National Chiao Tung University
New Renaissance Reading Project
( abbr. NRRP)
New Renaissance Reading Project
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I. Course Introduction
• To encourage students and the general
public to read comprehensively and to
cultivate students to think outside the box,
the NCTU Center of General Education
launched “the New Renaissance Reading
Project” (“Selected Masterpieces of Classic
Books”) in 2007.
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II. Book List and Point Allocation
• We have invited ten social elites: Yuan-Tseh Lee,
Ovid Tzeng, Chung-Ming Huang, Fangshuo Nan,
Hsun Chiang, Ming-Kai Tsai, Evans Tu, Andrew T.
Huang, Diane Ying and Rosemary W. Ho, to
recommend ten classic books each for this
project). (This is the original book list.)
• The number of books on the book list increased to
139 by adding the books recommended by the
professors who participate in the certification
program. (This is the certification book list.)
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II. Book List and Point Allocation
• The 139 books are allocated by points
based on the degree of difficulty. There are
8 scales of points
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
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III. Regulations for Certification
• The certification is conducted via a 20+ minute
interview and oral report per book by the
certification teacher. A “pass” or “fail” result is
given to assess students’ reading performance.
Students who have attended the Specific Book
Classes and studied the specific books listed on
the book list of our reading project (such as The
Book of Odes, Dream of the Red Chamber, Bible,
etc.) can acquire the reading certification in less
than half of the time regulated (i.e. 5 – 10 minutes
at most).
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IV. Course Implementation and
Guided Reading by Celebrities
• To promote the NRRP and a reading habit on
campus, the NCTU Center of General Education
will invite twelve well-known scholars and experts
to deliver a guided reading lecture of a classic
book every week per semester.
• Students who accumulate 100 points within two
years after course selection and also attend at
least 8 guided reading lectures per semester can
receive two credits for the general education
course after being verified and approved by the
project assistant.
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IV. Course Implementation and
Guided Reading by Celebrities
• All guided reading lectures are/will be
recorded by NCTU Digital Content
Production Center and uploaded to eCampus (E3) and broadcast on I’m TV
Channel for students’ viewing. Students
can also share and discuss their thoughts
by utilizing the online website of the
Course, as well as the online reading club
promoted and run by FunP.com.
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V. Official Website of the Course
• http://www.cc.nctu.edu.tw/~nrrp/
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VI. Course Promotions
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▲ 2007 School Year
Attend lectures and receive classic books
Book exchange (One For All)
Free classic DVD and books for loan
▲ 2008 School Year
1+1+1=1?
Exclusive for reading pals (Meet the certification
teachers)
Book display and lending; Four top reading winners
(3+1≠4)
Study groups
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VI. Course Promotions
▲ 2009 School Year
• 1+1+1=1?
• Logo Contest for NRRP- First Prize:
NT$10,000.
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VII. Promotion Posters
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VIII. Book Publication and Back
Cover Text
Reading, a Portable Feast
•
In August 2007, when all universities were busy greeting
the freshmen, NCTU’s President, Dr. Chung-Yu Wu was
shaping a brand new top-notch learning environment in
order to enhance students’ respect and love for knowledge.
No doubt, students can obtain knowledge through self-study;
however, students’ awareness and interest in books can be
further enhanced through celebrities and experts’ presence,
introductions to classic books and exchange of ideas after
reading the classic books. This is the origin of the New
Renaissance Reading Project.
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VIII. Book Publication and Back
Cover Text
•
Starting from a series of promotion activities: Attending lectures
and receiving classics; Book exchange; Classic movies for loan;
Four top reading winners, etc., to the course being awarded the
Excellence Award for General Education Program by the Ministry
of Education, we have been striving for perfection and seeking
new ways to enrich the course.
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Coverage by the Common Wealth Magazine; NCTU Center of
General Education has invited scholars and experts to deliver
lectures on Selected Masterpieces of Classic Books. Lectures
are/will be recorded by NCTU Digital Content Production Center
and uploaded to e-Campus (E3) and broadcast on I’m TV
Channel (You can watch them thru the NCTU website). Students
can also discuss and exchange their thoughts on the online forum
(http://www.cc.nctu.edu.tw/~nrrp/).
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VIII. Book Publication and Back
Cover Text
The publication of the book is like a small step for the course, but
one giant leap for the NCTU General Education Program. In
addition to the lecturers, the publication of this book is the result
of the efforts of the NRRP Team, including organizing the
manuscripts of the lectures, text of guided reading, proofreading
and digitalization. The book cover design and illustrations are the
works of students of NCTU Institute of Applied Arts.
Did you miss the spectacular lectures delivered by great masters?
Now with the book in hand, you can readily absorb the essence of
the course! You can’t afford to miss this intellectual and visual
feast. What are you still waiting for? Let the book feed minds and
spirits hungry for knowledge!
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VIII. Book Publication and Back
Cover Text
The title of the book is “Speaking of Books / Telling A Story”
《說書》. On the back cover you will find the following text:
" This book is the first collection of lectures delivered in the course of
NCTU New Renaissance Reading Project: Guided Reading of
Classic Books.
Did you miss the spectacular lectures delivered by celebrities?
This course was elaborately planned by NCTU Center of General
Education, and was awarded the Excellence Award for General
Education Program by the Ministry of Education in the second
semester of the 2007 School Year. Now with the book in hand, you
can readily absorb the essence of the course! You can’t afford to
miss this intellectual and visual feast. What are you still waiting for?
