HKUST 2006-2007 Annual Report
25
T
he School of Humanities and Social Science
has a two-fold
mission: to offer high-quality postgraduate education while at the same
time providing all HKUST undergraduates with an insight into key disciplines of
humanities and social science.
The first part is achieved through the taught Master of Arts degree programs
and the research degrees of Master of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy.
The second allows students to take at least one course for general education
purposes, as required by the University, to ensure they receive a broad, holistic
education. Undergraduate degrees are not offered currently, but planning
is underway for the introduction of an undergraduate program under the
4-year curriculum.
The School has two Divisions: Humanities and Social Science. Together, the two
Divisions’ faculty members represent a source of advanced research expertise
related to China’s cultural and social development. Based on in-depth research
the Divisions offer a wide selection of courses that include sociology, economics,
political change in Hong Kong and China, art history, film, linguistics, literature,
history, anthropology, philosophy and religion. Also offered are studies in
Chinese cultural heritage and in other fields which aim to extend students’
knowledge and widen their field of vision.
Undergraduates are expected to develop their capabilities in reading and writing,
to become aware of concepts, ideas and systems of thought that underlie
human activities and to heighten their concern about human society. They are
also shown how the past constructs the present and how modern science and
technology affect life.
The School plans to launch by 2012 at the latest a single integrated major
program preliminarily entitled “Global China Studies” that will teach students
to understand China’s development and culture in a comparative international
perspective. Providing a fundamental introduction to various social science and
humanities perspectives on China, this program will allow students to take
interdisciplinary or discipline-based concentrations at the upper levels.
A partnership scheme was proposed by the Humanities Division during the year
which would build a bridge between postgraduate and undergraduate students
and cultivate their sense of belonging. It would also help postgraduates from
outside Hong Kong understand Hong Kong society and foster undergraduates’
interest in postgraduate academic research through interaction with them.
