English

This course introduces the storyboard as a thinking tool, through which creative ideas are developed and given detail. Students learn to employ artistic tools like framing, camera movement, character movement and key visuals within the larger structure of the entire narrative. Topics include the role of the storyboard within the animation pipeline and its relevance to concept development, script development, animatics and production design. The course focuses on the aspects of animation production design that support the dramatic impact of the story. Further insight will be gained into the connection between visual development and storyboard through exercises and assignments on character design, environment and prop design.

Cryptology—the modern discipline that combines construction and evaluation of cryptographic mechanisms—is a highly interdisciplinary field, deeply rooted in mathematics, but with branches in electronic engineering, computer science, and software and systems engineering. The course introduces fundamental aspects of cryptology from a modern perspective, focusing on design and security aspects of cryptographic schemes used for secure two-party communication, and of their underlying primitives.

This course examines the role of the media in shaping the global and local societies, as well as the ways in which growing access to information fosters knowledge sharing and citizen participation in public affairs and creates social problems such as privacy infringement, misinformation, and polarization. It explores if the global media really changes the power structure of information flow, production, and dissemination or actually reinforces the imbalance. It questions whether media technologies amount to an individual’s emancipation or serve as another form of exploitation. It explores the role of the media in Hong Kong, China, and the rest of the world and how in a multipolar cultural world, how citizens contribute to the conversation on local and global issues. The course reflects on critical social values such as the freedom of expression, information, privacy, transparency, and investigate the impact of the social media, artificial intelligence and blockchain technology.

This course gives students an overview of how financial markets and institutions work. The content includes introduction to the financial system, financial claims, financial intermediaries, banking, financial markets, equity market, bond market, investment, hedge fund, and private equity, and sustainability in finance. Students learn how to explain the roles, structure, and mechanism of the financial system, financial institutions, and financial markets. Students also learn how to explain the key concepts such as financial claims, financial intermediation, and financial markets. They gain a good understanding of the relevant theories on financial markets and institutions, and explain phenomena such as adverse selection and moral hazard. 

Students learn about the organization of the human genome, and how it affects the expression, preservation, and transmission of genetic traits. Students discover how modern genetic approaches, including whole genome sequencing, underpin advances in our understanding of gene function and human disease. Students also explore how current techniques drive genetic research and allow the characterization of genes, as well as their potential role in determining health outcomes. This includes an overview of basic bioinformatic methods, to navigate the public data resources that harbor genomic and functional data, an essential tool in the molecular and health sciences.

This course offers an introduction to conceptual and philosophical issues raised in modern economics. By employing core theories and discussions from the philosophy of science, political philosophy, and ethics, students ask questions about the nature, scientific status, and implicit value assumptions in economics. For example: What is science and rigor, and how does it relate to economics? Can there be laws of economics? What is utility, and how does it relate to well-being? What is the role of models in economics? What are the normative assumptions implicit in economic research? How are ethical issues related to economics, and can economists incorporate value judgements? Can economics be associated with wider social justice?

In this upper division course, students acquire skills and techniques to be effective as a film and media producer. The course covers creative producer's responsibilities, including working in various genres and formats, working with talent, creating a joint vision, pitching, managing a budget and shooting schedule, and developing a marketing and release strategy. This course is only open to third year students and above. 

The course introduces various types of chemical contaminants and their adverse effects on animals, humans and ecosystems, and environmental management strategies. It provides an overview of ecotoxicology principles, sources, chemical nature, fate of contaminants, and their interaction and impacts with the ecosystem, and the living organisms in the environment. It also relates ecotoxicology to risk assessment including assessment, monitoring, management and protection of the environment from toxicants. Students gain insights into the impacts of pollutants on aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. They delve into sustainable environmental management strategies, including pollution prevention, remediation, and ecological risk assessments.

This course teaches the basic building blocks of radio and podcasting. Students learn how to use recording and editing equipment as well as creative approaches to interviewing and sound design. Though primarily practical, there is an emphasis on learning techniques for telling audio stories through listening and discussion of works produced by audio producers both here in the UK and around the world. Students are expected to pitch, record, and edit a seven-minute documentary. 

This course explores the drivers of global change, both natural (e.g. Milankovitch cycles, tectonic drift) and anthropogenic (e.g. greenhouse gas emissions, pollution, land-use change) and then examines how these drivers influence (and are influenced by) terrestrial and marine biological systems. A variety of topics, ranging from organismal and physiological responses to global change, biodiversity, global biogeochemical cycles, ecological function and ecosystem services are covered. While the majority of the class is focused on contemporary global change, this is contextualized relative to palaeohistorical environmental change. The course provides an integrated knowledge of contemporary environmental issues related to global change (e.g. carbon sequestration, climate change mitigation, land-use change) and its implications for biodiversity, ecosystem services and human wellbeing).  DP requirements: Completion of at least 70% of deliverables (tests, practicals, project report), including at least one class test and the project report; attendance of practicals; minimum of 40% for the class record. Assessment: A 3-hour examination written in June, with a sub-minimum of 40%, will count for 50% of the course. Coursework marks will be allocated as follows: Practical classes (assessed weekly) count 15%; research project counts 20%; class tests count 15%. Course entry requirements: BIO1000F/H, BIO1004F/S; approved 2000-level semester Science course.