The School of Humanities and Social Science was glad to hold the Dean’s List and Best Progress Award Presentation Ceremony on 21 November 2023. Nearly 100 academic staff, students and guests joined this event to celebrate their achievement.
Congratulations to all the awardees on your excellent performance in studies!
The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong (HSUHK) successfully held its Information Day 2023 on 18 November. Our school, SHSS, set up a booth and conducted a programme seminar during the event to promote our undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, offering opportunities for students and parents to learn more about the programmes of our school.
In the seminar session, Professor Kwok-kan Tam, the Dean of our school delivered a talk introducing and providing information on the Master of Arts in Theatre Studies, such as curriculum structure and admission requirements.
On 15 September 2023, the SHSS Orientation was held at the Inspiring to welcome our new postgraduate students for the academic year of 2023/2024. This event offered chances to our new students to familiarize themselves with the campus environment, as well as understand the curriculum of their respective programmes.
The event kicked off with a welcome speech delivered by Professor Kwok-kan Tam, the Dean of the School. He encouraged students to cherish their learning opportunities, work hard in their studies, and strive for success. Following the Dean’s speech, each programme director shared their tips on adapting to studies and campus life at HSUHK. They also introduced the curriculum and upcoming events for their respective programmes.
We also invited Ms Helen Kee from the Library to give a talk on the services and resources provided to assist students in meeting their learning needs throughout their academic journey.
Through interactive and informative sharing provided by our teachers and members, our TPG new students had gained a better insight of student life in HSUHK!
The “SHSS Orientation for Undergraduate Students 2023/2024” was successfully held on 24 August 2023. The event offered students a comprehensive introduction to the academic and administrative support, resources, and opportunities available at HSUHK.
At the beginning of the event, Professor Kwok-kan Tam, the Dean of the School, warmly welcomed all freshmen to the SHSS family and encouraged them to enjoy their campus life. He introduced the core members and programme structure, followed by a discussion on “The importance of goal setting”. He hoped that the students would enhance their learning, enrich their knowledge, and explore diverse aspects of campus life.
The heads of the respective Departments, including Professor Cheung Kwong Yue, Alex (Department of Chinese), Dr. Tso Wing Bo, Anna (Department of English), and Professor Kao Lang (Department of Social Science), also delivered encouraging remarks to inspire students to embrace challenges and seize opportunities. All participating students were offered valuable information during the event.
Finally, we wish our new UG students a smooth adaptation to the school environment and great success in the new academic year.
The School of Humanities and Social Science organised a lecture titled ‘Man, Nature, Environment and Philosophy’ on 23 February 2023. Professor Alexander Law, Adjunct Professor of the School of Humanities and Social Science of the HSUHK, was the speaker of the lecture. He is a registered architect in Hong Kong and is an art connoisseur, as well as a business leader. He specializes in the revitalization of historical buildings and has completed many government projects in Hong Kong and on the mainland. To his credit are more than 150 architectural projects including residential and commercial buildings in Hong Kong, China and the USA.
Professor Law shared his view on the origin of “Self” and offered a quick review of Enneagram and personality types. The Buddhism, Zen and Shaolin breathing exercise, a Self-seeking realm [命由己造] from unattachment to Self [萬法虛中求] had also be discussed. The lecture aims to start the participants “Aloof from pain hence attain happiness [離苦得樂]”.
The School of Humanities and Social Science organised a lecture titled ‘Man and Nature Interface: Architecture and the Eleven Dimensions’ on 24 February 2022. Professor Alexander Law, Adjunct Professor of the School of Humanities and Social Science of the HSUHK, was the speaker of the lecture. He is a registered architect in Hong Kong. To his credit are more than 150 architectural projects including residential and commercial buildings in Hong Kong, Mainland China and the United States. He is also a successful business leader, and is currently the Chairman of Yu Tai Hing Company Limited, a property developer in Hong Kong.
The lecture focused on psychosocial dimensions of the human mind-self, which were schematised into Eleven Dimensions with Mindfulness being the origin. Professor Law took ‘Architecture’ as a metaphor to explain to the audience that the formation of the self, as well as the relation between Man and Nature, begins as ‘a point (zero dimension)’, and becomes ‘a form (third dimension)’, and then further develops into other dimensions of human and social relations.
Professor Kwok-kan Tam, Dean of SHSS and Chair Professor of English (Left), and Dr Leo Lie, Director of BA in Psychology (Right), present a souvenir to Professor Alexander Law.
