This is a course which introduces students to a comprehensive review of the field of political science. Basic concepts, political theories and methodologies, political institutions, political parties are all examined. The subfields of comparative politics and international relations are also integral parts of the course so as to lay down the foundation for further studies.

Political economy, with its roots in the European 17th and 18th centuries, was the forebear of what developed in the twentieth century into the two separate disciplines of political science and economic. However, it has become defined in the last twenty years as that sub-discipline of political science and economic which examines the relationship of the individual to society, the economy, and the state with a particular focus on state-market interactions and intersections. It is the study of relations and choices, of structures and institutions, of scales from the personal and local to the national, international, and global. Its originators include John Locke, Thomas Hobbes, Adam Smith, Karl Marx, and Max Weber. Including choice theory and market theory, system theory, development theory and public policy theory, contemporary political economy examines the historic and human behavioural linkages among values/morals, politics, economic reality and economic reasoning. Its prime question concerns the role of politics in the economy and the effects and constraints of the economy on the power and functions of politics and of the state.

This is a course designed to enhance students' ability to perceive, evaluate and understand political phenomena through a systematic introduction to a wide range of approaches, methods and theories of political science. Basic research procedures and academic writing are the other foci of the course. Students are encouraged to analyse and explain the current political development of Europe, China or Hong Kong with the help of particular perspectives and research methods.

This course examines the development of politics and political institutions in Hong Kong from its colonial founding to the present. The institutional framework of politics in Hong Kong and the development of political culture in Hong Kong are introduced, and the outlines of Hong Kong' s past and present relationship with mainland China are explored with a focus on the Basic Law and the ongoing reforms after the assumption of sovereignty by the People' s Republic of China.

This is a course which introduces students to the basic concepts, methods and processes of International Relations by focusing on four major "perspectives" that have framed analytical work in the field, namely "Realism-Power Politics", "Dominance-Dependence", "Transnationalism-Interdependency" and "Cultural Interactionism". International Relations seeks to build upon and integrate the disciplinary foundations students obtained in the first-year Political Science and Political Economy courses. It does this through a "level of analysis" approach and through a problem-solving treatment of issues relevant, where possible, to Hong Kong's interaction with its own region and with other areas of the globe.

This course investigates the fundamental issues in contemporary political philosophy. In every society, individuals live under a shared set of social, political, and economic institutions. How these institutions define the fundamental term of their social cooperation and distribute rights and duties among them will have a profound and pervasive impact on their life prospect. Political philosophy is ultimately about how these fundamental terms of social cooperation ought to be defined so to treat each individual fairly.

The aim of this course is to provide students with a comprehensive understanding and working knowledge of quantitative research methods in political studies. It is intended for students who plan to conduct research by designing and implementing their own survey. The course will be divided into three parts. The first part discusses some basic principles of survey research and introduces different research designs as well as survey tools. The second part covers the basic statistical techniques in the data analysis. The final part looks at real-world public opinion surveys and discusses the best practices in writing a research report using quantitative methods. Based on the principle of learning by doing, we will deploy SPSS or R, two major statistical computing packages for social sciences, to conduct research assignments. By the end of the course, students are expected to develop the capabilities to identify puzzles, develop hypotheses and design questions to test hypotheses; collect data, enter data and transform data; and perform basic univariate, bivariate and multivariate data analyses.

An introductory course to the government and politics of contemporary China presenting China's political changes after the fall of the Manchu Empire and focusing on the political system of the People's Republic of China since the late 1970s.

This course examines the causes and historical evolution of European integration and looks analytically at the main institutions and key policy areas of the European Union today. It provides a focused examination of the political economy of European integration, highlighting the dynamic relationship between economic and political integration and the respective roles of the Member States, the EU institutions, and the various stakeholders in the market and society at large. Moreover, it highlights the complexities and difficulties in constructing a European constitutional order and offers a critical examination of the process of institutional building. It provides a critical review of the main theoretical contributions to the debate on European integration, and explores the prospects for the enlarged EU in world politics. This course will follow closely the ongoing reflections and debates in the EU about its future.

