Undergraduate Courses 2017-18

The objectives of the course are for communicative capacity building through humanities knowledge and for enrichment of values and perspectives corresponding to the mission and vision of UST, rather than for enhancement of knowledge in specific branch of humanities. Values explored in this course will be drawn from those closely related to the mission and vision of UST like humanistic concerns of others and the environment, respect of differences and justice, communicative sensitivity, complexity of humanity, potential bias and fallacy in popular perceptions, values, and stereotyping, among others. The humanities disciplinary approaches will be drawn from history, philosophy, literature, anthropology, linguistics and art. The course is offered in separate sections, each has its specific values and approach identified by the teacher.

This course introduces students to foundational texts in the Chinese and Western humanities. In the process, it builds students' skills at close reading, explication and analytical writing, while expanding their understanding of Chinese and Western cultures and civilizations. The course is offered in separate sections, each has its specific values and approach identified by the teacher. Each section may use different texts, either in Chinese or English. Students should review the texts to be used in each section before registration.

Focuses on a coherent collection of topics selected from the humanities. May be repeated for credit, if topics are different.

An examination of fundamental concepts and principles in the scientific analysis of human language, especially concerning speech sounds, syntax, meaning, language acquisition, language processing, sociolinguistics and history of languages. Students who have taken an introductory course in linguistics in universities should not enroll in this course.

This introductory course to the ancient Chinese writing system covers its origin, nature, classification and development. Students will learn a newly-developed framework, i.e., the three-principle theory of Chinese scripts, by which thousands of characters coming from archeological materials such as jiaguwen (oracle bone inscriptions), jinwen (bronze inscriptions) and jianbowenzi (bamboo and silk scripts) can be appropriately analyzed and classified. Other important components include general theories about language and script, and the historical and cultural aspects of Chinese characters.

This course introduces basic concepts in linguistics such as consonant, vowel, morpheme, concepts which help students to describe and analyze the structure of the Chinese language, with emphasis on sounds and grammar. Moreover, similarities and differences among major Chinese dialects such as Mandarin, Yue, Min, Hakka, Wu, etc, and between Chinese and other languages will be highlighted. Furthermore, characteristics of the non-Han languages spoken in the neighboring areas will be compared with those of the Chinese dialects in order to highlight the bi-directional influences between Chinese and the non-Han languages, influences which help shape these languages.

The course introduces students to basic concepts in Mandarin Chinese grammar and fundamental techniques of grammatical analysis. Differences between Chinese and English as well as between Mandarin and Cantonese will also be highlighted. Topics include word structure and sentence structure of Mandarin Chinese, and characteristics of Chinese grammar, etc.

This is a survey course to study selected types of world music outside the Western European tradition. The student will learn to understand world music through the aspect of culture and society.

From the power and beauty of the orchestra to masterpieces of the church and concert hall, students will gain an in-depth appreciation for the history and fundamentals of Western classical music. The listening and analytical skills demonstrated will bring about a deeper understanding of music as an art form. Previous musical training, albeit helpful, is not required.

This course approaches Chinese women as both historical and fictional figures to unravel the complicated relationship between history and visual representation. Each week revolves around a special topic and a film about Chinese women located in a specific socio-historical period. This course is in chronological order, beginning from Republican women to contemporary female immigrants in the age of globalization. The changing images of women on screen went hand in hand with major cinematic movements in history, including the left turn in the 1930s, the rise of animation, socialist filmmaking, model opera film, underground/independent filmmaking, and the cinematic globalization. The purpose of this course is to build a foundation for students from different academic backgrounds who may have little or no knowledge of Chinese culture and history. Proficiency in Chinese is a plus but not required because all reading materials and class discussion are in English.

This course provides an overview of the various forms of popular culture in East Asia and focuses on the question of how the rise of East Asian popular culture reflects the desire for "modernity" and "modernization" in each East Asian country and affects the interactions among them. Numerous popular cultural forms - music, film, TV drama, manga/anime, novels, entertainment, food, fashion and design - in Japan, Korea, China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan will be examined. The increasing global fascination of or craze for East Asian popular culture and how such East Asian "soft power" has inspired and transformed the global aesthetics and popular imagination or understanding of East Asia will also be discussed.

This course concentrates on the themes of love and death in literature and on ways these themes are handled by various writers from a comparative perspective. Reading materials are primarily poems and short stories. Excerpts from selected novels may also be included. In addition to guiding students to examine literary texts closely, this course also explores the relationship between studies of literature and other disciplines, such as psychology and philosophy. Topics include the construction of subjectivity, gender and sexuality, ethics of desire, self and society, and the meaning of existence.

