Page 108 - HKSYU Prospectus 2018-19

Shue Yan University Prospectus 2018-19

HIST 211 History of Sui and Tang Dynasties
1 Term; 3 Credits

The course examines the development of Sui and Tang dynasties through lectures and
tutorials. Coverage includes important themes in politics, military, institutions, personalities,
ideologies, culture and international relations, etc in this period of Chinese history. It also aims
at preparing students to undertake research on these particular dynasties.

HIST 220 The Modern World
1 Term; 3 Credits

This second year required course explores the birth and unfolding of the modern world
after 1500 A.D. It examines how European nations expanded to dominate most of the other
continents and the development of transoceanic, global system of colonial empires. In addition
to major political, diplomatic and military developments, attention will be given to socio-economic,
scientific, intellectual and cultural changes to explain Europe’s rise. Attempts will be made to
include responses, consequences and comments on such dramatic expansion and domi-
nance from non-European perspectives to prevent an overly Western-centred or Eurocentric
approach to world history.

(Note: This course is supplemented by HIST 350 China and Europe in the Making of the
Modern World which examines in more depth interactions on different fronts between China
and Europe.)

HIST 230 Study of Chinese Historical Sources and Materials
1 Term; 3 Credits

This second year course familiarizes students with two major categories of Chinese
source materials: archaeological discoveries and historical documents. It introduces students
to crucial latest archaeological finds in China and their contributions to the understanding of
Chinese history, especially of the earlier dynasties. Secondly, it examines key official and
unofficial documents bequeathed to us in the long historiographical tradition of Chinese
scholars of the past dynasties.

HIST 240 History of Hong Kong
1 Term; 3 Credits

This course is an introduction to the development of Hong Kong from a fishing outpost
on the South China coast into an international metropolis of over 7 million inhabitants. The
focus is on the political, social, cultural and economic transformation of Hong Kong under a
century and a half of British colonial rule up to the 1980s, when the Sino-British agreement
ushered in a period leading to the resumption of sovereignty by the People’s Republic of
China on 1 July 1997. The first part of the course is a chronological survey of the major
developments of colonial Hong Kong, whereas the second part adopts a thematic approach to
delineate the historical forces behind those developments.

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