 |
Text size:
 | |
INTRODUCTION
CAREER POTENTIAL
THE HISTORY CURRICULUM AT LINGNAN UNIVERSITY
AIMS
OBJECTIVES
LEARNING OUTCOME
PROGRAMME ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
LANGUAGE OF INSTRUCTION
PROGRAMME GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS
ASSESSMENT
OVERALL PROGRAMME STRUCTURE
History as a category of human learning is one of the oldest subjects taught and learned in school. A critical key to understanding human nature, History encompasses many other disciplines by virtue of a universal subject matter that ranges from politics to economics, morality to culture. Inasmuch as it contributes to self-identification and social cohesion, History serves an antidote to cultural chauvinism, which is why it commands the attention of youth and leaders in today’s complex society. Furthermore, it is foundational to virtually every other discipline in the arts, humanities, and social sciences.
The Great Spiritualists
|
|
|
As Hong Kong continues to evolve into a service and knowledge-based economy and society, History graduates have come to play an ever more important role. Graduates have found meaningful employment in such wide-ranging fields as government, business, media, and education. History graduates from Lingnan can expect to develop their abilities to think critically, conduct in-depth research, analyse problems, organize materials, and communicate effectively. They also will be trained in a way that encourages flexibility, and this ability to adapt to the future with an eye on the past positions them well in the Hong Kong job market. Increasingly, Hong Kong employers have come to realize that these are the very skills needed for many of their positions. As Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland continue to develop more intensive knowledge-based societies and economies, this demand for properly educated History graduates will increase.
The Great Conquerors
|
|
|
conqueror of the known world of his day: "There is nothing impossible to him who will try." |
"We Spaniards know a sickness of the heart that only gold can cure." |
emperor of France: "The word "impossible" is not in my dictionary." |
THE HISTORY CURRICULUM AT LINGNAN UNIVERSITY
A common and very logical question about the B.A. (Hons) in History at Lingnan University is, “How is it different from other history degrees in Hong Kong?” Perhaps the question would be better worded as “How will the history degree at Lingnan prepare students for the future?” Lingnan’s degree in history, on the surface, will appear to be quite similar to other history degrees in Hong Kong. Students will study Chinese and Asian history, Western history, the East-West historical interchange, and various methodological and practical courses. These basic fundamentals of historical study are essential in any society, and are always shaped to some extent by the society in which they are taught. The study of history in and of itself is valuable for a broad range of reasons that are important for both the student and the society.
The Great Explorers
|
|
|
"It suddenly struck me that that tiny pea, pretty and blue, was the Earth. I put up my thumb and shut one eye, and my thumb blotted out the planet Earth. I didn't feel like a giant. I felt very, very small."--Neil Armstrong. |
Ming admiral: "Raise your sail one foot and you get ten feet of wind." |
Beyond that intrinsic value, the proper study of history has a very practical value that is important for Hong Kong and China in the 21st century. For the minority of Lingnan University graduates who will become teachers, the benefits of university-level History training are obvious. But what about the majority of graduates who will not become teachers? The goal of the history degree at Lingnan is to prepare these students as well for a meaningful life and one in which they can make a significant contribution to Hong Kong.
The curriculum is similar to others in Hong Kong, although there are some courses which are either not taught in Hong Kong, or which are not commonly taught, including Cities Across Civilizations, Modern Islamic Societies, Public History, Religions in China, and World Environmental History. What distinguishes the Lingnan history degree from others s a difference of stress. Hong Kong needs the historical consciousness that informs and enhances decision-making, but it also needs graduates who can think, analyse, do research, organize and communicate effectively. A knowledge-based society and economy will be driven by graduates who have these abilities, along with the flexibility to adapt to changing needs (and roles), and with a thirst for continuous learning.
In other words, in the history degree at Lingnan, the facts and interpretations of history will be taught, studied, and learned for the intrinsic value that study brings. However, the distinctiveness of the history degree at Lingnan is in the extent to which the skills and attitudes which are needed in the 21st century will receive foremost stress in the degree programme.
The Great Leaders
|
|
|
"Government: of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth." |
"We'd be better off with less talk of moral principle and more practice of it." |
This primacy will be provided structurally by a selection of courses which place very specific emphasis on these skills and attitudes. Students will begin with a first-year, two-semester sequence on historical theory and practice. There, students will be challenged to think critically, to analyse objectively, and to conduct individual research that culminates in their first full-fledged research paper. They will also be challenged to consider various theories and philosophies of history, not just as something to study and learn, but as something to ponder and to consider their own view (or “philosophy”) of history. As they explore basic historiography, they will engage the ways in which historians of the past have shaped the study of history, and how it continues to direct their own individual views of the historical process. So at the outset, Lingnan University students will be made aware of the dynamic nature of history, and will begin to perceive a framework for historical study which will continue to inform their further study.
This development of analytical ways of thinking does not end, in terms of curriculum, with the first year. Other required and elective courses will assist students to understand the application of history to the changing needs of society. In year three, students may choose to apply learning from previous courses either through assorted Senior History Seminars or the Directed Research Project (an option for highly motivated majors).
The Great Reformers
|
|
|
"A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination." |
India's great soul: "Be the change you wish to see in the world." |
Beyond the specific structural courses which will deal with these skills and attitudes, the history degree at Lingnan will keep all of this at the forefront throughout all of the courses that are part of the degree. In other words, in every course, the teaching of history will be much more than the imparting of historical knowledge, as essential as that is. In every history course, there will be components of the teaching style, the types of assignments, and the methods of assessment which will stress the skills and attitudes which we believe are essential for history students to develop.
