SDG-GE (General Education) 2024-25 Term 2
可持續發展目標通識課（SDG-GE）乃現有大學通識課或書院通識課，並至少與一個可持續發展目標相關。修畢相關課程後，期望同學能掌握不同的可持續發展目標及其在不同處境下的實踐，並能就該些目標所針對的議題提出可行的解決方案。以下是可持續發展目標通識課：
UGEA
Time
Lecture: Fridays 02:30 – 04:15 p.m.
Tutorial: Fridays 04:30 – 05:15 p.m.
Instructor
Professor HO Hang Kei
Course Description
China is looming large on the global scene and our everyday life. It is a rising power that is changing the world order. It is a land of promising opportunities that attract an immense amount of capital and talents from overseas. Not to mention that a large part of the stuff we consume is produced in China. However, China is still—at least nominally—a socialist country that continues to embrace one-party rule and political censorship. Through the holistic perspective of anthropology that gives equal emphasis on political, economic, social, cultural, and ecological factors, this course addresses a host of issues that are salient in understanding China and its position in the contemporary world. The anthropological perspective is particularly good at making sense of the macro-level issues through studying day-to-day details and processes in a small locale. This course starts with examining China’s revolution-packed modern history and the making of the powerful Communist Party; topics covered include classical anthropological themes on family, kinship, religion, education, ethnicity, identity, and morality. In the second half of the semester, this course examines emerging social concerns to explore how global processes such as modernization and late-capitalist development shape Chinese cultural and social institutions. These concerns include consumerism, individualism, urbanization, underground (unofficial) culture, civil society and activism, and financialization and digitalization. The course also draws from disciplines other than anthropology—for example, history—and some of the finest journalist writings on China. The overall intention is to provide a well-rounded and nuanced understanding of China today. The course prepares students for the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Anthropology has a strong heritage concerning inequality, marginalized group, human and environment, and wellbeing for all. Analyzing China, this course aims at understanding the development and choices of human beings. Therefore, the course will improve students’ reflection on several SDGs including “promoting inclusive and sustainable economic growth,” “reducing inequality within and among countries,” “sustainable consumption and production patterns,” and “peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development and providing access to justice for all.”
Learning Outcome
- Acquire a good understanding of contemporary China.
- Be acquainted with the anthropological holistic perspective.
- Identify the core cultural characteristics of Chinese society and how they are shaped by political, economic, social and ecological factors.
- Analyze emerging concerns in China in the context of global transitions.
- Reflect upon the challenges regarding inequality, marginality, sustainability, and inclusiveness based on the analysis of China.
- Establish the students’ own critical perspective of China today and the world.
- Evaluate the concept of sustainability and development anthropologically to figure out how to meet the challenges of SDGs.
Credits
2-credits
Sustainable Development Goals
UGEB
Time
Lecture: Tuesdays 10:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Instructor
Dr. NG Kit-Ying, Angel
Course Description
This course aims at providing students with an overall view on nature conservation in general and Hong Kong in particular. The concepts and principles of nature conservation will be addressed from a holistic point of view, followed by an investigation of nature conservation practices and their effect on the environment in Hong Kong. The latter shall include legislation, designation and management of the protected areas. Specifically, country, marine parks and geopark are developed to protected terrestrial and marine habitats as well as the associated wildlife, and geodiversity, respectively. Threats to protected areas and their mitigation for sustainability in Hong Kong will also be addressed alongside comparison with overseas experiences. The course does not teach students how to identify the different species of plants, birds, insects, corals or rocks. Instead, it provides a framework for students to look at nature conservation from the perspective of sustainable development, that is incorporating the economic, social, environmental and institutional dimensions of development. The new initiatives of nature conservation in the 21st century in response to globalization and climate change will be addressed towards the end of the course.
Learning Outcome
- Describe and explain concepts and principles of nature conservation in local and global context.
- Explore and discuss the process in the formation of local nature conservation policy and practices.
- Appreciate and differentiate values and benefits of protected areas to the community.
- Identify sustainable measures in conserving habitats and ecosystems in Hong Kong.
- Analyze strengths and challenges of various conservation measures applied in Hong Kong respect to sustainable development goals (especially the SDGs 14 (Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development) and 15 (Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems) respectively).
Credits
3-credits
Time
Lecture: Mondays 02:30 p.m. – 04:15 p.m.
Tutorial: TBA
Instructor
Dr. WONG Kwan Kit, Professor FUNG Tung
Course Description
Climate change, sea level rise, deforestation, forest fire, severe typhoon, glacier melt, agricultural loss, overpopulation, etc. are terms that you might have heard of. And they are also real and hot crises affecting the sustainability of human beings. How do we know these are all happening? In fact, our earth is being overseen from space every day. One good example is Google Earth that takes us any part of the globe anytime and anywhere using fingertips. Have you wondered where do these images come from? How these images are captured? How can images be used to understand the happening on our earth? Most of these images are captured by giant machines hovering in space known as satellites. “Remote sensing” is the process to collect images from the space or in the air, which is one of the key tools in the regime of spatial information technology. Important information are extracted from these images to gain better understanding of status quo and be more sustainable and responsible to our home – Earth.
This course allows students to acquire basic knowledge of remote sensing and to understand how the technology is used to the study and monitor of our earth. The course is divided into two parts. The first part elucidates the basic concept of remote sensing as well as the skills in extracting information from images. The second part unveils the applications of remote sensing images to crucial sustainability issues such as urban development, agriculture, forest management, natural disaster, climate change, etc. These applications connect with three Sustainable Development Goals including #11 (sustainable cities and community), #13 (climate action) and #15 (life on land) set by the United Nations in 2015. Loads of remotely-sensed images are used to illustrate the natural process and human activities that alter the earth surface and to explore the issue of sustainability. Together with hands-on work in tutorials and interactive class activity, students would be aware of how this novel technology is exploring the future of human beings.
Learning Outcome
- Have basic understanding of remote sensing technology.
- Acquire preliminary skills of image interpretation.
- Understand the local, regional and global applications of remote sensing that link with sustainability.
- Acknowledge the impact of the spatial information technology on the society and in daily life.
Credits
3-credits
Time
Lecture: Fridays 08:30 a.m. – 11:15a.m.