The School of Humanities and Social Science (SHSS) and the Centre for Greater China Studies (CGCS) jointly organised the Distinguished Professorial Lecture on “Prognostication in Chinese Culture” on 28 May 2021, with the great honour to have invited Professor Michael Lackner as the speaker. Professor Lackner is the Director of the International Consortium for Research in the Humanities at the Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nurnberg, Germany. The event was well attended online or in person by students and teachers of the Friedrich-Alexander University and the HSUHK as well as scholars from other universities.
Professor Lackner lecture discussed the cultural significance of prognostication in Chinese history and presented objects from an exhibition that he organised at the German National Museum in Nürnberg. He also shared some general ideas of fate and prognostication in East Asia and Europe. A book launch for the new book, Fate and Prognostication in the Chinese Literary Imagination (Brill, 2020) edited by Professor Lackner, Professor Kwok-kan Tam, Professor Monika Gänssbauer and Professor Terry Yip, was held after the lecture. Colleagues who contributed to the book were invited to present their chapters at the book launch. Professor Kwok-kan Tam, Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Science, expressed his hope to invite Professor Lackner to visit SHSS when the pandemic is over.
Professor Irmy Schweiger, Professor at the Department of Asian, Middle Eastern and Turkish Studies at the Stockholm University delivered the Distinguished Professorial Lecture on “ ‘Our Century’ – 100 Snapshots of 20th Century Taiwan Literature” on 27 May 2021. The lecture was jointly organised by the School of Humanities and Social Science (SHSS) and the Centre for Greater China Studies (CGCS), and was well attended online or in person by students and teachers of Stockholm University and the HSUHK as well as scholars from other universities.
Professor Schweiger’s lecture focused on the history and literature of Taiwan, as well as the new book published recently, which is the collection of stories written by Taiwanese writers recording the history, culture and identity of Taiwan from the colonial period to modern Asian metropolis. At the end of the lecture, Professor Schweiger expressed an interest in visiting SHSS when the pandemic is over.
The School of Humanities and Social Science (SHSS) and the Centre for Greater China Studies (CGCS) jointly organised the Distinguished Professorial Lecture on ‘Performing the Socialist State’ on 17 May 2021. It was a great honour to have Professor Xiaomei Chen, Distinguished Professor of the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures at the University of California, Davis, to give the lecture. The event was well attended online or in person by students from the University of California as well as SHSS students and staff of the HSUHK. In the lecture, Professor Chen offered a quick review of her forthcoming book, Performing the Socialist State: Moments, Crisis and Success of Modern Chinese Theater and shared the historical elements, artistic elements, ideological elements and also cultural policy elements in the shaping of the modern Chinese Theater. Professor Chen wished to visit SHSS and exchange with our students and teachers when the pandemic is over.
With President Simon S M Ho as the presiding officer, the Graduation Ceremony of the School of Humanities and Social Science took place on 10 April 2021 in the College Hall of The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong. The Ceremony featured a warm and solemn ambiance for graduates of the classes of 2019 and 2020 as well as their family members and friends.
Conducted by two student Masters of Ceremonies, Ms Kati Ng and Mr Kenneth Leung, who are students of the BSS (Hons) in Asian Studies and BA (Hons) in English respectively, the Ceremony was attended by 60 graduates and 70 guests on site, and was also live broadcast to over 60 guests.
In the Dean’s address, Professor Kwok-kan Tam encouraged the graduates to ride on the ‘Professional + Liberal’ education that they received in the University, to experience the world and try different jobs before settling on a career or belief that they like, or even become a member of the HSUHK to serve the alma mater. He added that although graduates would be travelling on a new journey, their teachers would always be there for them and give them support.
Mr Danny Lam, the valedictorian, appreciated the support of the professors and the opportunities that he had been given to understand the world and widen his intellectual horizons.
In his words of blessings to graduates, President Simon Ho hoped that graduates would continue to uphold the 5Cs qualities: Critical Thinking, Creativity, Communication & Collaboration, Caring and Community Engagement that they were equipped with during their study in the HSUHK. Graduates were encouraged to keep exploring, never stop learning and continue to challenge themselves to excellence wherever their future journey would take them.
Student Masters of Ceremonies, Ms Kati Ng (Right) and Mr Kenneth Leung (Left).
The Ceremony was presided over by Professor Simon Ho, President of The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong.
Professor Kwok-kan Tam, Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Science, delivered his address to graduands.
Mr Danny Lam, the valedictorian, was thankful for the support and opportunities given by the School.
Graduates took photos with their personalised graduation bear, a gift from the School.
