Bachelor of Arts (BA) - The University of Hong Kong

205HIST2046.The modern European city: Urban living and open spaces (6 credits)(This course is also offered to second and third year non-BA students for inter-Faculty broadeningpurposes).Over the past century and a half, the majority of Europeans have become urban dwellers. On anindividual, civic, national and international level, every aspect of social life has been influenced by thisevolution. Consequently, the study of cities provides a powerful perspective upon European history. Anessential part of the process of urbanisation involved the allocation of urban open spaces to specificsocial and cultural functions. A key focus for public and private life, the city’s open spaces – parks,gardens, streets and squares – had a fundamental influence upon the nature of urban living. As those inpositions of power influenced the provision and purpose of these areas important developments inEuropean social, economic, cultural and political life were linked closely to the evolution of openspaces in cities.In this course the changing use and allocation of urban open spaces and the evolution of meanings ofpublic and private space will provide a lens through which the development of modern European citieswill be analysed. The importance of open spaces will be addressed with recourse to a number of keythemes, including the ‘greening’ of cities of the nineteenth century, the construction of ideal Fascist andSocialist cities in the 1930s, functionalism and post-war reconstruction, and the ‘sustainable city’ of the1990s. By the end of the course the students will not only be more familiar with historical approaches tourban ‘space’ but will also have received an introduction to the evolution of European cities and thechanging cultural importance of public and private open spaces.Assessment: 100% coursework.SEMINAR COURSES Except for the Theory and practice of history and the Dissertation elective, theseminar courses listed may not be offered every year. Students should consult the Department to findout which Seminars are to be offered each year.HIST2032. Case studies in women's history: Hong Kong and the U.S. (6 credits)(Cross-Listing in Department of History and Programme in American Studies)(This course is also offered to second and third year non-BA students for inter-Faculty broadeningpurposes.)This seminar course will explore themes and issues in women's history/gender history in the 19th and20th century. By focusing on Hong Kong and the U.S., students will work within a comparativeframework to explore difference and common ground between societies and selected historical periods.Topics include: varieties of women's reform movements, gender and World War II, and gender andeconomic transformation in the late 20th century.(Note: BAII students wishing to take this course may do so with the permission of the Department ofHistory or Programme in American Studies.)Assessment: 100% coursework.HIST2045.Shanghai Grand: History, culture and society in urban China (6 credits)(This course is also offered to second and third year non-BA students for inter-Faculty broadeningpurposes.)In the first half of the twentieth century what did it mean to be both modern and Chinese? To Chineseand foreigners alike, Shanghai represented the most progressive city in China. The transformation ofShanghai into a world city will be the focus of this course. In the process, Shanghai became the site forand the sight of contending ideas of modernity for a revolutionary generation of Chinese determined tobuild a new identity and a new nation.Assessment: 100% coursework.