What’s a Human Library? 

Take a look at this 1:30-min video of a Human Library in Singapore.

Click Here

What will happen in the Digital Human Library?

You will meet, in different breakout rooms, 4 groups of Hong Kong students (4-5 in each), each for 20-25 mins.
 
You may be interested in the following Digital Human Library taking place on Feb 8 (Mon, 12:30-2:15) & Feb 18 (Thur, 12:30-2:15). Both sessions will be on Zoom and in my classes titled Intercultural Communication Through English. As an international student, I think you’ll find this semi-structured conversation rewarding. This may be your chance to ask ‘rude’ or ‘silly’ questions such as ‘Why do Hong Kongers seem so rude?’

Our theme: Cultural Identities and Power Distance

  1. What assumptions do you think others have of you/ your sub/culture and vice versa?
  2. How do these assumptions / perceptions influence our behaviour?
  3. Give specific examples of questions asked or statements made about you/ your sub/culture?
  4. Give specific examples of how you fit/ don’t fit your sub/culture’s stereotypes.
  5. How is power perceived or distributed in different cultures?
  6. How do you react when others show disrespect?
  7. Give specific examples of disrespectful behavior (e.g., staring, distancing, sneering, use of ‘please’) towards you/ your sub/culture.

You can rely on your gut reactions to these questions. But if you want to think them over, that’s fine too. We have to play it by ear, as I don’t know what questions or reactions there will be from students. The discussions may go off topic or take an unexpected turn!

 
You could ask questions too, especially how and why questions (e.g., How would such behavior be seen in your college/town? Why is it seen that way? What do you mean by ‘cool’, ‘powerful’?)
 

You may also assume unequal English language proficiency. Perhaps slow down your usual speech rate, offer guesses when you’re not sure, write out words that seem to cause confusion? Please bear with some silence. It may mean ‘I’m thinking and putting together my sentence.’

 

Please feel free not to answer questions you’re not comfortable with, and even take the opportunity to find out what may have motivated such questions.

 
Heads-up: I tend not to introduce you to the class (e.g., I don’t tell students where you’re from, even if I knew), I’d like students to guess and find out for themselves. You could perhaps ask what’s behind their guesses. It’d be interesting to see what assumptions we have. But let’s try to keep the guessing game under one minute.
 
If you’re free and interested, please register below.
 
Register Here