精选一批有特色的选修课、专题课与有影响的演讲，以课堂录音为底本，整理成书时秉持实录精神，不避口语色彩，保留即兴发挥成分，力求原汁原味的现场氛围。希望借此促进校园与社会的互动，让课堂走出大学围墙，使普通读者也能感知并进而关注当代校园知识、思想与学术的进展动态和前沿问题。

This series covers a great array of college courses and speeches, selected for their intellectual distinction and scholarly excellence. The lectures were transcribed from classroom recordings and retain their stylistic character as they were originally delivered. Our hope is to open the college classroom to the outside world and add a new dimension to the interaction between university and society. The point is not only for the common reader to get in touch with the cutting-edge ideas on campuses, but also for the academia's search for knowledge to become more meaningful by engaging people from the “real world”.

本书由北京市科学技术委员会科普专项经费资助