Page 96 - HKSYU Prospectus 2018-19

Shue Yan University Prospectus 2018-19

ENG 479 Science Fiction in Literature and Films
1 Term; 3 Credits

This course is designed to introduce to students both the historical development and
narrative structure of science fiction as a unique genre within the context of the postmodernist
movement. Through a body of literary works such as cultural theories, short stories, and
novellas, and Sci-fi films, students will be introduced to topics such as alternate history,
artificial intelligence, cyberpunk, cloning and genetic engineering, cyborg and posthumanism,
nanotechnology, etc.

ENG 480 Special Topic in Literature
1 Term; 3 Credits

The course is a focused examination of a selected topic in literary studies. Among pos-
sible topics are the following: a specific author, literary movement, historical period, genre, or
critical theory; creative writing or literary journalism; an emerging interdisciplinary area such as
digital humanities, literature and the other arts, or the graphic novel.

ENG 484 Romantics and Romantic Sceptics
1 Term; 3 Credits

This course balances arch-romantics against writers who are sceptical of romantic val-
ues and show a preference for more rational or realistic perspectives. It offers a sampling of
English literature from the Romantic Period, focusing on works by major canonized authors
while acknowledging the growing importance of an alternative canon. Students survey poems
by established poets (such as Blake, Wordsworth, Coleridge, Keats etc.) as well as the works
of female novelists such as Jane Austen and Mary Shelley.

ENG 485 Victorian Literature and Society
1 Term; 3 Credits

This course introduces participants to a range of Victorian literature during the period c.
1837-1900. Students will explore the major social, cultural, and intellectual issues of the
Victorian age and consider how literary writers engaged the concerns of their time. The course
is arranged around a broad set of topics including the Victorian city, the “woman question”,
poetic voices, and imperialism and national identity. Using relevant critical theories as well as
selected non-literary writings of the time, such as social commentaries, journalism, or
philosophical essays, students will learn to recognize and analyse the intersections between
literature and society.

ENG 486 Issues in Pragmatics
1 Term; 3 Credits

This course aims to give students a comprehensive understanding of the
multi-disciplinary character of pragmatics, with a particular focus on those key issues
concerning the pragmatic development among second language learners. As such, the
course begins with brief reviews of basic concepts and theories of pragmatics. Following

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