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:
- 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;
- 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;
- Empower students to integrate practical, experiential, and empirical knowledge of China and one other region with concepts and theories;
- Equip students with the range of methods and skills that supports their research on Global and China Studies;
- Enhance students’ with the range of methods and skills that supports their research on Global and China Studies ;
- Inspire students to value interdisciplinary knowledge, its creation, and exchange;
- 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 | ||
