International Symposium "Transnational and Transdisciplinary Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic", organised by GIS in association with the Department of Sport, Physical Education and Health and David C. Lam Institute for East-West Studies (LEWI), 20-21 May 2021. The symposium brought together over 30 speakers from Australia, France, Hong Kong, Singapore and the UK, as well as a range of stakeholders from outside of academia. 

More than 60 students who attended POLS 2015 Government & Politics of Hong Kong with Dr Kenneth Chan during Semester 2 (2021) presented their findings about Electoral Integrity in selected jurisdictions and Hong Kong at a poster session on 19 April 2021. The students were grouped into 7 teams to carry out a series of timely research on a wide range of subjects, including but not limited to Election Observation Methodologies, Code of Conduct, Elections amid Covid-19, Auditing Campaign Expenses, and Special Voting Arrangements. Several of them have developed action plans at the community level to promote informed deliberation and to engage the electoral authorities in Hong Kong. The projects and the poster session at TriAngle were generously supported by the Centre for Innovative Service-Learning.

Dr Emilie Tran, Assistant Professor & the programme Director of European Studies, received the President's Award for Outstanding Performance in Teaching 2020-2021 in the regular category. Dr Tran joined HKBU and our GIS Department in 2016. She has been providing students with deep, meaningful, and socially relevant European studies, accompanied by innovative transnational service-learning experiences. Her focus on developing global citizens with inter-cultural sensitivity is more important than ever, and speaks to HKBU's core missions but also enhances the future employability of our students. 

GIS mixed-mode conference "Celebrating 25 Years of GIS - Public Policy, Governance and Internationalisation in the Era of Digitalisation", 8 May 2021.  

Words from the Head of Department about GIS 25th Anniversary

In this joint event Doha Forum X Peking University Institute of International and Strategic Studies (IISS), moderated by Prof Wang Jisi, and attended by 200+ participants from all over the world, Dr Emilie Tran reviewed the perceptions of China in Europe, and discussed the future of China's foreign policy, along with prominent Chinese and American scholars from Peking University, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), and the Clinton Group. The Doha Forum is a platform for global dialogue on critical challenges facing our world, bringing together leaders in policy to build innovative and action driven networks. Watch the replay on and the Doha Forum’s website

More than forty enrolled students participated in the first-ever mixed-mode simulation exercise for the GE course "Sustainable Peace" offered by GIS on 16-17 April. Using a multi-Zoom "avatar-pairing" method, online and offline students teamed up to negotiate the Code of Conduct for the South China Sea and outstanding issues related to apologies and compensation for WWII crimes within the ASEAN Plus Three framework. Supported by the GE Office, the two-day "Asian Peace and Reconciliation Conference" ended with a mock press conference held in collaboration with the International Journalism programme of HKBU.

GIS mixed-mode alumni event "Celebrating 25 Years of GIS - European Studies Programme - (Re)United in Diversity: Meet and Greet with the Alumni", 15 April 2021. 

On 10 April 2021, the GIS Department organized the 9th Hong Kong Model European Union. The students simulated the procedures of the European Council and discussed the issues of vaccination certificates and crisis in the Eastern Mediterranean. The Head of the EU Office to Hong Kong and Macao, Mr. Thomas Gnocchi, addressed introductory remarks to the audience of HKMEU2021.

GIS undergraduate student, Mr. Ping-Ho Wong (European Studies German Stream), presented his honours project at the Political Studies Association Annual Undergraduate Conference 2021 on 26 Mar. 2021. He was awarded the GIS Undergraduate Overseas Research Activities Fund in 2020 and granted Visiting Student status by Queen's University Belfast. He presented his thesis "Peace and Reconciliation in Northern Ireland after Brexit" in the panel "British and Irish Politics" with participation of fellow undergraduates from the University of York, University of Limerick and LSE. (Conference website)

