Philosophy
Bachelor Programme
Faculty of Religious Studies and Philosophy
Duration | Language | Campus |
4 Years Full-Time (Day) | English | Seminary Campus |
This programme prepares students to investigate the great perennial questions in the philosophical traditions of the West and the East.
The Bachelor of Philosophy empowers you to explore questions of humanity that have relevance in all times and places. You are trained to work out a set of coherent answers to fundamental questions regarding the nature of knowledge, reality, and existence in order to promote mutual understanding and build lasting bridges between cultures and traditions.
Through the study of philosophy, students learn to appreciate the diverse intellectual and spiritual heritage of humanity, to challenge prejudices, and to build communities with human dignity and genuine freedom. Studying philosophy also involves translating philosophical principles into consistent guides for individual behavior and social life.
The programme coordinator is Edmond Eh.
Student Experience
- Students learn different approaches to discerning answers to philosophical questions as they emerge in contemporary discourse
- Students gain in-depth knowledge of European philosophical movements that have shaped our intellectual and spiritual heritage and continue to influence the course of our lives
- Students are given an intensive and broad-based philosophical education, with a focus on the history of philosophy in Western Europe and East Asia
Career Opportunities
- Law
- Journalism
- Theology
- Education
Typical Applicants
- Have the ability and willingness to think critically
Admissions Information >
Study plan & description of modules
For the programme’s government approval [in Chinese and Portuguese] click here.
Please click on any specific module below to see its description.
Modules
Year 1Integrated learning activities involving all skill areas help students practice and apply the fundamentals of English in a more varied setting and develop more accuracy and control of their spoken and written English. Reading activities promote vocabulary expansion and model accurate structure. Students participate in discussion forums and are introduced to presentation skills for groups and individuals. Logical thinking in both oral and written formats is guided. As well, students are introduced to the five-paragraph essay format and practice writing summative, descriptive and comparative compositions.Students will concentrate on gaining grammatical control of their communication (subject and verb agreement, modal auxiliaries, singular and plural nouns, pronouns, articles, sentence structure, statements, questions, simple and compound sentences, prepositions, gerunds and infinitives, adverbs and adjectives, punctuation, and some complex sentence patterns). At the end of the module, students should be able to write a paragraph without making major grammatical errors. Development of the five-paragraph essay format will continue and students will practice writing compositions that are opinion-based, persuasive and begin to compare literature from different sources. Development will continue in regard to presentation skills and discussion forums.This module provides practice integrating those reading skills necessary for academic success at university. These skills include reading for detail, inferring vocabulary in context, finding main ideas, critical reading, understanding sequence, summarizing, recognizing organization, and outlining. In addition, it emphasizes academic vocabulary. Students are introduced to language skills for research and are expected to apply previously taught presentation skills to give more analytical presentations. In this course students are also introduced to basic components of the research paper: abstract, data analysis and interpretation.This module teaches advanced grammar necessary for academic writing. It includes a review of basic grammar and a detailed study of noun, adjective, and adverb clauses, as well as prepositional, participal, gerund, and infinitive phrases. It will also provide written composition practice. Students will be introduced to the argumentative essay structure including the refutation of counter arguments. Students will engage in more complex discussion forums, debates and participate in organizing public presentations.Objective: The main objective of this course is to initiate the students in the study of Latin in order to allow them to have direct contact with important works of philosophy and theology. Course Outline:
1. Phonology:
a. The sounds of Latin
i. consonants
ii. vowels
iii. diphthongs
b. The writing system and the ecclesiastical pronunciation.
2. Morphology:
a. The nominal system:
i. The five models of noun declination
1. the declension of the noun Jesus
2. particular aspects of Church Latin
ii. The adjectives: 1st and 2nd class
1. the degrees of the adjectives: comparative and superlative
iii. The pronouns
1. personal
2. possessive
Objective: This course means to consolidate the basic knowledge of latin which the students acquired in the first semester and to build up their knowledge by looking at some more irregular aspects of Latin morphology and particular aspects of its syntactic structure.
Course Outline:
1. The syntax of the complex sentence
i. parataxis:
1. copulative clauses
2. adversative clauses
3. disjunctive clauses
4. explicative clauses
5. consecutive clauses
ii. hypotaxis
1. Adverbial clauses:
a. conditional clauses
b. causal clauses
c. concessive clauses
d. consecutive clauses
e. comparative clauses
f. final clauses
Objectives: The main purpose of this course is to introduce the students to the study of the history of philosophy by giving them a panoramic view of the main philosophical systems and philosophers of the classical (pagan) world.