Instructor
Dr. WANG Lang
Course Description
As the most populous country in the world, China is confronted by the problems of overpopulation, water scarcity, energy shortage, desertification, drought, floods, pollution, and loss of biodiversity. Since 1978 the economy has grown rapidly and as of to date, it has become a rising economic power of the world. However, the environmental and ecological problems have reached a point whereby sustainable growth is jeopardized. To solve the problems of limited resource per capita, as well as encourage economic development, China has implemented and planned for a series of mega projects of far-reaching repercussions, the scale of which is unmatched in the history of mankind. They range from multi-purpose water conservancy projects to renewable energy projects and inter-provincial railway construction. These projects have been conceived for decades yet highly controversial and expensive to build. Meanwhile, China has made a commitment that it will shoulder the responsibility of implementing the 2030 development agenda (17 Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs), and seek solidarity and cooperation to constantly push the cause of global development. This course gives students a general background of these mega-projects, the problems they attempt to resolve, benefits, as well as how these projects trying to meet the SDGs (especially the SDGs 6, 7 and 13 of water scarcity, affordable clean energy and climate actions, respectively), and the potential collaborations with other countries contributing to human well-being. After taking this course, students should have a comprehensive understanding about the occurrence, nature and sustainable solutions of the various environmental problems China is facing.
Learning Outcome
- Understanding the environmental crisis of China and possible sustainable solutions.
- Learning how to think critically in general and understanding complex socioeconomic and environmental issues in particular.
- Understanding the responses to new challenges in the 21st century with respect to sustainable development goals using China as an example.
- Update of useful knowledge about China to broaden/enhance students’ job opportunities and employability.
Credits
3-credits
Time
Lecture: Fridays 02:30 p.m. – 05:15p.m.
Instructor
Professor LAI Yuk Fo
Medium of Instruction
Cantonese
Course Description
For many of us, the natural wonders of our planet are well known, for example, Antarctica, the Amazon Forests, the Great Barrier Reef and the Grand Canyon. Yet, few people really understand their formation and presence. This course introduces students to the concepts and processes of environmental change, such as climate change, land use change, desertification, and habitat loss.
The course adopts a scientific approach to help students understand the processes of environmental change behind some of the planet’s famous natural landscapes, landforms and natural phenomena. These shall include the natural processes (geological, atmospheric, hydrological and ecological) and anthropogenic processes (land use change, fossil fuel combustion and infrastructure development).
The course is designed around the four themes of: (i) the processes and patterns of landscape formation; (ii) the combination of natural and human-induced environmental change; (iii) benefits of natural wonders to human beings; and (iv) the methods and challenges of protecting natural wonders.
This course will cover at least three Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), namely SDG13 Climate Action, SDG14 Life Below Water, and SDG15 Life On Land. The impact of climate change on various natural wonders and related human well-being will be examined, along with possible ways to mitigate and adapt to climate change. Also, the influence of human activities on terrestrial and marine ecosystems, as well as possible options for their sustainable management will be discussed.
Learning Outcome
- Understand the concepts and explain the formation of different natural landscapes, landforms and phenomena across the planet.
- Understand the inter-relationships between different physical and human-induced processes in shaping natural landscapes and landforms in the terrestrial and marine environments.
- Assess the impacts of climate change on natural wonders and evaluate different options of climate change mitigation and adaptation.
- Identify the challenges faced by the world’s natural wonders and develop sustainable solutions in their preservation and management.
- Improve academic skills in critical thinking, researching, teamwork, presentation, essay editing and writing.
Credits
3-credits
Time
Lecture: Tuesdays 02:30 p.m. – 04:15 p.m.
Instructor
Dr. SIOW Lam
Course Description
Biology is the study of life. Complex life is built from some molecules that slowly evolved into diverse living organisms, which then interact with the environment to form ecosystems and finally shape the biosphere where we all live in. Studies of the biological world allow us to understand more on how life has evolved and lead to significant advancement in our ability to improve living quality, but at the same time create a lot of controversies and problems. This course firstly aims to provide a systematic and comprehensive view on the biological world, starting from the simplest DNA to simple single-celled organisms, and then to more complicated living organisms, and finally to the most complex ecosystems and biosphere; and to guide students to appreciate the Wonders and majesty of the biological world. Students will also be introduced examples of how insights from studying the biological world can improve our health, living quality and environment, and may affect the future societal development. Students will be introduced to examples that are relevant to the Sustainable Development Goals including SDG #3 “Good Heath and Well Being, SDG #7 “Affordable and Clean Energy, SDG #13 “Climate Action” and SDG #15 “Life on Land”. The important roles of biotechnology will be discussed, such as how human diseases can be prevented and treated, and how global climate change can be mitigated.
Learning Outcome
- To recognize how life is organized from molecules into organisms and how they live with nature
- To develop concepts on how nature shapes her inhabitants through the process of natural selection
- To give examples of what humans have learnt from nature to solve their life problems and to improve their living quality
- To explain how human activities affect the environment and its remediation
- To apply some basic principles and knowledge of biological sciences to real life situations
- To appraise the impact of modern life styles of humans on nature with a scientific basis
Credits
2-credits
Time
Lecture: Fridays 08:30 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.
Instructor
Ms YIP Pui Sze, Professor LEUNG Kwok Nam
Course Description
This course aims at providing students with majors in other academic (non-life sciences, non-medical) disciplines with an overview of nutritional sciences and their applications for everyday life and health issues. This course also aims at increase the awareness of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that are related to food and nutrition.
The course is composed of 4 themes. Theme 1 will introduce basic concepts of nutritional sciences and the nutritional needs/concerns at different stages of life in humans. Theme 2 will address the relationship between nutrition and some common nutrition-related diseases. Weight management will also be included in theme 2. Theme 3 will discuss some diet and nutrition controversial issues. Theme 4 will cover some selected local and global nutritional issues.
Learning Outcome
- Identify the functions of nutrients, and symptoms resulted from excessive and deficient nutrients intake.
- Recognize nutritional needs/concerns at different stages of life in humans.
- Describe the relationships between nutrition and some common diseases.
- Analyze nutritional controversies through applications of the basic knowledge of nutritional sciences.
- Assess nutritional status using simple nutritional assessment methods.
- Develop simple strategies for weight management and healthy eating habits.
- Apply basic knowledge of nutritional sciences in daily life to promote healthy eating.
- Identify local and global nutritional issues that influence our eating behaviors.
- Increase awareness of SDGs, particularly the goals that are food and nutrition related.
Credits
3-credits
Sustainable Development Goals
Time
Lecture: Mondays 11:30 a.m. – 02:15 p.m.
Instructor
Dr. AU-YEUNG Yee Man, Professor CHAN Chung Leung Johnny
Course Description
This course covers various issues related to climate and climate change, such as how it is related to our lives, our changing climate in the past, sea level rise, impacts of stratospheric ozone hole and global warming, El Niño events and disastrous climate extremes, tropical cyclones, and our responses to climate change.