This course will introduce students to methods of reading western literary texts in English or in English translation. Its focus is on short stories, poems, and plays. Texts chosen will be those exploring aspects of initiation, romance and family, social and cultural issues in race, gender, and identity.

This course will introduce to students the diplomatic history of the People's Republic of China from 1949 to 1989, focusing on Sino-USSR and Sino-U.S. relations in the context of the Cold War. Key events and leading figures will be covered, newly declassified archival materials will be presented, and critical examination and rethinking of PRC history will be introduced for discussion.

This general history course introduces students to China’s political, economic, social, and cultural life during the 19th and 20th centuries. A survey of major political, social, and cultural events and changes in China from the late-imperial period to the founding of the People's Republic of China. The course focuses on dramatic changes in China in order to review how these changes have radically reshaped Chinese society, economy, politics, and culture.

This course is a survey of the history of political, social, economic, and cultural changes in East Asia (mainly China and Japan, and to some extent, Korea) from the 1800s to the 1950s. In the past two centuries, the classical civilizations of East Asia met new challenges: the disintegration of old political systems, the growth of social tensions, and the arrival of an aggressive and expanding West. This course will study the internal and external tensions that undermined the traditional orders, compelling China, Japan, and Korea to seek new political and social reforms. Special attention will be given to the revolutionary changes in society, thought, culture, and the rise of a new political order in twentieth-century China, Japan, and Korea.

An introduction to concepts and principles of human cultures and societies from the anthropological perspective, exploring the interaction between culture and society and the causes underlying their changes.

This course adopts an anthropological approach to the study of popular religion in South China. The relationships among popular religion and other socio-cultural institutions and the interactions between local societies and the state will be explored. The structure of temples, the processes of festivals and pilgrimages, meanings of religious activities, and concepts of the religious values and system will be examined.

This course is a survey of traditional and contemporary Chinese cultural practices in local communities based on first-hand field-site visits in Hong Kong and its vicinity in the Pearl River Delta area. Students will be trained to conduct observation and interviews in local communities. Field-site experiences and learning will be substantiated by reviewing the literature on Chinese cultures and societies based on fieldwork research. The meaning and value systems of Chinese cultural practices are examined with reference to the local economic, social, political and religious contexts in the national and global settings.

This course examines the diverse cultural meanings and structures of kinship relations and organizations. Different anthropological approaches in analyzing the structures and practices of marriage, family and kinship will be examined.

An introduction to the appreciation of art through selected works of architecture, sculpture, and painting from the West, from the ancient periods to the present day.

This course is a chronological and thematic survey of Chinese visual art from the Neolithic period to modern times. Topics introduced include ancient Chinese bronze and jade, pottery and ceramics, Buddhist art and sculpture, painting and calligraphy, garden and architecture.

This course aims to provide a basic introduction to the art of thinking. The focus of this course is on methodology. Students will be equipped with critical tools for the analysis of arguments. Moreover, special attention will be given to the application of such tools to the practical affairs of everyday life.

This course is designed to provide the students with the basic knowledge of logic, so that they can apply logical techniques to analyze various problems of reasoning in ordinary language and to examine the fallacies of thinking in daily life. The course includes topics such as the basic concepts of logic, logic and language, fallacies and definitions, sentential logic, and syllogism.

This course is designed to familiarize students with the developments of Chinese philosophy in the traditional period. It will focus specifically on Confucianism, Taoism, Mohism, Legalism, neo-Taoism, Buddhism and neo-Confucianism for the simple reason that these schools, having had exerted tremendous and lasting impacts on the formation of the Chinese mind in the past, will continue to shape the Chinese outlook on life in the future.

A historical survey of the developments of Chinese philosophy. Important philosophers, texts, concepts, and issues will be introduced and examined.

This introductory course enables students to acquire basic understanding regarding history, practices and beliefs of six living religious traditions: including Taoism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Students will learn how to appreciate the relevance of religion in modern culture.

This introductory course examines various beliefs and questions underlying our moral lives. These include the relation between morality and religion, subjectivism, relativism, self-interest, the rights and wrongs of euthanasia, etc. Also, certain ethical theories claim to help us make the right moral decisions, e.g. utilitarianism. This course is a systematic exploration of such beliefs and theories, emphasizing critical thinking and reasonable justification.

