Hong Kong

Introduction to the molecular understanding of brain function, building upon the basis of biochemistry and biology. Four specific themes are covered: (i) structural neurochemistry and neural membranes; (ii) synapses, transmitters and receptors; (iii) cellular and (iv) medical and behavioral neurochemistry.

This course introduces basic spoken and written German, oral practice for everyday situations, grammatical structures, and German society and culture. No prior knowledge is required. Students learn simple vocabulary for daily situations in German such as greetings, exchanging basic personal information, describing projects, ordering food in a restaurant, and speaking about daily activities.

This course presents basic and advanced theoretical concepts in entrepreneurship and small business studies. The course examines problems faced by small firms and basic skills needed for developing new business, including entrepreneurial strategies, legal and financial considerations and effective new venture management. Topics: analyzing, crafting and presenting a professional business plan; different types of entrepreneurship (social, family business, corporate). The course includes series of guest lectures from experts from the field.

This is a hands-on course for learning how to “see” and analyze visual sources as historians do. The course works with a variety of historical sources such as photos, comics, maps, and movies; considers theories about visuality, reads successful examples of visual history, learns methods for engaging with visual material (including how to apply lenses of gender, race/ethnicity, and class), and analyzes visual sources that students themselves select. By the end of the course, students will be able to see the world anew. Students learn the theory and methods for analyzing visual sources for work in history; develop “lenses” on gender/sexuality, race, class, and colonialism; and gain exposure to a more general skill of information literacy.

This course provides an introduction to the fast evolving field of human computer interaction (HCI). HCI is a multidisciplinary subject concerning the design, implementation and evaluation of interactive computing systems for human use, and the study of major phenomena surrounding them. The course provides a broad overview of the field, including the theory and principles underlying good designs, with an emphasis on the interface design process, development and evaluation. Some state-of-the-art technologies in HCI, such as speech recognition, haptics, virtual reality, software agents and computer supported cooperative work are discussed.

This course provide basic knowledge of social welfare administration. Basic management theories, principles and methods in administration, service planning, administrative structure and operation, personnel and financial management, and evaluation of social welfare agencies are discussed.

This course examines the complex social, economic, and political forces that have shaped American immigration over the past 400 years, with a particular emphasis on the immigrant experience since 1870. The course explores how immigrants and their descendants have shaped, and been shaped by, American political and economic conditions and have contributed to evolving notions of democratic citizenship and American national identity. Topics include patterns of adjustment (and resistance) to American capitalist and democratic culture; debates over immigration policy and immigration restriction; the racialization of immigrants and the overall impact of race, gender, and ethnicity on the immigrant experience; the role of immigrants in labor organizations and radical politics; tensions around marriage, the family, and children; intergenerational conflict within immigrant families; the contemporary “crisis” around immigration and border security; and the immigrant experience as expressed in popular culture. In the second half of the course literary works by immigrant authors from a variety of backgrounds are analyzed.

Family is recognized as the smallest unit of society providing individuals with financial and emotional support, and marriage as the means to make the unit. How the gender politics plays in the unit is a core interest to family studies. Along with industrialization and globalization, the formation of family has become diversified across cultures and generations. This phenomenon has attracted the public's attention and how it impacts our everyday life is worthy of more study. This course examines the social institution through introducing basic issues such as kinship system, different forms of marriage and family, gendered division of labor in the household, parenthood, family violence, and the impact of new technology on our understanding of family. In addition to introducing basic knowledge of family studies, this course singles out some controversial issues for discussion and provides interdisciplinary and cross-cultural perspectives to stimulate critical thinking. For example, we ask why and how the formation of marriage and family is socioculturally variable and seek to de-essentialize given concepts like motherhood and kinship. Throughout the semester, we utilize many empirical studies in different regions to illustrate our reconceptualization of family in today's highly globalized world.

The course focuses on challenges of managing service brands and delivering quality service to customers across industry sectors. Theattraction, retention, and building of strong customer relationships through quality service (and services) are all at the heart of the course content. The course is equally applicable to organizations whose core product is service (e.g., banks, transportation companies, hotels, hospitals, educational institutions, professional services, telecommunication, etc.) and to organizations that depend on services for competitive advantage (e.g., high technology manufacturers, automotive, industrial products, etc.).