This course intends to enable students to become knowledgeable in the debate on global environmental change and the relevant adaptation and mitigation strategies, which can provide a clearer understanding of United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, especially SDG#13 Climate Action. It can also better prepare them to make informed decisions in their career and personal life in the future complex society where resolving the ever-increasing demand for energy and the preservation of the integrity of the environment and natural resources will be a foremost concern. The technological and policy solutions discussed will also help contribute to address SDG#7 Affordable and Clean Energy as well as SDG#3 Good Health and Well-being.
Learning Outcome
At the end of the course, you should be able to
- describe basic features of the earth system
- explain the possible reasons for the occurrence of different types of weather and climate phenomena
- describe the different types of extreme weather
- describe the tools used to (a) identify the past, and (b) predict and project future changes in weather and climate
- explain how these tools can be used to estimate the impacts of climate change on the different types of extreme weather
- identify the scientific meaning behind different types of climate science data (e.g., rising sea level) and their limitations as non-science students
- explore the possible human footprint on the natural variability of climate
- understand the discussion behind the adaptation and mitigation strategies towards the global environmental change, contributing to the understanding and pursuit of SDG#13 Climate Action, SDG#7 Clean and Affordable Energy, and SDG#3 Good Health and Well-being
Credits
3-credits
Sustainable Development Goals
Time
Lecture: Monday 09:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Instructor
Professor LEE Yuet Sheung Kathy
Course Description
One in every 10 people suffers from at least a kind of communication disorder. It is almost inevitable for people to have encountered individuals with unclear speech, hoarse voice, stuttering, autism spectrum disorder, hearing impairment and dementia etc. in their lifetime. Students without a background in speech and hearing sciences may not have solid understanding of the essentials of human communication and its disorders. This course thus aims to provide tailor-made content suiting all students to cover the fundamentals of these topics from the perspective of speech-language-pathology.
The course consists of 3 major components. The first one brings out the essential elements in normal communication. The second component covers what goes wrong in the chain of communication which leads to various communication disorders. The third component introduces various communication disorders in terms of the general characteristics and the practical tips on how to interact with them through case studies.
By learning the essential elements of effective communication skills as well as gaining knowledge on how to facilitate interaction with people who have diverse communication and educational needs, this course also helps students to better understand the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) relating to #3 Good Health and Well-being, #4 Inclusive Quality Education and #10 Reduced Inequalities.
Learning Outcome
Throughout the course, students will be able to achieve the following objectives through readings, lectures, team discussions, and group work:
1. Identify the various processes involved in successful human communication, including the basic anatomical, neurological, and physiological underpinnings of communication. This will help promote SDG#3 – Good Health and Wellbeing by teaching students relevant strategies to foster positive mental health and well-being.
2. Explain how the breakdown in specific processes can lead to different communication disorders, including behavioral analyses. This will help promote SDG#4 – Quality Education by helping students understand how inclusive education is possible with different approaches.
3. Describe the communication, language, and speech characteristics of individuals with different communication disorders, promoting both SDG#4 – Quality Education and SDG#10 – Reduced Inequalities.
4. Summarize the basic principles of communicating with populations facing various difficulties, promoting empathy and diversity and aligning with SDG#4 and SDG#10.
5. Apply the fundamental knowledge gained in improving one’s own communication skills, promoting SDG#3 – Good Health and Wellbeing.
Credits
3-credits
Sustainable Development Goals
UGEC
Time
Lecture: Mondays 10:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Instructor
Dr. WOO Tze Yan Jessie
Course Description
This course provides a framework of the history of England for nearly two thousand years. It is hoped that through this course students will be able to broaden their knowledge of some key aspects of the history of England integrated into SDGs themes.
Students, thus, will be more connected to the modern world by understanding the past since some important ideas and inventions are legacies from England. Students will discuss from different perspectives of ‘England’ in this course, such as political development, intellectual ideology, cultural influences and transformation of society in modern Britain. For example, the concept of ‘democracy’ is based on the constitution movement and it still affects the modern world (#16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions)The industrial revolution and the changing the modern consumption. (#8 Decent Work and Economic Growth #9 Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure). Women’s suffrage in the United Kingdom was a pioneer women movements (#5 Gender Equality)It is hard to understand the shaping of modern world without knowing the role of England in the WWII. Finally, the discussion of the role of Britain in colonial Hong Kong also provides an opportunity for students to understand the legacy of Britain in Hong Kong today.
Students should be able to review the following SDGs themes, including #5 Gender Equality #8 Decent Work and Economic Growth #9 Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure #16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions after this course, which fulfills the SDGs goals.
Learning Outcome
After taking this course, students are able to:
- Acquire the basic knowledge of the history and formation of England;
- Analyse the rise of England as world power and how her cultural, institutes and justice system influenced the contemporary world;
- Think critically how the industrial revolution changed the ideas such as ‘innovation’ and ‘consumerism’ and how they affected the modern world environment;
- Understand how human rights and women rights developed in England;
- Integrate SDGs into different historical aspects and how they related to modern world issues.
Credits
2-credits
Sustainable Development Goals
Time
Lecture: Mondays 02:30 – 05:15 p.m.
Instructor
Dr. TU Shiu Hong Simon
Course Description
Since 2015, tourism has been listed by the United Nations as one of the means to achieve sustainable development goals. How does tourism contribute to the sustainable development of human society? What are the impacts of tourism upon the cities and communities? Using Japan as a principal example, this course aims at examining the possibilities and challenges of achieving sustainable development goals through tourism. The first part of this course introduces basic concepts of tourism and sustainable development goals, and discusses their relationship. The second part of the course compares Japan to China and other countries, and investigates the benefits and costs of tourism in relation to sustainable cities and communities, indigenous culture, and natural resources. Additional discussions further explore the potentials of sustainable tourism in Hong Kong. With assigned readings and coursework, students are expected to acquire knowledge on sustainable development goals, and critically evaluate tourism as a means to achieve these goals.
Learning Outcome
By the end of this course, students are expected:
1.) to acquire knowledge on UN’s sustainable development goals, and to apply their knowledge to critically evaluate the current situations in Hong Kong, Asia and the world;
2.) to be able to critically evaluate tourism as a means to achieve sustainable cities and communities;
3.) to be able to scholarly compare Japan to other countries in relation to tourism;
4.) to reflect on tourism development in Hong Kong.
Credits
3-credits
Sustainable Development Goals
Time
Lecture: Wednesdays 12:30 a.m. – 02:15 p.m.
