Courses offered in the area equip students with the intellectual abilities to analyze issues and values of modern society focusing on social, historical, economic, political, cultural and legal aspects. Students draw on the tools of the social and behavioural sciences to critically engage with everyday social life, and understand the way in which society operates shapes and is shaped by the behaviour of individuals, both past, present and future. Courses prepare students to make informed judgements, perform critical reasoning, and ultimately to be responsible citizens.
* Compulsory course for all students
| Year Level: 1 | ||
| Equivalent GE Area(s) in 2011/2012 Model: |
Area 10 – Values, Ethics and Meaning of Life | |
GESB1001 – Applied Ethics
This course component examines the role of ethics in building a just and fair society. Students will be introduced to typical ethical problems they will face in work and society, learn how to apply ethical principles to comprehend and analyse these problems, and make better decisions accordingly.
GESB1002 – Foundations of Moral Values
This course component outlines how foundational moral values have been formulated in major philosophical and/or religious traditions and how they influence contemporary life. Students will acquire basic moral knowledge and learn to discuss and appreciate its significance for individuals and in society.
GESB1003 – Law and Society
This course component aims to introduce the basic knowledge of the Constitution of China and the Basic Law of Macao at both theoretical and practical levels. It is hoped that this course will help students to understand the basic concepts, theories, principles and spirit of the Constitution and the Basic Law, the basic system of the State and Macao, and the importance of the Constitution and the Basic Law to Macao SAR and the Macao residents.
| Year Level: 1 | ||
| Equivalent GE Area(s) in 2011/2012 Model: |
Area 8 – World Histories and Cultures | |
This course introduces the history of gambling and games. Gambling is a major leisure activity performed by many individuals worldwide. It can take various forms including lottery, sports, horse racing, and casino. This course will introduce students the history of gambling and wagering games across different national cultures including Chinese, Americans and Europeans. Students will examine how gambling and wagering games have evolved over time. It is hopeful that through the lens of time, students can begin to understand the reasons why people take risks and gamble.
| Year Level: 1 | ||
| Equivalent GE Area(s) in 2011/2012 Model: |
Area 9 – Macao, China and other Societies | |
This course will introduce Macao Law and its applications in real-life.
Due to a history of administration by Portugal, Portuguese Law was transplanted to Macao, which had been gradually localized, and eventually resulted in forming a distinctive Macao Legal System. Macao law is often described as the product of alien legal culture; citizens’ perception and acceptance of Macao Law are very limited. However, citizens’ perception and acceptance establishing public legal culture is the key to ensure the proper implementation of law.
Through introduction of Macau Law and its application, this course aims to strengthen the students’ perception and acceptance of Macao Law, facilitate the establishment of public legal culture.
Since the formal languages in Macao are Chinese and Portuguese, all the legal texts are stated in Chinese and Portuguese, and the language used in the functioning of the court are mainly Chinese and Portuguese as well. Therefore, this course will be taught in Chinese and complemented by terminology in Portuguese.
| Year Level: 1 | ||
| Equivalent GE Area(s) in 2011/2012 Model: |
Area 9 – Macao, China and other Societies | |
This course provides an introduction to the basic ideas in economics. It will discuss how individuals and firms make their decisions and how to interact with each other. The operation of markets, including the competitive markets and monopolists markets, will also be discussed. The course will also explore the functioning of labor market, product market and other factor markets. The course will use real-world examples to illustrate the economic principles and their applications.
| Year Level: 1 | ||
| Equivalent GE Area(s) in 2011/2012 Model: |
Area 9 – Macao, China and other Societies | |
This course will introduce students to the study of macroeconomic policies by the government and central bank. Concepts such as national income, gross domestic product (GDP), unemployment, money, inflation, and exchange rate will be discussed. Fiscal policy from the government and monetary policy from the central bank will be introduced and their effects on these macroeconomic variables will be studied. The roles of macroeconomic policies in dealing with real-life economic problems, for example, fighting unemployment, curbing inflation, and so on will be analyzed. Interactions among different markets will be introduced to help students understand how macroeconomic policies work.
| Year Level: 1 | ||
| Equivalent GE Area(s) in 2011/2012 Model: |
Nil | |
To understand the structures, responsibilities and importance of government(s) in contemporary time. How governments respond to public needs and people’s interests while maintaining the fundamental principles of legality, justice, equality, rights and democracy etc. make up the core of the course. How public policies are made and how they facilitate social progress and development will be another important content. Lastly, how governments interact with the public, community, private sectors, NGOs, and also the external environment will be a third concern introducing students to the important role of government. Examples will be drawn from various places. Reference to current issues or events will complement lectures.