Program:
1. Philosophy and philosophies: towards a definition of Philosophy.
a. Philosophy vs. Science and the philosophical method.
b. Why study History of Philosophy?
2. From mythos to logos: the birth of philosophy in the Helade.
a. The social-economic and cultural conditions that contributed for the genesis of philosophy among the Greeks.
3. The pre-Socratic philosophy
a. The search for the archê of the physis and the beginning of rational speculation
i. The school of Mileto
1. Thales of Mileto, the first philosopher
ii. The school of Ephesus and the problem of motion or change
1. Heraclitus and the doctrine of perpetual change.
iii. The arytmos of Pythagoras
iv. The Eleatic school and the principle of a universal unity of being.
v. The pluralists
4. The anthropocentric turn of philosophy
a. The development of the Polis
i. The Athenian politês
b. The Sophists and their contribution
c. Socrates and the morality of human behavior
i. A new concept of aretê
ii. The paradox of Socratic morality
iii. The Socratic concepts of psychê, eleutheria and eudaimonia
iv. The dialectic method, the Socratic irony and the maeutica.
5. Plato and the foundation of metaphysics
a. The dualistic view of reality
i. The hyper-uranic world and the theory of forms
ii. The hierarchy of the ideas
iii. The imperfect shadows
b. Knowledge as anamnesis: Plato’s epistemological doctrine of recollection
i. The Platonic concepts of episteme and ascending dialectics
c. The ideal State
d. The unwritten theories
6. Aristotle: the man and his work
a. Aristotelian metaphysics
i. The four causes
ii. The different meaning of being
iii. The substantia, the actum and potentia
iv. The super-sensitive substance,
1. Its nature and problems
2. The relation between god and the world
b. The physical world according to Aristotle
i. Theory of movement
ii. Time, space and infinite
c. Aristotelian psychology
i. The three souls
1. The vegetative soul and its functions
2. The sensitive soul and its functions
3. The intellective soul and the faculty of human knowledge
d. The political and ethical systems of Aristotle
7. The philosophical ideas of the Hellenistic world
a. Alexander the great, and the fall of the polis
i. The beginnings of personal philosophy
1. Cynicism
2. Epicurism
a. The physical world and Epicuristic atomism
b. Epicurian ethics: hedonism
3. Stoicism
a. The Stoic materialism
b. The stoic pantheism
c. Stoic ethics:
i. Life according to nature
ii. The concept of ataraxy
8. Philosophy crisis
a. The new philosophical movements:
i. The New-Platonism of Plotinus
1. The Unum, Nous and Soul
2. The absolute as cause of itself
3. The concept of material procession from the Unum
b. Scepticism and Eclecticism.
c. The political and ethical systems of Aristotle
9. The philosophical ideas of the Hellenistic world
a. Alexander the great, and the fall of the polis
i. The beginnings of personal philosophy
1. Cynicism
2. Epicurism
a. The physical world and Epicuristic atomism
b. Epicurian ethics: hedonism
3. Stoicism
a. The Stoic materialism
b. The stoic pantheism
c. Stoic ethics:
i. Life according to nature
ii. The concept of ataraxy
10. Philosophy crisis
a. The new philosophical movements:
i. The New-Platonism of Plotinus
1. The Unum, Nous and Soul
2. The absolute as cause of itself
3. The concept of material procession from the Unum
b. Scepticism and Eclecticism.
Methodology and evaluation: The classes will be expositive and the students are expected to take their own notes. Original texts (in translation) from the philosophers under study will be read and commented on whenever opportune.
There will be two written exams; their dates will be agreed on with the students.
In this module the student becomes acquainted with the diversity of thoughts and fundamental orientations and challenges of medieval philosophers beginning with Greco-Roman philosophy and Neo-Platonism and its encounter with Christian philosophy and faith up to the great synthesis of Bonaventura, Thomas Aquinas and Duns Scotus. This will be the opportunity to study a wide range of authors, from Augustine and Boethius to Wilhelm Ockham and the binning of modern philosophy. The module will also take in accounts of Byzantine, Islamic and Jewish thoughts. The course will highlight the emergence of medieval thought and its concepts and developments that have been transmitted to and prepared modern philosophy and science, in metaphysics and ontology, theory of knowledge and consciousness, natural philosophy, ethics, political philosophy, and theology.The aim of the course is to facilitate an appropriate reflection on the core aspects of human identity and living, analyzing both the personal, social and cultural dimensions of the themes. This course is a theological and philosophical investigation of what it means to be human. Primarily, we will investigate how the mystery of Jesus Christ gives meaning and direction to human life.
