English

This course introduces various population theories, concepts and facts to develop a critical understanding of the inter-relatedness of the demographic, social, cultural, economic and political issues between Hong Kong and Mainland China and its sustainable development.

This course introduces the history, evolution, and contemporary practices of clinical psychology. Students use the scientist practitioner model to study underlying theoretical frameworks and the skills and practices of clinical psychologists. Ethical and professional issues covered include classification and diagnosis, clinical research, assessment, case formulation and treatment planning, interventions, and prevention. The materials are discussed in the context of typical work settings of clinical psychologists (e.g. mental health, forensic or neuropsychological) and across varied client populations (e.g. children, adults, couples). The course requires students to take prerequisites.

This course teaches liberal arts students to understand the basic notions of probability theory and statistics, and to be able to comprehend the meaning of an elementary statistical analysis. While some mathematics is unavoidable to handle probabilities and statistics, the course focuses on comprehending simple analyses concerning randomness, subjective and objective probabilities, parameter estimation, confidence. After a short introduction of elementary probability theory, the most important discrete and continuous distributions, the law of large numbers and the central limit theorem, it discusses the basics of statistics, parameter estimation, confidence, and Bayesian statistics.

This course explores conceptual, theoretical, and accumulated knowledge of international security and conflict studies. It focuses on:

• The rise of emerging powers: How do emerging powers  change the international security order?
• Asymmetrical threats: terrorism and insurgency activities;
• Proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and conventional weapons; and,
• Emerging importance of new domains (space and cyberspace).  

This course is mainly divided into two phases.  The first phase deals with contemporary nature of intra- and international conflicts; observing conceptual and empirical aspects of today’s conflict and discussing case studies in Asia, Middle East, and Africa as regions; and terrorism, proliferation of weapons, and ethnic and religious tensions as issue areas.  The second phase deals with security policy and strategy, investigating phase-dynamics approach (peacetime management, crisis management, deterrence, intervention, post-conflict operations) to security policy, specific sets of policy in each phase, then to evaluating the actual cases.

This course introduces students to the principles of environmental pollution. Students explore the major types of pollution in air, water, and on land. Students think about the impacts and issues posed by environmental pollution. Finally students reflect on the strategies used to prevent and control environmental pollution.

This course discusses the biological principles that have led to a new understanding of the causes of aging and how these basic principles help one to understand the human experience of biological aging, longevity, and age-related disease. 
The class studies how the rate of biological aging is measured; explores the mechanisms underlying cellular aging; discusses the genetic pathways that affect longevity in various organisms; outlines the normal age-related changes and the functional decline that occurs in physiological systems over one's lifespan, and considers the implications of modulating the rate of aging and longevity.

This course offers a practical introduction to the study of human flourishing and well-being. Drawing on principles from positive psychology, including the PERMA model, the course explores positive emotions, engagement and flow, relationships, meaning, and achievement. Emphasis is placed on applying research findings through an individual well-being project that supports personal development and thriving.

In this course, we will explore a variety of subjects ranging from

ancient cultural treasures such as the painted pottery, the bronze, the tradition of rites and music, to enduring artworks of painting, poetry, garden, etc. This course attempts to present these subjects in such a way that allows students to achieve a basic view of the interrelatedness among Chinese culture, Chinese arts, and Chinese people’s contentment with a harmonious life.

This course provides a detailed, vivid introduction to the origin and main unique features of Chinese traditional culture with a focus on its distinctive artistic charms. It also presents an overview of the spirit and core values of Chinese culture from a philosophical perspective with an attempt to exemplify the inner mind, cultural character, the life views and aesthetic interests of the Chinese people. The overall aim of the course is to promote a broader and deeper understanding of the charms of Chinese arts and Chinese culture, which are often characterized as “suggestive but not articulate.” Though focusing on Chinese traditional culture, this course is also of important relevance to students today both in China and abroad since the profound world of meaning imbedded in Chinese ancient culture and arts still holds an essential key to a better understanding of the essence of contemporary Chinese culture. 

This practical application course covers the basics of conducting research in psychology and how to conduct a study on cultural psychology topics. As a unique combination of two different courses, Research Methods and Independent Study in any APA (American Psychological Association) accredited universities, this course encourages students to take advantage of their immersive cultural experience in Korea. 

Students should be prepared to bring their own phenomenon of interest to class: observations of certain individual behaviors, social systems, and cultural norms that intrigue you are the starting point. We will develop a researchable question from the phenomenon, design a study to answer the research question, collect data to test your hypothesis, and write up the entire process as a research paper. Potential opportunities to present your work for a larger audience can be provided.  

Topics include Science for descriptive and applied methods and their design, Theories and hypothesis testing in descriptive and applied research, Research question development, Ethical issues, Observational research, Measurement and measurement construction, Survey research, Single-case and small-n research, Data entry and analysis, Writing in psychology, Implications. 

Prerequisite: An Introductory or General Psychology course is required.