Focuses on a coherent collection of topics selected from the humanities. May be repeated for credit, if topics are different.

A comprehensive study of metaphors in English and Chinese, not only as a rhetorical device, but also as an essential tool of our ordinary language and thought. The course encompasses a wide range of diverse topics such as literary metaphors, metaphors in everyday language (about time, life, change, quantity, love, anger, etc.), and metaphors in politics, mathematics, physics, artificial intelligence, and cyberspace. The approach is interdisciplinary and comparative, and most topics are to be discussed from a cross-linguistic and cross-cultural perspective. An ordinary reading knowledge of Chinese is required for enrollment.

Study of the Cantonese language, from the perspective of linguistics which emphasizes the scientific study of language. The course focuses on the sound and the grammatical systems of Cantonese. It also examines historical and socio-linguistic issues pertinent to the development of Cantonese in the context of Hong Kong. Students enrolling in this course are expected to have basic knowledge of Chinese.

An introduction to the fundamental aspects of Classical Chinese grammar and a linguistic study of Classical Chinese texts selected from the classics in the pre-Qin era and the Han period, including Shijing (Book of Songs), Zuozhuan (Zuo’s Commentaries), Lunyu (Analects), Mengzi (Mencius) and Shiji (Records of the Historian). This course also teaches students to translate classical Chinese into modern Chinese and to improve Chinese communication skills, with emphasis on academic writing.

(1) Course Content: Through a progressive series of composition projects, students learn the organizational skill of musical composition and performances, focusing on the basics of unity and variety; promoting students' understanding of humanistic experiences, creativities and emotions. Weekly listening, reading, and composition assignments draw on a broad range of musical styles and intellectual traditions, from various cultures and historical periods. (2) Advice on the background of Students: Students are required to have the ability to sing or to play one or more musical instruments (e.g. Grade 3 in Royal Schools Music Exam or equivalent). The ability to read music and the knowledge to music notation are preferable, but not required.

This course will introduce students to written basic music theory concepts, beginning with basic music notation and ending with fundamentals of harmony. During the tutorial sessions, students will also develop their aural (listening) and sight-singing skills. This is an elementary level course which students without any music background can take. This course is not recommended for students with ABRSM Grade 8 in Music Theory or other musical instruments or equivalent qualifications.

This course will guide the students to create, produce, and perform their own musical theatre work. As musical theatre is a multi-artwork, this course would be suitable for students who are interested in language art, music, theatre, dance, and visual art. At the discretion of the instructor, an in-class or public performance would be offered during the term. No prior knowledge or experience of performing arts is required.

This innovative course explores the music creative process from the perspective of both the composer and performer and seeks to answer the following questions: When we compose, are we composing only or are we also thinking of performance practice? When we perform, either new or old works, are we only performing or are we composing? Course topics include understanding analysis of classical and contemporary music, instruction of the basic craft of composition, and critique of performance practice in relation to music compositional skills. Students should have some background in music with experience performing an instrument and/or experience with music composition. Basic knowledge of music theory, notation, and composition experience is a plus.

This course introduces masterpieces of literature from various cultural traditions around the world. Three interrelated archetypes in their thematic manifestations in renowned works from Oriental and Occidental literary traditions, namely, the initiative quest, the femme fatale, and the Pygmalion complex, will be explored in the class.

This course will introduce students to representative works of Western short stories produced in the 19th and 20th centuries. It covers some of the most well-known examples from Europe and America, as well as literary works produced in ex-colonies in Africa and South America. The stories selected range in style from realism to fantasy, modernism, and postmodernism. In addition to a critical analysis of themes and the art of fiction writing, students will gain from this course a deeper understanding of human experiences and different outlooks on life characteristic of the western world.

This course attempts to examine the narration of Chinese history in film from both historical and visual perspectives in light of such issues as gender and nationalism, the revolutionary aesthetics, the city and the country, nostalgia and historical imagination, and the negotiations of the Chinese modern and cultural identity in the new cinemas in the global context.

A study of the major works of various genres in the Chinese literary tradition examined in their historical context, with emphasis on their literary features and influences.

A historical and critical survey of modern Chinese fiction from 1917 to 1949, with emphasis on the forms of novella and short story.

A historical and critical survey of modern Chinese fiction from 1949 to the present, with emphasis on the forms of novella and short story.