We firmly believe that the history degree at Lingnan University will provide students and society with a type of education that is a critical need. Students will study history itself for the values that study brings (self and societal identification, historical consciousness and perspective, and many others). In addition, we believe history graduates from Lingnan University will be equipped with the basic cognitive and practical skills they need to begin to make a contribution to society. But both of these will be thoroughly imbued with an attitude that inspires students to view learning as a life-long process which demands constant attention, and which enhances the on-going ability to be flexible and to adapt to changing needs and desires of society.
The Great Thinkers
|
|
|
Italy's Renaissance genius: "Iron rusts from disuse; water loses its purity from stagnation ... even so does inaction sap the vigors of the mind." |
teacher: "To know, is to know that you know nothing. That is the meaning of true knowledge." |
envisioned a larger universe: "We cannot teach people anything; we can only help them discover it within themselves." |
The degree aims to provide a challenging bilingual education which will enable students:
1. to develop a better understanding of historical change and development;
2. to develop their capacity to interpret the thought and actions of historical figures and trends;
3. to develop analytical skills in order to evaluate historical developments, to understand
current issues, and to make decisions;
4. to enhance judgment and maturity as professionals.
Upon successful completion of this degree programme, students should be better able to:
1. to think critically, analyse problems, organise, and communicate effectively;
2. engage in critical analysis, independent study, and in-depth research;
3. enter any profession that values these important transferable skills;
4. pursue further study in the discipline of History or other disciplines in the arts, humanities and social sciences
1. demonstrate disciplinary competence including historical methodologies and empirical knowledge within national and transnational contexts, both East and West;
2. demonstrate the ability to think creatively, critically, independently and analytically, particularly concerning concepts of causality, historical change, and cross-cultural exchanges;
3. be able to reconstruct, appreciate, and analyze times and places quite distant or different from one's own;
4. be able to analyze and synthesize an eclectic range of primary and secondary sources;
5. demonstrate the capacity for research using a wide range of media;
6. demonstrate effective communication skills, both orally and in writing.
The Great Destroyers
|
|
|
"What good fortune for those in power that people do not think." |
In addition to the General University Requirements, applicants are required to have obtained a Grade D or above in AS-level “Use of English” and “Chinese Language and Culture”.
Most courses will be taught in English, with only a few selected Chinese history courses taught in Chinese.
PROGRAMME GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS
Students are required to have passed courses specified under the Programme Structure totaling 90 credits.
The assessment system for the courses in the BA (Hons) History consists of a combination of assessments in coursework and examinations. The assessment criteria vary from course to course, but in no case will the final examination count for more than 50% of the final grade for the course.
The Great Creators
|
|
|
"A waterbird Seems as the water's top Seen from afar I, too, drift along On my way through the world." |
Table 1 lists all the courses offered under the Major programme for BA (Hons) History in diagrammatic form.
TABLE 1
First Year |
|
|||
Term 1 |
Term 2 |
Total |
||
3 |
3 |
|||
3 |
3 |
|||
| ※Category A/D General Education Course | 3 |
|||
| History Elective (or Free Elective) | 3 |
|||
|
||||
※Students may take a free elective in the first term and take a category A or category D General Education Course in the second term.
Total number of history credits in Year 1: 12-15
| Second Year
|
|
|||
Term 1 |
Term 2 |
Total |
||
3 |
3 |
|||
Total |
3 |
3 |
||
| Third Year
|
|
|||
Term 1 |
Term 2 |
Total |
||
Senior History Directed Research Project * OR |
3 |
3 |
3 |
|
|
||||
| Second or Third Year | |
General Education Courses |
6 |
Minimum credits for Honours Degree: |
* The Directed Research Project is optional. Students writing the DR should enroll in HST301 for both terms of Year 3. In addition, students will be allowed to take this course subject to the approval of the Department based on various criteria, such as language facility and cumulative GPA.
# The number of History and Free Elective credits needed in the second or third year depends upon what courses were taken in Year 1. The total number of History electives and free electives required for the programme is 11 (33 credits) and 5 (15 credits) respectively (not including the two additional electives to replace HST301).
© Among the History Electives, students must take at least one elective from each of the four categories listed below.
Programme Structure
The degree in history will require 21 credits of university required courses, 54 credits of history courses (15 required credits and 39 elective credits), and 15 credits of free electives, for a total of 90 credits. If students choose to select more than 90 credits, they may choose any course for which they meet the prerequisites.
University Required Courses
The university compulsory courses which apply to the B.A. (Hons.) in History:
| Courses | ||
| LCC101 | ||
| LCC102 | ||
| LCE101 | ||
| LCE102 | ||
| GEN | ||
| Total: |
History Programme Requirements
|
||
| Category 1: Comparative Civilizations | ||
3 |
||
3 |
||
| IHST153 | 3 |
|
| HST192* | 3 |
|
'Clashes of Civilizations' in Modern History: Value Confrontations between Asia and the West |
3 |
|
3 |
||
3 |
||
3 |
||
3 |
||
3 |
||
3 |
||
| Category 2: Hong Kong and Chinese History | ||
3 |
||
3 |
||
3 |
||
3 |
||
3 |
||
3 |
||
3 |
||
3 |
||
| Category 3: Non-China Asian History | ||
3 |
||
3 |
||
| Category 4: Western History | ||
3 |
||
3 |
||
3 |
||
3 |
||
3 |
||
| Special Topics in History ** | ||
* Student cannot receive credit from both HST192 and HST112.
** The category of the special topic will be announced when the actual topic is offered.
Free Electives: 15
These 5 courses may be used for a minor or for other courses across the curriculum. Among these free elective credits, at least six should be obtained from courses outside their own study programme.
Total Credits required for Degree: 90
Other Courses offered by the History Programme, designed primarily for non-majors:
Courses |
Number of Credits |
|
3 |
||
3 |
||
3 |
||
3 |
||
3 |
||
3 |
||
3 |