We will explore questions of ultimate concern such as; Who am I? What am I? What is life about? Where will it lead? Our study will be rooted in foundational Christian ideas such as our creation in the image of God, the relationship between body and soul, sin and grace, and the resurrection of the body.
This course also aims to understand different aspects of human being and subjectivity, including will, fallibility, evil action and capabability, language and recognition etc… Thinkers such as Paul Ricoeur and his philosophical anthropology will be studied.
This course will introduce students to the questions that philosophers have asked and are still asking about human knowledge, and the answers that they have provided so far. Can human know anything? If so, what can they know? What do people mean when they say they know something? How do they know that they know? What is the relation between appearance and reality? Are the answers provided by the philosophers sufficient to face the challenge of scepticism? This course will also try to balance the slant towards analytic philosophy in contemporary epistemological discussions by introducing the reflections on knowledge of continental thinkers like Gaston Bachelard, Edmund Husserl, Martin Heidegger, Hans-Georg Gadamer, Michel Foucault, Jürgen Habermas and Jacques Derrida. In the end we will also take a look at some of the most recent developments in epistemology, e.g. feminist epistemology.This course intends to be a general introduction on the different Asian schools of thoughts i.e. Chinese, Japanese and Indian. Selected readings from the most important thinkers will be read and analysed.This is an introductory course on the basics of formal logic. Emphases will be put on the relation between language and logic, and the symbolization of language.Behind everything we do is our belief that it is worthwhile, that means, we attach to it in different degrees of importance or value. Axiology (from Greek: axios = value, worth; logy = study, reasoning) is concerned with the nature of value and delves into the difficulty in determining value, that is, to find out what is good and bad in our lives, or better and worse, just and unjust, beautiful and ugly and how that impacts on human behavior in ethics (decisions, choices, actions, etc.) and in value judgments concerning aesthetics. Since the concept of value permeates our life, the inquiry into claims, truth, and validity of value judgements (= axiology) is a necessity of life itself.
Concerning ethics (moral philosophy), this module is a general, systematic assessment of major ethical systems. In addition to teleology (e.g. utilitarianism, ethical egoism), deontology (e.g. Kantian ethics, Divine Command Theory), and virtue ethics traditions (Aristotelian, Neoaristotelianism), students will be exposed to Confucian thought and specifically Thomistic perspectives on virtue and natural law. In keeping with the ancient foundations of the discipline of ethics (moral philosophy) and its central concerns, the proper study of ethics goes beyond abstract considerations of right and wrong conduct, just and unjust behavior and institutions (structures) to encompass inquiry into what constitutes “the good life” or the life worth living. A special focus will be given to the relevance of the Christian tradition on value judgments, moral questions and ethics.
In a lot of cultures and religions, we can find a body of foundational ancient texts which informs the identity and worldview of the community. This is true for communities in the past as well as the present. This module is, on the one hand, an introduction to the scientific methods of studying ancient literature, including but not limited to, textual criticism, historical criticism, literary criticism and hermeneutics.
On the other hand, we will also study selected texts from ancient Greek, Hebrew, Chinese and Indian civilisations from philological, hermeneutical, literary, cultural and socio-political perspectives, in order to understand their meaning and their historical and contemporary significance.
Year 2Students will learn and apply a variety of public presentation techniques useful for both individual presentations as well as participation in group discussions. An important aspect of the module is that it uses an active learning process whereby students learn a new skill and put it into practice. By the end of the module students will possess a number of public speaking strategies that will help them to prepare any range of public presentations, including proposals, as well as have the opportunity to participate in seminar organization and implementation.The primary aim of this module is to assist students in preparing themselves for the type of writing required for themes, essay examinations, term papers, and lengthy reports. The principles of rhetorical organization and development are thoroughly presented within the context of each student's language and cultural background. Students will engage in problem solving and idea development through the combination of independent investigation, and consultation with peers.