This course seeks to familiarize students with the framework and procedures of international negotiations. It presents the participants with a unique chance of taking part in a simulation of European Council (summit) meetings and thereby gaining 'hands-on' experience in preparing for and conducting multi-country political deliberations about current real-life issues. In the process, they will also study in a comparative perspective the political, economic and social backgrounds of European Union member states. The simulation systematically encourages peer learning. The negotiations will include three levels of bargaining: interpersonal, national and international, as participants will be acting as Heads of Governments of all existing EU member states, required to reach political consensus at the end of the simulation.

This is a course which examines new European Union Members States in Central Europe (in particular, Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia) from both historical and comparative perspectives. It begins with a discussion of the nature and weaknesses of the Communist regimes of Eastern Europe and the causes and processes leading to the 1989 upheavals in the region. It then considers the paradoxes and obstacles in the course of post-Communist transitions to democracy, the market economy and the civil society. The key issues of democratic consolidation and pro-market transformation will be addressed.

This course aims at offering students a clear overview of the economic, political, social and diplomatic issues raised by recent institutional developments of the European Union. On the one hand, it consolidates knowledge of institutional structures and key policy-making processes in the recent years. On the other, it raises critical awareness of the deeper theoretical and practical questions these developments pose. One of the main components of the course is the growing importance of globalization and the opening of Europe to other regions of the world, in particular China and East-Asia. The course integrates theoretical perspectives and case studies.

This course introduces students to the study of social movement and contentious politics in a comparative perspective. The first part of the course distinguishes contentious politics from the normal political process and introduces the early theories of contentious politics. The second part examines the theoretical building blocks of the field, including the political opportunity structure, mobilizing structure, and frames. We apply these conceptual toolkits to real-world examples to understand why movements emerge, how they evolve and what changes they brought about. The third and final part critically interrogates the validity of classical theories of contentious politics by focusing on recent social movements around the world. By the end of the course, students should have a good grounding in the contentious politics literature and should be able to analyse social movements from a theoretical perspective.

At its core, public health is concerned with promoting and protecting the health of populations. Governments typically play an indispensable role in promoting and protecting public health through their public health policies and health systems. This course investigates the ethical issues of public health. It aims to show the relevance of values and ethics to public health and to demonstrate how moral reasoning and factual investigation entangle with each other in the evaluation of public health policies and health systems.

This course examines the structure of successive political systems in France within their historical context. After a review of the legacy of the past (i.e. the absolute monarchy, the French Revolution and the various regimes that followed), the core of the course examines the evolution of the French political and government system in the 20th and 21st centuries. Students will learn about the systemic features of the Fifth Republic, and to identify political ideologies and values, cultural predispositions, and social stratifications that shape France's contemporary polity.

The course examines the structure and nature of successive political systems in Germany within their historical and geopolitical context, with a focus on the period from modern Germany's creation in the 19th century to the present. In the first part of the semester, we will analyse the Kaiserreich, the Weimar Republic, and the Third Reich, assessing their origins, key features, and consequences for post-war Germany. In the second part of the semester, we will focus on Germany's post-1945 history, from its division to its reunification, before spending the final weeks on contemporary German politics. Students should learn to identify the ideological, material and structural factors that have shaped contemporary German politics and society and, in turn, European politics and society. They should gain insight into the lasting significance of Germany's political history for present-day politics, at the national level, the European level, and even the global level.

The course focuses on the political development of Japan since 1945. It begins with a historical overview of the rise of modern Japan and an examination of the legacies of the Second World War. The workings of the major political institutions, central and local, are studied, with particular reference to the process of policy-making. It goes on to identify the main political actors, political parties, business groups and labour unions and examines political culture and mass electoral behaviour. The role of Japan in the international system is also assessed

This course initiates students into the complex interplay between religion and politics. It takes religions as social facts whose theological claims may or may not be factually true or verifiable, but the political consequences of which are nonetheless real and observable. From electoral campaigns to the divergent views on proper church-state relations, from domestic political institutions to fault lines in international politics, major religious traditions have all left their marks in them and are laying new tracks. This course explores some of these phenomena and provides students with theoretical and conceptual tools to analyse them. It guides the exploration and comparison of political worldviews proffered by, inter alia, the monotheistic religions – Judaism, Christianity, and Islam – through the reading of selected scriptures and other primary and secondary sources. The political energies released by secularisation, a process that affects all religious communities to varying degrees, are also examined in conjunction with the process of political modernisation. The ultimate goal is to prepare students for a multi-directional world in which religious traditions, secularization and de-secularization co-exist as forces and processes to be harnessed for the common good.

