Asian Studies

This course offers an interdisciplinary exploration of visual culture, bridging visual studies, communication, media, and cultural studies to understand how images and the act of looking carry meaning across everyday life. The curriculum covers a wide range of topics, including the power and politics of images, the role of viewers in making meaning, modern and postmodern theories of spectatorship and the gaze, the impact of visual technologies, media and brand cultures, as well as globalization and contemporary digital practices. Student engage with critical theories and methods to analyze artworks and visual media, while addressing social, psychological, and economic implications of visual representation. It course covers a range of themes such as representation, expression, form, style, Formalism, Iconography, Marxism, Gender etc. Using modern and contemporary Chinese art as examples, the course equips students with transferable and analytic skills, knowledge of modern and contemporary Chinese art, aesthetic sensibility, and theoretical literacy, encouraging them to apply these methods and knowledge to the study of visual art.

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 introduces various population theories, concepts and facts to develop a critical understanding of the inter-relatedness of the demographic, social, cultural, economic and political issues between Hong Kong and Mainland China and its sustainable development.

In this course, we will explore a variety of subjects ranging from

ancient cultural treasures such as the painted pottery, the bronze, the tradition of rites and music, to enduring artworks of painting, poetry, garden, etc. This course attempts to present these subjects in such a way that allows students to achieve a basic view of the interrelatedness among Chinese culture, Chinese arts, and Chinese people’s contentment with a harmonious life.

This course provides a detailed, vivid introduction to the origin and main unique features of Chinese traditional culture with a focus on its distinctive artistic charms. It also presents an overview of the spirit and core values of Chinese culture from a philosophical perspective with an attempt to exemplify the inner mind, cultural character, the life views and aesthetic interests of the Chinese people. The overall aim of the course is to promote a broader and deeper understanding of the charms of Chinese arts and Chinese culture, which are often characterized as “suggestive but not articulate.” Though focusing on Chinese traditional culture, this course is also of important relevance to students today both in China and abroad since the profound world of meaning imbedded in Chinese ancient culture and arts still holds an essential key to a better understanding of the essence of contemporary Chinese culture. 

This course introduces the history of Hong Kong by focusing on its “fields”. It examines how various field sites (such as temples, museums, historical trails, and renovated historical buildings) could be used to understand the history of different places, events, and people in Hong Kong from the ancient period to the present. After a brief introduction to the historical development of Hong Kong, the course discusses aspects of rural Hong Kong history before moving on to urban Hong Kong. The last section of the course explains the diversity of Hong Kong’s communities, cultures, and religions. The course organizes several day trips to Hong Kong Island, Kowloon Peninsula, and the New Territories.

This course discusses and investigates major issues related to East Asian culture and religion, focusing on Confucianism, Taoism, and the Book of Changes. The course also explores the contemporary significance of East Asian philosophical traditions and comparative examinations in relation to Western philosophy. 

This class surveys premodern Japanese art, looking at painting, sculpture, architecture, and material culture--particularly those related to Buddhism, kami worship, and Buddha-kami combinatory practices.

This course explores a number of education policies and projects globally and in Asia which have enacted real societal and global change. It provides an opportunity for students to plan and implement their own education projects to initiate social change in communities and countries in Asia. 

This course offers students insights and different perspectives that can help explain why, over the centuries, some nations and cities succeed in our global economy while others fail. The course is divided into three parts. The first part introduces theories of global economics and the determinants for a nation/city to achieve power and prosperity versus poverty from a historical perspective. The second part examines specific case studies to enhance our understanding of concepts and broad intellectual perspectives to do with international trade, and monetary and financial systems. The course ends with current challenges in the global economy and the way nations and cities might resolve those problems. Special attention is given to the emergence of the world economy in the 21st century and the changing world economic order over time.

Designed for international students, this course explores famous classical Chinese poems across seven major themes. It aims to remove language barriers, analyzing content, artistic features, and historical context. Through guided practice in recitation, the course helps students understand, appreciate, and memorize these classics, experiencing the beauty of Chinese poetry.