Students will practice the process, purposes, and strategies of persuasive and explanatory writing. Students read and discuss works by both professional and student writers and explore techniques of argument and persuasion in writing a series of 5-6 essays. The module stresses revision, relies on frequent workshops of student writing, and aims finally to sharpen the student's ability to use evidence in a reasonable, convincing way.This is an advanced interdisciplinary writing course module emphasizing critical reading and thinking, argumentative writing, library research, and documentation of sources in an academic setting. Practice and study of selected rhetorics of inquiry (for example, historical, cultural, empirical, and ethnographic) employed in academic disciplines, preparing students for different systems of writing in their academic lives. Throughout this course, students will: significantly improve their academic writing; develop an understanding of how members of a particular discipline conceive of and engage in the rhetorical practices of that discipline; demonstrate understanding of the key conversations, the forms, and the conventions of writing in a particular discipline; gain experience in the construction of knowledge within a discipline and practice using its discourse; read critically and analyze rhetorically writings from a particular discipline and use those lenses to frame their own discourses; write in the different forms and styles of a particular discipline; and develop techniques for conducting research on the Internet and with other electronic databases.In this course, students will learn more basic skills of German’s grammatical structure, vocabulary, reading, writing and listening.This course is a continuation of German I. In this course, students will learn more advanced skills of German’s grammatical structure, vocabulary, reading, writing and listening.The main objective of this course is to initiate the students in the study of Ancient Greek in order to enable them to have direct contact with writings of Greek philosophers and the Greek Fathers, the Septuagint, and the Greek New Testament in the original language.This course means to consolidate the basic knowledge of Ancient Greek which the students acquired in the first semester and to build up their knowledge by looking at some more irregular aspects of Greek morphology and particular aspects of its syntactic structure.This course investigates the structure of being from predominantly Aristotelian and Neo-Aristotelian (Thomistic) perspectives and eventually affirms reasonably the grounding of beings ultimately in a transcendent being. After examining the flaws of certain anti-metaphysical philosophies, the perennial validity of ontology is demonstrated for the sake of understanding the order and nature of things with inevitable reference to human existence and destiny.This course is a continuation of History of Modern Philosophy and focuses mainly on European philosophy. It intends to offer an overview of the history of European contemporary philosophy through the study of its most important movements from the very end of the 19th Century to the beginning of the 21st Century. Philosophers such as Hegel, Kierkegaard, Wittgenstein, Habermas and concepts such as Pragmatism, (neo)Positivism, Phenomenology; Structuralism, Existentialism, Postmodernism to name but just a few will be studied in this class. This course thus provides a survey of the traditions, problems and ideas that shaped the 20th century. That century being one of tremendous and traumatic changes, which will alter our consciousness of the world, will lead us, in both the 20th and 21st centuries, to re-consider time, being, subjectivity, knowledge and history.An introduction to the history, central themes and practices of the three main branches of Christianity: Eastern Orthodoxy, Catholicism and Protestantism. Themes that will be explored include the formation and structure of the Holy Bible, the relationship between the Christian Bible and doctrine, the person of Jesus, the development and spreading of Christianity, Christianity as a world religion, and the relationship between Christianity and colonialism.This course intends to offer an overview of the history of European modern philosophy and the rise of the modern mind through the study of the most important thinkers of the XVIIth and XVIIIth centuries. Philosophers such as Descartes, the father of modern philosophy, Spinoza, Leibniz and Kant, to name just a few will be studied in this class. In reading excerpts of their most important texts, we shall consider how those philosophers shared one essential feature, Individualism.The course aims at developing a useful attitude for observing what is going on in society, leading to more informed decision making by understanding societies. After a few exercises showing how we are embedded in social settings and naming major factors that shape societies, a presentation of various sociological schools and trends will invite students to broaden their vision of society by understanding of different points of view with a positive critical appreciation of them. Then a review of sociological tools will be followed by short experimentation of sociological research. Students will also explore issues related to the field of sociology of religion, like the role of religion in societal development, secularization, religious liberty and freedom etc.The aim of the course is to study how the mind has been preoccupied philosophers from as early as the European Antiquity (Parmenides, Plato etc), Hindu philosophy (Buddhism, Mahayana, Sankhya, Yoga), Chinese Chan (Zen) philosophy up to our modern times. Through a historical overview, different schools of thought will be studied and explore questions of ultimate concern such as; What is the brain? What is a mind? What is the mind relationship to the body? What is the relationship between philosophy of the mind and sciences? Concepts such as monism/dualism, behaviourism, neurosciences, Self will be discussed.How do we define beauty? What is beautiful? These are aesthetics questions. Is it right to draw graffiti on the Pharaoh tomb or to plunder/steal Babylonian treasures in Bagdad? These are ethical questions related to moral and social behaviour. Are Ethics and Aesthetics one? These are some of the questions this course will try to answer. The aims is to give a large array of possible reflections and discussions related to Ethics and Aesthetics and see how it concerns all aspects of our life. It will begin with a historical background (Plato; Kant;Hegel) before approaching different theories and concepts of ethics and aesthetics such as religion, postmodernism, arts, social/sciences, Otherness etc… and studying notions like, morality, authenticity and forgiveness.
