Due to the epidemic, reading seminars of the “Elite Programme” were suspended for a period of time. Under the careful organization of Vice Dean Li Jingyan, teacher Ma Xiaoyan, Jia Kunpeng, Ning Tengfei and students in this programme overcame difficulties posed by the epidemic, and resumed the online reading seminar with an online platform.
On the evening of August 6th and 13th, the “Elite Programme” held two online reading seminars respectively. The two reading seminars were conducted in the form of "report + comment + discussion". First, the students shared their thoughts on reading with the teachers and students. Second, the students were assigned to make comments. Thirdly, teachers and students had free discussions around reports and comments. At last, Jia Kunpeng and Ning Tengfei made a general comment.
In the first reading seminar, Angel talked about his understanding of the textual research method and research perspective of The Collapse of the Chinese Dynasty and Zhang Jiashin shared his understandings on the selection and application of historical materials in The Death of Wang family, and finally Gao Han made a report on the spirit of historian embodied in the Rebel Who Failed to Do Something. Around the above report, teachers and students launched a heated discussion on the differences and connections between modernization and Westernization, Shi Jingqian and post-modern history, academic views of Mao Haijian and Luo Xin.
In the second reading seminar, Yang Teng shared his thoughts on the rural order in From the Soil —The Foundations of Chinese Society, and Yang Yumeng shared her thoughts on Wang Anshi- a political reformer in the Northern Song Dynasty. Centering on the above report, teachers and students in the “Elite Program” have carried out a heated discussion on such issues as "differential pattern", rural poverty, the local nature of China, the relationship between imperial power and gentry power, the change of Wang Anshi's image, and governance by interference.
These two reading seminars made some changes based on previous reading seminars. First, more attention was paid to intensive reading of materials. Each round of "report + comment + discussion" took about 40-60 minutes. Second, it put more emphasis on academic exchanges between students and teachers. The time spent on comments and discussions accounted for about 2/3 of the total time. In the two seminars, students actively shared their feelings and gained on the basis of in-depth reading of the selected materials, and put forward their own opinions. In different viewpoints and discussions, the theme of the report was deepened.
At the seminar, teachers and students discussed warmly and criticized cautiously. All of them benefited a lot. It is believe the following reading seminars will bring more surprises.