The following courses are regularly taught at the Department of Government and Public Administration, the FSS.
(usually on annual basis)
This undergraduate course addresses the contemporary politics of Europe, in the context of European integration. It first defines Europe, in terms of its scope, definition, and significance. It then introduces the historical and political background of Europe, particularly, since the end of the WWII. It then explores political dynamics in Europe: investigating the nature and development of the European Union and its main institutional settings, and comparative analysis of major political issues and themes in contemporary European countries. It includes parliaments and electoral systems, executive authorities, legal structures and judicial systems, political parties and elections, political culture and political behavior, and immigration and multi-culturalism in contemporary Europe. Discussions of national politics are always brought into the context of European integration, centering around the two major themes of Europeanization and multi-level governance.
This course aims to provide students with not only essential knowledge of European politics, but also to train them in analytical skills of applying political concepts, approaches and theories to the comparative analysis of political institutions, politics and policies in contemporary Europe.
This undergraduate course examines the international interactions between China and Europe in the contemporary era, with a special focus on China-European Union relations. Following a brief theoretical and historical introduction, it addresses some most important issues and themes of Sino-European relations, including economics, security, energy, environment, human rights and cultural aspects. It then investigates China’s relations with major European powers, including the U.K. France, Germany, and Eastern European countries. When necessary, the unique role of Hong Kong and Macau in Sino-European relations is also discussed. By completing the course, the students should be able to understand and analyze the major issues, causes, and trends in China-Europe relations from the perspective of international relations.
This Master level course introduces to students of European Studies the history relating to the construction and evolution of the European Union since the end of the Second World War till most recently: it analyzes the essence of every stage in the integration processes; discusses the major driving forces and challenges in each stage, including social-economic, political, institutional and individual factors. In this course students should develop their abilities of theoretical and empirical analysis of processes and stages of the European integration. The teaching method is interactive and students are encourage to take active part in class discussion. All students are required to complete a group research project, finalized by an oral presentation. They are required to apply their acquired knowledge and skills to complete a final paper.