Bachelor of Social Sciences (Honours) in Global and China Studies

Programme Director: Dr CHUNG, Him

The Bachelor of Social Sciences (Hons) in Global and China Studies programme inspires students for success in this new space by offering them interdisciplinary knowledge, research skills training, and multipolar experiential learning opportunities.

Our graduates will be distinguished by their grasp of how “global” processes are “locally” made and shaped. Key global processes include globalisation (the global integration of economic, cultural, and political systems), internationalisation (upscaling of national activities), and transnationalisation (synchronous conduct of daily life in multiple locations). We accent the changing links between Hong Kong, China and the world to illustrate the specificity of the global local nexus and place this in comparative historic and geographic context. Understanding the global local nexus empowers students to see the multiple economic, social, and cultural dimensions of structural change, and motivates them to recognise their own potential for transforming lives around them.

The programme emphasises the integration of inter-disciplinary global studies knowledge, cross cultural experiential learning, and conducting independent research. Students will deepen their research skills and have an opportunity for comparative experiential learning in China, Asia, Europe, and beyond. The research-led philosophy prepares students to be resilient graduates who value knowledge and can work in teams to produce knowledge. Students are encouraged to advance their linguistic skills, including Putonghua proficiency through language courses and internship opportunities outside Hong Kong. The programme also allows students to pursue a Minor programme to develop their academic capacity in a further area.

This programme aims to:

  1. Provide students with a broad and interdisciplinary framework for analysing contemporary challenges and opportunities arising from the unprecedented, complex, and intense interactions and processes unfolding globally, including globalisation;
  2. Introduce the concepts, debates, critiques, and insights of Global Studies, with special attention to the global local nexus and the changing relations between Hong Kong, China, and the world;
  3. Empower students to integrate practical, experiential, and empirical knowledge of China and one other region with concepts and theories;
  4. Equip students with the range of methods and skills that supports their research on Global and China Studies;
  5. Enhance students’ with the range of methods and skills that supports their research on Global and China Studies ;
  6. Inspire students to value interdisciplinary knowledge, its creation, and exchange;
  7. Support students as they make sense of the world around them and appreciate their positionality in these changes.

The structure of the curriculum is as follows:

I) Social Sciences Common Core 4 units
II) Global and China Studies Required Courses 30 units
III) Global and China Studies Elective Courses 24 units
IV) Honours Project 6 units
V) University Core Courses 13 units
VI) General Education Courses 18 units
VII) Free Electives# 33 units
    128 units

# Students may take additional Healthy Lifestyle courses and/or General Education (Level 1 or 2) courses in any categories, subject to a maximum of 6 units, to fulfil the Free Electives requirement.

Requirements

I. Social Sciences Common Core 4 units
  Core Course (1 unit)  
  SOSC1006 Invitation to Social Sciences 1 unit
  Experiential Learning in Action (3 units) +  
  Either  
  SOSC3005 Community and Civic Engagement 3 units
  Or  
  SOSC3006 Global Outreach  3 units
     
II. Global and China Studies Required Courses 30 units
  Global Studies Theory (9 units)  
  GCST1005 Approaches in Global Studies 3 units
  GCST2005 China and the Contemporary Global Order 3 units
  GCST4005 Alternative Globalisations 3 units
     
  Research Skills (9 units)  
  GCST3007 Research Writing 3 units
  Quantitative Social Science Methods (3 units)  
  One of the following courses must be taken before the 1st semester of Year 4: 
  BUSI3007 Business Research Methods 3 units
  GEOG2007 Introduction to Quantitative Methods in Geography 3 units
  HIST3406 Information Technologies and Quantitative Methods for Historical Studies 3 units
  POLS3006 Statistical and Survey Methods for Political Science 3 units
  SOCI2007 Quantitative Methods of Social Research 3 units
  Qualitative Social Science Methods (3 units)  
  One of the following courses must be taken before the 1st semester of Year 4: 
  ECON1007 Basic Economic Principles 3 units
  GEOG3036 Writing Spatial Stories through Qualitative Research 3 units
  HIST3405 Historical Theory and Practice 3 units
  SOCI2005 Qualitative Methods of Social Research 3 units
     
  Researching China in the World and the World in China (9 units)  
  GCST2006 A Political Economy of Global China 3 units
  GCST2015 Cultural Heritage and Chinese Society 3 units
  GCST2016 Sustainable China: Environment and Development Issues 3 units
     
  Experiential Learning and Capstone (3 units) ^  
  GCST2017 Summer Sojourn I 3 units
     
III. Global and China Studies Elective Courses@ 24 units
  Eight of the following courses:
  (a) Experiential Learning and Capstone  
  GCST2025 Global China Work Placement^+ 3 units
  GCST3005 Summer Sojourn II^+ 3 units
  GCST3006 Undergraduate Research Fellowship 3 units
  ^ Students are required to take 6 units of off campus learning courses of which 3 must be GCST2017 Summer Sojourn I. The remaining 3 units can be ONE of the following courses from the above theme (a):

