GED Course List
GDHC1043 Modernism in Western Culture
现代主义西方文化
Modernism is one of the most significant intellectual and cultural movements in the history of the modern West. Originating in the second half of the nineteenth century, it became a leading mode of Western thinking and artistic expression in the first half of the twentieth century. To a significant extent, Modernism defines Western thought and culture today. This course is designed as an introduction to the intellectual and cultural history of Modernism. It starts with an historical overview of European thought around the middle of the nineteenth century. It then commences its analysis of Modernism by dissecting the critiques of the modern West articulated by two of the leading thinkers of Modernism: the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche and the founder of psychoanalysis Sigmund Freud. After that, the course scrutinises the central movements in Modernist painting - Impressionism, Expressionism, Cubism, Futurism, Dada, Surrealism. This inquiry is followed by a sustained and rigorous analysis of Modernism in literature, which explores in depth the ideas and art of Modernism in the three main genres of literature - fiction, poetry, and drama. The course concludes its exploration of Modernism with a reflection on the movement’s historical significance, and on its relevance to the world of the early twenty-first century
Check DetailsGDFL1053 Russian I
俄语 I
This course is an introduction to Russian language. Designed for students with no prior knowledge of Russian, it aims at building their linguistic and communicative skills in the four areas of language learning, i.e., listening, speaking, reading, and writing. By the end of the course students will be able to hold a basic conversation on topics of everyday interest, as well as discuss subjects such as family, sport, home, work or their university studies. Special emphasis is placed on enhancing grammar skills and vocabulary through classroom assignments and drills as well as structured exposure to contemporary Russian cultural productions. Materials for analysis and discussion include short literary texts (adapted for the beginners), films, music videos, and Internet resources such as Russian social media.
Check DetailsGDFL1033 Spanish I
西班牙语 I
This course is an introduction to Spanish language. The aim of this course is to introduce beginners to Spanish language building their linguistic and communicative skills in the four areas of language learning: speaking, reading, writing and listening, basic grammar and pronunciation rules; as well as to enable them to apply communication strategies in the target language. Upon successful completion of this course, students will attain the lower range of competency within the Common European Framework of Reference for languages (CEFR) of Spanish Language (A1.1) in the four language skills: reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Students will also gain a brief insight into Spanish and Latin American cultures and develop “intercultural literacy” at a basic level.
Check DetailsGDST1063 Stay Active, Eat Smart
活跃人生，进食健康
The benefits of physical activity and balanced diets on health are well established. However, many apparently healthy individuals do not meet recommended levels of activity and nutrient intakes required for health gain. The course aims to provide the basic concepts on fitness, nutrition and health. Students will understand the physiological impacts of physical activity and nutrition; identify the importance of healthy eating and exercise to against obesogenic environment; recognize the nutritional strategies for enhancing exercise and sport performances; and provide recommendations on exercise guidelines to people throughout the life cycle.
Check DetailsGDHC1063 The American Dream and Modern Sensibility
现代情美国梦
The course provides an overview of the American Dream in the history of American culture and literature. It traces the trajectory of the Dream and uses it as the central concept, to analyse the unique ways American writers have adopted to represent their major concerns in their works, and finally to compare and contrast it in the works by different writers, at different times, in different genres, from different societal expectations, or different value systems.
Check DetailsGDHC1053 The American Renaissance: the History and Literature of an Era
美国文艺复兴的历史与文学
This course gives an overview of the American Renaissance with emphasis on its history and literature. It analyses the Transcendentalist period, Jacksonian democracy and the reform movements of the time. With this framework around both the intellectual background and the historical foreground, it explores egalitarianism, the divinity in each man, as well as the presence of evil of the human spirit represented by different writers in the era.
Check DetailsGDHC1213 The Beginning of Western Civilization: A Journey in Time
西方文明起源：时间之旅
This course introduces students to the beginning of Western civilization. Starting with the world of Homer and Hesiod in ancient Greece, and working through the beginning of the Christian Age in the Roman period students will investigate and analyse key events, ideas and historical figures that impacted and influenced today’s European culture.
Check DetailsGDST1013 The Power of Science and Technology
科技的力量
This course aims to provide students an awareness of how science and technology affect their everyday life. Using case studies it will demonstrate how technologies change the way we live. It will also describe the process of technology development, from having an idea, proving that the idea is feasible, securing funding support, and commercialisation of the product. Case studies will also be used to illustrate the process of technology development and commercialisation.