我們如何定義「美」的概念?何謂「美」?這些都是與美學相關的疑問。至於在法老墓塗鴉以及掠奪、盜取位於巴格達的巴比倫寶藏之正當性,則是與道德及社會行為相關的倫理學議題。那麼,倫理學與美學可否相提並論?這些都是本課程將試圖探討的部分問題。本課程旨在增廣倫理學與美學的思考以及討論範圍,並研究此類議題是如何涉及我們生活的各個層面。本課程將從歷史背景開始(柏拉圖、康德、黑格爾),延伸至不同的倫理學與美學理論概念,如宗教、後現代、藝術、社會/科學、他者等範疇,並研究如道德、本真,以及寬恕等觀點。
As an integral part of the Bachelor studies, all undergraduate students in the Philosophy program are required to prepare and present a portfolio of their work. The portfolio is assembled over the entire duration of their undergraduate studies, and is to consist of selected pieces of work that they have produced during their studies. A student’s portfolio may contain examples of assignment work, tests and examination answer scripts, presentations and project reports, and other work done by the student during his or her studies.This course will discuss the context and issues of contemporary continental philosophy in three aspects, namely: the suspicion towards metanarratives according to F. Lyotard (i.e. postmodernity), the resilience of religion in Western society (i.e. post-secularization), and the attempt to speak about God in a non-metaphysical way (i.e. the onto-theological problem).
The course will also introduce selected contemporary continental philosophers with different approaches and their discussions on religion (esp. Christianity):
(1) hermeneutics, (2) deconstruction, (3) phenomenology, (4) feminism, (5) Neo-Marxism, and (6) others.
Year 3Introduction to basic Portuguese with stress on oral drill and pronunciation. This course will focus on personal information.Continuation of Portuguese I, introduction to basic Portuguese in context, and will focus on people and objects.This course will be a continuation of Portuguese III and an introduction to level A2 of CEFR with the introduction to the past forms.This module provides an understanding on the Chinese National Culture, it’s History and Philosophy. Furthermore, the module provides an overview of the key features and evolution of the China's political and legal system. There will be several topics covered in this course, including Chinese political ideology and organizations (the Chinese Communist Party and state institutions), legal and judicial systems and institutions, legislative systems and processes (the People's Congresses and the Political Consultative Conferences), and bureaucratic processes. In addition, the course introduces the concept of the One Country Two System and its operation.The development of thinking skills is fundamental to learning. Students will learn how to develop higher order thinking skills, especially through an appreciation of different philosophic and logic systems and an understanding of important research results from the analysis of human thought processes. In addition, students will learn to reason ethically and morally through readings, discussion of moral dilemmas, and other suitable exercises. They will also learn principled and conceptual thinking and reasoning skills.
Topics will be discussed through case studies and students will learn and understand
important concepts of thinking through class and group discussion.
This course intends to give an overview of Chinese traditional thought to students of in different backgrounds. It will start with the place of Chinese philosophy in Chinese civilisation, its historical and cultural aspects. It will then continue in examining China ancient schools of thoughts such as Confucianism, Daoism, Mohism and Legalism. Representative thinkers of each of these schools will be selected and studied in class.This course intends to be a continuation of the previous semester and the study of Chinese traditional thought to students of in different backgrounds. This course will be opened where it finished in the last semester, i.e. the Legalists’ school. It will then continue with the ascendancy of Confucianism and the revival of Taoism. The course will conclude with the introduction of European philosophy in China as well as the influence of Chinese philosophy on the European thought up to our Modern time. Seen through a comparative point of view, the latter part of this course aims at showing how those schools of thoughts differ or are similar to each other.This module offers students a historical and systematic approach of the developments in social and political philosophy and how they shape Ancient and Modern China, European and North American social, political, cultural and economical structures, and to a certain extents other countries in Asia. The course also intends to stir reflections on the social and political praxis, on moral correctness, social relationships and so on. Conditions and principles of a just and sustainable society (locally, nationally, globally) are presented and analyzed, based on the inalienable human dignity of human persons and the relevance of the common good for a harmonious development of human societies.This course intends to study French philosophy beginning with a brief philosophical background in reading Descartes, Montesquieu and Voltaire and their influence on 20th and 21st centuries French philosophers. We then emphasise our studies in