GCST2025 Global China Work Placement
GCST3005 Summer Sojourn II  
     
  (b) Foreign Relations and Politics*  
  ECON4005 China's Foreign Economic Relations and Trade 3 units
  GCST2007 China’s Foreign Relations in a Global Context: Key Concepts and Major Issue 3 units
  GEOG2017 Globalization of Economic Activities 3 units
  HIST2305 China and the West since 1500 3 units
  HIST3105 Contemporary China 3 units
  HIST3116 Foreign Relations of Modern China 3 units
  HIST3127 Historical Interactions of China and the World 3 units
  HIST3135 The Socialist and Communist Traditions 3 units
  HIST4106 Contemporary Chinese Political Thought 3 units
  HIST4107 History of Taiwan 3 units
  POLS2015 Government and Politics of Hong Kong 3 units
  POLS3017 Government and Politics of China 3 units
  POLS4206 China and the World 3 units
  POLS4235 Social and Political Developments in Contemporary China 3 units
  SOCI4066 Chinese Nationalism and Identity Politics 3 units
     
  (c) Innovation, Economics and Development*  
  ECON2015 Hong Kong Economy 3 units
  ECON3006 Asia-Pacific Economies 3 units
  ECON3026 Chinese Economic Developments 3 units
  ECON3087 Understanding the Digital Economy 3 units
  ECON3095 Urban and Regional Economic Development in China 3 units
  ECON4007 Money and Finance in China 3 units
  ECON4017 Innovation and Entrepreneurial Economy: China and Global Development 3 units
  ECON4027 Financial Markets and Corporate Governance in China 3 units
  GEOG2025 Hong Kong and the Pearl River Delta: A Survey 3 units
  GEOG4055 Rural and Agricultural Development in China 3 units
  HIST4127 Social and Economic Development of Modern China 3 units
  SOCI3045 China and Tourism 3 units
  SOCI3046 Chinese Capitalisms 3 units
  SOCI3047 Consumption in China 3 units
  SOCI4015 East Asia: Economic Miracles and Social Change 3 units
     
  (d) Culture, Heritage and Communities*  
  GEOG4076 Urban Cultural Landscape 3 units
  HIST2105 Introduction to Modern Chinese History 3 units
  HIST3325 History of Chinese Food Culture in Global Perspective  3 units
  HIST4105 History of Chinese Women since 1912 3 units
  SOCI2016 Modern Chinese Society 3 units
  SOCI2037 Unity and Diversity: The Making of Chinese Culture and Society 3 units
  SOCI4006 Chinese Family and Kinship 3 units
  SOCI4046 Social Networks and Chinese Society 3 units
  SOCI4055 Gender in Contemporary China 3 units
  SOCI4057 China’s Social Classes under Economic Reform 3 units
     
  (e) People, City/Environment and Resources*  
  ECON4026 Smart Cities: China and Global Development 3 units
  GEOG3006 Regional Geography of China 3 units
  GEOG3017 Global Environmental Issues and Sustainability 3 units
  GEOG4016 Sustainable Energy and Technological Innovation in China 3 units
  GEOG4047 Resource and Environmental Management in China 3 units
  GEOG4056 Selected Topics in the Geography of China (Human Geography) 3 units
  GEOG4057 Selected Topics in the Geography of China (Physical and Environmental Geography) 3 units
  GEOG4077 Urban Development and Planning in Hong Kong 3 units
  GEOG4085 Urban Development in China 3 units
  HIST3317 The Chinese Diaspora 3 units
  HIST4206 The Overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia 3 units
  SOCI3055 Population and Social Developments in China 3 units
  SOCI4065 Chinese Entrepreneurship and Overseas Chinese in the Global Context 3 units
  @ Some of the courses on this list are offered on a biannual basis, subject to the offering department’s decision.  
  + Students taking either GCST2025 Global China Work Placement or GCST3005 Summer Sojourn II will fulfil the programme requirement of Experiential Learning and Capstone and the Faculty requirement of Experiential Learning in Action under “Social Sciences Common Core”. Students have to fulfil the 3 units derived from Experiential Learning in Action by taking Global and China Elective Courses(s). Hence, students are required to take a total of 27 units of Global and China Studies Elective Courses. 
  * Students must take a minimum of 18 units of level 3 and level 4 courses across the above four themes (b) to (e).
     
IV. Honours Project 6 units
  GCST4898 Honours Project 3 units
  GCST4899 Honours Project 3 units
     
V. University Core Courses 13 units
     
VI. General Education Courses 18 units
     
VII. Free Electives #% 33 units
  # International students are encouraged to make use of the elective units to take Chinese language courses before the end of 2nd Semester of Year 3.  The following courses for non-Chinese speakers are provided by the Language Centre:

LANG1105 Introductory Mandarin for non-Chinese Speakers (Part 1)
LANG1106 Introductory Mandarin for non-Chinese Speakers (Part 2)
LANG1107 Introductory Cantonese for non-Chinese Speakers
  % Local students need to fulfil the University general requirements of foundation Putonghua proficiency for graduation. Students can choose credit or non-credit bearing course to fulfil such a requirement.
    128 units

 

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