Tutorial:
Wednesdays 02:30 p.m. – 03:15 p.m.
Wednesdays 03:30 p.m. – 04:15 p.m.
Instructor
Dr. TANG Wai Man
Medium of Instruction
Cantonese
Course Description
(UGEC1835 is double-coded with ANTH1410.)
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. Hong Kong has been developed at a rapid pace since WWII. This course also discusses to what extent the development in Hong Kong meets the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular in the area of gender equality, cultural inclusiveness, and socially responsible production and consumption.
Learning Outcome
- Explicate the development of Hong Kong culture after the Second World War, including changes in the urban and rural areas, and critically identify the different factors affecting such development.
- Analytically discuss aspects of culture that they had previously taken for granted, including daily activities such as entertainment, food culture, and religious and secular rituals.
- Analyze different local lifestyles and their interaction with the changing environment, as well as the role of tradition and globalization.
- Identify and explicate aspects of the unity and diversity of culture in Hong Kong, and the processes that mold and shape cultural identity.
- Formulate research design on topics concerning Hong Kong, engage in cultural data collection, and present and communicate research results.
Credits
3-credits
Sustainable Development Goals
Time
Lecture: Mondays 10:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Instructor
Miss CHEUNG Ching Man
Course Description
Macau is renowned for its gaming industry, yet it is also the place where East meets West. After more than three centuries of social evolution and cultural exchange, which attributes to Macau’s social diversity and valuable cultural heritage. This course will be divided into two parts. Part I traces and examines the development of Macau from a historical perspective, foster students an understanding of the contexts that shape the society and culture of the city from the past to the present, and how these contexts served as obstacles or opportunities in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Part II exposes students to selected themes, including ethnic relations, economic activities, religious and cultural exchange, heritage conservation, etc., exploring Macau’s social diversity and cultural inclusiveness, and examine their relevance to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG#8 Decent Work and Economic Growth, SDG#10 Reducing Inequality and SDG#11 Sustainable Cities and Communities.
Learning Outcome
- Develop an understanding of the history of Macau and the evolution of its society.
- Recognize and critically analyze how and why various contexts shaping the culture and society of Macau, and how these contexts served as obstacles or opportunities in reducing social inequality (SDG#10 Reducing Inequality) and promoting economic growth (SDG#8 Decent Work and Economic Growth).
- Appreciate Macau’s cultural diversity and cultural heritage.
- Evaluate and reflect on selected issues (e.g. economic development versus heritage conservation, challenges of preserving Macanese cultures in a Chinese city, etc.) concerning the sustainable development of Macau and its community (SDG#11 Sustainable Cities and Communities).
Credits
2-credits
Sustainable Development Goals
Time
Lecture: Tuesdays 02:30 p.m. – 05:15 p.m
Instructor
Dr. GUO Cunlan
Course Description
Food is essential for life by providing energy and nutrition and achieving zero hunger is one of 17 Sustainable Development Goals in the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Ironically, world hunger is increasing and FAO’s most recent estimates put the number of hungry people at 822 million in 2018-19, an increase of more than 28 million since 2014-16, even though the technology of food production has improved significantly. Why? It is because the causes of world hunger are multiple and, in principle, include food availability, accessibility and utilization. The course therefore adopts a multidisciplinary approach to examine the different issues of food and hunger, and how they change with time. The causes of world hunger will be analyzed with special emphasis on food production systems, bearing in mind there is no single solution to the problem. Towards the end of the course, the development of sustainable agriculture and measures to mitigate the hunger problem in the 21st century will be addressed to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Lectures will be supplemented with case studies, videos and slides.
Learning Outcome
- Explain different global food and hunger issues in a comprehensive perspective.
- Distinguish advantages and disadvantages of different forms of global food production to reduce the world hunger and reach zero hunger of sustainable development goals in a historical perspective.
- Analyze the consequences of different food production programmes to meet the needs of a growing population in China in a spatio-temporal perspective.
- Assess world capacity of food production to explore a sustainable food production for all to achieve Sustainable Development Goals in a futuristic perspective.
Credits
3-credits
Sustainable Development Goals
Time
Lecture: Wednesdays 02:30 p.m. – 04:15 p.m.
Instructor
Professor Lawal Mohammed MARAFA
Course Description
Popular representations of the African continent produced in global discussions are marked by a stereotyped image of Africa, its culture, environment and development. The purpose of this course is to critically examine the common framing of Africa as a continent of conflict, disasters, poverty and a region that is perpetually in need of external intervention. In addition to the myth that surrounds Africa, there is a growing dynamics of activities resulting into the current interest on the continent.
Earlier, the UN settled on the Agenda 2030 as a plan of action for people, planet and prosperity for the whole world. This plan dovetails very well with the Africa’s Agenda 2063. This therefore provides an opportunity to identify where Africay situates on SDG issues that include its people, its environment and its economic development.
The course will therefore present to students the context of Africa relating to its geography, environment, culture as well as contemporary development issues shaping the destiny of Africa. Through lectures, guest speakers, videos and possibly field studies, students will be able to critically evaluate the stereotypical notion of Africa as a continent rather than as a country as is quite often misconstrued. The course will provide an intellectual platform to understand and analyze issues from a multi-disciplinary perspective as they relate to Africa and humanity. The students will be able to interpret and explain in broad terms, the contemporary position of Africa as it relates to other parts of the world with special attention to its relationship with Asia and China in particular.
Learning Outcome
- Acquire basic knowledge of the physical, environmental and cultural geography of the African continent.
- Embark on intellectual dialogues and critically analyze the theoretical and practical aspects of the people’s relationship with the African physical environment.
- Students will understand the extent to which SDGs are integrated into the African development agenda.
- Comment academically on issues, problems and challenges related to Africa.
- Demonstrate a greater understanding of Africa as a continent and its people.
- Think critically and academically in approaching the discussions on African issues.
- Acquire the skills and capacity to provide necessary leadership and expertise to others seeking knowledge of and involvement in Africa and African affairs.
Credits
2-credits
Sustainable Development Goals
Time
Lecture: Wednesdays 10:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Tutorial: Wednesdays 12:30 p.m. – 01:15 p.m.
Instructor
Professor WU Ka Ming
Course Description
(UGEC2243 is double-coded with CURE2018.)