In this increasing global and transient world where people from different cultures and nationalities interact on a more rapid and frequent basis, how is one's "identity" affected and renegotiated, and what factors affect its formation, re-formation as well as transformation? When one's identity is no longer confined by one single bloodline, race, ethnicity, nationality, language or culture, how can one make sense of the multiple facets within his/her cultural, national or linguistic identity? Is there such a thing called "global identity" and how can one understand it with a more comprehensive and creative approach? To answer these questions, this course will introduce key theories, discourses and writings on the physical experiences of "border crossing" and the academic "clearing" and "remaking" of boundaries in the study of identity across different disciplines. Through these texts, this course will not only bring to light the complexity of hybrid identities in an age of globalization but also encourage students to think critically about the factors that have influenced and will continue to affect the nature their own identity.

A study of the origins and early development of classical Chinese poetry. Shijing, Chuci, folk songs, and major poets from the Han and the Six Dynasties are examined.

A survey of traditional Chinese fiction from its formative period to the Qing through the reading of selected texts, with emphasis on the evolution of the forms and themes and their cultural implications.

An introduction to the fundamentals of Chinese drama in both modern and pre-modern periods, with the emphasis on how to appreciate Chinese drama tradition.

This course is designed to train students with the skills of academic research and writing in the field of humanities in general, but with special reference to arts, literature, linguistics, religion, philosophy, history, and anthropology, of China, in particular. Students’ attention will also be drawn to the inherent problems of sources and materials as textual or visual ‘evidence’, and they will be taught how to identify and to tackle with the problem of fallacy of ‘evidence’.

A comprehensive survey of Chinese history from the ninth down to the eighteenth century, with emphasis on developments in the economy and society, empire-building, and intellectual pursuits.

A study of modern Chinese history from the Revolution of 1911 to the reforms in the 1980s, examining the interplay of imperialism, democracy, nationalism, and socialism, which shaped China's struggle for survival in the 20th century and its emergence as a strong modern nation.

This course presents the turbulent history of twentieth century China through documentary films. In addition to reading historical texts, students will study various films made by journalists and filmmakers of the time and in recent years. In the first half of the term, the course will cover major historical events from the 1911 revolution to 1989. In the second half, through closely studying documentary films the course will focus on several themes, including China's role in WWII, the Anti-Rightist Campaign, the Great Leap Forward, the Cultural Revolution, and the Tiananmen Incident in 1989. Some of the films are in English and some in Chinese with subtitles.

A historical survey of the socio-cultural transformation in Chinese cities and villages from the late-Imperial to the modern periods. The process of “modernization” as well as the persistence of tradition is studied to redress some of the stereotyped pictures of Chinese society, both rural and urban. Important topics include: continuity and change in China’s city plans and their cultural meanings, the cultural meanings and importance of cities in Imperial China, the socio-economic-politico-cultural significances of treaty port cities as beachhead of Western expansion in China, urban modernization and its socio-economic-cultural impacts on China during the warlord period and under the Nationalist regime, the salient characteristics and the reality of Chinese rural society and politic in the pre-modern and modern periods, the social and economic development and devastation of the Chinese countryside between 1800 and 1940, and how the Chinese Communist Party made revolution in the countryside before 1937.

This course will provide students with a historical understanding of Mainland Southeast Asia (MSEA) as essential background for interacting with Southeast Asians. It adopts an analytical approach that focuses on the political and economic relations between China and MSEA, especially the roles of trade, Chinese immigrants as merchants, technologists and labourers. It also elucidates the formation of MSEA states, their glorious history, the Chinese legacy in Vietnam and the indigenous adaption of Indian statecraft in Pagan, Angkor and Ayudhaya within a framework that enables students to grasp how pre-modern MSEA states evolved into the modern nations of Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia and Thailand. Viewing the history of MSEA from the perspective of its relations with China highlights its uniqueness, while at the same time emphasising long-term interconnections. This approach eschews Sino-centric biases, and aids students in formulating balanced views of MSEA, both past and present.

This course provides undergraduate students with an overview of three definitive political and social movements of modern Europe: Fascism, National Socialism and Stalinism. It emphasizes the comparative analysis of politics, ideology and everyday life; the close reading of primary sources; and theoretical perspectives.

This course surveys the major ideas, political developments and cultural movements in European societies from the renaissance to the present, providing students with foundational and thematic knowledge of European history, as well as an understanding of the ways that European politics, culture and economy have shaped through encounters with non-European societies -- through cultural and commercial exchange, imperialism and de-colonization, Cold War rivalries and globalization.

