Hong Kong

This course examines the central concerns of Plato’s philosophy. It focuses on Plato’s early and middle dialogues in which the enigmatic character of Socrates is central. It addresses Plato’s teachings on the role of philosophy in the life of the individual, the relation between knowledge and virtue, and his contribution to questions about the nature of love and desire. 

This course examines how the Silk Roads linked and transformed regions and societies through trade, diplomacy, religion, and conquest. It explores how societies interacted across vast distances; the emergence and interaction of the religious traditions of Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, Islam, and Christianity; the journeys of people, objects, and ideas; and the roles of nomadic conquest and imperialist competition. 

This course examines traditional Chinese history. It will give a brief account of the rise and fall of Chinese dynasties and the political crises that are cataclysmic to the empires. It covers the period from ancient to late Imperial China. The main theme will focus on the characteristic portrayals of Chinese emperors as well as the political influences of eunuchs, empresses, and their family members, etc.

This course examines health psychology and the role of health psychologists in clinical and research settings. It examines biological, psychological, and social factors in the conceptions of health and health related attitudes, beliefs and behaviors. Topics include health promotion, behavioral health and illness prevention, substance abuse, stress and coping, management of chronic and terminal illness, pain management, and health services. 

This course examines health psychology. Topics covered include health behaviors, coping with health-related stress, social support and health, psychoimmunology, management of chronic illnesses, and patient-practitioner interaction. 

This course examines the role of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) studies in the environmental decision-making process and as a means for better environmental management. The major components, processes and attributes to EIA systems will be discussed. It will also introduce different methodologies in planning and managing of an EIA study. Applications of EIA system in the local context will be discussed in detail and illustrated by real-life examples mainly from Hong Kong. 

This course examines sociological concepts and debates related to these family/marriage issues, focusing on the patterns, causes, and potential consequences of the changing family behaviors and values. While this scholarly exploration will take a global perspective, a particular attention will be given to (1) East Asian societies and (2) cross-cultural differences between East Asian societies and Western postindustrial societies. 

This course examines financial application, business use cases of infrastructure and applications of distributed ledger technology; various forms of digital assets including stablecoins, security token, cryptocurrencies and smart contracts technology and applications will be discussed. It covers how regulated TradFi participants in blockchain and crypto native operate respectively in brokerage, asset management, venture capital investment, structured products and exchange operations. 

This is a knowledge-based course introducing the Chinese language and culture. Contents include theories and applications concerning the Chinese language and culture; theories, practices, and situations of teaching and learning Chinese as a second language (including Putonghua and Cantonese learning); the importance of culture in Chinese as a second language; and the language policies and its use in Hong Kong and in Mainland China.

This course adopts multi-disciplinary perspectives to examine significant and complex issues of China in the past and present. With a general survey of China, this course discusses China’s historical development, revolutionary past, cultural traditions, formal political structure, the market-oriented economic reform, and geographic, demographic and linguistic diversity, as well as contemporary issues of environment, resistance and mass media. Central themes throughout the course include China’s cultural identity, ethnicity, state-society relations, continuities and changes in China’s socio-political values, and China’s role in the global order. The purpose of this course is to provide students with a base of knowledge of China’s historical and contemporary experiences and contexts.