Human have altered the environment in ways that have no precedence in human history. Ecological crisis, environmental degradation, and extreme weathers have become the watchwords of contemporary politics. The conventional boundaries between “nature” and “culture” are now being questioned. How do nature, culture and power intersect in our everyday life? How do we get to understand issues of sustainability and environmental crisis from a broad historical perspective and global activism angle? How are gender, class and race interact with technology, damaged environment, animal and plant species? This course explores these questions and the rich debates in the emerging field of environmental humanity and literature of the Anthropocene.
Class topics are organized on major global green movements that resisted oil pollution, toxic factories, logging companies, dam constructions and nuclear plant building. Students get to learn the historical developments of major environmental activism in the West and the global south. How was the Greenpeace founded? What is the Narmada Dam Movement in India? Do you know Ken Saro-Wiwa, an environmental activist against Shell oil pollution in Nigeria? In each class we examine historical texts, visual materials and theoretical debates to explore how environmental justice has been intertwined with histories of colonialism, neoliberalism, and questions of gender, race, poverty and class. Together the class explores the problem of the Anthropocene (Nature) in the context of colonial history, grass root struggles (Culture) and corporation greed (Power).
This course addresses many of the 17 United Nation Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Climate Actions (13), Life on Land (15), Life below Water (14), Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions (16), Clean Energy (7), Reduced Inequalities (10), and Gender Inequality (5). Students are able to identify the weekly course content aligned with specific SDGs and be able to understand these goals in both historical and contemporary contexts.
Learning Outcome
Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to:
- Acquire knowledge on major environmental struggles and movements in the West and the Global South
- Comprehend the historical relationships between ecological crisis, colonialism and corporate politics
- Analyze the current ecological crisis using the concept of slow violence
- Evaluate the scientific debates of the Anthropocene with knowledge and analysis from the field of environmental humanities.
- Acquire the awareness and contextual understandings of the United Station Sustainable Development Goals
Credits
3-credits
Sustainable Development Goals
Course Description
(UGEC2662 is double-coded with ANTH2510.)
Culture is ubiquitous in every aspect of societies, including how we do business. This course will examine the role of culture in contemporary business and study work and management in industrial societies anthropologically. Students will be introduced to the cultural logics of business practices, particularly business operations, organization and management through ethnographic explorations of different cultures, locales and sociohistorical settings. The aims of the course are twofold. First, it reveals cultural aspects and the cultural mechanisms of business. It shows the significance of culture in the business world, as well as the cultural significance of business. Second, it attempts to put anthropology into business practice. It demonstrates to students how anthropological knowledge and methodologies can be applied to business operations and help to achieve business goals. By examining the themes including but not limited to the indoctrination of work ethics, labor relations, gender and racial issues in the workplace, capitalism and its discontents, and responses to and actions upon market capitalism in terms of both production and consumption, the course attends to these Sustainable Development Goals: No Poverty (SDG#1), Gender Equality (SDG#5), Decent Work and Economic Growth (SDG#8), Reduced Inequalities (SDG#10), Responsible Consumption and Production (SDG#12), and Partnerships for the Goals (SDG#17).
Learning Outcome
After the completion of this course, students will:
- Understand and appreciate the cultural dimensions of business operations and organization in different historical, political, and social settings;
- Acquire the necessary ethnographic skills to study diverse aspects of business operations and organization;
- Be able to rethink and challenge the existing assumptions regarding business practices in the modern world;
- Gain the analytical tools to examine issues of over-consumption, over-production, dispossession, oppression, and other relevant discontent under global capitalism;
- Be able to examine critically the role SDGs could play in addressing disparities and injustices in the world;
- Understand the importance of building a more inclusive, equal and diverse society.
Credits
3-credits
Sustainable Development Goals
Course Description
This course reviews the historical development of concepts and theories related to museums and cultural heritage. It introduces diversified definitions of museums and heritage in the contemporary. Through selected case studies and field trips, it demonstrates the operations of museums and heritage sites; and analyses their social roles in modern society. It aligns with the UN Sustainable Development Goals #11 ‘Sustainable Cities and Communities, which emphasises making more inclusive and sustainable cities and communities. It also reviews the historical evolution of international conventions related to museums and heritage outlines how global and regional cooperation, such as the development of UNESCO World Heritage, is vital for sustainable heritage conservation and management. It directly responds to the UN Sustainable Development Goals #17, ‘Revitalise the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development which suggests that successful global development requires inclusive and international partnerships.
Learning Outcome
- Students should understand core concepts and theories related to museums and heritage in the contemporary world.
- Students should learn about the historical evolution of social and cultural roles of museums and heritage, especially in the social context of the East Asian region. They shall further develop their capacity to review the social functions of museums and heritage in the rapidly changing contemporary society. It shall help students pinpoint the core values of the UN Sustainable Development Goals #11 ‘Sustainable Cities and Communities, which emphasises making more inclusive and sustainable cities and communities.
- Students shall be able to outline the importance of international and regional cooperation on issues related to heritage conservation, such as the establishment of UNESCO and the Modus Operandi of the UNESCO World Heritage. It allows students to recognise the importance of global solidarity in achieving a successful and sustainable international development emphasised by the UN Sustainable Development Goals #17, ‘Revitalise the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development.
Credits
2-credits
Sustainable Development Goals
Time
Lecture: Fridays 02:30 p.m. – 04:15 p.m.
Instructor
Miss CHEUNG Ching Man
Medium of Instruction
Cantonese
Course Description
Being one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the World, Hong Kong encompasses people of different racial, ethnic and social backgrounds, that attributes to Hong Kong’s hybridity and diversity. This course introduces students to the history of Hong Kong by looking closely at the many varied peoples in Hong Kong. Hong Kong, the gateway to China and a former British colony with dominant Chinese population, how the life, experience and identity of different races, ethnicities and classes differs? What roles did they play in the rise of Hong Kong from a fishing village to a global hub for opportunity? How did their different stories together turn Hong Kong into a cultural melting pot? This course is relevant to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly in the area of SDG#8 Decent Work and Economic Growth, SDG#10 Reducing Inequalities and SDG#11 Sustainable Cities and Communities.
Learning Outcome
- Have a better understanding of the history of Hong Kong and the history of different communities in the city.
- Recognize and critically analyze how and why various contexts affecting ethnic relations and social identities.
- Identify and examine the roles and contributions of different communities in the evolution of Hong Kong’s society and the development of Hong Kong’s economy (SDG#8 Decent Work and Economic Growth).
- Appreciate Hong Kong’s social diversity and cosmopolitanism, and develop empathy to the culture of different communities (SDG#11 Sustainable Cities and Communities).
- Evaluate and reflect on how to promote social equality and inclusion in Hong Kong (SDG#10 Reducing Inequalities).
