Courses

The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Hong Kong SAR, China

The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) is a comprehensive research university with a global vision. As the second oldest university in the territory, CUHK distinguishes itself from other local universities with its firmly rooted Chinese culture, bilingualism and multiculturalism, and a unique college system that complements the formal learning experience through whole-person development and pastoral care.

CUHK has been at the forefront of research. It boasts a galaxy of distinguished scholars and researchers, including Nobel Laureates, a Fields medalist, a Turing Award winner, and members of the Royal Society. In its latest strategic plan, CUHK has identified four research priorities to build on its strengths and leading advantages in those areas to address some of the most pressing issues of the world today. These areas are China Studies, Translational Biomedicine, Information and Automation Technology and Environment and Sustainability. The prowess, variety and impact of research at CUHK can be further demonstrated from its establishment of five state key laboratories, past and ongoing Areas of Excellence research projects, and the many research institutes and collaborations with eminent overseas research institutions.

The University engages in academic and research partnerships with over 340 universities and institutions from around the world, internationalizing education and advancing the frontiers of knowledge and technology to address the many global challenges of today.

Website: www.cuhk.edu.hk

Course offerings for commencement in August/September 2020
Application Closed

Number of Credits	3
Offering Department	Department of Anthropology
Course Teacher	Prof. Gordon MATHEWS
Language of Instruction	English
First Day of Class	Sep 9, 2020
Last Day of Class	Dec 2, 2020
Course Component	Lecture	Tutorial
Mode of Teaching	Synchronous	Synchronous
Meeting Time	Wed 1130-1315 Course recordings available for VSE students.	Wed 1330-1415 / 1430-1515 / 1530 -1615 / Thu 1030-1115 / 1130-1215
Time Zone	Hong Kong Time (UTC+8)
Restrictions	-
Course Description	This course introduces students to characteristic aspects of Hong Kong culture. It will cover a wide range of cultural changes that have taken place since WWII. The course starts with an introduction to anthropological research in Hong Kong, and looks at topics including village culture and urbanization, food culture, marriage, family and gender, religion, and popular culture. Underlying most topics are questions of the modern versus the traditional, rural versus urban, cosmopolitan versus parochial, and how all these opposites interact to construct culture in Hong Kong.
Course Outline	English

Number of Credits	3
Offering Department	Department of Anthropology
Course Teacher	Prof. Gordon MATHEWS
Language of Instruction	English
First Day of Class	Sep 10, 2020
Last Day of Class	Dec 3, 2020
Course Component	Lecture	Tutorial
Mode of Teaching	Synchronous	Synchronous
Meeting Time	Thu 1330-1515 Course recordings available for VSE students.	Thu 1730-1815 / Fri 1030-1115
Time Zone	Hong Kong Time (UTC+8)
Restrictions	-
Course Description	In societies across the world, people have different culturally-shaped senses of what their lives mean: people may live for money, love, honor or fame; for family, company, country or religion. This course examines the processes through which meanings of life are formulated and maintained in day-to-day life in societies past and present; it also explores life meaning as a way of comprehending the evolution of human societies. The course uses the concept of "meanings of life" as a window into the anthropological understanding of cultural difference and cultural evolution.
Course Outline	English

Number of Credits	3
Offering Department	Department of Economics
Course Teacher	Prof. Yifan ZHANG
Language of Instruction	English
First Day of Class	Sep 7, 2020
Last Day of Class	Nov 30, 2020
Course Component	Lecture
Mode of Teaching	Synchronous
Meeting Time	Mon 1630-1915
Time Zone	Hong Kong Time (UTC+8)
Restrictions	-
Course Description	This course develops, from an economic perspective, an understanding of the basic conditions of the Chinese economy and Chinese society, the underlying forces behind the Chinese economic development, the political architecture of China, as well as some key aspects of China’s consumer market. We also examine the key challenges and opportunities that complex business environment has provided for Chinese firms, including state-owned enterprises, private firms and foreign invested firms.
Course Outline	English

Number of Credits	3
Offering Department	Entrepreneurship and Innovation Minor Programme
Course Teacher	Prof. Dominic CHAN
Language of Instruction	English
First Day of Class	Sep 8, 2020
Last Day of Class	Dec 1, 2020
Course Component	Lecture & Guest Talk
Mode of Teaching	Synchronous
Meeting Time	Tue 1030-1315 Course recordings available for VSE students.
Time Zone	Hong Kong Time (UTC+8)
Restrictions	-
Course Description	This course is an introduction to the mindset and values of an entrepreneur. The primary objective is to make students appreciate and adapt to change in the world of entrepreneurship. Whether a student takes the entrepreneurial path or chooses to become a manager in the corporate world upon graduation, the entrepreneurial spirit as inspired by the journey of a successful entrepreneur will help produce out-of-the-box ideas and the ability to cope with challenges in the business world. In this course, prominent figures and seasoned entrepreneurs will be invited to share their real stories and experiences regarding creativity, innovation, problem-solving and entrepreneurship in different situations. As “fail early fail fast” has become the unofficial mantra in the Silicon, guest speakers are encouraged to give an honest account of their devastating failures and reveal how they survive, adapt, and achieve eventual success.
Course Outline	English

