CAS Newsletter

Two October events will explore connections between Asian and Western philosophic traditions.

Dr. Songyao Ren, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, in her first public lecture as a member of the UTD Faculty, will discuss “The Good and the Beautiful in the Analects of Confucius.” A panel discussion featuring UTD professors Dr. Ming Dong Gu and Dr. Lawrence Amato, moderated by Dr. Dennis Kratz, will then discuss the connection of goodness and beauty in Asian and Western thought.

Click here to register for the event (4:00 - 5:30 PM, October 16). Registration deadline is October 14.

The distinguished philosopher of science, Dr. Sundar Sarukkai (Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore), will make available a lecture addressing “The Challenge of Translating Scientific and Ethical Concepts Across Cultures.” On October 20, he will participate in an invited on-line discussion about the ideas presented in the lecture. A limited number of places are available to attend an in-person gathering of faculty and students for the discussion with Dr. Sarukkai.

Sundar Sarukkai, trained in physics and philosophy, has a PhD from Purdue University. He works primarily in the philosophy of the natural and the social sciences. He is the founder of Barefoot Philosophers (www.barefootphilosophers.org). He is currently a Visiting Faculty at the Centre for Society and Policy, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. He is the author of Translating the World: Science and Language (2002) , Philosophy of Symmetry (2004), Indian Philosophy and Philosophy of Science (2005), What is Science? (2012), and two books co-authored with Gopal Guru – The Cracked Mirror: An Indian Debate on Experience and Theory (2012) and Experience, Caste and the Everyday Social (2019). His book titled JRD Tata and the Ethics of Philanthropy was published in 2020. He is the Co-Chief Editor of the Springer Handbook of Logical Thought in India and the Series Editor for the Science and Technology Studies Series, Routledge. Sarukkai was a professor of philosophy at the National Institute of Advanced Studies until 2019 and was the Founder-Director of the Manipal Centre for Philosophy and Humanities from 2010-15. His most recent book is Philosophy for Children: Thinking, Reading and Writing and is published in English, Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam and Bengali.

Click here to register for the event (11:30 AM - 1:00 PM, October 20). Registration deadline is October 15.

Dr. Yunte Huang will be lecturing on the first Chinese American movie star, Anna May Wong, and the light that her troubled career shines on the history of Chinese in America. Co-sponsored by the Center and the School of Arts & Humanities

The Center is pleased and fortunate to welcome Dr. Gou (featured on the right) as the new Associate Director. She received a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Chang-An University (China), an MBA from East Carolina University, and a Doctorate in Organizational Leadership from Northeastern University. Since 2000, Dr. Gou has devoted her professional career, in positions of ascending responsibility at Oklahoma University, to increase understanding among peoples of the United States and the rest of the world, especially between the US and China. Joining the University of Texas at Dallas and the Center for Asian Studies is the new milestone in her higher education career. In her words, “It reignites and furthers my dream to help students succeed intellectually and socially.” Dr. Gou is committed to build on the firm foundation of excellence set by her predecessor, Sharon Yang, and to help make the Center for Asian Studies a welcoming and compassionate place for the UTD community.