This elective course builds on the Foundations of International Relations ( POLS2017) and is designed to deepen the knowledge of the students regarding the general aspects of both war and peacebuilding looking at those issues from several angles, i.e. theoretical, legal and institutional. It provides students with the necessary conceptual tools and analytical skills, allowing students to understand the causes of military conflicts and to devise strategic peacebuilding plans to manage, transform and resolve conflicts as well as preventing their recurrence.

The course aims to introduce students, who may have had no previous opportunity for systematic study of Chinese politics, to the state-of-the-art English-language academic literature on the subject. Through reading and discussion, students should acquire a sophisticated understanding of the changing institutions and processes of politics in China, as well as a good grasp of many of the key issues now confronting the Chinese polity in the course of its reform and opening to the world. Students will also be exposed to, and have an opportunity to compare and evaluate, a number of the most important conceptual tools, research methods, and analytical approaches that have been utilized by scholars in the study of Chinese political affairs. The intention is to enable students to follow and understand the scholarly debates in the many areas covered by the course, as well as to develop their own capacity to contribute to those debates.

This course compares the government and politics of the UK and the USA. It will begin by considering how these countries were formed and how their historical evolution shapes aspects of their contemporary politics. The course then examines fundamental aspects of the governing systems within the two countries. It then goes on to explore in more detail the main political institutions and actors within each country, and their contributions to the operation of government and politics. Finally, the course will explore some major political issues: the role of government in the management of the economy in both countries; their foreign policies; and the respective responses of the USA and UK to the Covid-19 crisis. Throughout the course students will be encouraged to consider the USA and UK not only as interesting countries in their own right but as examples of broader, central themes in the study of comparative politics.

The course is designed to enhance students’ understanding of the relationship between gender and politics around the world, with a specific focus on East Asia. It will provide a general overview of the gender politics scholarship from a range of theoretical and methodological approaches. By covering five key topic areas, the course will examine the gendered character of citizenship, political participation, political institutions, and representation.

This course examines the state-society relationship in contemporary China. It will begin with an overview of the political context and reform strategies of the 1978 economic reform. The main part of this course will focus on a critical assessment of the social consequences of the reforms in different domains, including rural governance, industry, administration, the third sector, etc. The course will provide students a fundamental understanding of how the state has sought to shape the society and how the society has responded in China in the post-reform era.

This course is designed to provide Government and International Studies majors and China Studies students with knowledge of Chinese foreign policies during the Cold War and Post-Cold War era. Being a socialist country with a strong nationalistic posture, how China situates herself in the world arena, and shifts her foreign policies from pro-Soviet stance (1950s) to isolation (1960s) then opening up to the West (1970s), will be thoroughly examined. The efforts of constructing a “Chinese Theory of International Relations” by Chinese policy analysts will also be studied.

What is public administration, and how does it tackle some of the most critical challenges of human society? Through inspiring comparative case studies from Asia, America, and Europe, this course guides students to examine the major concepts, theories, and practices of public administration. Theoretical comparison of civil servant management, policy implementation and evaluation, and politics-bureaucracy relations will be supplemented by practical training in decision-making and analysis.

This is an interdisciplinary course which explores the recent political and socio-economic evolution of selected societies in the East and West. It focuses on the dynamic interplay of political, economic and cultural forces at the state level of the international system. It also considers similar forces at the regional and global levels which may link or interact with the development of states. Emphasis will be on Hong Kong and China, Asia, Eastern Europe, the Soviet successor states, and the European Union in exploring such transitional currents.

This course introduces 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. The course further goes beyond description of the substance of policies and seeks to introduce students to theories and ways of thinking about the policy process as well as the ideas, practices and institutions of governance.

