On the occasion of the 27th World Book Day and the 1st National Conference on Reading, the academic staff and students of the SDU-ANU Joint Science College gathered together on the morning of May 6, 2022, attending the 9th Coffee time, “The Deans’ Reading Salon” in the reading room, Dianzi Building.
The guests invited were JSCExecutive Dean, Professor Lv Guangshi (attending online) andtwovice deans, Professor Chang Xiaomei and Professor Bai Ming. More than 30 students from the four majors of the 2021cohort participated in the activity offline, and the majority joined online via the Tencent conference platform. The activity was hosted by Zhou Junxia, the head of the academic English faculty.
The hostess, first of all, introduced the guests and welcomed them. Then, the deans talked of their reading and life experiences one after another. Professor Lv Guangshi expounded the views of "Books cannot be read thoroughly unless being borrowed from others" and " If you read and trust the book without thinking, you had better go without it", and encouraged the students not to be deterred by unfavorable conditions, nor to indulge themselves in superior conditions. They should keep thinking critically and independently.
Professor Chang Xiaomei shared her translation work of the novel, "Tess of the D'Urbervilles", the world literature masterpiece. She said that reading English masterpieces helps to improve student's language proficiency and skills and their critical thinking ability in the exchange of Chinese and Western cultures. At the same time, it also helps to enhance students' interpersonal and intercultural communication skills. They can learn about how people from different cultural backgrounds exchange ideas, feelings, and information.
Professor Bai Ming recommended the books "Sophie's World" and "The Road Rarely Walked". He shared his learning experiences and methods from multiple perspectives.
In the interactive session, the students asked the deans questions about reading and were given suggestions on how to choose books suitable for them to read and so on.
This activity has enriched the students' extracurricular life, expanded their understanding of literature and foreign culture, enhanced their reading interest and ability, and broadened their vision.