Credits
2-credits
Sustainable Development Goals
Time
Lecture: Mondays 10:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Instructor
Miss CHEUNG Ching Man
Course Description
This course introduces the history of Hong Kong from a British colony to the Special Administrative Region of China. It covers major events and issues of Hong Kong, emphasizing the development of political system, social structure and economic pattern, and evaluate the role of Hong Kong in modern China, in the Asian-Pacific region and in the world. The course critically examines how colonial governance and Sino-British relations affected Hong Kong, offering students a multi-perspective in understanding how Hong Kong has becomes what it is today. This course is relevant to three Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly in the area of SDG#8 Decent Work and Economic Growth by looking at the development of Hong Kong from an entrepôt to a global financial centre, SDG#10 Reduced Inequalities by looking at how Hong Kong evolved from a society of racial segregation to social inclusiveness, and SDG#16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions by looking at the public policy in promoting social reform and social justice.
Learning Outcome
- Have a better understanding on the history of Hong Kong.
- Recognize and critically analyze how and why various contexts affecting the development of Hong Kong.
- Identify and examine the economic roles and positions of Hong Kong in modern Chinese history and in a global context (SDG#8 Decent Work and Economic Growth).
- Articulate fair evaluation on issues surrounding the daily life in Hong Kong (e.g. inequalities in economic and political power, housing problem, etc.) after understanding their origins, and able to reflect on how to promote social reform and justice based on the experience of the past (SDG#10 Reduced Inequalities and SDG#16 Peace, Justice and Social Institution).
Credits
2-credits
Sustainable Development Goals
Time
Lecture: Mondays 01:30 p.m. – 03:15 p.m.
Tutorial: Mondays 03:30 p.m. – 04:15 p.m. Mondays 04:30 p.m. – 05:15 p.m.
Instructor
Dr. TAM Man Kei
Course Description
This course pays attention to the environment and its relation with human experiences. Through the lens of environment, we bring human diversity into presence, examining ways of life of peoples—from Indonesia highlander to Tokyo urbanites—and their words and deeds to tackle crises of planetary scale—climate change, nuclear disaster, air pollution, waste, deforestation. Facing these crises, can anthropological inquiry of the environment help us to explore a humanity that can accommodate living beings of all kind? How can such inquiry inspire us to make changes that create a world we can live together?
We’ll follow these trails in the environment to look for engagement and conversation: cultural perception on the origin of agriculture, resource use and religious belief, debating traditional ecological knowledge, globalization and state intervention, environmental justice, land dispossession, waste and pollution, disaster and extreme environment. Through ethnographies of people who are struggling to survive, this course asks why they are pushed into poverty, how their resources being exploited, what they do to fight for justice; it covers SDGs related to the issues of sustainable agriculture (SDG2), tacking climate change (SDG13) and promoting peace, justice and institutional accountability (SDG16).
Learning Outcome
- Understand how humans have engaged the environment historically and cross-culturally.
- Examine the relationship between the environment, local communities and the state in the present world through issues including deforestation, climate change, and nuclear disaster.
- Explore contemporary environmental crises to cultivate sensitivity to possible forms of resistance and action from local and global perspectives.
Credits
3-credits
Sustainable Development Goals
Time
Lecture: Thursdays 10:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Tutorial: Thursdays 12:30 p.m. – 01:15 p.m.
Instructor
Professor SONG Jing
Course Description
(UGEC3203 is double-coded with GDRS3005.)
This interdisciplinary course introduces and examines gender and sexuality from a contemporary and regional perspective. Based on a cross-cultural perspective, we will read and analyze different meanings of gender and sexuality, and how these meanings are constructed. In a context of modernization campaigns and globalization processes, this course illustrates how gender relations and sexual politics are related with historical backgrounds, cultural heritage, market expansion, ideological shifts, and capitalist dynamics. The topics of gender and sexuality will be interwoven with that of migration, work, family, popular culture, mass media, and consumerism. The course will help students to understand issues of discrimination against women and girls, unpaid care and domestic work, access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights, and equal rights to economic resources, and to reflect on how to promote gender equality (SDG5 among 17 Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs, in the 2030 development agenda). Students will be encouraged to explore localized knowledge and living experiences of gender and sexuality, and to think critically about how to reduce inequality (SDG10) related to social systems of sex and gender.
Learning Outcome
- Learn social facts and social trends about gender and sexuality.
- Develop skills to explain and relate gender relations and sexual politics with social contexts and institutions.
- Apply the theoretical perspectives to analyze the causes and effects of gender inequality.
- Critically evaluate social issues and reflect on social policies with a gender perspective regarding how to promote gender equality.
Credits
3-credits
Sustainable Development Goals
Time
Lecture: Tuesdays 02:30 p.m. – 04:15 p.m.
Tutorial: Tuesdays 04:30 p.m. – 05:15 p.m.
Instructor
Dr. CHO Man Kit
Course Description
Living Feminisms is all about how to put feminism into practice. Specifically, it is concerned with living out feminist consciousness in every step of making fundamental and lasting social change. With this in mind, Living Feminisms is not an exposition of feminist theories per se but an exploration of how social change effort would look like when we take up feminist consciousness that transcends separateness and duality. It explores the root causes that lead to the domination system that has plagued humanity for centuries, examines the possibility of having a fundamental and lasting social transformation that supports life of all, and takes a closer look at a few selected alternative practices such as restorative justice and sharing economies that hold out hope in times of crises.
The course also equips students with practical knowledge of being a change agent, introducing some practices with feminist consciousness that transform limiting beliefs about social change, nourish resilience by taking care of social and political trauma, and cultivate need-based facilitation skills and leadership that help navigate conflicts in the process of making internal as well as external transformation. To put it in a nutshell, Living Feminisms is a course that cultivates change agents with feminist consciousness.
Living Feminisms deeply resonates with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015 as a blueprint for building a sustainable future by 2030. The course directly touches on alternative practices working towards the SDGs 5 (Gender Equality), 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), 10 (Reduced Inequalities), 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions) and 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).
Learning Outcome
Upon completion of the course, students will acquire both knowledge and skills of social change that are in line with feminist consciousness. Specifically, they will be able to explain the roots of the domination system and a series of factors contributing to its perpetuation, and able to make change by transforming internal and external resistance. Students will be empowered to take lead in change effort through collaboration with others and mastery of conflict transformation skills. Students will learn to appreciate making a sustainable future requires transformation in areas broader than the conventionally defined economic realm.
Credits
3-credits
Sustainable Development Goals
Time
Lecture: Tuesdays 02:30 p.m. – 04:15 p.m
Tutorial: Tuesdays 04:30 p.m. – 05:15 p.m.