This course provides students with an introduction to how science and technology have influenced politics, culture and society during the 20th and 21st Centuries. Special emphasis will be placed on new ethical dilemmas present in emerging fields of science and engineering. Classes will mix lectures with discussions, and students will be required to prepare an in-depth final research project.

This introductory course aims to study the relationship between "culture" and the "environment" and the impacts of cultural mechanisms on resource management, population and health practices in different cultural settings.

In the past decades, local societies in South China experienced significant changes and many local customs and traditions are disappearing as a result of China’s rapid urbanization and economic growth. The sustainability of local cultures has become a major concern. Culture is an important component of sustainable development, as it refers to how we understand and appreciate natural resources and each other. Cultural sustainability requires the recognition of indigenous cultural values and standards, as well as equal rights of the respective communities in policy planning and decision-making, and the engagement of the local community and members of the public. This course adopts an interdisciplinary approach to explore the concept, possibilities, and limits of cultural sustainability. Students are required to conduct field research projects in the Pearl River Delta region, in which they will meet the local residents and have personal fieldwork experience through interviewing and participant observation.

This course examines the basic structures and changes of human cultures and societies through the survey of food customs in different socio-cultural contexts. From the perspective of cultural anthropology, the connections between food system and other socio-cultural institutions and their integration into the global system will be explored.

This course is a survey of traditional and contemporary Chinese cultural practices in local communities based on anthropologists’ long-term first-hand fieldwork studies in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Mainland China. Basic anthropological concepts and theories about Chinese socio-cultural institutions will be examined. Major anthropological contributions to the understanding of the diversity and unity of Chinese cultures and societies will be explored.

From the perspective of cultural anthropology, this course examines the basic structure of traditional Chinese society and culture from the late Qing to the Republican eras. Topics in rites of marriage, kinship, family organization, life and death, social and cultural meaning of food, illness and traditional Chinese medicine, education and the imperial examination system, stratification and mobility, traditional arts and crafts are examined.

This course examines diverse ethnic cultures and identities in China, and the ethnic relations between the state power and ethnic groups in historical contexts as well as the contemporary situation of the social institutions of ethnic minorities in China.

This course aims to study the cultural diversity in Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, and the complex historical development of majority/minority relations and the formulation of cultural identities among different peoples on this borderland. Various cultural influences from India, China and Europe on mainland Southeast Asia, and strategies of indigenous peoples maintaining their cultures will be examined. The dynamic relations among religion, ethnicity, tourism and modernity will also be explored.

This course introduces students to topics on death and dead bodies from an anthropological perspective. We discuss specific ethnographic cases from all over the world with a concentration on the East Asian region. The course covers key anthropological concepts such as taboo, pollution, liminality, and dead body politics through both classic and contemporary ethnography. The three fundamental questions we ask throughout this course are: What happens when we die? What impacts does death have on social life? How can we better understand the politics and economy of death? Each question provides key elements of an understanding of the cultures of death and dead bodies. The course therefore aims to teach students to see the politics and economy of death and dead bodies as integral to the variety of cultures of death. It emphasizes an exploration of the power of the state and of capitalism, social relationships, and modern institutions as well as their impact on managing corpses, performing rituals, and regulating grief and mourning in the modern era.

A study of the key issues in the social history of late-Imperial and Modern China. Different aspects of ordinary people's life are highlighted in order to critically analyze the process of social change from an unofficial perspective. Topics include: violence in Chinese culture and society, conditions and situation of women, the problems of prostitution, opium smoking and gambling, workers and peasants in face of economic exploitation.

A survey of major monuments, schools and theories from earliest times to the twentieth century, with an introduction to the problems of connoisseurship in Chinese painting.

This course gives students knowledge of the development of oil painting in China. Focus will be given to the periods between 1979 and 1989 and from 1989 to the present. By looking at Chinese oil painting of different periods, the course explores the social, cultural and political circumstances which favored, oppressed or directed the path of the development of this medium.

This course introduces students to the masterpieces of Western Painting through an outline of chronology, painting techniques, life of the most renowned Western painters and painting genres by themes.

This course gives students fundamental knowledge of the masterpieces in Western architecture and the variation in styles in different epochs and cultures, from ancient Greece to the 21st century.