Number of Credits	3
Offering Department	Global Studies Programme
Course Teacher	Dr. YUE Pak Hong
Language of Instruction	English
First Day of Class	Sep 8, 2020
Last Day of Class	Dec 1, 2020
Course Component	Lecture	Student Presentation
Mode of Teaching	Synchronous	Synchronous
Meeting Time	Tue 1430-1715 (Sep 8 to Nov 17) Asynchronous components available for VSE students.	Tue 1430-1715 (Nov 24 & Dec 1)
Time Zone	Hong Kong Time (UTC+8)
Restrictions	-
Course Description	The course introduces the concept of human carrying capacity in the globe. The capacity symbolizes the balance between population size and environmental resources –– the underlying foundation for sustainable development. In history, it is shown that the human carrying capacity was periodically shrunk by climate deterioration and human-induced environmental degradation, resulting in catastrophic social consequences such as mass migrations, wars, or even population collapses. In this course, the background knowledge of climate-induced and human-induced environmental change will be introduced. The associated physical and social dimensions of environmental change will also be covered. Based on the lessons of the past, together with recent trends in global climate change and social development, the human carrying capacity in contemporary societies will be systematically examined. Some controversial issues related to human-environment nexus will also be discussed. This is a course of general appeal to students with different backgrounds.
Course Outline	English

Number of Credits	3
Offering Department	Global Studies Programme
Course Teacher	Dr. CHAN Wai Shun
Language of Instruction	English
First Day of Class	Sep 9, 2020
Last Day of Class	Dec 2, 2020
Course Component	Lecture	Student Presentation
Mode of Teaching	Synchronous	Synchronous
Meeting Time	Wed 1430-1715 (Sep 9 to Nov 18) Asynchronous components available for VSE students.	Wed 1430-1715 (Nov 25 & Dec 2)
Time Zone	Hong Kong Time (UTC+8)
Restrictions	-
Course Description	This course aims to provide students the foundational knowledge on the operation of world economy and examine how social, political and institutional factors contribute to the creation of global economic order. It examines the intertwining and interaction of economics (wealth creation) and politics (political power) in global affairs. The course will first offer a general survey of the key concepts and major theoretical perspectives in the study of Global Political Economy (GPE) (Liberalism, Mercantilism, and Marxist theory, etc.). In the second part, we cover substantive policy issues including international trade and monetary system, foreign investment and multi-national corporations, etc.. It focuses on how the world economy is transformed by globalization, with a particular focus on the development of various international and regional institutions that govern the current economic order. Finally, the course will be concluded with the discussion of latest trends of global economic governance, with a particular focus on the transforming role of national states and the endeavors of international development on poverty and inequality reduction. Relevant country experiences will be adopted to illustrate the dynamics of economic growth and stability. GLSD2501 intends to promote students’ appreciation of the role of institutions and politics in the operation of global economic order. Students are not required to have any background in the discipline for the course is designed to introduce essential concepts, major theoretical perspectives and basic operations of modern world economy, allowing students to communicate issues in world economic order effectively in group work and individually, in oral as well as written forms.
Course Outline	English

Number of Credits	3
Offering Department	Department of Management
Course Teacher	Dr. Stephen FROST
Language of Instruction	English
First Day of Class	Sep 7, 2020
Last Day of Class	Dec 2, 2020
Course Component	Lecture	Virtual sessions for students incompatible with lecture hours
Mode of Teaching	Synchronous	Synchronous
Meeting Time	Mon 1430-1715 Tue 1430-1715 Wed 1430-1715	To be Confirmed
Time Zone	Hong Kong Time (UTC+8)
Restrictions	-
Course Description	Firms/organizations are faced with an increasingly complex relationship between legal, ethical and responsible business environments. On the one hand, they have a legal responsibility to ensure profits are made within the confines of law. On the other hand, operating within the parameters of the law is now seen as an inadequate foundation for being a responsible business. Moreover, there is mounting evidence of a correlation between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and the ability of companies to formulate better business strategies and decisions, thus enhancing competitiveness and firm performance. Firms are required to not only make profit, but to contribute economic and social value to the communities in which they operate and do business. Today’s manager is expected to not only understand this, but to be able to think and act accordingly. This course provides students with an introduction to the interconnections between corporate social responsibility (CSR), business ethics and law, in order to foster understanding of the role that corporations play with regard to these areas. It provides participants with basic concepts to help them comprehend a growing and evolving area of management responsibility, enabling them through theory and practice (including case studies and a major group project) to see how and why companies respond to a complex array of expectations from society (stakeholders). Although it will focus on the Hong Kong business environment, the course will also canvas global practices to prepare students for their responsibilities as future managers and entrepreneurs in a globalized economy.
Course Outline	English

Course enrollment is subject to final approval from your home university and the course offering university. Please contact the APRU VSE Coordinator of your home university for credit transfer information.