Instructor
Professor HAN Ling
Course Description
This course examines the gender dimensions of innovation and novelty. The key questions are: How/Why/What/When innovation(s) are gendered? We will discuss the fluidity and messiness of doing and undoing gender in innovation practices and meanings produced. Broadly defined, innovation refers to new ideas, new knowledge, new technologies, new designs, and creative practices with the goal to solve social or technical problems. Many innovations may seem gender-neutral but are inherently imbued with gender perceptions. The course will equip students with ways to apply gender analysis to decipher innovations and innovative processes. The course incorporates sustainable development goals (SDGs) on Gender Equality and Reduced Inequalities to become more discerning toward more sustainable practices to advance Industry Innovation and Infrastructure. Using case studies from the technology culture, the routine practices, and the emergent new economy, students will learn to untangle how gender intersects with the seemingly neutral artefacts of innovation and technology. The course further covers how emergent issues of diversity and inclusion, AI and information technology, social entrepreneurship and social innovation, and leadership style could reshape the existing relationship between gender and innovation to advance sustainability and social resilience.
Learning Outcome
- A deeper understanding of how innovations and technologies are gendered.
- A sense of the distinctive and shared views in reflecting how gender shapes innovation and entrepreneurship.
- Knowledge and ability to apply gender analysis to identify and describe different processes of innovation and entrepreneurship.
- Reflexive Insights into the power dynamics played by individuals and institutions in the creation of novelty.
- Ability to synthesize different theoretical traditions and disciplines that study gender and innovation.
- Capability to evaluate technology and science-based entrepreneurial projects on their inherent gender assumptions and provide relevant suggestions.
Credits
3-credits
Sustainable Development Goals
UGED
Time
Lecture: Thursdays 09:30 a.m. – 10:15 a.m. Thursdays 10:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Instructor
Dr. ZHAO Yukun
Medium of Instruction
English
Course Description
Success is defined as the accomplishment of an aim or purpose. This definition implies that successful individuals engage in purposeful, agentic pursuits. Success in attaining task goals confers a feeling of competence; success in reaching relationship goals gives one a feeling of acceptance. Both feelings are major ingredients of mental health.
Success in attaining valued goals requires the abilities to adapt to change. These abilities include openness to diverse ideas, cognitive flexibility, creativity, emotional stability, motivation and perseverance. Behavioural research has shown that success is more likely among people who possess several self-attributes. In this course, we will empower students with theoretical and empirical knowledge of these attributes, and engage them in weekly experiential activities, through which they will develop and weave these self-attributes into their daily goal pursuits. Through the use of a self-assessment online platform, student will track their personal growth in these self-attributes.
Major aspects of the successful self that will be covered in this course are: the rational self, veridical self-knowledge, the transcendent self, the socially intelligent self, the loved self, the multicultural self, and the global self.
This course is closely related to the SDG subgoal of promoting mental health and well-being. First, psychological well-being ensues from attaining one’s valued goals. In addition, feeling competent and feeling accepted are two pillars of psychological maturity and mental health. In this course, students will learn the concepts and practical skills that would enable students to more effectively attain their valued goal, and feel competent and accepted.
Learning Outcome
Students who complete this course are expected to be able to
- Understand the key factors that contribute to a successful self (LO1)
- Critically evaluate the empirical evidence for major theories of successful self (LO2)
- Apply evidence-based theories of successful self to self-improvement (LO3)
- Track their changes in pertinent self-attributes through experiential learning and longitudinal measures of these attributes (LO4)
Credits
3-credits
Sustainable Development Goals
Time
Lecture: Thursdays 02:30 p.m. – 04:15 p.m.
Tutorial: Thursdays 04:30 p.m. – 05:15 p.m.
Instructor
Dr. SO Alison Yam Wah
Medium of Instruction
English
Course Description
(UGED3206 is double-coded with GDRS3011.)
In 21st century post-colonial Hong Kong, the preservation of ‘collective memory’ of this fast-changing city has become an everyday discourse. From award-winning movies, heart-warming testimonies, tabloid stories to Facebook groups and social campaigns, we have been consuming, constructing, and circulating narratives of ‘the past’. This act of remembering and exploring ‘our history’ questions a mainstream Hong Kong story of success demonstrated by economic development and material wealth, and attempts to identify discontinuities, gaps and silenced voices in the dominating narrative. It has also prompted reflections on the relation between narrative and identity — personal, collective, and spatial — in historical inquiry, and in what ways the writing of history has been shaped by disparate ideals, values, web of relations and power.
This course will revisit Hong Kong’s history through the exploration of narratives documenting women, a group often made invisible in history writing, as social actors in the fabric of colonial Hong Kong. From elites’ households to textile factories, from rural villages, western-district brothels to mid-levels convents, schools and hospitals, women of different generations have worked as caregivers, breadwinners, pioneers, and educators while contesting the prescribed subordinate status as objects of exploitation in a patriarchal society. Drawing from a wide range of sources, including archival documents, published biographies, autobiographies, memoirs, family histories, school histories, and oral histories, this course will seek to introduce a multi-faceted history of colonial Hong Kong with women as the focus of inquiry. The discussion of women’s narratives will be situated in respective historical contexts linking the personal to social, political and economic changes in Hong Kong under colonial rule. It will also discuss the use of auto/biographies and oral histories as a methodology in historical research investigating the relations between memory, self and identity.
The course resonates with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015 by directly engaging in critical reflections that help students work towards the SDGs 5 (Gender Equality), 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), 10 (Reduced Inequalities), 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), and 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions).
Learning Outcome
It is anticipated that on completing the course, students will be able to:
- identify major areas and topics regarding the study of women’s lives and experiences in Hong Kong history
- analyse and discuss in what ways gender has been an organizing force in shaping families, professions, education, and social movements in Hong Kong history
- examine one’s self identity in complex historical and social contexts
- evaluate competing narratives of a ‘Hong Kong Story’ from a gender and historical perspective
- apply first-hand knowledge and skills in writing history relating the personal to the social, cultural, political and economic contexts
- recognize the interconnections between different sources of inequality and oppression
- critically engage with notions of social justice and social transformation
Credits
3-credits
Sustainable Development Goals
College GE
Time
Lecture: Tuesdays 02:30 p.m. – 05:15 p.m.
