Programme

The course examines the different perspectives on the relationship of public administration and mass media in a modern society. Media factors affecting or facilitating public administration will be discussed. Cases on media relationship and crisis management will be analysed.

Public administrators often need to confront with a lot of decisions that require the use of economic knowledge. This course is designed to help students understand the analytical tools of economics and apply them to major public policy issues, such as the minimum wage, rent controls, international trade and globalisation, income distribution, public goods, urban development, traffic congestion and urban crime. The course aims to help students master the basic principles of economics in formulating public policy.

* FIN 7070 and ECON 7080 will be offered on a rotation basis

This course intends to introduce students with the principles and practices of financing, accounting and financial management for the public sector. Fundamental concepts and applications of financial management in a dynamic financial market environment will be covered in the course, to develop students' knowledge of fundamental financial management and their ability in understanding and applying relevant tools to make appropriate decisions concerning short-term and long-term financing, investing and financial planning for individual entities, including governments and other non-profit organisations.

* FIN 7070 and ECON 7080 will be offered on a rotation basis

Public personnel management is widely recognised as a critical element of democratic society and effective public administration of a given city. Today, government and non-profit organisations are confronted with tighter budgets with limited funding and keener competition in the labour market. Recent changes in information technology, communication patterns, social issues, labour relations and demographic compositions have resulted in an increasingly use of privatisation of some services such as outsourcing, franchise agreements, vouchers, and contracting. This subject introduces to students, in addition to all relevant HRM issues and functions, major Organisational Behaviour theories and concepts.

This course aims to provide a common foundation for students by presenting a coherent vocabulary for conceptualising and discussing the functions of programme, event and facility management.

The course provides an overview of the development of e-government in different countries. The various essentials of e-government are presented and discussed in light of prevailing practice. The tools for assessing e-government performance are also explored. Selective aspects of e-government such as integrating operations among the public sectors and out-sourcing will be highlighted.

* The course will be offered in summer under special scheduling

Students are expected to demonstrate his/her ability to integrate and apply knowledge related to a specific area of public administration. The project should be conducted independently and a report with 15,000 words in English is required.

This course provides students with interactive opportunities to experience a variety of governmental and non-governmental organisations (NGO) in Mainland China/overseas as well as to communicate face to face with the government officials, civil servants, NGO staff and scholars on issues related to the development and practices of public administration in Mainland China and overseas. The course aims to: (1) appraise the challenges facing public administration in China/Asia and overseas; (2) differentiate different management issues in public administration between Mainland China, Asia, US and Hong Kong; (3) analyse the impact of political, economic and social factors on public administration in Mainland China, Asia, US and Hong Kong; and (4) conduct a study to evaluate different management issues in public administration in Mainland China, Asia or US.
* Required a 7-day tour in Beijing in May or other countries/regions.

This core course introduces the key concepts, theories and institutions that make up the field of Global Studies. It provides students with a common language and academic repertoire that enables their own inter-disciplinary and professional development.

The course aims to introduce students to the expository and critical literature concerning globalization in order to consider the origins and development of global society and its consequences. The objectives of the course include engaging students with debates concerning globalization and alternate economic approaches, the political economic issues raised by globalization (including neo-liberalism), the transformation of faith communities through globalization, educational and knowledge consequences of globalization and related themes.

This course presents various trajectories, and politico-economic configurations of globalizations throughout history, engaging critically with the genealogy of ideas such as; universal values, free trade, global governance, cosmopolitanism, and multiculturalism. From Marxist, postcolonial, and ecological perspectives we furthermore evaluate the effects globalizations has had on people, communities, and the environment. The underlying questions put to the various historical examples concerns what is good and bad in globalization, all in order to understand better our own responsibilities, possibilities, and positions in an increasingly connected world.

To stimulate students’ knowledge of the development of China’s foreign relations in the contemporary period. To develop research skills in the study of Chinese diplomacy, culture, and globalization. To enhance students’ understanding of the relationships between cultural developments and foreign affairs in contemporary China. To strengthen students’ knowledge of China’s position in the contemporary world affairs and its role in the process of globalization.

This course examines the intertwining and interaction of economics (wealth creation) and politics (political power) in international and global affairs. The nineteenth century term “political economy” is used here because economic and political forces are always enmeshed with each other. The course provides students with an overview of theories and issues of international political economy.

This course introduces public affairs and public policy analysis to students, particularly how to understand these issues as relations between governments and different segments of society, such as professional interests, social and civic organizations, local communities, etc. Students will be taught to identify main public policy issues such as economic growth, social inequalities, urban development, community conflicts and environmental protection faced by contemporary governments.

This course aims to investigate the various theoretical and analytical frameworks in the field of international relations. In an increasingly interdependent world where the new world order is yet to be established, a review of the dominant paradigms in international relations will facilitate a better understanding among students of the transformation of global order in the world in the world entering a new millennium. 

This course aims to provide a forum for the discussion of current concepts and roles of sport and leisure in the promotion of health, wellness, and quality living.

This course aims to develop critical understandings of globalization, civil society, and their linkage to global and local social movements by exploring key theoretical frameworks and empirical evidences. It will address questions such as why and how citizens are acting globally, how to assess the causes and significance of global social movements, and what their implications are. It will also help students learn the major concepts, theories, and studies related to civil society at global and local levels, transnational activism, environmental and health movements, and the role of media in global civil society. Empirically, the course will critically assess the functions, experiences, and aspirations of non-governmental organizations and their political/social implications for world politics and for China.

Medicine and health issues are the mirrors reflecting the ideology, and social and cultural beliefs and values of a society. This course intends to allow students to understand medicine and health issues from a social science angle. With the application of various social science traditions and public health principles, students are enabled to critically examine the issues of health, disease, and illness from a socio-cultural perspective. They can understand a wide range of factors – biological, social, cultural, and environmental – in shaping people’s health beliefs, illness experiences, and health behaviors.