通識巡禮之長春滕三大 GE Overview – the Big Three Ivy Leagues

愈睇得多GE愈有興趣,香港d大學都走向近似美式四年制,咁不如睇下美國三間名Univ. 點樣安排GE。

Princeton University

喺New Jersey 嘅Princeton University, 所有undergraduate 學生一定要完成

  • Writing Requirement
  • Foreign Language Requirement

讀BA (佢地叫A.B.)嘅學生需要在Distrbution Requirement內完成唔同嘅範圍:

  1. Epistemology and Cognition (1 course)
  2. Ethical Thought and Moral Values (1 course)
  3. Historical Analysis (1 course)
  4. Literature and the Arts (2 courses)
  5. Quantitative Reasoning (1 course)
  6. Science and Technology with lab. (2 courses)
  7. Social Analysis (2 courses)

如果讀B.S.E (Science & Engineering) 嘅學生要由humanities and social sciences範疇7 courses 黎讀,再加上由以上六個範疇(剔除Sci. & Tech.及Qty. Reasoning,加番Foreign Lang,)揀四個範疇讀4科。

Yale University

另外一間名U耶魯大學,佢地對undergrad.有以下GE的Distribution Requirement:

  1. Humanities and Arts (two course credits)
  2. Sciences (two course credits)
  3. Social Sciences (two course credits)
  4. Foreign Language (at least one course)
  5. Quantitative Reasoning (two course credits)
  6. Writing Skills (two course credits)

Harvard University

哈佛大學又如何呢? 佢嘅要求係以下八個範疇每一個範疇讀一科:

  1. Aesthetic and Interpretive Understanding
  2. Culture and Belief
  3. Empirical and Mathematical Reasoning
  4. Ethical Reasoning
  5. Science of Living Systems
  6. Science of the Physical Universe
  7. Societies of the World (SW)
  8. United States in the World

下一次睇下本地大學點攪啦。

甚麽是通才教育? What is Liberal Arts?

What's General Education?

最近有機會被問起乜叫Liberal Arts (中文又譔博雅教育、通識教育等),突然語塞,有d內疚因畢竟都接觸咗咁耐,唔緊要,反應唔夠快就將勤補拙啦,冇野係唔可以學嘅,終身學習都係通識精神嘛!從 Wiki 維基或者個名都略知一二,佢係注重通識教育培育通才,同訓練專業如醫生、會計師、工程師等概念相反,據大英百科全書定議:

“college or university curriculum aimed at imparting general knowledge and developing general intellectual capacities, in contrast to a professional, vocational, or technical curriculum”

美國有好多Liberal Arts Colleges,通常都係小規模,注重師生之間的互動及關係,三大長春滕(Ivy League) 大學Harvard, Yale and Princeton 就好多人知,Liberal Arts也有「三小長春滕」,就係Amherst College, Wesleyan University and Williams College,佢地通常都會以小班教學為主(<30人)方便互動討論。通識教育係一個世界大趨勢,香港中學新高中課程都有一科Liberal Studies,大學為應付334新學制都已經有新degree structure加入大量通識科目。

維基 quote咗一本書的作者寫點解通識咁重要:

“In a complex, shifting world, it is essential to develop a high degree of intellectual literacy and critical-thinking skills, a sense of moral and ethical responsibility to one’s community, the ability to reason clearly, to think rationally, to analyze information intelligently, to respond to people in a compassionate and fair way, to continue learning new information and concepts over a lifetime, to appreciate and gain pleasure from the beauty of the arts and literature and to use these as an inspiration and a solace when needed, to revert to our historical past for lessons that will help shape the future intelligently and avoid unnecessary mistakes, to create a sense of self-esteem that comes from personal accomplishments and challenges met with success.”

我會喺呢道再寫多d關於General Education (GE)嘅野,留意!

