Few Husserlian theses claim as widespread support as his idea that perception is ‘inadequate’ vis-à-vis its object. This thesis (henceforth ‘The Inadequacy Thesis’, or ‘The Thesis’ for short) has been adopted by phenomenologists too numerous to mention and enjoys support outside the phenomenological movement, too. Mostly, The Inadequacy Thesis is not argued for, much less criticized, but simply assumed true. As Matt Bower puts it in a recent article, it is ‘typical to suppose that [the thesis] is obvious enough to use as a starting point’ (Bower 2021, p. 757). In short, The Thesis is treated as a dogma.

There are two general sources of resistance to The Thesis. First, one may accept that when we perceive an object there is an anticipation of absent features of the object, but deny that the anticipation is itself perceptual. Second, one may reject the very idea that there is any anticipation of absent features in the first place. In my talk, I mainly address the second source of resistance to the Husserlian dogma.

现场参与报名连结（2024年2月15日截止报名）https://cloud.itsc.cuhk.edu.hk/webform/view.php?id=13682842

网上参与（无需报名）https://cuhk.zoom.us/j/92799324618

Keynote Speakers:
Søren OVERGAARD, University of Copenhagen

Speakers:
Philip BUCKLEY, McGill University
Wenjing CAI, Shanghai Jiaotong University
Hayden KEE, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Zhongwei LI, Zhejiang University
Zhida LUO, Sun Yat-sen University (Zhuhai)
Gregory MOSS, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
 

报名连结 https://cloud.itsc.cuhk.edu.hk/webform/view.php?id=13682284

香港中文大学文学院特别为本科同学筹办的职涯发展工作坊已于早前圆满结束。是次工作坊邀请了资深人力资源顾问和领导培训专家黄德健博士（Dr. Anthony Wong）及其团队，以他们丰富的专业知识及人才培训经验，为同学们带来专业且富启发性的一课。

黄博士透过最新的就业市场资讯进行分析，强调文学院学生在众多领域受到雇主青睐的独特优势，尤其是他们卓越的语言能力、批判性思维以及组织规划能力等。

文学院致力帮助学生规划未来职业生涯，将不定期举办相关活动，提供专业的意见与实用的工具，协助同学做好就业准备，投身社会。

By developing the concept of ‘Muslim diplomacy’ from the existing literature on China’s faith diplomacy, this presentation aims to analyze the different efforts implemented by China to co-opt Indonesian Muslims. It proposes that there are four forms of Muslim diplomacy employed by China in Indonesia, which include:
1) promoting positive narratives to Indonesian officials;
2) establishing close relations with Muslim organizations;
3) offering scholarships to Muslim students and collaborating with Islamic educational institutions; and
4) expanding media efforts to send positive messages about China.

活动链接: https://gocuhk-my.sharepoint.com/:i:/g/personal/csic_cuhk_edu_hk/EdwH8XhStORIrfYn8_QFQoIBkStQI4E7HY_8gJSiMhgdVw?e=WeNjNq

报名: https://cloud.itsc.cuhk.edu.hk/mycuform/view.php?id=2188378

This talk is founded on the theoretical view that prosodic structure is a crucial linguistic component underpinning the speech encoding-decoding process in communication, as suggested by several studies (e.g., Keating & Shattuck-Hufnagel, 2002; Fletcher 2010; Cutler 2012; Cho 2016, 2021). Prosodic structure, in this context, refers to the abstract organizational framework that provides delimitative and culminative functions, shaping the grouping and prominence of phonological units (e.g., Shattuck-Hufnagel & Turk, 1999). Recent laboratory research has focused on how this abstract prosodic structure is reflected in low-level phonetic phenomena, particularly around three prosodically strong positions: domain-initial and domain-final positions, and prominent (stressed/focused) syllables. These positions are considered key elements of prosodic structure. It has become increasingly clear that speakers distinctively mark each of these prosodic positions with phonetic strengthening, thereby delineating the hierarchically-nested prosodic structure in speech utterances. This suggests that much of the variation in speech, which might seem random, is actually a result of systematic modulation by the prosodic structure. Therefore, understanding the mechanisms of speech production and perception in any language requires an appreciation of the interplay between speech production/perception and prosodic structure.
In the first part of this talk, I will review phonetic events that signal prosodic structure, particularly focusing on the phonetic encoding of prosodic structure with a special emphasis on Korean (e.g., Cho, Kim & Kim, 2019; Choi, Kim & Cho, 2020; Joo, Kim & Cho, in preparation; cf. Cho, 2021). Given that prosodic structure is marked by fine-grained yet systematic phonetic details in speech production, the subsequent question is the role of prosodic structure in speech comprehension, specifically the (perceptual) phonetic decoding of prosodic structure. In the second part, I will discuss the influence of prosodically conditioned phonetic variation on speech perception, showcasing studies in Korean and complementing them with findings in other languages (e.g., Cho, McQueen & Cox, 2007; Kim & Cho, 2013; Mitterer, Cho & Kim, 2016; Kim, Cho & Mitterer, 2018; Tremblay, Cho, Kim & Shin, 2019).
The talk will conclude with an overview of a model that potentially explains how speakers fine-tune or control speech production in relation to prosodic structure and other higher-order linguistic structures, including phonological, syntactic, and informational structures. It will also touch on how listeners utilize the acoustic correlates of this prosodic strengthening for word recognition.

