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

299POLI0026.Marxism and political theory (6 credits)This unit provides an overview of contemporary Marxism. Topics include: dialectical and historicalmaterialism; political economy; the theory of exploitation; classes, class consciousness and classstruggle; and Marx's theory of politics. An attempt is made to discuss central debates in Marxianthought and to catch their dynamic development, given historical changes in current socialism.POLI0027.Public policy-making: Theories and application (6 credits)This course is designed to introduce students to major theoretical frameworks that have been devised tounderstand and explain public policy-making. The main questions asked are: why are certain policies madeinstead of others? What are the major factors that affect public policy-making? Empirical studies from bothHong Kong and elsewhere are included to illustrate the application of the theories. [Students wishing totake this course will normally have taken first year introductory courses in our department. Students arefree to take the course either in their second or third year of studies, but as the course involves some levelsof difficulty, it may be advisable to take the course in the third year rather than in the second.]POLI0028.Political economy (6 credits)An introductory survey of the main contending schools of political economy in which 'Positive',Marxist and international political economy theories are discussed, and differentiated one from theother. Such theories are grounded in illustrative country case studies.POLI0029.Political theory (6 credits)This course is an introduction to liberalism, which primarily concerns the proper scope of personalfreedom and state power. Topics include liberty and autonomy, the harm principle, paternalism, legalmoralism, liberal neutrality, utilitarian justifications of liberalism, and right-based justifications ofliberalism.POLI0030.Politics and the economy in Canada (6 credits)A survey of the institutions and process of Canadian government with particular reference to therelationship between the economy and the political system.POLI0031.Politics of economic reform in China (6 credits)This course examines the politics of economic reform in contemporary China. Issues covered includethe connections between politics and economics, the political debates over economic reforms, therationale and themes of the economic reform programme and the social and political consequencesresulting from the implementation of these reforms. Reform policies to be studied include rural reform,enterprise reform, central-local relations as well as foreign economic policy.POLI0033.Problems of the Third World (6 credits)This course will consider a range of concrete problems which have assumed primacy in the political,economic and social experience of Third World countries. Issues discussed will include: Poverty;Population; Debt; Colonialism; Politics, Democratization and Gender questions; the New InternationalEconomic Order.