Course Description
“Service Learning – Make a Difference to Our Community” aims to enable students to use sustainable methods to help local community or socially disadvantaged groups. In collaborating with different NGOs and university departments or research units, students will be introduced to key concepts and theories of sustainable development and explore how to apply them to proposing solutions to the needs and difficulties faced by disadvantaged groups. The course also aims to integrate service and learning experiences through community service activities. It seeks to cultivate students’ leadership skills and foster their self-awareness and empathy towards others and the community. In addition, the program also emphasizes reflection on the quality of service leadership with particular focus on intrapersonal and interpersonal competencies.
There will be different sessions under the course that focus on various aspects of sustainable development, for example, poverty, clean energy, marine pollution, etc. Through the service-learning activities, students and community members are expected to foster their cohesiveness and concerns about the local community.
Learning Outcome
Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:
1. Enhance understanding on sustainable concepts;
2. Understand and assess critically social disadvantage groups in Hong Kong;
3. Identify and apply sustainable development tools and strategies to address social problems;
4. Initiate and implement a community service project;
5. Acquire and apply knowledge on project development, implementation and evaluation;
6. Integrate the service learning experience with specified perspectives and theories learnt from their own disciplines;
7. Reflect on personal development in relation to their service learning experience.
Credits
3-credits
Sustainable Development Goals
Time
Lecture: Fridays 03:30 p.m. – 05:15 p.m.
Instructor
Dr. LEE King Wa
Course Description
Through a combination of experiential learning activities and web-based delivery, this course aims at expose students to a number of intense debates surrounding globalization such as free trade, global culture, national sovereignty, the question of multinational corporations and labour rights and the anti-globalization movement. The objective is to build basic knowledge of the opposing views on globalization, their political and ideological bases, and implications for political and personal actions. Specifically, the course will analyse and evaluate selected globalization debates under the framework of United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Through the experiential learning activities built in the course, we aim at helping students develop the sensitivity and competences necessary for global readiness and to articulate their personal positions on a sustainable future.
Learning Outcome
- To recognize the key concepts, theories and issues surrounding the debates of globalization.
- To interpret and discuss the relevance to and impacts of globalization on everyday life experiences.
- To analyse and evaluate selected globalization debates under the framework of UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
- To demonstrate personal learning experience through activities in the context of globalization in daily life.
- To demonstrate the mastery of skills in information collection, retrieval and analysis, as well as the use of such information in the analysis of concrete situations of everyday life experience.
- To articulate and defend an individual position on key debates issues arising from globalization and engage in a dialogue with and appreciation of College visions and missions pertaining to the relationship between individual students and community concerns.
Credits
3-credits
Sustainable Development Goals
Time
Lecture: Friday 02:30 p.m. – 05:15 p.m.
Instructor
Dr SHIK Wai Yan Angela, Miss FUNG Wing Yan
Course Description
This course intends to integrate their academic knowledge and skills to address community needs in collaboration with local community partners. Applying the fundamental skillset and mindset equipped in GESH2011, students would implement their service-learning project in local communities. Through a series of self-initiated service, self-reflection, and project presentations, students would consolidate their insights and experience from community service and be directed to examine the meaning and value of university education in real life. This experiential learning approach would facilitate students’ self-development and foster their civic-mindedness in creating changes in the community.
Learning Outcome
Upon completion of this course, students are expected to be able to:
- understand the genuine needs of the community and the real-life challenges they are facing, particularly those related to the selected SDGs of No Poverty, Zero Hunger, Good Health and Well-being, Quality Education, Reducing Inequality, and Climate Action;
- apply multi-disciplinary skills and knowledge and concepts of civic engagement;
- develop a strong sense of citizenship in terms of empathy and caring for other stakeholders in the community;
- re-examine their personal development through self-discovery and self-expression.
Credits
2-credits
Sustainable Development Goals
Time
Lecture: Fridays 06:30 p.m. – 09:15 p.m.
Instructor
A: Dr. NG Chui Ha
B: Dr. TSE Sze Hei
Medium of Instruction
Cantonese
Course Description
This is an advanced experiential-learning course that will give students an opportunity to work directly for social enterprises under the guidance of their supervisors and professional mentors. Students would have opportunities to experience how the social enterprises help the underprivileged groups and gain hands-on business experience, which will strengthen their soft skills, help them implement the innovative business and promotional ideas in a practical way, and will greatly improve their understanding on the societal needs of the community, and the sustainable development directions and modes.
This course is designed to immerse students in the world of social enterprise. This course enables students to further develop career and apply leadership-ready skills in the operation of a social enterprise or social business. Students are encouraged to provide ideas to promote the designated social enterprise among the youth community, and they will also have an opportunity to undertake an internship in a real social enterprise setting.
Credits
3-credits
Sustainable Development Goals
Time
Lecture: Fridays 03:30 p.m. — 06:15p.m.
Instructor
Professor LEE Albert, Dr. LEUNG Po Kin, Dr. WONG Wing Yu Esther
Medium of Instruction
English
Course Description
This course consists of four major components:
1. Our Roles for a Sustainable Future
How can we lead a good life in a just society? How can individual actions affect events at a global scale? These are the questions every student should ask and take seriously. We will explore them through the United Nation’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) in this section of the course.
2. Sustainable Development for Our Future
This section of the course seeks to help students to think about what their future is going to be like if humanity continues business-as-usual. Selected issues that critically impact the future of our planet will be discussed. In-depth discussion on the issues, including responses from various sectors of the society around the world, will be guided by the SDG Framework.
3. Sustainable Development of Cities and Communities to Ensure Good Health and Well-being
This section of the course enhances students’ knowledge on impact of urban development on health and well-being by making use of concept of Healthy City to illustrate socio-economic and political determinants of health. It aims to broaden the students’ concept of health and well-being to address issues of sustainable urban development. This section focuses on 2 key SDG’s, Good Health and Well-being (SDG 3) and Sustainable Cities and Communities (SDG 11). Other determinants for health and well-being, such as reduction of poverty (SDG 1) and reduction of inequality (SDG 10), and health justice (SDG 16), will also be discussed.
4. Creativity and Design Thinking for a Sustainable Future
This section of the course examines the topic of creativity and design thinking. The key question to be discussed is how we can put design creativity to good use in our everyday life as well as in projects that we choose to pursue to create a world of peace and prosperity.
Learning Outcome
- Describe the importance of sustainable development for their future.
- Analyse the impact of their actions on their future and value the needs for sustainable development.
- Explain the importance of sustainability in society, and how to lead a healthy and positive life.
- Appreciate design thinking from an interdisciplinary perspective, with the potential of applying such knowledge to propose new ventures to improve sustainability of the world.
Credits
3-credits
Sustainable Development Goals