This course provides an introduction to the main streams of Chinese philosophy such as Confucianism, Taoism, Mohism, and Chinese Buddhism aimed at promoting understanding and appreciation of the roots of Chinese culture. While the course puts emphasis on the main streams of Chinese philosophy which shaped the spiritual, social, political and economic lives of Chinese, it will also explore such topics as Chinese religion, political and social aspects of Chinese culture, and the problem of modernization.

Contextualizing Confucianism within its cultural and historical backgrounds, this course focuses on an examination of its core values, while contemplating its possible impacts on the future of China.

This course will introduce the basic ideas of Buddhism, the main schools of Buddhism in China and their historical development. A number of Chinese Buddhist philosophical terms and some works written by Chinese monks and scholars will be selected for explanation and discussion. This course examines the dynamics of cultural interaction and choice-making with an emphasis on Buddhism as an Indian religion and its encounters with indigenous Chinese traditions and the outcomes of their interactions.

An examination of the historical, religious and philosophical foundation of the Buddhist tradition in India and exploration of the history of Buddhism as a world religion with an emphasis on the basic doctrines and philosophy of Buddhism.

This course introduces students to the ethical theories of deontology (or the ethics of duty), utilitarianism (or the ethics of consequences), and virtue ethics (or the ethics of character). This is followed by an examination of their application to selected contemporary moral issues. In general, issues relating to the following areas may be considered: the environment, business, information technology, and bioethics. The precise issues discussed may vary from year to year.

Focuses on a coherent collection of topics selected from the humanities. May be repeated for credit, if topics are different.

This course explores human language in relation to the communicative functions which it serves and the cultural context in which it is used. Issues such as how human language is distinct from other communication systems, how language is used to convey different meanings and how culture affects the use of language will be examined in order to highlight the uniqueness of human language.

This course will present a critical study of the modern Chinese writing system, including its origin, simplification, Romanization (Latinization), acquisition, recognition, and adaptability to various Chinese dialects and other languages. Theories and research in general linguistics, sociolinguistics, heritage history and cognitive science will also be covered in order to address adequately issues related to Chinese characters.

An examination of the historical development of western opera, and selected western operas with their related literary texts. This course will also put some emphasis on works that are related to Asian cultures, and operas that will be performed in Hong Kong. No previous knowledge of opera is required.

Through weekly coaching sessions and public performances, students will learn all facets of chamber music making at a high level. Students will also learn team-building skills and develop attentiveness to partners in an ensemble. This is a course for students who are highly motivated, and sufficiently trained and experienced in classical music performance. Enrollment in the course requires instructor's approval based on audition outcome.

Through weekly coaching sessions and public performances, students will learn all facets of chamber music making at a high level and expand their repertoire on their instrument. Students will also learn team-building skills and develop attentiveness to partners in an ensemble. This is a course for students who are highly motivated, and sufficiently trained and experienced in classical music performance. Enrollment in the course requires instructor's approval based on audition outcome.

This course will cover the technical and analytical tools of harmony and counterpoint, concentrating on functional tonality which forms the basic grammar of European art music, roughly from the late seventeenth to the late nineteenth century. Students without prerequisite but with prior background in music theory may seek instructor's approval for enrollment in the course.

This course will allow students the opportunity for focused study and practice in music, creative writing, and video/visual arts on an individual basis. The course may be repeated for credit if covered topics are different each term. Enrollment in the course requires approval from the course instructor.

This course attempts to, through the eyes of literature, explore and discuss the major themes that encompass many aspects of humanity and the society and world that we live in - human existence, relationship among self, society and the state, the meaning of war, identity in the change of time, romance and love, documenting history, and finding one's voice in the colonial and postmodern world. Students will be guided through a critical reading of the representative literary works from both Western and Asian traditions, and attention will be paid to the ways in which different literary forms help convey and reflect on these ideas and themes.

This course examines the history and development of animation as both an art form and an industry around the world. It covers early experiments with animation, the transition to sound and feature film, and the rise of the classical Hollywood studios such as Disney, Warner Bros, the Fleischers, UPA, and MGM. This course will extend to other countries or regions, such as Canada, Russia, Germany, Czech, Japan, China, and Hong Kong. In addition, this course will track the development of technology and techniques of animation, such as rotoscoping, pixilation, cel animation, stop‐motion animation, puppet animation, silhouette animation, limited animation on TV, direct animation, and computer animation. This course aims to establish a foundation for students from different academic backgrounds who might be unfamiliar with animation studies.