Let the book feed minds and spirits hungry for knowledge! "
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VIII. Book Publication and Back
Cover Text
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VIIII. All the guided reading
professors (2007/9~2010/1):
• Mr.李弘祺、 Mr.宋泉盛、 Mr.廖元成、 Ms.董挽華、
Mr.蔡英俊、 Ms.何薇玲、Mr.黃達夫、 Mr.曾志朗、 Mr.
南方朔、 Mr.杜書伍、 Mr.蔡明介、 Mr.詹海雲、 Mr.翁
明賢、 Mr.陳修武、 Ms.陳小雀、 Ms.朱佩蘭、 Mr.康
培德、 Mr.吳重雨、 Ms.方瑜、 Mr.王文興、 Mr.李勤岸、
Mr.劉必榮、 Mr.黃孝光、 Mr.柯景騰(九把刀) 、 Mr.林
中明、 Mr.王高成、 Mr.曾慶豹、 Mr.黃煥榮、 Mr.張南
驥、 Mr.魏外揚、 Mr.包宗和、 Ms.陳仁姮、 Mr.林昌華、
Mr.楊永良、 Mr.彭鏡禧、 Mr.苑舉正、 Mr.孫治本、
Mr.洪鎌德、 Mr.陳國華、 Mr.康來昌、 Ms.李玲玲、
Mr.彭明偉、 Mr.謝鵬雄、 Mr.丁達剛、 Mr.林毓生、
Mr.陳佐人、 Mr.錢理群、 Mr.唐代彪、 Ms.夏燕生, In
total: 49 professors.(One scholar was invited twice
to deliever two talks on two different books.)
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X. All the guided reading book list
(2007/9~2010/1):
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Bible、Les Miserables、Jonah、The Adventures of
Pinocchio、Deutschstunde、Hu-shih Anthology、The
Daughter of Time、Confessiones、What Life Could Mean
to You、Three Scholars' Annotation to Historical Records 、
The Analects of Confucius and Abacus、The Analects of
Confucius、One Hundred Years of Solitude、Freezing
Point、Discovery Taiwan、Remember Who You Are、
Faust、Tang Poems、Selected Chinese Notes-story、
Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies、
The Art of War、The Journey to the West、The Clash of
Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order、The Fifth
Discipline、The Origin of Species、The Pilgrim Progress、
The Leadership Secrets of Colin Powell、The Chronicles of
Narnia:the Lion,the Witch and the Wardrobe、The
Collection of Leo Tolstoy
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X. All the guided reading book list
(2007/9~2010/1):
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From Far Formosa: The Island, its People and Missions 、
The Autobiography of Yukichi Fukuzawa、Yi Jing、King
Lear、The Structure of Scientific Revolutions 、
Interpretation of Dreams、The Wealth of Nations、The
Dream of the Red Chamber、 Wuthering Heights 、The
Limits of Growth 、The Lord of the Rings 、King Solomon's
Ring 、Selected Stories of Shen Congwen、Lao-tzu 、
Agatha Christie’s Detectives、Academia and Politics:Max
Weber Anthology I、Paradise Lost 、War and Peace 、
Hamlet 、East of Eden 、Mencius 、Hsun-tzu 、Bible in
English and American Poetry、Capitalism and Freedom ，
The Collection of Lu Xun's Works , All are 54 books.(Once
in a while, two different speakers delivered two speeches
for the same book.)
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XI. Influence of the Course
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Arousing students’ interest in reading classic books (more than half of
the books in our original book list (100 books) have been given guided
reading lectures) and promoting excellent reading atmosphere.
Providing an opportunity for the teachers and staff to pursue on-the-job
education, so that they can stand on the shoulders of giants to revamp
their intellectual pursuits in order to enrich and enhance their teaching
and research.
A professor (from NCTU) said, “This course has inspired me not only in
regard to teaching passion and methodology, but also in every other
teaching detail.”
The appreciation or re-reading of classic books can inspire new
thinking and generate eternal values. The ‘asking a question and
receiving a classic’ promotion during lectures can inspire students to
ask great questions.
Passing on life’s wisdom and experience by great masters is the
modern version of “integrating various schools of thought” by adding
actual experiences to theories.
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XI. Influence of the Course
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This course is also a feedback from NCTU to the local
communities to provide the public of Taoyuan, Hsinchu, and
Miaoli---the disadvantaged Hakka Area--- with an opportunity to
understand the changes from ancient to modern era, as well as
the relationship between heaven and men.
The educational effects of these great lectures are further
increased through the internet to provide a mental feast for all
viewers.
Due to the highly active interactions during the class, students
often request more time for discussion. So a discussion forum
on the official website (http:// www.cc.nctu.edu.tw/~ nrrp) is used
to extend the interaction and influence of guided reading and
online teaching.
Besides the print form (e.g. “Speaking of Books / Telling A Story”
《說書》), the collection of the guided reading lectures is also
available on DVD-ROM. The influence of these great lectures
has thus spread from on-campus to off-campus.
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XII. Future Prospects
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Helping more students complete the certification, and
continuing to promote the classic elaboration.
Continuing to conduct activities such as the study groups and
the contest of four top reading winners; promoting the
connections between reading classics and obtaining credits, as
well as the interaction between “learning” and “thinking”.
Cooperating with professors in other colleges to propose more
classic books in other fields and consolidate broader and
deeper thinking in education.
More sequels of “Speaking of Books / Telling A Story” 《說書》
will be published in hardcopy and CD-ROM. So the influence of
this course can transcend the barriers of time and space.
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