University of Hong Kong

This course provides an overview of the Science of Emotion with a focus on the behavioral and neurobiological processes underlying emotional experience and regulation. The course discusses how dysregulations in these processes relate to common mental disorders. In addition, the course introduces the experimental approaches and brain imaging techniques used to study emotions and provides an overview on recent progress and challenges. The course combines theoretical lectures, interactive discussions, and application in student-centered educational approaches that emphasize active learning to facilitate a deep understanding of the topic. Prerequisites: PSYC2022 or PSYC2101.

This course is an introduction to the interdisciplinary field of quantum information and computation. It covers the basic rules of quantum theory and the counterintuitive notions of quantum superposition and entanglement. In particular, it shows how quantum systems could be used to detect an object without directly interacting with it (Elitzur-Vaidman bomb tester), to increase the amount of bits that can be sent through a transmission line (dense coding), and to increase the chance to win certain games (CHSH game and GHZ game). It provides an overview of quantum computation and of major quantum algorithms such as Grover's search algorithm and Shor's factoring algorithm for prime factorization. Finally, the course introduces the upgraded framework of quantum theory, and uses it to explore applications to quantum error correction, quantum state discrimination, quantum cryptography, and quantum teleportation. Pre-requisite(s): MATH1013 or MATH1853 or MATH2014 or MATH2101.

This course serves as the first transgender focused gender studies course in the Gender Studies Program. The course introduces and discusses the concepts and theories of transness, transgender and otherness using some of the Western literature while incorporating and focusing on the Asian perspectives with Thailand, Hong Kong and the Philippines as focus. This course covers narratives and history of transness and otherness in 3 Asian contexts: Hong Kong, Thailand and the Philippines. The course looks into the evolution of gender identities, roles and expressions and sexualities in these societies and weave the intersections in these narratives. It covers current situations of trans, non-binary and "other" people in these societies and how their transness and otherness impede them from being fully integrated in their societies. It considers ways colonization (Hong Kong, Philippines) and non-colonization (Thailand) affect their transness and collectiveness. Finally, the course invites social justice allies to help map action plans to help improve their states in their respective societies. Prerequisite: GEND1001.

This course introduces Performance Studies and Transnational Feminist concepts to examine how women and non-conforming bodies are marked in films and what they reveal about power structures and societal attitudes. It  unpacks how the body performs gender, sexuality, and race by considering the role film plays in producing both authentic lives and stereotypes. It addresses whose bodies are seen and how they are framed. It critically questions what it means to perform and interrogate who the real performers are in the framing of marginalized individuals on screen in the last half a century. By applying the body as a site of knowledge, students explore a broad range of narrative and documentary films from Asia and across the globe to develop a deeper and more layered lens around the power and politics of production. This course provides an intersectional and interdisciplinary approach that embraces multiple viewpoints while recognizing entangled spaces that complicate the narrative. There are robust in-class discussion to develop powerful communication skills while encouraging creative modes of engagement that expand beyond scholarly text. Prerequisite: GEND1001.

This course examines the role of the media in shaping the global and local societies, as well as the ways in which growing access to information fosters knowledge sharing and citizen participation in public affairs and creates social problems such as privacy infringement, misinformation, and polarization. It explores if the global media really changes the power structure of information flow, production, and dissemination or actually reinforces the imbalance. It questions whether media technologies amount to an individual’s emancipation or serve as another form of exploitation. It explores the role of the media in Hong Kong, China, and the rest of the world and how in a multipolar cultural world, how citizens contribute to the conversation on local and global issues. The course reflects on critical social values such as the freedom of expression, information, privacy, transparency, and investigate the impact of the social media, artificial intelligence and blockchain technology.

This survey course addresses fundamental questions in the history of political philosophy. Questions about government, justice, property and rights are addressed through the work of a range of historical and contemporary thinkers. Philosophers to be studied may include Aristotle, Hobbes, Marx, Rawls, and others. 

This course examines the multidisciplinary nature of the study of food and nutrition. The course covers a basic understanding of food production, processing and storage from the farmer's field to the dinner table. Topics include food safety, food selection behavior as well as balanced nutrition as part of life style instrumental to good health. Basic macro- and micronutrients from these food and its absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion allow students to understand the function of these nutrients in the human body. The course also includes food composition and functional properties of major nutrients, food additives, food hygiene, safety and regulation, food security, healthy eating-concepts and practice, essential nutrients, diet and disease relationship.

This course covers healthcare delivery systems, healthcare technology-human integration, human factors in healthcare, crew resource management, quality of care, economic analysis in healthcare, healthcare logistics, healthcare system test and evaluation, and analysis and design for patient safety.

This course offers an in-depth exploration of the multifaceted world of Chinese tea, encompassing its rich history, culture, art, science, philosophy, and economics over 4,000 years. Students investigate the entire process of tea production, from cultivation to brewing and tasting, gaining insight into how it embodies tea art, ceremony, and Chinese philosophy. The course examines the global impact and influence of Chinese tea culture. Key topics include the historical significance of tea, its botanical and chemical properties, health benefits, cultural practices, and economic implications will be explored. This course highlights the critical economic role of tea, with China being the largest producer and exporter, while also incorporating a comparative view to other drinks to highlight the similarities and differences with tea, both in China and globally. Through a combination of lectures, tutorials, field trips, and hands-on workshops, students experience traditional Chinese tea ceremonies and the underlying philosophy, enriching their understanding of Chinese tea from various perspectives.

This course follows a historical and comparative perspective to help understand the global human activity of religion. It addresses questions such as: What sort of a thing is religion? What patterns are common to all religions? What interpretive tools are most appropriate to explore this subject matter? The course takes individual religions as distinctive “religious worlds". The course explores these religious worlds through their common structures and cultural expressions such as myths, rituals, sacred space, pilgrimage, holy beings and holy communities, and their variations. It explores and appreciates the role of religion as a historical and contemporary force that has shaped our societies and institutions across geographies and histories.