the West and his paper Contested Courses - Contested Concepts. In each he deplores the present day tendency to dismiss the Humanities, Western Civilization, and Great Books courses as a waste of time. Is a university education a public good? Or is it a service to be bought and sold based on what’s marketable? Of course, there is no reason that it can’t be both. Though he concedes that a university education is expensive and once students leave the university they must make a living, still we should be careful of applying a wholly practical or economic meaning to the term “useful.” John worries that the call for “economism” or what historian Tony Jundt identifies as the present need to reduce the value of everything to an economic calculus overlooks the importance of education as “food for thought,” the material necessary for the construction of reality.
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More looks at the campus
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Soochow University
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| The School of Foreign Languages of Soochow University host the ISCSC Conference |
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| Classrooms all have theater type seating |
A look around the campus and look what John finds...
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| Faculty "Rest Area" |
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| Faculty "Rest Area" |
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| More Faculty "Rest Area" |
Now, why can't CSUMB have a Faculty (and Staff) Lounge? hmmmm?
More looks at the campus
Beautiful campus and everyone looks happy.
John may be one of the faculty playing volleyball on campus, some day?
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The city of Suzchou
known for its canal, bridges, pagodas and beautiful gardens
known for its canal, bridges, pagodas and beautiful gardens
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Departure to France
from Shanghai
(staying in Shanghai a day or two)
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| Impressive city |
Now on to France...
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