Preview: The University of Hong Kong

HKU’s Shield of Arms

The Academic Minute is proud to welcome a new institution into our family of contributors. We are very pleased to be featuring some great faculty members from The University of Hong Kong.

Located in Pokfulam, Hong Kong, HKU was founded over a century ago in 1911. The 10 academic departments of this public research institution boast an staff of over 6,000 faculty members and a student body of more than 27,000.

In the near future, we’ll be showcasing the research of Dr. Paul Smethurst and Dr. Douglas Kerr.

Douglas Kerr will be discussing Sherlock Holmes in the context of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle‘s full body of work and life outside literature.

Paul Smethurst will take a deep look at the cultural history of the bicycle.

Douglas Kerr

Dr. Douglas Kerr

Douglas Kerr was born in Scotland and educated in England. He has taught at the University of Hong Kong for more than thirty years. He is a literary historian whose most recent book, Conan Doyle: Writing, Profession, and Practice is published by Oxford University Press.

Paul Smethurst

Dr. Paul Smethurst

Paul Smethurst is associate professor in the School of English at the University of Hong Kong, where he teaches travel writing, geocriticism and the contemporary novel. His publications include The Postmodern Chronotope (2000), Travel Writing and the Natural World (2013) and The Bicycle in History (forthcoming 2014). He is currently editing a new collection of essays on travel writing (New Directions in Travel Writing Studies, forthcoming 2015). In a previous career he developed digital mapping and geographical information systems.