This course is designed for third- or fourth-year GIS major students or advanced master candidates. It seeks to deepen their knowledge in important fields of IR that are security and strategy. The course will address five main areas of security studies: theoretical approaches to security, key concepts of security, institutions of security, contemporary challenges to security and strategy in general.

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.

The course is intentionally designed to be flexible in order to allow discussion of a range of contemporary issues in Asian politics.

The course is intentionally designed to be flexible in order to allow discussion of a range of contemporary issues in global politics.

The course is intentionally designed to be flexible in order to allow discussion of a range of contemporary issues in European politics.

Elections and political parties are two central institutions of modern representative democracies. Elections decide who get to govern while political parties recruit candidates, compete for votes, and formulate policies for government action. Against this backdrop, the course is designed to familiarize and enhance students’ understanding on basic theories and examples of party system, election mechanics, and voting behavior. Moreover, the course will equip students with the knowledge to systematically interpret contemporary elections and parties from the comparative perspective.

This advanced course explores regionalism and regionalization as concept and historical process of regional cooperation and integration. It seeks to explain the different levels of regional integration by examining the historical, geopolitical, cultural and economic factors shaping the reception of regionalism and the process of regionalization, taking Europe and Asia as prime examples. It further integrates the study of the two regions with a knowledge of interregional relations from a long-term perspective: the pre- and post-colonial development of Asians’ ties with Europe, and Europeans’ economic, political, and cultural exchanges with Asia. The challenges posed to Asian-European relations by the unprocessed historical memories of colonialism and multipolarity in world politics, and the threats of regional disintegration or regional hegemony brought about by rejuvenated nationalisms will also be critically reviewed within the framework of intra- and interregional cooperation and understanding.

This course is an advanced introduction to the politics of authoritarian regimes. Historically, most of the world's political regimes have been authoritarian. To date, authoritarian regimes still control nearly 40% of all countries, and over half of the planet's population lives under the nondemocratic rule. Thus, learning the development and process of authoritarian regimes become the key to understanding the foundation of comparative politics.

We will begin the course by examining conceptual and operational differences between authoritarian and democratic regimes. The course then proceeds to examine the question of 'who governs' in authoritarian regimes. The course then moves to consider how authoritarian governments maintain and exercise their power. We will examine issues related to ideology, coercion, cooptation, electoral manipulation, patronage distribution, etc. The third part of the course discusses theories and measurements of democracy and democratization, the dynamics of democratization, and different forms of democratic and hybrid regimes. We will apply the theories and evaluates the democratic transitions in East Asia, Southeast Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East as case discussion.

Although acquiring factual knowledge is not the main objective of the seminar, our survey of the literature will be integrated with discussions of important events, facts and, processes.

Prerequisite: POLS2025Foundations of Political Philosophy

This course examines some of the key moral and political questions for a changing world. While globalization has led to an unprecedented level of prosperity and innovations, millions of people are still born into unimaginable poverty. Human beings are still divided along national and class lines. What does global justice mean facing these stark divides—and why does it matter? Students of this course will be invited to engage in some of the most pressing issues of international and global justice, such as human rights, climate change, migration, and war, and reflect upon their significance.

The course is intentionally designed to be flexible in order to allow discussion of selected issues in political theory and philosophy.

This course aims to equip the students with knowledge and expertise on the relations between the European Union and China. China and the EU have become important partners. The EU is China's largest trading partner, while China is the EU's second largest trading partner. EU and China trade more than €1.5 billion on a daily basis. The relations between China and the EU are characterised by cooperation and competition. The course will show, through arguments and actual examples, how the diplomats of the EU and China at the highest level of deliberation negotiate and communicate agreements beneficial for both parties. The overarching theme of this course is to explore how China and the EU engage in deliberations about important issues like human rights, trade and development, environment, climate change, and energy. In order to do so, this course will train the students to act like foreign policymakers and diplomats from either the EU or China. The final event of the course will take the form of a EU-China negotiations simulations and will be held at the EU office to Hong Kong and Macao.