Hong Kong

This course introduces the fundamental themes of intercultural communication by drawing on current language and intercultural communication theory, research, and practice, to better understand communication between culturally diverse individuals. Through experiential projects and personal reflections, students explore what it means to be an interculturally competent communicator or mediator and the competencies necessary for interacting more appropriately and effectively in intercultural encounters. By engaging with readings, project and reflections, students are encouraged to become more actively engaged with intercultural interactions and to foster an ethno-relative mindset with greater curiosity and open-mindedness. Topics include conceptions of culture and multiculturalism, the relationship between language, communication, power and context, language and cultural socialization, identity and belonging, ‘othering’, prejudice and stereotypes, facework and conflict management, intercultural transition, intercultural relationship-building, social justice and global citizenship.

This course provides an overview of the various forms of popular culture in East Asia. It focuses on the question of how the rise of East Asian popular culture reflects the desire for "modernity" and "modernization" in each East Asian country and affects the interactions among them. The course explores numerous popular cultural forms such as music, film, TV drama, manga/anime, novels, entertainment, food, fashion and design in Japan, Korea, China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. The course also examines the increasing global fascination of or craze for East Asian popular culture and how such East Asian "soft power" has inspired and transformed the global aesthetics and popular imagination or understanding of East Asia. 

This course introduces key concepts and theories in organizational behavior (OB), examining human behavior and behavioral issues in organizations from both individual and organizational perspectives. Topics include perception and decision-making, motivation, team dynamics, leadership, power and influence, and organizational culture. Through application of OB theories, the course develops the ability to critically and creatively analyze management issues at the individual, team, and organizational levels, evaluate risks and benefits of alternative solutions, and apply concepts to real-world business problems. Emphasis is placed on clear and professional communication, effective functioning in multicultural organizational settings, and reflection on personal strengths and areas for development within organizational contexts.

This course helps students enhance their communication skills through practical scenarios focused on job-seeking and early-career business communication. Students learn how to communicate effectively to accomplish written and oral tasks in the workplace and be able to develop a useful business communication toolkit targeted at external and internal audiences. The course is designed and structured to address students’ learning needs in job-seeking and in their early careers. The course introduces students to strategies for handling the communication challenges which fresh graduates can expect in diverse work environments. They will have opportunities to learn and practice how to succeed in business writing, presentations, interviews, meetings, and collaborative assignments with the essential interpersonal communication skills such as active listening, cogent argumentation, and clear expression in writing and speaking. 

Health psychology is the scientific study of how biological, psychological, and social factors affect health promotion as well as the prevention and treatment of illness. The course looks at how people stay healthy, why they become ill, and how they cope and recover when they are ill. This course introduces students to the theoretical models, research methodology, empirical findings, and current issues in health psychology.

This course covers the derivation and analysis of fundamental partial differential equations, including Laplace’s equation, the wave equation, and the diffusion equation. Emphasis is placed on analytical solution techniques such as separation of variables, Fourier series and integrals, and the method of characteristics. Additional topics include maximum principles and the use of Green’s functions for solving boundary value problems.

This course develops students' appreciation of various types of electronic music via an open, creative environment for its composition. It explores the nature of sound and approaches to its organization, listening deeply to music and the world around us, and covers theory and practice in digital audio signal processing. The course works with 'concrete sound' and thus no prior experience in music notation or composition is required. The course culminates in an open concert-presentation of final works that students develop over the semester.

This course provides an introduction to the biological approach to psychology. Comparative studies on non-human animals and the issue of genetic inheritance of behavior will be discussed. Emphasis will be placed on key principles of human nervous system function and how they are reflected in human thoughts and behavior. Key topics covered include the organization of the brain, the visual system, how learning and memory occur in the brain, and the cognitive and behavioral consequences of brain injury and disease.

This course is designed to equip students with a comprehensive understanding of fundamental ecology principles, their practical applications, and how the concepts relate to the real world with examples from published scientific studies. Ecology is introduced at its different levels of organization, including organism-environment (biotic-abiotic) interactions, adaptations of plants and animals, the characteristics of populations as a basic biological unit in an ecosystem, intra and inter-specific interactions, community ecology, and ecosystem ecology. Students develop critical thinking and analytical skills by interpreting ecological data and applying theoretical knowledge to real-life scenarios. By the end of the course, students have a solid foundation in ecological principles, preparing them for further study or careers in conservation, environmental science, scientific research, and related fields.

This online course is designed for students beginning their journey in Japanese, with a focus on building a solid and comprehensive foundation in vocabulary and grammar structures. Students explore the fundamentals of the Japanese writing and sound system while deepening their understanding of beginner-level grammar and vocabulary. The flexible format allows students to progress at their own pace through engaging video lectures, interactive chatbot exercises, online quizzes, and a final in-person exam. Students gain a strong grasp of Japanese sentence structures and essential grammar rules but also develop a robust vocabulary that enables them to construct simple sentences, understand basic texts, and engage in elementary-level communication with confidence. Students are encouraged to also enroll in the 2-credit LANG 1211: Communicative Japanese for Beginners I to reinforce their learning through face-to-face conversational practice and real-life scenarios. Graded P or F.