reading selected texts excerpts from the most important French thinkers of our time such as Althusser, Badiou, Derrida, Foucault, Kojève and Merleau-Ponty.This course offers a review how philosophical ideas are explored in literature and film. One of these ideas is the notion of Existentialism. In this seminar we shall show that Existentialism is not a school of thought nor reducible to any set of tenets, but a label for several widely different revolts against traditional philosophy. We will consider how Existentialist writers and filmmakers shared one essential feature: Individualism. Its potential meaning and relevance for communitarian Asian societies is analyzed and discussed. Also the relationship between the fictive world and the real world will be discussed in interaction between the author/filmmaker, the work/film and the reader/audience.This course intends to introduce students to the importance of philosophy in the development of modern German thought and culture from the late 18th century to the beginning of the 21st. The course begins with the Enlightenment, at a time when German philosophers dominate the European thought and continue with the study of Fichte, the Romantics, Hegel, Marx, Nietzsche, Wittgenstein, The Vienna Circle, Husserl, Heidegger and more, to end with an examination of the 20th and 21st centuries. The 20th century being one of huge tragedies for Germany, we will see how it develops itself from the rubble of WWII. A close reading of different texts excerpts will initiate students to the most important movements not only in Germany but also in German speaking countries.The aim of this course is to give students an understanding of Neo-Confucianism, one of the most important intellectual movements in China, its Buddhist and Daoist influences and philosophical views. Selected texts from thinkers such as Zhu Xi, Wang Yang Ming and Su Hsi will be read. From Neo-Confucianism, students will then be led to 20th century New Confucianism.The aim of this course is to introduce students to the different philosophical thoughts (Hindu; Buddhist and Jain) of Indian philosophy. It will begin with an overview of the early texts that influenced Indians philosophers most such as, the Vedas, the Upaniṣads, the Bhagavad-gīta as well as the early doctrines of Buddhism. After surveying those texts, the course will focuses on the major schools like Hindu Nyaya and Vedanta, the Buddhist Madhyamika school and the Jaina ethics.This course intends to explore the main ideas of Arabic philosophy and their heritage from the Ancient Greek philosophy. Thinkers such as Fârâbî, Avicenna, Ghazâlî and Averroes among others, will be studied. Arabic philosophy will also be compared with late medieval philosophy and subsequent European philosophy.As an integral part of the Bachelor studies, all undergraduate students in the Philosophy program are required to prepare and present a portfolio of their work. The portfolio is assembled over the entire duration of their undergraduate studies, and is to consist of selected pieces of work that they have produced during their studies. A student’s portfolio may contain examples of assignment work, tests and examination answer scripts, presentations and project reports, and other work done by the student during his or her studies.This course is the continuation of Portuguese II and will focus on public services and immediate needs, such as ordering food in a restaurant or complaining to the doctor.Year 4This accelerated course module is designed for students of Chinese heritage and advanced beginners with good speaking and listening skills. The focus is on reading, writing, and grammar, along with continuing improvement of oral communication skills. The purpose of instruction is to utilize previous language background to lay a solid foundation for further Chinese language study.
本課程為母語為粵語或具有較高漢語水平的人士開設,旨在通過對學習者普通話听、説、讀、寫的訓練,提高語言水平,瞭解普通話的基本知識,為更高層次的普通話學習打下基礎。
This accelerated course module is designed for students of Chinese heritage and advanced beginners with good speaking and listening skills. The focus is on reading, writing, and grammar, along with continuing improvement of oral communication skills. The purpose of instruction is to consolidate the foundation which students have built in their first level Chinese courses, to expand their vocabulary, and to introduce them to more complex grammatical structures.
本课程为母语是粵語或具有较高汉语水平的人士开设。在进一步提高学习者听、说能力,改善交际技巧的同时,重点对学习者进行阅读、写作和语法的训练。
Students read and discuss material from such sources as newspapers, journals, contemporary literature, media broadcasts and films. Students complete assignments in areas which focus on a practical application of Mandarin including in business, trade, tourism, education or linguistics.
本課程在學生完成普通話I、普通話II課程的基礎上,通過報紙、期刊、廣播、電影等大量現實語料的學習,幫助進一步讓學生進行提高語言水平,並能在商務、貿易等日程生活實際中正確運用。
This module covers a variety of modern Chinese literary genres including essays, short stories, biographies, and criticisms. Emphasis will be on reading comprehension and expansion of vocabulary. Class discussions are on some substantive issues related to the readings.