清明上河圖 River of Wisdom

上海世博完結,香港又走精面,搬人地果main feature過黎,好似d人食pizza淨食餡唔食皮咁,算啦,好難得揾到d野攪又攪得咁快,都要讚吓嘅。賣飛果幾日好多地方打哂蛇餅,飛分時段咁賣,最簡單嘅人潮管制!有人話一d時段嘅飛喺紅館買唔駛排隊添。又有人話點解唔多d利用多d網上賣飛呢?要做一定做到,不過諗真d,有冇野比傳媒影住d蛇餅咁震撼呀?網上話之你有幾多人都唔會有蛇餅咁有PR價值,攪活動最緊要有隊、有龍、有人氣!係呢方面磚頭仲係殺哂!
其實用上河圖做animation我地香港已經做過,只不過我地成日掛住外國野,呢間公司老闆係我以前喺BU教個果DGC課程出黎,放條link比大家睇吓啦。(今年DGC喺BU傳理JUPAS選科競爭最激烈的一科)

“Discs呀dump坪” – 香港的英語水準 (English level in HK)

某日食飯聽到隔離枱阿媽同個女講咗以上一句,我諗佢想指比囡囡睇”these are dumplings.” 首先講我唔係取笑人,我自己講英文都冇所謂Queen’s accent,只操半英半美式加港式口音,令我關心呢件事係因為教育問題,如果家長父母發音不準(同口音accent係兩件事),係咪唔應該教壞細路只用番廣東話教仔女?不過好可能父母d廣東話都唔係咁正统架喎,因為以前讀書邊有正式教粵語正音架,咁點算呀?語文水準真係一個頭痛問題,好嘅可以令人地以為佢喺外國番黎,差嘅連講或寫一句完整句子都有問題,中游的似乎消失哂,我試過等巴士見過一個外國家庭向一個中學生問路,我估佢都係中四、五,只係一未擰頭,周圍d學生已徑開始向後移,問路啫,駛唔駛咁驚呀,香港d英文教育真係咁唔掂?又好似係,最近廣州亞運單車選手勝出賽後被英文台訪問對大師兄阿宝的感受,她說: “no him and then no me.” 我諗佢想講「冇佢就冇我」。當咗老師咁耐,改卷都見到唔少經典,例如「開電腦」寫成 “open the computer”等。考試局每年都會測試中小學生中英數的水準(TSA),結果係愈讀愈差,真令人擔憂!有人話比仔女去外國浸吓咸水學好d英文,哈,真係唔好諗得咁理想,家陣好多地方財赤要cut教育撥款,大學為咗生存要狂收海外生賺外滙,仔女去到分分鐘班入面有9成係亞洲人,學成返香港可能客家話講得仲好過英文添! 😐

學外語真係冇乜捷踁,多讀:睇多d報紙雜誌;多聽:聽新聞、睇戲及電視劇集,開始時睇subtitle會有幫助;多講:一定要同local講多d,認識吓佢地文化,香港教嘅係text book野,一般生活對話係唔會咁formal。有時環境會逼你學得快d,例如周圍冇華人,你侷住要講外語啦!但係諗吓邊道會冇華人架?而家係温哥華周街d人都係講國語!

台慶劇與示波器 (“No Regrets” and Oscilloscope)

CRO in Drama

每年TVB到呢個時侯一定會推大制作去賀台慶,今年就係由巾幗梟雄之義海豪情作為慶祝TVB 43歲的高潮。大制作有大卡士同黄金幕後班底,演出同故事都頗感人,儘管同葉問手法同用民族情仇,比翡翠台其他劇集係超班架喇。不過有D野佢地成日唔認真去做,就係佢地拍醫院戲D道具都好求其,由我讀書時到呢套義海豪情大製作都係咁,無論時裝或古裝劇,心跳監測器成日求其用個示波器(CRO)充,記得早期無綫劇仁心仁術D醫生係戴屋企洗碗用嘅膠手套做手術添!雖然知道你無可能好似美劇E.R.或House咁用咁大budget,但係都認真小小呀,大陸劇製作都愈黎愈認真,香港電視觀眾又愈來愈少,再唔認真D嘅話,香港觀眾放棄你,賣外埠又冇人要就慘啦。