Self-funded Undergraduate Programmes

The aim of this course is to critically examine the concepts and practices of cultural and creative industries in general with special attention to the latest development in Hong Kong and Asia. The course explores the subject by placing it in the specific social and political context where the cultural and creative industries have been encouraged, developed, and managed, and where the products have been manufactured, distributed, and consumed. This course also provides a critical analysis of the challenges the cultural and creative industries face in the globalization era through the lens of humanities and social sciences.

This course provides a fundamental understanding of cultural studies for further advanced learning. A general introduction will be given to clarify basic historical developments of abundant theories and approaches in this field. A wide range of interesting social sciences-oriented materials in the past, as well as nowadays, will be applied to explain some important disciplinary boundaries. Several controversial social phenomena related to our daily life will be chosen for discussion, in order to reveal the intellectual values of cultural studies.

This course aims to promote understanding of artistic creativity as one of the best inventions of the human mind. Students will learn to integrate different theories of art to appreciate various kinds of art works and masterpieces. It will equip students with knowledge of Chinese and Western art theories, the history of artistic expressions and the social application of art, through which students will be prepared to appreciate and review masterpieces of art critically in an interdisciplinary and cross-cultural manner.

This course serves as a practical introduction to the role of arts and cultural organisations and their producing practice today. Students will develop their competencies required for arts and cultural management on the basis of the broad knowledge on the various aspects of the study subject, including audiences, access, finance, cultural policy, cultural production, cultural value, and so forth. They will learn the vital importance of creativity, given the increasingly global nature of competition, as well as the opportunities and challenges posed by new technologies.

This course approaches one of the most difficult questions of the human condition, “what is love?”, from philosophical, historical, and anthropological perspectives. Students will acquire an understanding of Western and cross-cultural theories of love. They will apply this understanding to contemporary cultural and social phenomena and critically respond to them. The course also creates and strengthens students’ interest in life histories with diverse cultural backgrounds as references for personal growth.

This course aims to introduce the foundations of western culture, which are the ancient Greek and Roman cultures. It helps students comprehend and appreciate the various aspects of classical culture, ranging from art, literature, history and politics, and their significance for the modern western world. It serves not only as a perfect introduction to the foundation of western civilization, but also provides a sound basis for the development of the students’ cultural literacy and sensibility. It will serve as an introductory course for cultural studies by providing basic knowledge and methods in the study of culture and civilization.

This course will prepare students for the two-year programme of Liberal and Cultural Studies. Students will be trained to use an interdisciplinary humanities approach to explore different cultural topics, such as urban development, globalization or multiculturalism, and to address different social problems, such as racism, poverty or sexism. This course will highlight the contribution of humanities studies, especially cultural studies, in forming a multicultural society that is open to the Stranger/Other. Course content includes research approaches and methods distinctive of interdisciplinary humanities, and show how such research can help to build a livable life for different communities, especially the social minority groups in Hong Kong. To help students use different research methods to explore the complexity of social and cultural phenomena, the teaching and learning activities include both theoretical and practical components. Students will learn the foundational knowledge in humanities studies and cultural studies, and will be given the opportunity to apply the knowledge to daily life situations. Experiential learning activities such as community exploration, filming, visit to NGOs, or making oral history with local communities will be some of the learning experiences provided. It is hoped that this creative and transformative learning process can be useful for students in their daily practice and their future career.

This course aims to introduce excellent works of literary and other art forms in English and Chinese of both traditional and contemporary domains. The course will demonstrate the excellence of human creativity in these works and attempt to understand their cultural and historical backgrounds, as well as the nature and development of the related media. The course will also encourage students to confront the contemporary controversy surrounding these canonical works, and exercise their critical, analytical, and creative judgments independently in assessing the value of such canonical works in the contemporary world.

This course aims to engage students in an independent research and the production of an extensive research or creative effort throughout an academic year.

This course aims to engage students in an independent research and the production of an extensive research or creative effort throughout an academic year.

This course aims to introduce the modern western thought from Enlightenment to the 20th century. It aims at introducing the major trends in modern western thought as a major driving force of political, social and artistic developments shaping the modern western world. It helps students understand how thinkers in the world respond to the challenge of modernity, and thus understand the western world as we know it today.

This course introduces different perspectives from social sciences and humanities in the study of globalization. It encourages discussion and critical thinking, while covering a variety of global and local issues to enhance the students’ understanding of globalization and its processes and impacts on different aspects of human lives. There are three interrelated themes in this course. The first theme examines the ways in which transnational movements of capital, people and culture operate in a network of global forces and hierarchies. The second theme focuses on the bottom-end of the globalization hierarchy to investigate how they respond to the pervasive forces of globalization. The last theme probes the effectiveness of global governance, particularly in the face of challenging situations, such as COVID-19 and the growing competition between the Global South and the North. Throughout this course, the students will be trained to use an interdisciplinary approach to explore and evaluate various globalization topics. They will also be given the opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills to daily life situations with the help of experiential activities, such as visits to NGOs and different communities, and themed guided tours. These activities will enable students to connect knowledge with practice, activate and transform their learning experience.