HKU SPACE Community College Conference on English and Communication 2016

In an effort to exchange ideas about English and communication among academics, students and the general public, every year HKU SPACE Community College hosts an academic conference on English and Communication that invites scholars and prominent members of society to deliver keynote presentations and participate in roundtable discussions.

Over the years, it has been with our pleasure that a former HKU vice-chancellor and the executive director of an NGO, etc. have spoken at the conference. This year Professor Jane JACKSON, Professor of English at The Chinese University of Hong Kong and Ms. Miriam LEE, Project Manager & Managing Editor of Hong Kong Discovery, will address the conference.

I guess that most of you have been in the habit of travelling abroad for either study or leisure purposes. With a good command of English, you can easily communicate with the people in the destination countries.

Come to join our annual Conference on English and Communication! This year the conference theme is "English for Travel". You will surely benefit from our keynote speakers' presentations. The details of the conference are as follows:

Theme: "English for Travel"
Date: Friday, 11 March 2016
Time: 6:30PM to 9:00PM (You are welcome to attend at any time)
Venue: College Theatre, 1/F Kowloon East Campus (KEC), HKU SPACE Community College
(28 Wang Hoi Road, Kowloon Bay) Location Map
Admission: Free of charge
A free dinner buffet will be served on 1/F KEC after the conference.

Click HERE for the house programme

Keynote Speaker: Professor Jane JACKSON
Professor of English, The Chinese University of Hong Kong

Keynote Presentation:
Language and intercultural journeys: Meaning-making through reflective writing

Abstract:
Today, more than ever, young people have opportunities to travel and study abroad. While many expect to have a transformative experience and enhance their fluency in a second language, for a variety of reasons, some return home disappointed. To deepen the language and intercultural learning of international exchange students, I developed a fully-online, credit-bearing course entitled Intercultural communication and engagement abroad. At the heart of the course is guided critical reflection and meaning-making through writing and ‘unpacking’ international experiences online. Through a weekly Forum, fieldwork posts, and reflective essays, the students are encouraged to recount and reflect on their language use and intercultural interactions. After providing an overview of the course, I will present excerpts from student posts and essays to illustrate growth in language awareness and intercultural understanding. By way of a questionnaire and post-course interview, the participants offered their perceptions of the benefits and challenges of writing about their international experience. After sharing their views, I will discuss the implications for enriching travel or study abroad experience through reflective writing and offer some suggestions to inspire mindful journaling, blogging, or diary-writing.

Bio-data:
Jane Jackson is Professor in the English Department at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and the recipient of the University’s 2013 Education Award. She has had teaching and research experience in Canada, the United States, Egypt, Oman, the United Kingdom, Mainland China, and Hong Kong. Her research centers on education abroad, identity, and language and intercultural communication. Recent books include Introducing Language and Intercultural Communication (Routledge, 2014), The Routledge Handbook of Language and Intercultural Communication (Routledge, 2012) (Editor), Intercultural Journeys: From Study to Residence Abroad (Palgrave MacMillan, 2010), and Language, Identity, and Study Abroad: Sociocultural Perspectives (Equinox, 2008).

Keynote Speaker: Ms. Miriam LEE
Project Manager & Managing Editor of Hong Kong Discovery

Keynote Presentation:
The Ultimate Survival English for Travelers

Abstract:
As a frequent traveler the ability to speak fluent English gives you the passport to a multitude of benefits – locating your whereabouts, asking for directions and tips, mingling with the locals and so on. Or perhaps not so. Being able to speak English as a first or second or third language may not bring you much further. A more aptly way to understand English is that, during travels, it is the medium of communication that allows you to understand how you do not understand each other’s English. Exploring how the people you meet on the road learn, understand and use English is a fun thing in its own right. The speaker will illustrate the social and cultural aspects of the use of English in an assortment of places around the world with her own traveling episodes, and how English is spoken and used differently explains social and cultural disparity.

Bio-data:
Miriam Lee is an expedition leader, writer, editor, blogger, documentary producer, TV presenter and simply, an avid traveler. She travels extensively for both work and leisure – from backpacking in Transylvania and South America, filming in quaint and exotic villages in Japan and the Middle East, to leading expeditions to the Arctic, the Antarctic, Borneo rainforest, Australia outback and other remotest corners of the world. Miriam is also the managing editor of the bilingual magazine Hong Kong Discovery, which showcases Hong Kong’s natural beauty and cultural delights to locals and international visitors alike. She holds a master’s degree in English from the University of York, UK.

For more information or reserving seats, please feel free to contact Mr. Tommy Lui by email at tt.lui@hkuspace.hku.hk

Will see you there!

Conference on English and Communication 2016