| Year Level: 1 | ||
| Equivalent GE Area(s) in 2011/2012 Model: |
Area 7 – Life Science, Health and the Human Condition | |
Personal and social competence is key to self-discovery and self-knowledge with the aim of becoming involved and succeed in the innovative global economy of the 21st century. The purpose of this is to engage students with the psychological approaches to self-development, leadership, creativity, and interpersonal competence that would help them deal with the unfamiliar and unexpected nature of an ever-changing future. The course will focus on topics such as self-esteem, life goals and careers, personality, the various forms of intelligence, and persuasion and conflict management. Other topics relate to friendship and love, coping mechanisms for difficult life situations, and socio-cognitive processes evident in interpersonal relations in daily life, and students will also actively engage in research through participation in psychological studies and experiments.
| Year Level: 1 | ||
| Equivalent GE Area(s) in 2011/2012 Model: |
Area 7 – Life Science, Health and the Human Condition | |
Psychology is the study of mind and behaviour. Research in psychology seeks to understand and explain mental processes, emotions, and behaviour. Applications of psychology include performance enhancement, self-help, mental health and many other areas affecting everyday life and work. In this course, we will overview key topics in psychology such as learning, memory, human development, personality, feelings, motivations, and social behaviour representing some of what psychology seeks to understand and explain. In this course, we will take a grand tour of the most prominent theories, principles, findings and applications of psychology, and engage actively in research through participation in psychological studies and experiments.
| Year Level: 1 | ||
| Equivalent GE Area(s) in 2011/2012 Model: |
Area 9 – Macao, China and other Societies | |
This course focuses on issues of love and intimacy, relationship development, sexuality, cohabitation, and marriage. It provides an overview of choices of mates and dating preferences, examines the ways that cultural, social, and personal factors shape these choices, and identify factors that contribute to happy and enduring relationships. Other topics covered in the course include planning for children, family formation, and parenting practices. We will also discuss common challenges facing love and marital relationships, including gender role, power and control, violence and abuse, and work and money.
| Year Level: 1 | ||
| Equivalent GE Area(s) in 2011/2012 Model: |
Area 9 – Macao, China and other Societies | |
This course describes social problems in contemporary societies especially Macao and China, and identifies how these problems affect and is affected by social forces, institutions, and culture. We will examine a series of long-standing and emergent social problems including gambling, aging, prostitution, substance abuse, violence, crime, inequality, racial and ethnic conflict, sex discrimination, health care, family issues, urban problems, population and food, environmental problems, and terrorism. We will try to identify the causes, distribution, and consequences of these problems. We will learn about theoretical perspectives that provide insights into social problems and empirical research that contributes evidence to the understanding of the problems. We will also assess social policies designed to mitigate the negative consequences of social problems.
| Year Level: 1 | ||
| Equivalent GE Area(s) in 2011/2012 Model: |
Area 4 – Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning | |
People nowadays are being connected globally in various ways, and statistics plays a role in giving basic international comparison. The first part of this course introduces some basic ideas in social and economic statistics for cross-national comparison. But, statistics is always considered as a hurdle for those not strong in mathematics. The second part introduces statistics which emphasizes intuitive thinking in daily life instead of technical mathematical jargon. This will equip students with minimal statistical literacy to cope with the data saturated society with confidence, and more advanced statistics courses in future studies. Emphasis is on statistical interpretation rather than analysis.
| Year Level: 2 | ||
| Equivalent GE Area(s) in 2011/2012 Model: |
Area 4 – Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning | |
Financial literacy has become increasingly popular and important around the world. Every university students should know how to manage his or her wealth, pension, and insurance. This course teaches non-finance students the core concept of financial planning, including retirement planning. Popular financial instruments will be introduced from the risk-return perspectives, including mortgage and car loans, bank deposits, stocks, bonds, mutual fund, and insurance products. Quantitative tools such as Microsoft Excel will be used to solve various problems in personal finance.
| Year Level: 2 | ||
| Equivalent GE Area(s) in 2011/2012 Model: |
Area 8 – World Histories and Cultures | |
This course examines social theories of food, eating, etiquette and nutrition. It is divided into five broad components. The first examines relationships between scientific and folk concepts of nutrition. The second analyses theories of food preparation and meal structure in various international cultures. The third investigates how food and eating is governed by explicit and implicit rules of etiquette. The fourth part of the course investigates the role of public dining and the media in promoting particular images of food consumption. Finally, there will be a brief examination of the implication of current trends in food consumption for public health.
