Hong Kong

This course looks at the rise of China from the perspective of global governance and specifically sheds light on its diplomatic, trade and cultural relations with others in the global community. It provides a critical analysis on the transformation of Chinese foreign policies since the establishment of the People's Republic of China and the momentum behind this change of practices. This course covers such topics as the history and evolution of Chinese foreign policies; the analytical framework of policy-making process in China, particularly in handling foreign and security affairs; China's foreign relations with both the developed and developing nations; Chin's booming economy and integration with the global economy; and assessment on the rhetoric of Peaceful Rise and Charm Offensive with reference to the Confucius Institute.

This course introduces the origins, characteristics, achievements and development of Chinese literature from Pre-Qin to the Tang dynasty. Students gain a more comprehensive understanding of the history of Chinese literature.

This course examines the various theories related to community building and the development of civil society. It also highlights the development of civil society organizations (CSOs) in Hong Kong and internationally, and their growing importance both in the international and local scene. Relevant public issues including legislation, international humanitarian relief, international public health, global ageing, political reform, social welfare, urban development, new development areas planning, racial equality, that are relevant and important to community building are examined. The role played by the CSOs in various public policies in Hong Kong is also discussed.

This is an advanced Putongua course designed to familiarize students with news media, including newspapers, journal articles, TV programs, and news broadcasts. Assessment: participation (20%), assignments (10%), quizzes (20%), oral presentation (20%), final exam (30%).

This course in microeconomics examines markets based on decisions made by individual actors in an economy such as consumers, firms, and government, facing scarcity of resources. This course covers key concepts in microeconomics and basic tools to understand an allocation mechanism of markets. Topics: theory of the firm in a free enterprise system; theory of consumer demand; market structures and resource allocation; and selected topics on government regulation.

This course gives an overview on the relationships between human health, environment, and sustainable development. Topics include the development and objectives of environmental impact and risk assessment; impacts of environmental quality (including air, water, wastes, ecology) and health risks; assessment and mitigation, public participation; sustainable development. Case studies and guest lectures are included.

This course surveys the international scholarship on the history of China from the early twentieth century through the present as it transformed around the major academic centers in North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia. We explore how these new paradigms have transformed China Studies and brought the field into productive engagements with broader intellectual currents and debates. The course examines several prominent narratives that drive debates on China's place in the world. By employing these thematic topics as useful lenses and analytical tools, this course delves into the complex processes of cultural, social, and political change over the modern century and their implications in the contemporary era. It aims to equip students with critical thinking abilities and analytical skills to reflect on current socio-political and cultural issues as the topics under examination recur in contemporary China in a global context.

This course presents the history of Western thought in relations to the visual arts from Plato to the most contemporary thinkers, such as Jacques Derrida and Jean-Francois Lyotard. Topics include antiquity and humanism, enlightenment, modernity, phenomenology and formalism, psychoanalysis, structuralism and poststructuralism, and Frankfurt school and postmodern theory. The works of the most important thinkers are presented using texts and visual documentation. Thinkers include Plato, Aristotle, Hume, Diderot, Kant, Goethe, Goya, Schiller, Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Freud, Cezanne, Kandinsky, Barthes, and Adorno, among others.