HISTORY MAJOR
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Major Aims & Careers
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The History Major of the BA (Hons) course reflects the convictions 
that knowledge of the past is essential to understand the present, 
and that all science and knowledge are historically coloured.  
Consequently the past can best be investigated by the process of 
historical analysis.  Such an approach will help to avoid committing 
the same errors again and to apply this knowledge to the future in 
critical and constructive fashion.

The History Major of the BA (Hons) course aims:

1)   to equip students with a historical perspective of the 
     development of human society;

2)   to develop students' powers of critical thinking and analytical 
     ability in understanding historical events;

3)   to focus on China and the rest of the world from a historical 
     vantage point;

4)   to provide students with a firm basis for graduate studies in 
     history or a related discipline; and

5)   to prepare students for entering various fields outside history, 
     such as the civil service, business, publishing and teaching.

The emphasis is on Sino/Asian-Western relations, and on Chinese, 
Western and Hong Kong history.  Special attention is paid to 
historiographical principles, methods and philosophy.  The rationale 
for this orientation is that, as interactions multiply between areas 
with different systems and different cultural traditions, it becomes 
increasingly important for those engaged in many different careers to 
understand their nature and effects.  In this context, Sino/Asian-
Western relations stand out as particularly important, owing to the 
growing weight of Asia in the economic, cultural and political 
balance of the world.


Major Curriculum
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The following subjects are offered in an effort to obtain the above 
goals and orientation:

Core Subjects:

1)   Introduction: The Historical Tradition of the West, Introduction 
     to Chinese Historiography, Historical Theory and Practice.

2)   Sino/Asian-Western Relations: China and the West Since 1500, 
     Western Diplomacy in Modern Asia.

3)   Chinese History: History of Chinese Culture & Society.

4)   Western History: History of Western Civilization.

5)   Local & Asian History: Hong Kong Government & Peoples (20th 
     Century), Modern Asia (1800-1945).

6)   Honours Project

Elective Subjects:

1)   Sino/Asian-Western Relations:
     Sino-American Relations; Sino-Russian Relations; Modern Japan 
     and the West; Missionaries in Modern China; International 
     Relations to 1945; International Relations after 1945; Topic 
     Studies in Sino/Asian-Western Relations.

2)   Chinese History:
     History of the Ming Dynasty; History of the Qing Dynasty; Social 
     & Economic Development of Modern China; Intellectual Trends in 
     Modern China; Revolution and Nationalism in Republican China 
     (1912-1949); Topic Studies in Chinese History; History of Modern 
     China, Contemporary China, Contemporary Chinese Political 
     Thought; History of Taiwan; History of Chinese Women to 1911; 
     Women and Politics in Twentieth Century China.

3)   Western History:
     History of the U.S. to 1877; History of the U.S. since 1877; 
     Origins of Western Imperialism; Western Intellectual Thought; 
     Twentieth Century U.S. Diplomacy; Nineteenth Century European 
     History; Twentieth Century European History; Topic Studies in 
     Western History.

4)   Local and Asian History Courses:
     History of Hong Kong (1842-1900); History of South-east Asia; 
     Overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia; Japan in the Twentieth 
     Century; China & Asia in the Twentieth Century; Topic Studies in 
     Asian History; Current Issues in Hong Kong and China.

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