臺師大圖書館讀書會: 111(1) Groups

Are you interested in what is happening around the globe and curious about foreign traditions? Ever wondered what is going on in Ukraine and why it matters for the rest of the world? Maybe you question how the four-day work week law will work out for Belgium? Wondering what a Jubilee is and why Queen Elizabeth II is celebrating it? Then this is the group for you!
These things may seem far away and inconsequential, but the modern world is a delicate house of cards, and with the globalisation of businesses and rise of international conglomerates countries have become more codependent on each other than ever. What happens on the other side of the world will have indirect impacts all around the globe. Knowing other countries’ traditions and current events has become all the more important to understanding global trends, and that is what this group will focus on, with the aim of helping each become a global citizen in our global society.
What we talk about each session will be up to you! Members won’t be expected to read everything beforehand— but do expect to discuss the article in question during the session. Logistical details, such as time and place of the sessions, can be discussed and modified during the first session.

In this term, we are bound to explore the stunning experience of one of the earliest⎯ and the most avant-garde⎯ dystopian world ever materialized in the history of literature, written by the reputed English novelist George Orwell, 1984. In the following weeks, we will get to know more about the literary genre: dystopia and its extended works. We will also parallel the fictional world with the existed reality in terms of seeing how dystopian fictions, especially 1984, echo back to the living human beings throughout centuries and serve as allegories to alert the future societies.

Reading the full book 1984 is required, and simply reading excerpts will not be enough or accepted for the discussion will be based on contextualized knowledge to the whole work, and each group member will take turns being the leader of each session, contributing their genius analyses of the texts to help guide the rest of the members to further decipher the hidden messages that the author encrypted in his fictitious masterpiece. Hopefully, this reading group will be of help to spark the interests of the members in dystopian genre, and to elongate one more branch of literature in their lives. After all, all types of literature are the reflections of the world that we are residing in, and the more we read, the higher chances we would possess to equip ourselves with enough strength to confront with whatever tasks the world gives to us.

Minimalism is now more popular than ever before. It was first introduced mainly in the marketing and design aspect, but grows into something more. Minimalism is even one of the form in music, which emphasize on limited music materials. The mantra of “less is more” emphasizes on the value of simple lifestyle, helps people detaching from materialism. Certainly there is nothing wrong about possessing stuffs, but sometimes we could get lost, falling into the void of materialism.

If we stop being constantly deluded by advertisement, does it make a difference? Are you pursuing what truly matters to you? Still, there is never a modal answer of lifestyle for everyone. How about yours? Share with us!

Tropical coral reefs face a myriad of threats around the world. More frequent and intense disturbances, such as heatwaves, as well as human activity have pushed corals to the brink of extinction. In Taiwan and around the globe, climate change exacerbates these threats, placing further pressure on these fragile ecosystems. Despite coral reefs taking up very little space of the world’s ocean (~15 times the size of Taiwan), they harbor over 25% of marine species with their annual economic value estimated to be as high as $9.9 trillion USD. For all 50 years, coral reefs have however been in decline and that is why research focusing on the recovery and resilience of these systems is crucial. Taiwan’s coral reefs are positioned on the edge of the coral triangle, situated in one of the largest ocean currents (the Kuroshio), making Taiwanese corals a vital stepping stone for corals further north towards Okinawa, mainland Japan and the Korean Peninsula. Our group will focus on the lifecycle of corals, from birth (spawning) to mortality (death) and everything in between (dispersal/connectivity/survival etc). We will focus on the basics of coral reefs, answering questions such as “what is a coral?”, “how can we protect coral reefs?” and “is coral bleaching in Taiwan serious?”. The topic will remain broad and will not require a scientific background. We will use skills in English learning to describe in detail, explain locations on maps and new vocabulary.

Hi! My name is Daniel. I’m from the USA, studying TESOL in the Department of English here at NTNU. I’ve been an English teacher for 4 years, teaching both adults and children, so if you want someone who can answer your questions about English, then definitely join my group.  

Our group will discuss current events and culture by reading and/or watching videos from sites such as The New York Times, The Economist, The BBC, etc.  I chose current events as the topic because it gives us the freedom to choose whatever it is we’re interested in. I’ll ask the students to supply some topics so that we can make sure everyone feels engaged in the group.
Hope to see you there!

Hi, this is White. I am now PhD Student in Department of English. I have been teaching for more than 15 years, ranging from cram school to university. I am a humorous and expressive person, so you will definitely enjoy my group.

The focus of this group is on short stories that deal with the issues of genders and races. We will read such short stories by both male and female authors from different eras and discuss the issues that are raised in these texts.

I am looking forward to learning from all of you :D