Content

Content

Theme 1 Idea of a University

In order to provide background to new university students facing choices and uncertainties, an introduction will be given on: the origin and development of universities; the different and changing values and purposes; debates about university and higher education; and the different types of universities in the modern world.

Theme 2 Idea of This University

To prepare students as thoughtful and articulate members of this academic community, an introduction will first be given to the higher-education system in Hong Kong and the rest of Asia, and students will be invited to debate options and choices. Students will then learn about: the history and development of CUHK; its vision, mission and values; its plans and future. Choices are then discussed: policy choices for the sector and for the University; choices for the individual student. These issues will be discussed in the recognition of plural values, changing historical contexts, external constraints and the consequences accompanying any choice, and in relation to students’ own need to exercise choice and set priorities in the coming years.

Theme 3 Tradition and Modernity

Themes 3 and 4 are hinged on the University motto, and open students’ vistas onto wider issues, making them aware of and encouraging them to think about the connections between the University’s values and their own studies on the one hand, and the world at large on the other.

The first half of the University motto is ‘To combine tradition with modernity’. This module is intended to introduce the concept of modernity; the key transitions to modernity in Western civilization; the process and pain of the modernization of China from the mid-Qing dynasty to the present; tensions between tradition and modernity. Optional topics can include exploration of modernization in Japanese civilization (Meiji) and its comparison with China; the Islamic world in the transformation between tradition and modernity and the attendant choices and tensions.

Theme 4 China and the West

The second half of the University motto is ‘To bring together China and the West’. In this module, students will be given the opportunity to explore and become more conscious of different cultural traditions; their roots in diverse historical traditions; the development of historical contacts and cultural interactions between China and the West; the needs and opportunities for bringing them together in the age of globalization; and the challenges therein. The objective is to explore and critically assess how and to what extent cross-cultural perception and judgment can be affected by normative values and value formations.

Theme 5 Academic Study Skills

This theme on academic skills for university study will be dispersed as short modules throughout the 13 weeks. In addition to skills such as reading, library use, and searching for information, as well as concepts such as academic honesty, the main emphasis will be on academic writing, in order to help students develop the ability to marshal an argument with cogency and present ideas in a written form. Students will be introduced to the techniques of organization, focus, attention to audience, referencing, and style. The theme will be correlated with the term paper required in the course (including the related intermediate tasks; see Section 5). The skills developed are intended not only for the term paper in this course, but for academic writing throughout university life, and indeed for formal writing in a variety of careers and tasks.