Do you plan on applying for academic jobs? Want to know more about how to write an effective cover letter and CV?

Cover letters and CVs are the first things hiring committees review and the most important part of a job application. Join us for this 90-minute session, during which Profs. Benny Lim and Xuenan Cao, from the Department of Cultural and Religious Studies, share their tips and strategies on how to write effective cover letters and CVs. The session will consist of a 60-minute sharing session by Profs. Lim and Cao, followed by a 30-minute Q and A. All are welcome!

报名连结: https://cloud.itsc.cuhk.edu.hk/webform/view.php?id=13682648

活动网页连结: https://rih.cuhk.edu.hk/news-and-events/postgraduate-career-development-workshop-success-on-the-job-market-cvs-and-cover-letters/

Open scholarship, or unrestricted access to scholarly research and resources, is a topic of significant public, policy, and government concern, as illustrated by numerous national and international statements. Over the past two decades, opportunities have emerged to expand open scholarship and reshape the longstanding tradition of publishing research in closed formats, encouraging more accessible, participatory, interactive, ethical, and transparent approaches, that reach far broader and more diverse publics. This talk addresses the need for fundamental research to underpin and guide the strategic transformation of national and international open scholarship policies into practice for the humanities.

报名连结: https://cloud.itsc.cuhk.edu.hk/mycuform/view.php?id=2067178

活动网页连结: https://rih.cuhk.edu.hk/news-and-events/dhi_19022024/

“Translation is a dance with shackles on”. Winnie Tong believes that translation is, to a certain extent, an artistic expression within the perimeters and constraints of the source text. She asserts that translation is not mere rendition that is subservient to the original text but can in fact stand alone as a creative work of art with a soul of its own. She also believes that a translated work should be free from translationese, and that it ought to be appreciated as a creative work of art in itself which embodies the individual style of the translator as well as the syntactic and semantic beauty specific to the target language. In this talk, Winnie will share her experience and anecdotes as a translator both in public and private sectors. Using examples of translated texts from different disciplines, Winnie will demonstrate how, with skillful curation of rhetorical techniques and aesthetic concerns, the artistic flair of the translator can emanate from a piece of translation without compromising its accuracy and precision.

Historians have often identified "merchants" in the historical record— individuals who made a living through trade, often traveling great distances to distant markets to buy and sell. During the later Middle Ages, the Italian city of Genoa was famous as a city of merchants, as expressed in the Latin proverb Ianuensis ergo mercator: "a Genoese, therefore a merchant". Genoese merchants crossed the Mediterranean and West Asia, often settling overseas for years at a time. The figure of the adventurous, intrepid individual merchant has proven compelling for economic historians, yet a close analysis of notarial documents preserved in the city archives reveals just how widespread investment in commerce was in medieval Genoa. Behind every merchant stood a vast network of investors, business partners, and agents, often revealing surprising social connections between merchants and all elements of society. This talk investigates the diffuse, social nature of overseas commerce in late medieval Genoa, by examining the role in trade played by investors of all social classes, artisans, sailors and legal professionals, to understand just how complex the social ties of merchants really were, and what it truly meant to be a merchant in the medieval Mediterranean.

The biomedical treatments for chronic illness usually feature long-term management plans that entail regular clinical visits, long-term medication, and keeping a healthy lifestyle.

This talk presents an ethnographic account that follows a group of young and middle-aged former migrant workers in China who suffer from chronic kidney disease (CKD). These patients criticize and avoid biomedical treatments, calling CKD as a “rich people’s disease.” Contrary to the common assumption that associates chronic illness with societal affluence, wealth, and modernization, these migrant workers believe that only rich people can benefit from chronic illness treatments in biomedicine. Considering the biomedical treatment plan for CKD unhelpful, they instead turn to alternative therapeutic options such as traditional Chinese medicine and stem cell therapy. This study traces these patients’ social and therapeutic trajectories and embeds their healing experiences into their life histories and lived realities. It offers new insights into how structural marginalization shapes therapeutic choices and healing experiences of chronic illness.