Mapo-gu Opens 'Humanities on the Road', Questions for Earthlings

How to Live as a Sustainable and Dignified Earth Citizen Amid COVID-19... Lectures, Explorations, and Zero Waste Campaigns Until September... 15 Participants per Lecture... Online Registration Starts July 30 on a First-Come, First-Served Basis

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Mapo-gu (Mayor Yudonggyun) will run the 2020 “Humanities on the Road” program under the theme “Lego, Pixel, Link: Three Questions for a Dignified Earthling” until September.

“Humanities on the Road” is a public humanities lecture series by Mapo-gu that pursues the unity of knowledge and life through humanistic reflection.

The Mapo-gu Public Seogang Library (hereafter Seogang Library), which operates the program, has been selected for eight consecutive years in the project contest hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and organized by the Korea Library Association, and will again visit residents this year.

This year’s program is designed with content for living as dignified earthlings on a sustainable planet in response to the crisis caused by the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

The main program consists of a total of 11 sessions including lectures, explorations, and a 50-day practice project, linking the concepts of Lego (human and technology), Pixel (environmental issues), and Link (sharing and solidarity) to the problems of humans, nature, and technology.

On July 31, Mira Cho from the Humanities Bridge Institute will deliver a keynote lecture titled “Several Questions for Earthlings,” discussing the changes in human life and society that may occur as technology intervenes in human life.

Next, on August 13 and 14, the Lego (human and technology) lectures will feature Unha Kim from the Body Culture Research Institute, who will talk about philosophical issues on “Post-Human,” which redefines the human body beyond conventional thinking.

On August 27 and 28, the Pixel (human and nature) lectures will be given by Sanha Kim and Sunyoung An from the Biodiversity Foundation, discussing the meaning of ecological sensitivity and how humans and nature can coexist.

Finally, on September 10 and 11, the Link (sharing and solidarity) lectures will feature Cheonho Jo, the founding director of the National Institute of Meteorological Sciences, who will speak about global solidarity to prevent the climate crisis.

Along with seven intensive lectures, the exploration program will seek activities for a sustainable Earth by visiting local sites such as Mangwon Market’s No Plastic Market and small shops, Seoul Energy Dream Center, and Nanji Stream to explore eco-friendly practices.

In particular, the “Seogang 50-Day Practice Project ‘Does This Really Make a Difference?’” challenges participants to practice “Zero Waste” to become dignified earthlings. This project involves practicing zero waste at least once a week, taking photos, and uploading them to a band group, with a follow-up meeting scheduled on September 12 to share experiences.

Zero Waste refers to a global movement aimed at reducing waste by minimizing packaging or using recyclable materials.

Each lecture has a capacity of 15 participants and can be attended online (at home) or offline (at Seogang Library).

Applications can be made from July 30 through the Mapo-gu Public Seogang Library website. For further inquiries, contact the Seogang Library Cultural Contents Team.

Yudonggyun, Mayor of Mapo-gu, said, “There is an opinion that COVID-19 also originated from the Earth’s environmental crisis,” and added, “We hope residents show great interest and participation in the humanistic reflection on Earth, humans, and technology.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.