普通話IV的講授主要包括三個內容:一是將繼續幫助學生提昇普通話水平,主要選用一些中國現代文學作品,包括散文、故事、人物傳記、評論等,作為補充材料,幫助學生理解、擴展詞彙的同時,瞭解中國社會及文化,並對一些相關問題進行討論,從而讓學生達到普通話的高級水平;二是普通話水平測試介紹及應試訓練;三是講授普通話教學法,幫助學生在教与學兩方面,於更高層次上瞭解和掌握普通話。
This module provides students with an overview of major debates, trends, and factors that influence China's foreign policy. It will help students understand the pillars, principles and actors that shape the Chinese foreign policy. In this regard, the following topics will be explored in the course: the module will examine the actors, principles, constraints, and tools involved in the process of making foreign policy. On the other hand, the module will describe China's relations with the rest of the world through case studies. In order to achieve this, the course combines theoretical lectures, guest speakers, group exercises, and practical workshops. Additionally, this module will prepare students to conduct research on Chinese foreign policy.The course aims to develop a basic understanding of China’s historical relations with the world. Specifically, it explains the socio-historical environment and cultural identity of Macau, covering key aspects of its development over four centuries. The module will enhance understanding of the key socioeconomic aspects in the relationship between China and the Portuguese speaking world. The course addresses Macau’s past and present, including the basic concepts, theories, principles and spirit of the Constitution and the Basic Law. It covers residents’ fundamental rights and duties, political structure, economy, and culture. Furthermore, key events that have shaped its geographical space, its demography and its plural communities will also be covered. The students will study and explore aspects of the history, economic and administrative development, and the social, cultural and artistic patrimony of Macau through lectures, film, fieldwork, and reading of local writers and specialists who had written about Macau and its people.The aim of this course is to introduce students to the history of Japanese philosophy from its beginning to the modern time. Greatly influenced by both Chinese and Indian thoughts, Japanese philosophy is later inspired by European thinkers. It will then develop its own schools of thought, which in turn, influences world philosophers. Hence, this course intends to provide an overview of the development of the Japanese thought such as Shinto, Confucianism and Buddhism in its own context.This course is introducing students to East-Asian philosophy through texts of Confucianism, Buddhism, Daoism, Hinduism. Those schools of thoughts will be explored by students who will study topics such as ethics, reality, knowledge, self, among others.The module Environmental Philosophy and Ethics focuses on relationship of humans with the natural environment. While numerous philosophers have written on the meaning of nature and natural philosophy throughout history (Plato, Aristotle, Aquinas, Machiavelli, Rousseau, Locke, Marx, Merleu-Ponty, Heidegger, Rawls, etc.), environmental philosophy and ethics only developed into a specific philosophical discipline in the 1970s. This emergence occurred due to the increasing awareness in the 1960s of the effects that technology, industry, economic expansion and population growth were having on the environment.What is comparative philosophy? How to compare? These are some of the questions we will try to answer. The course aims at introducing and exploring important issues and concepts in the context of different cultures. Intellectual, historical and cultural background of philosophers will be studied. Thinkers of very different cultural traditions will be compared and discussed.In this module we will apply philosophical methodologies to different areas of human life in both global and local scales, including but not limited to worldviews and dialogue, professional and applied ethics, education, media and cultural studies, bioethics and environmental ethics. Historical cases as well as up-to-date global and local social issues will be discussed and analyzed, in an attempt to formulate practical suggestions. Emphasis will be put on the necessity of interdisciplinary approaches.This course begins with an explanation of the difference between philosophical and religious Daoism. It then continues with a study of its historical background and development. After this examination, the course will focus on texts from the most important Daoist philosophers.This course intends to introduce students to Mahayana Buddhist traditions, its Indian roots, and its ancient and modern texts. In this course, students will be familiarised with central philosophical concepts such as the Mahayana, Dhammapada and the Jatakas among others.As an integral part of the Bachelor studies, all undergraduate students in the Philosophy program are required to prepare and present a portfolio of their work. The portfolio is assembled over the entire duration of their undergraduate studies, and is to consist of selected pieces of work that they have produced during their studies. A student’s portfolio may contain examples of assignment work, tests and examination answer scripts, presentations and project reports, and other work done by the student during his or her studies.
1. Phonology:
a. The sounds of Latin
i. consonants
ii. vowels
iii. diphthongs
b. The writing system and the ecclesiastical pronunciation.
2. Morphology:
a. The nominal system:
i. The five models of noun declination
1. the declension of the noun Jesus
2. particular aspects of Church Latin
ii. The adjectives: 1st and 2nd class
1. the degrees of the adjectives: comparative and superlative
iii. The pronouns
1. personal
2. possessive
Course Outline:
1. The syntax of the complex sentence
i. parataxis:
1. copulative clauses
2. adversative clauses
3. disjunctive clauses
4. explicative clauses
5. consecutive clauses
ii. hypotaxis
1. Adverbial clauses:
a. conditional clauses
b. causal clauses
c. concessive clauses
d. consecutive clauses
e. comparative clauses
f. final clauses
Program:
1. Philosophy and philosophies: towards a definition of Philosophy.
a. Philosophy vs. Science and the philosophical method.
b. Why study History of Philosophy?