This course introduces selective Western and Chinese literary classics and basic literary theories, and provides students with a forum for extended practice in the art of creative writing. It is designed for students who have little or no previous experience writing literary texts in a particular genre. Introductory workshops introduce students to a variety of technical and imaginative concerns through exercises, readings, and discussions. In addition to weekly reading literary classics, this course will especially focus on writing literary essays in Chinese.

This course introduces selective Western and Chinese literary novels, and provides students with a forum for extended practice in the art of creative writing. It is designed for students who have little or no previous experience writing literary texts in a particular genre. Introductory workshops introduce students to a variety of technical and imaginative concerns through exercises, readings, and discussions. In addition to weekly reading literary classics, this course will especially focus on writing literary novels in Chinese or cross the boundaries of the genre.

A guided critical study of the representative works of the major shi and ci poets in the Tang and Song periods, with emphasis on the development of the various poetic styles.

Readings in modern Chinese poetry from the May Fourth period to the present from a comparative perspective. Major poets as well as foreign authors with significant influence on the development of this genre will be the focus.

This course will survey and analyze the tradition, evolution, and recent development of the Gothic. Major features of the Gothic in literature and film, such as monster, vampire, ghost, haunted castle, will be examined in various social and cultural contexts in different periods of time. The course will trace the historical and stylistic changes of the Gothic from the eighteenth-century to the present and discuss what these changes may imply. In addition to guiding students to study individual literary and filmic texts, this course will also examine closely the engagement of Gothic literature with various social concerns and intellectual issues of its day. Topics will include the encounter of Gothic literature with science, with religion, and with politics.

Since the June Fourth Movement in 1989, underground/independent cinema has emerged as an alternative film culture in contemporary China. Distanced from the state-controlled film industry and often regarded as a counter culture against mainstream ideologies, independent cinema is frequently banned in China and screened abroad at international film festivals. As a symbol of both media democracy and secrecy, it provides us with a unique window to understand the diversified culture and society full of clamorous voices in post-1989 China. This course explores the histories, aesthetics, styles, contents, techniques, and technologies of independent cinema in contemporary China. It will be students-oriented and conducted through forms of seminars and discussions. Unlike traditional courses that are based on uni-directional lectures, readings, exams, and papers in a fixed classroom, this experimental course encourages students to venture outside and engage more with our society. It is a non-conventional, open, and democratic course that puts students in direct contact with our rapidly changing world.

An examination of specific social, political, economic or cultural issues of various periods from pre-imperial times to the middle period of Chinese history. Topics may vary. May be repeated for credits, if topics are different.

An examination of the historical development of basic socio-economic structures and institutions, issues of social stratification, mobility, and the interrelationship between state, economy and local society.

This course introduces students to a series of socio-political historical events in late-Qing and the Republican periods. More importantly, it introduces some of the essential skills in identifying the fundamental problems and narratives in modern Chinese history texts from the late Qing to the 1940s. Topics covered are traditional and modern Chinese historiographies, the Opium War, the Taiping Rebellion, Sun Yat-sen and the legend of the 1911 revolution, the impact of western imperialism on China, warlordism, the peasant revolutions of the 1920s and 1930s.

This course elucidates the role of technology in Chinese history, as well as the social and economic mechanisms that supported its supremacy in East Asia and Southeast Asia through analysis of different production technologies. The knowledge is presented in a framework that puts Chinese technology in comparative perspective, differentiates technology from science, and examines concepts of technology peculiar to China. The course takes an analytical approach by focusing on the transfer of specific technologies, and explores what these patterns of transfers teach us about the relationship between technology and society in pre-modern East and Southeast Asia. Viewing Chinese history from the perspective of technological transfer highlights the fundamental relationship between technology and the economy, and allows us to compare China with early modern Europe. Such comparisons guide us away from Eurocentric biases and aid students to formulate balanced views of Chinese Technology.

An exploration of a sub-field or topic in cultural anthropology. Basic concepts and issues will be examined with a focus on current research and theory. Topics may vary. May be repeated for credits, if topics are different.

This course examines theories and case studies of cultural identity in the formation of human communities. Issues on kinship, locality, social stratification, ethnicity, multiculturalism, nationalism, and the expression of cultural identities will be explored.

This course will survey the major developments of Chinese ink painting from the late 19th century to the present, focusing on her interaction with foreign cultures, her debate over continuity and reform, her search for modernity, and her adaptation to the political, social and cultural transformations in different historical periods. Discussions will give equal attention to technique, stylistic analysis and interpretation in historical and cultural context. In content, this course complements what is not covered by HUMA 2660 and HUMA 2661 at a more advanced level.

