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

295POLI0003.Approaches to foreign policy analysis (6 credits)The process by which states arrive at foreign policy positions is the central focus of this unit. Exampleswill be drawn largely from the USA, China and the United Kingdom. Major crises and events will bestudied in some detail to underline the action - reaction nature of foreign policy. The unit is intended forthose who have studied Understanding global issues in a previous semester.POLI0004.Bureaucracy and the public (6 credits)This unit examines the political, legal and social dimensions of interaction between bureaucracies andthe public. Consideration will be given to the effectiveness of complaint-handling institutions, such asthe ombudsman, Freedom of Information Acts, secrecy provisions and the roles played by street-levelbureaucrats.POLI0005.Capitalism and social justice (6 credits)This course discusses the morality of capitalism with reference to such issues as exploitation, socialjustice and equality. Topics include the philosophical defence of free-market capitalism, egalitariantheories of social justice, Marxist critique of capitalism, the concept of exploitation, and marketsocialism.POLI0006.China and Hong Kong: the politics of transition (6 credits)The development of relations between China and Hong Kong since 1979 is critical to an understandingof Hong Kong's current political problems. This course focuses on the Sino-British negotiations, theJoint Declaration, the Basic Law and issues of autonomy, representative government and Hong Kong'spolitical, economic and legal interaction with China.POLI0008.Comparative foreign policy analysis (6 credits)Emphasis in this unit is placed on a limited number of state systems to allow greater empirical testing ofthe approaches and theories outlined in POLI0003.POLI0009.Comparative politics (6 credits)This course introduces students to the methods and issues of comparative politics. It will examine thelogic and method of comparative politics and some key issues in the comparative study of politicalbehaviour, institutions and processes, such as political culture, political participation, political parties,intergovernmental relations, state-society relations and political development.POLI0010.Democracy and its critics (6 credits)This course discusses basic and practical issues concerning the nature, justification, and limits ofdemocracy. Topics include the concept and foundations of democracy, participatory democracy, theelitist challenge to democracy, Marxist critique of capitalist democracy, and others.