| Year Level: 2 | ||
| Equivalent GE Area(s) in 2011/2012 Model: |
Area 9 – Macao, China and other Societies | |
This course is designed to investigate the broad spectrum of business and society as well as sustainability issues that individuals have to face today and will face in the future. It will also provide students with the broad functions and role of business in society, and knowledge in balancing economic, legal, ethical, and philanthropic responsibilities to the variety of stakeholder groups with which businesses interact with the society. This course will explain the nature of business, its purpose and contribution to society as well as management’s role in business and the overlapping influence of business, economy, and society. It involves discussion on these issues and debate that pertain to these relationships. Within the context of business, the course focuses on entrepreneurial behaviors which include social and business entrepreneurship (i.e. new venture creation and management), creativity, and innovation. Within its relationship to society, it will consider citizenship behaviors through topics as stakeholder management and corporate social responsibility.
| Year Level: 2 | ||
| Equivalent GE Area(s) in 2011/2012 Model: |
Area 8 – World Histories and Cultures | |
Consumers, retailers and suppliers are demanding more creativity and innovation across every marketing activity, especially in such a highly globalized society with internet and mobile devices everywhere. In this course students will learn and experience how to combine creativity and marketing activities together. This course covers (a) the strategic basis for product development including sources and types of innovation, market entry timing, product market structure and competition, disruptive and entrepreneurial innovation, and the development of new services and service bundles; (b) latest and creative marketing practices including creative product design, creative promotion method, creative advertising example, creative business model; and (c) the management of the new product development and promotion process including collaboration and networks as well as strategies for launching and marketing new products and services.
| Year Level: 2 | ||
| Equivalent GE Area(s) in 2011/2012 Model: |
Area 3 – Communication | |
The course aims to provide students with an introduction to the skills and practices of public speaking: this will be contextualized across the different socio-cultural and work situations in which they are likely to be required to speak, and with regard to the different groups they will have to address. The emphasis will be on seven main areas:
1. speaking as a form of communication
2. the techniques of public speaking
3. understanding & addressing different kinds of audiences
4. researching the material to be dealt with in the speech
5. organizing the talk
6. using A/V aids
7. dealing with questions
| Year Level: 2 | ||
| Equivalent GE Area(s) in 2011/2012 Model: |
Area 8 – World Histories and Cultures | |
This course is to focus on the history of the use and function of art in global perspective. Images, with symbolic meanings and particular style, can be powerful visual language that speaks to the viewers directly. Art has been a meaningful endeavour that deals with basic human concerns from the dawn of civilization to the present day. In this course, art works are discussed in context with human survival, religion, politics, sexuality, technology, culture transmission and globalization. This course examines essential art ideas and makes them concrete using examples from around the world, and relates them to contemporary issues.
| Year Level: 2 | ||
| Equivalent GE Area(s) in 2011/2012 Model: |
Area 9 – Macao, China and other Societies | |
This course provides an overview of how social factors can influence population characteristics and how the characteristics of population in turn affect society. We will focus on three primary demographic processes: mortality, fertility and migration. We will learn basic concepts, theories and measurements of each process from both historical and comparative approach. We will apply these basic demographic concepts to contemporary population issues such as concerns over the persistent low, below-replacement fertility level and the aging of the population in Macao, the consequences of the internal migration on urbanization in China or other developing countries. Population literacy is therefore an important part of an individual’s knowledge to understand current social, economic and political debates. In addition, population literacy is essential for yourself as you think about planning your own life in terms of human capital investments, marriage, fertility, labor force participation, saving, migration and many related aspects. In understanding these issues, we will use the social science theories and concepts such as social stratification, social interaction, and continuity and change. We will bridge sociology, anthropology, history, political science, economics, and psychology, and will do a comparative analysis between Macao, China, and other societies.
| Year Level: 2 | ||
| Equivalent GE Area(s) in 2011/2012 Model: |
Area 7 – Life Science, Health and the Human Condition | |
Sex plays an important role in our lives. In this course we will study human sexuality and attempt to explore the psychology of human sexuality in its evolutionary, physiological, and social context. Based on the evolutionary perspective, various aspects of adaptive human sexual behaviours and mechanisms evolved to facilitate reproductive success. Some example of topics include: the evolutionary origins of gender differences and similarities, and sexual reproduction; historical and contemporary views on the psychology of sex in different cultures; diversity of human sexuality; how psychologists conduct sex research, issue of pornography, nature of physical and psychological attractiveness, and more.