Faculty of Social Sciences

Master of Social Sciences (Contemporary China Studies)

Programme Director: Prof Chu Cindy Y Y

The Master of Social Sciences (Contemporary China Studies) is a multidisciplinary postgraduate coursework degree programme designed to meet the professional and practical needs of employees of government, non-profit organizations and private companies, as well as the educational needs of those new university graduates including local and international students who want to pursue postgraduate work in China studies or related fields. It may be pursued either as an end in itself or in preparation for further studies. The curriculum is designed to accomplish the following objectives:

1.	To provide students with a critical understanding of contemporary China from political, historical, economic, geographical and sociological perspectives;
2.	To sharpen students’ awareness of the complex relationships of historical, economic, geographical, political and sociological factors in China through a multi-disciplinary approach; and
3.	To enhance students’ understanding of the processes of change which will shape the future relation between Hong Kong, the rest of China and the world.

Most courses are taught by a combination of lecture-discussions and seminars held on weekday evenings and/or Saturday mornings. Students can conduct independent projects under the guidance of their supervisors.

The structure of the curriculum is as follows:

I)	Core Courses	3 units
II)	Concentration/Field and Elective Courses	24 units
		───────
		27 units

Requirements

In order to graduate, students must complete 27 units, including 1 core course, at least 3 courses from one Concentration/Field and 5 elective courses within the duration of the programme, and obtain:

1.	Grade C- or above in all courses, and
2.	A cumulative GPA of 2.50 or above.

I.	Core Course			3 units
	POLS	7010	Advanced China Studies	3 units

II.	Concentration/Field and Elective Courses			24 units
	SOSC	7510	Project	3 units
	Economic Development and Reform:
	ECON	7310*	Economic Institutions in China	3 units
	ECON	7320*	Public Finance & Monetary Economics in China	3 units
	ECON	7340*	Productivity Analysis of the Chinese Economy	3 units
	ECON	7510**	China's Economic Development & Reform	3 units
	ECON	7520**	China's Foreign Trade & Investment	3 units
	ECON	7540**	Graduate Workshops on China's Economy	3 units
	ECON	7550**	Financial Markets & Corporate Governance in China	3 units
	History and Culture:
	HIST	7510	South China Studies	3 units
	HIST	7520	Chinese Culture in Transformation	3 units
	HIST	7530	Graduate Seminar on Contemporary Chinese History	3 units
	HIST	7540*	Contemporary Chinese Political Thought	3 units
	HIST	7550*	History of Taiwan	3 units
	HIST	7570*	China & Asia since 1900	3 units
	Society and Community:
	SOC	7510**	Social Networks in the Contemporary Chinese Society	3 units
	SOC	7530**	Graduate Seminar on Contemporary Social Issues in China	3 units
	SOC	7540**	Chinese Social Demography	3 units
	SOC	7560*	Sociological Issues in Urban & Rural Development	3 units
	SOC	7570*	Chinese Family & Kinship	3 units
	SOC	7580*	Women in China	3 units
	SOC	7590**	Popular Culture & Society in Contemporary China	3 units
	Urban Development and Environmental Management:
	GEOG	7510	Resource & Environmental Management in China	3 units
	GEOG	7520	Urban & Regional Development of China	3 units
	GEOG	7530	Graduate Seminar on Geography of China	3 units
	GEOG	7540*	Energy Development in China	3 units
	GEOG	7560*	Rural & Agricultural Development in China	3 units
	GEOG	7570*	Urban Development in China	3 units
				──────
				27 units

Normally, one-year full-time students should complete the programme in one calendar year while two-year part-time students in two calendar years. With special permission a student may extend his or her study by one year.

*	Three from this group of courses will be offered by each Concentration/Field every year. Students can take no more than one course from this group of elective courses, which are usually joint-class courses.

**	Three of the four courses in respective Concentration will be offered alternatively every year.