This course introduces students to the major international prizes in contemporary architecture, the foundation and awarding criteria of the Pritzker Architecture Prize, and the monographic studies of its winners from 1979 to the present. Architectural styles and works of the award winning design and functions, the most recent trends in architectural design and technology will be covered as well.

The course is a guided study of selected Chinese philosophical classics, with emphasis on the hermeneutical issues associated with the texts. The related Chinese philosophers are introduced to the students, including Mencius, Xunzi, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Mozi, Gongsun Longzi and Wang Yang-ming. Topics include: “the basis of li (rites)”, “the rectification of names”, “the four beginnings”, “the four metaphors”, “evil nature”, “ineffable Dao”, “the butterfly’s dream”, “the fish’s happiness”, “white horse is not horse”, “the immutability of things”, “the impure nature of Buddhas”, “embracing the six qualities” and “the questions on Great Learning”.

An introduction to Taoism as a living tradition in the context of Chinese history and culture. It is a living tradition since some of its important ideas like “the soft can conquer the hard” and “not to show one’s intelligence to the fullest extent” are still present in the attitude of life of the Chinese people. To enable students to learn and appreciate the insights of Taoism directly, some scholarly researches and especially the primary texts of the Laozi and Zhuangzi will be introduced.

This course concerns the major schools of Chinese Philosophy in the most formative years of the Pre-Qin period, before the unification of China in 221 BCE. Focus will be on the Confucian school beginning with Confucius, and as developed by Mencius and Xunzi, and the Daoist school as represented by Laozi and Zhuangzi. The relation between these two schools and their challengers such as the Mohists, Legalists, and Yang Zhu will be explored. Students are required to read and analyze English translations of selected passages from the Confucian and Daoist texts, discussing various interpretations.

This intermediate course will introduce students to basic philosophical methods and concepts in order to help them to explore the nature of philosophical inquiry and survey various important fields, problems and issues in the discipline. The change from the Aristotelian world-view, to the Copernican Revolution, and the present Darwinian Revolution, i.e., from a religious and teleological (purposive) view to a non-teleological view, is outlined in the class.

Focuses on a coherent collection of topics selected from the humanities. May be repeated for credits, if topics are different.

This course aims at an analysis of how modern China's views on culture, conceptions of beauty, modes of thinking and world outlook were affected by both language and literature. Through an in-depth analysis of literary works, students will arrive at a better understanding of the relationship between classical and vernacular Chinese, the formation of Modern Chinese, and the influence of different varieties of Chinese on various genres.

The West's cognizance of Chinese people and society has been informed by mixed sentiments of idealism, ignorance, and fear, giving rise to a fragmented vision of China as what it always was: exotic, fascinating, potentially dangerous, and practically misconceived. This course covers a wide range of critical and imaginative texts including language manuals, linguistic translations, intellectual treatises, missionary records, travelogues, creative writings, visual performance and entertainments to examine how verbal and audiovisual representations have shaped the Western conception of China through history.

A close study of selected masterpieces of modern literature, mainly fiction and poetry, by Chinese and Western authors of the twentieth century.

An examination of the formation and development of political, economic, and cultural relations between China and the United States from the late 18th century to the mid-20th century.

Heritage and traditions have always been the targets of preservation and negotiations. Cases from different cultures will be surveyed to examine the meaning, composition, and the socio-cultural significance of heritage.

The course is an in-depth study of the styles and characteristics of Western painting from 1400 to 1900, running from Renaissance through Baroque, Rococo, Neoclassicism, Romanticism and Realism up to the dawn of Modern art, Impressionism. Students will be introduced to the methodological studies of the subject area, i.e. iconographical, technical, compositional and developmental analyses of the masterpieces from different countries and epochs, and will have the chance to apply their knowledge to a small scale research of a relevant topic.

As the key to some of the secrets that underlie the contemporary success of the East Asian region, Confucianism has now been recognized as a "living" tradition that has indeed moved into the Western world along with the East Asian Diaspora, making it very much an active participant in the larger global community. This course is designed to introduce the growth and developments of Confucianism as a major intellectual tradition not only in East Asia, but also in the global age of today.

This course attempts to explore religious Taoism by studying the selected Taoist canon. Discussion will be focused on the key concepts and fundamental doctrines of the religion.