GIS Online Workshop "Where is Hong Kong? Designing, Debating and Developing the Smart City",18 March 2021. Speakers: Mr Paul Zimmerman (Southern District Council for Pokfulam ; CEO of Designing Hong Kong), Prof Alistair Cole (Head, Department of Government & International Studies (HKBU)), Dr Emilie Tran (Assistant Professor, Department of Government & International Studies (HKBU)), Mr Calvin Lai Ming Tsun (Senior Research Assistant, Department of Government & International Studies (HKBU)) 

  Mr. Paul Zimmerman Presentation

  Prof. Alistair Cole and Dr. Emilie Tran Presentation

 Mr. Calvin Lai Ming Tsun Presentation

GIS Online Alumni Event "Celebrating 25 Years of GIS -
Conversation with Ting Wai and Chen Feng", 13 March 2021.

Book Launch "Developments in French Politics 6", co-organized by the HKBU Library and the Department of Government and International Studies, HKBU on 3 March 2021. Speakers: Prof. Alistair Cole (Head, the Department of Government and International Studies), Prof. Helen Drake (Chair of French and European Studies, Director of the Institute for Diplomacy and International Governance, Loughborough University, London), Dr. Emilie Tran (Assistant Professor, the Department of Government and International Studies). Moderator: Dr. C. Roland Vogt (Head, School of Modern Languages and Cultures, Associate Professor, The University of Hong Kong) (Video)

GIS Online Alumni Event "Celebrating 25 Years of GIS -
Conversation with Prof. Michael DeGolyer", 27 February 2021.

Prof. Cole, Head of Department, has recently published, as second editor and contributor to three chapters, Developments in French Politics 6 (2021: Red Globe press). Dr. Emilie Tran also has a chapter in the book, which is the leading higher end text on French Politics in the UK and the US. Prof. Cole and Dr. Tran will present the book at the HKBU library on 3 March 2021 at 17.00 (Publisher webpage) (Flyer)

GIS undergraduate students, Eleanor Chan (GIS) and Ping-Ho Wong (European Studies, German Stream), presented their papers at the Political Studies Association of Ireland Postgraduate Conference 2021 on 30 January 2021. The two were awarded the GIS Undergraduate Overseas Research Activities Fund in 2020 and granted Visiting Student status by Queen's University Belfast. They presented parts of their ongoing honours projects on political reconciliation in Northern Ireland and contributed to the discussion of the panel "Peacebuilding and Consociationalism" with participation of scholars and students from the University of Limerick, Trinity College Dublin, and Dublin City University. (Conference website) (Conference programme)

Dr. Kenneth Chan, Associate Professor and Director of Comparative Governance & Policy Research Centre was on BBC HARDtalk with Stephan Sackur, 19 January 2021 to talk about the quandary Hong Kong has found itself in since the introduction of the National Security Law and the prospects, if any, for the democracy movement academic freedom. (https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p094fmff)

GIS Online Roundtable "Sino-US Relations in the Biden Era : Conflict, Competition or Cooperation?" on 21 January 2021. (Panelists information) 

GIS Webinar (Online Seminar) "How does municipality amalgamation reduce voter turnout in local elections? The case of Norway" on 1 December 2020. Keynote Speaker: Mr. Kyle H.Y. Chan (PhD Candidate, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, USA ; HKBU GIS Programme graduate)

GIS Webinar (Online Seminar) "Primary Party Organization and the Grassroots Election in Rural China" on 26 November 2020. Keynote Speakers: Dr. Kang Yi (Assistant Professor, Department of Government and International Studies, HKBU), Mr. Ma Ming (Research Postgraduate Student, Department of Government and International Studies, HKBU)

GIS Webinar (Online Seminar) "Breakfast with Mr. Thomas Gnocchi, EU Head of Office Hong Kong and Macao" on 25 November 2020. No less than 120 staff, students and members of the public attended in person or on-line his talk on EU Diplomacy and EU in Hong Kong for the first time since he came to Hong Kong in September. Special thanks to Dr Albert Chau, Vice-President (Teaching & Learning), for joining the event, which was co-organized by GIS and the Hong Kong Association for European Studies. ( HKBU News)