| ：
Dear Alumni:
My name is John Basourakos and I was born and raised in Montreal, Quebec Canada. I grew up in a multi-cultural, ethnically diverse neighborhood near McGill University, where I was to eventually graduate from with my first two degrees, as well as to teach as a sessional lecturer. I distinctly remember playing street hockey and “hide-and-go-seek” after school and during the summer holidays with children whose parents, like my own, had immigrated to Canada from countries as far away as China, Italy, Greece, Israel, and Korea. Growing up in such a milieu of cultural and ethnic diversity laid the seeds for what gradually became a life orientation of openness and of receptivity to learning about different values, customs and beliefs from different peoples. In addition, from an early age my parents instilled in me the importance of becoming self-sufficient and independent, and to value education as a means for social advancement and intellectual progress. Thinking back to my childhood now, I have come to realize that during my formative years, I was being “educated” with those life values and ideals that would enable me to travel and to teach in a variety of cultural contexts where I would have to learn to adapt and to grow as a teacher and as a human being.
I received a Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Humanities from Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec Canada, and an M.A. in Educational Theory from McGill University in Canada. In addition to teaching graduate and undergraduate courses in theatre history, cultural studies, literary theory, and comparative literature in different countries, I have taught courses in academic writing and research techniques. This is my second academic post in Taiwan, for I taught at Providence University in Taichung fifteen years ago. After I left Taiwan, I worked for Beykent University and Fatih University in Istanbul, Turkey, and then for Tan Tao University and Hoa Sen University in Saigon, Vietnam. My research interests include how contemporary American and British plays problematize gender issues, and how theatre can be used in the classroom to generate critical reflection, discussion and debate of such issues.
So far, I have been quite impressed with the students’ overall level of English who are currently majoring in the English department at Fu Jen Catholic University. Needless to say, most of the credit is due to the quality of teaching and care that they have received, and continue to receive, by their professors in the department. In addition, I am usually quite pleased by the level of intellectual maturity that is often reflected in the penetrating comments, questions, and observations that are shared during class discussions. I am thankful for this opportunity to work for a department that not only continues to value and to promote the study of the humanities, but that is also dedicated to cultivating strong communication skills, as well as instilling a love and an appreciation for the performing arts. |