Check DetailsGDST1003 The Science of Well Being
健康与科学
Science and technology play crucial roles in affecting our daily lives. Their effects could directly or indirectly, positively or negatively impact our well-being. The aim of this course is to let students appreciate the importance of science in our well-being, in particularly, the importance of our environment on our physical and mental health, and how we can better adapt to our stressful environment. The course integrates subject in environmental science, food science and psychology to raise awareness of our dependency on the environment such as the quality of the air we breathe, water we drink, and food we eat all affect our physical and mental health as well as our economy then foster recognition of how food and food industry may affect the environment and be affected by the environment and understand how food may affect personal well-being, and appreciate how the holistic concept of mental well-being can help us adapt to our stressful environment. The concept of positive psychology, focusing on positive emotions, strengths, and good mental health rather than disease will be discussed.
Check DetailsGDHC1193 Traditional Philosophical Problems in Modern Cinema
现代电影中的传统哲学问题
This course will provide students with the ability to recognise philosophical themes in movies and analyse how such themes are handled in terms of both philosophical depth and logical consistency. Students will discuss important moral and metaphysical issues as they are portrayed in contemporary movies and develop the ability to debate philosophical issues both orally and in written assignments.
Check DetailsGDST1083 Web Publishing: The science behind the content on the Web
Web 内容规划、管理和发布
The course will demonstrate the importance of content in the design and development of publishing on the Internet. The students will take a look at the different approaches of gathering and analysing data to make a well informed decision on delivering the content to the right audience. They will learn how to choose the right tools and deliver a strategically built website. The process requires no previous knowledge of a programming language or web designing skills.
Check DetailsGDHC1283 Women in 20th-Century Russian History and Culture
20 世纪俄罗斯历史和文化中的女性
This multimedia course covers the role of Russian women artists as cultural creators and witnesses from the reign of Tsar Nicholas II to President Vladimir Putin’s fourth presidential term. We shall look at the tragedies of twentieth century Russian history as reflected in the verse of Marina Tsvetaeva and Anna Akhmatova, the country’s two most important female poets, and their celebration of its two historical capitals, Moscow and Saint Petersburg, which were also depicted by the memoirists Irina Odoevtseva and Nina Berberova. The course will explore the way in which peasant women and girls are portrayed in the paintings of Zinaida Serebriakova, an important representative of early Russian modernism, and the stories of the Nobel Prize-winning writer Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. We shall also examine the representation of the female experience and its associated traumas and hopes in the literature, music, and film of the post-communist transition. Finally, the course will include portraits of a selection of today’s female celebrities who have impacted the nation’s culture.
Check DetailsGDHC1083 World Religions: Ancient Traditions
世界宗教：古代的传统
For students of any religion or none, this survey course, with the focus on classical antiquity, helps them explore the diversity of ancient faiths that influenced East and West: from the Egyptian traditions, religions of Mesopotamia and Persia, to Judaism of the biblical period, Greco-Roman beliefs and early Asian traditions. In addition to elaborations on the richness of history and appreciation of traditional spirituality, this course also seeks to introduce a rich variety of topics in the evolution of ancient empires, founded on the roots of the western civilisation. The course is also a secure foundation for further investigation of Classical Studies and Western history.
Check DetailsGDHC1093 World Religions: Eastern Traditions
世界宗教：东方的传统
This survey course invites you to explore the most influential faiths in the East with a measure of openness and empathy: from Hinduism and Sikhism in the Indic cultural traditions; to Confucianism and Shinto of the East Asian traditions. In addition to elaborations on the richness of history and appreciation of traditional spirituality, this course also seeks to introduce a rich variety of topics of the living religions in the evolution of a global civilisation, founded on the universal values of peace, solidarity, justice, and liberty. The course is also a secure foundation for further investigation of East Asian culture and South Asian Studies.
Check DetailsGDST1033 Would the Earth's Sixth Mass Extinction Affect Humanity's Future?
地球的第六次生物大灭绝会影响人类的未来吗？
Biologists noted that a sixth mass extinction may be underway. However, the sixth mass extinction is different from the previous mass extinctions that the current mass extinction is caused by human activities such as transformation of landscape, overexploitation of species, pollution and introduction of alien species. The aim of this course is to let students critically review the evidences, causes, and consequences of Earth’s sixth biodiversity extinction crisis as well as aware the impacts of biodiversity extinction on human sustainability and the contributions of environmental management on humanity’s future in multidisciplinary perspectives. Through lecturing and experiential learning as well as group research project, students would learn the application of interdisciplinary approach such as integrating variety of skills from science, social science and business subjects to tackle the root problems of human sustainability so as to maintain human well-being in the present and future.
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