Bachelor of Social Sciences (Honours) in Government and International Studies
Programme Director: Dr YUEN, Samson
BSocSc (Hons) in Government and International Studies provides a programme of study which is intended to give students a firm grasp of the different areas of political science. These cover political sociology (including political institutions, political culture and political behaviour), government and public policy-making, international relations and political economy, political theory and political thought, and political methodology. In geographical terms, the programme focuses on the politics of Hong Kong, Mainland China, and the Asia-Pacific region. The programme seeks to sharpen the student’s awareness by incorporating a systematic, comparative and international dimension, drawing both on the Global and China Studies and European Studies programmes.
Bachelor of Social Sciences in Government and International Studies Combined Degree Programme with Sciences Po Bordeaux (SPB)
Students who have met the required qualifications in the first two years, may opt for a combined degree pathway with Sciences Po Bordeaux — an elite tertiary education institution in France that provides rigorous training in social sciences at large, and contemporary world affairs in particular. Eventually, the students who fulfil the requirements will graduate with three degrees: the Bachelor Degree of Sciences Po Bordeaux at the end of the third year, the BSocSc (Hons) in Government and International Studies at the end of the fourth year from HKBU and Sciences Po's master degree (Diplôme de Sciences Po) at the end of the fifth year. For more details, please visit: https://gis.hkbu.edu.hk/study/section/445/.
The structure of the curriculum is as follows:
| I) | Social Sciences Common Core | 4 units |
| II) | Major Courses | 57 units |
| III) | Honours Project | 6 units |
| IV) | University Core Courses | 13 units |
| V) | General Education Courses | 18 units |
| VI) | Free Electives | 30 units |
| 128 units |
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. | Major Courses | 57 units |
| Major Required Courses (24 units) | ||
| POLS1005 Foundations of Political Science | 3 units | |
| POLS2006 Introduction to Political Economy | 3 units | |
| POLS2007 Introduction to Research Methods | 3 units | |
| POLS2015 Government and Politics of Hong Kong | 3 units | |
| POLS2017 Foundations of International Relations | 3 units | |
| POLS2025 Foundations of Political Philosophy | 3 units | |
| POLS3006 Statistical and Survey Methods for Political Science | 3 units | |
| POLS3017 Government and Politics of China | 3 units | |
| Major Elective Courses (33 units) | ||
| 11 of the following courses: | ||
| EURO2007 The Political Economy of the European Union | 3 units | |
| EURO2015 Model European Union | 3 units | |
| EURO3205 Comparative Politics of Post-Communist Central Europe | 3 units | |
| EURO4005 Current Issues of European Integration | 3 units | |
| POLS2016 Social Movements and Contentious Politics | 3 units | |
| POLS2026 Ethics, Social Well-being, and Public Health | 3 units | |
| POLS2205 European Politics and Society: French Political and Government System | 3 units | |
| POLS2206 European Politics and Society: German Political Systems and Society | 3 units | |
| POLS3206 Government and Politics of Japan | 3 units | |
| POLS3225 Religion and Politics | 3 units | |
| POLS3226 War and Peace | 3 units | |
| POLS3227 Greater China: State and Society | 3 units | |
| POLS3235 Comparative Democracies: The United Kingdom and The United States | 3 units | |
| POLS3236 Gender and Politics | 3 units | |
| POLS3237 Social and Political Developments in Contemporary China | 3 units | |
| POLS3245 China and the World | 3 units | |
| POLS4207 Comparative Public Administration | 3 units | |
| POLS4225 Political Cultures and Economies in Transition | 3 units | |
| POLS4226 Public Policy and Governance | 3 units | |
| POLS4227 Security Studies | 3 units | |
| POLS4236 Theories of International Relations | 3 units | |
| POLS4237 Topics in Asian Politics | 3 units | |
| POLS4245 Topics in Comparative and Global Politics | 3 units | |
| POLS4246 Topics in European Politics | 3 units | |
| POLS4247 Comparative Electoral and Party Politics | 3 units | |
| POLS4255 Comparative Regionalism and Regionalization | 3 units | |
| POLS4256 Comparative Authoritarianism and Democratization | 3 units | |
| POLS4257 International and Global Justice | 3 units | |
| POLS4265 Topics in Political Theory and Philosophy | 3 units | |
| POLS4266 China-EU, Prospects, Opportunities and Challenges | 3 units | |
| III. | Honours Project | 6 units |
| POLS4898 Honours Project | 3 units | |
| POLS4899 Honours Project | 3 units | |
| IV. | University Core Courses | 13 units |
| V. | General Education Courses | 18 units |
| VI. | Free Electives | 30 units |
| 128 units | ||
