Chinese University of Hong Kong

“Behold, I teach you the superman: He is this lightning, he is this madness!” thus spoke Friedrich Nietzsche. This course defines superheroes as the contemporary incarnation of Nietzsche’s Übermensch that calls for self-becoming and self overcoming. It traces the development of this enduring pop culture artifact, from immortal bodies of classical heroes to fantasies of the perfectible human through technoscience. With reference to cross-cultural expressions of the genre, the course dissects the concept of superheroes: What are they? Where do they come from? How can they help us change the way we think about ourselves, our environment, and the multiverse of possibilities that surrounds us? It discusses how the origins and evolution of these characters are shaped by sociohistorical factors, such as gender and sexuality, race, and society. Topics covered include good and evil, power and identity, and justice and responsibility. Students design their own superheroes and develop new ways of reading superheroes as modern myths about fears, longings, and aspirations.

This course examines the rich tradition of critical film theory and provides students with an understanding of its main concerns and debates, concerning “minority” identities and subalternity. Addressing key discussions about media representations of “minority”, the course looks at the politics of representation and its impacts, both on- and off-screen. It looks at how media works to construct “the Other” in different contexts and delve into important work which have inspired minority cinema, subaltern cinema, avant-garde cinema, local cinema, and independent cinema among other counter-movements, as well as recent re-conceptualizations and exploration of representations marginalized identities, positions, and experiences, local and abroad. Special focus is placed on important works in Hong Kong and Asia for critical examination and comparative studies. Through critical exercise and reflection on notions such as power, diversity, equality, and freedom, the course aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015 by engaging directly with the SDGs 5 (Gender Equality) and 10 (Reduced Inequalities). Same course as UGEC3215.

This course examines concepts and principles of database management systems. Topics covered include basic concepts, system structures, data models, database languages (SQL), relational database normalization, file systems, indexing, query processing, concurrency control, and recovery schemes.

This course provides an understanding of the theory and processes of negotiation in a variety of settings. This course develops negotiation skills by addressing a variety of negotiation topics experientially by 1) preparing for and simulating a range of negotiation situations and 2) analyzing students’ negotiation outcomes and strategies. The course integrates students’ experiences with negotiation theory in a weekly debrief. Readings complement the classroom experience and reinforce key messages from the experiences.

This course provides hands-on experience in various aspects of biomedical engineering, including introduction to basic electronics, chemistry, molecular biology, microbiology, electrophysiology laboratory techniques. Students gain exposure to biological and chemical safety and other general safety issues. Students also receive training on laboratory skills, design of experiments, interpretation of data and technical writing. This course concludes with a student-driven design project.