2. From mythos to logos: the birth of philosophy in the Helade.
a. The social-economic and cultural conditions that contributed for the genesis of philosophy among the Greeks.
3. The pre-Socratic philosophy
a. The search for the archê of the physis and the beginning of rational speculation
i. The school of Mileto
1. Thales of Mileto, the first philosopher
ii. The school of Ephesus and the problem of motion or change
1. Heraclitus and the doctrine of perpetual change.
iii. The arytmos of Pythagoras
iv. The Eleatic school and the principle of a universal unity of being.
v. The pluralists
4. The anthropocentric turn of philosophy
a. The development of the Polis
i. The Athenian politês
b. The Sophists and their contribution
c. Socrates and the morality of human behavior
i. A new concept of aretê
ii. The paradox of Socratic morality
iii. The Socratic concepts of psychê, eleutheria and eudaimonia
iv. The dialectic method, the Socratic irony and the maeutica.
5. Plato and the foundation of metaphysics
a. The dualistic view of reality
i. The hyper-uranic world and the theory of forms
ii. The hierarchy of the ideas
iii. The imperfect shadows
b. Knowledge as anamnesis: Plato’s epistemological doctrine of recollection
i. The Platonic concepts of episteme and ascending dialectics
c. The ideal State
d. The unwritten theories
6. Aristotle: the man and his work
a. Aristotelian metaphysics
i. The four causes
ii. The different meaning of being
iii. The substantia, the actum and potentia
iv. The super-sensitive substance,
1. Its nature and problems
2. The relation between god and the world
b. The physical world according to Aristotle
i. Theory of movement
ii. Time, space and infinite
c. Aristotelian psychology
i. The three souls
1. The vegetative soul and its functions
2. The sensitive soul and its functions
3. The intellective soul and the faculty of human knowledge
d. The political and ethical systems of Aristotle
7. The philosophical ideas of the Hellenistic world
a. Alexander the great, and the fall of the polis
i. The beginnings of personal philosophy
1. Cynicism
2. Epicurism
a. The physical world and Epicuristic atomism
b. Epicurian ethics: hedonism
3. Stoicism
a. The Stoic materialism
b. The stoic pantheism
c. Stoic ethics:
i. Life according to nature
ii. The concept of ataraxy
8. Philosophy crisis
a. The new philosophical movements:
i. The New-Platonism of Plotinus
1. The Unum, Nous and Soul
2. The absolute as cause of itself
3. The concept of material procession from the Unum
b. Scepticism and Eclecticism.
c. The political and ethical systems of Aristotle
9. The philosophical ideas of the Hellenistic world
a. Alexander the great, and the fall of the polis
i. The beginnings of personal philosophy
1. Cynicism
2. Epicurism
a. The physical world and Epicuristic atomism
b. Epicurian ethics: hedonism
3. Stoicism
a. The Stoic materialism
b. The stoic pantheism
c. Stoic ethics:
i. Life according to nature
ii. The concept of ataraxy
10. Philosophy crisis
a. The new philosophical movements:
i. The New-Platonism of Plotinus
1. The Unum, Nous and Soul
2. The absolute as cause of itself
3. The concept of material procession from the Unum
b. Scepticism and Eclecticism.
Methodology and evaluation: The classes will be expositive and the students are expected to take their own notes. Original texts (in translation) from the philosophers under study will be read and commented on whenever opportune.
There will be two written exams; their dates will be agreed on with the students.
We will explore questions of ultimate concern such as; Who am I? What am I? What is life about? Where will it lead? Our study will be rooted in foundational Christian ideas such as our creation in the image of God, the relationship between body and soul, sin and grace, and the resurrection of the body.
This course also aims to understand different aspects of human being and subjectivity, including will, fallibility, evil action and capabability, language and recognition etc… Thinkers such as Paul Ricoeur and his philosophical anthropology will be studied.
Concerning ethics (moral philosophy), this module is a general, systematic assessment of major ethical systems. In addition to teleology (e.g. utilitarianism, ethical egoism), deontology (e.g. Kantian ethics, Divine Command Theory), and virtue ethics traditions (Aristotelian, Neoaristotelianism), students will be exposed to Confucian thought and specifically Thomistic perspectives on virtue and natural law. In keeping with the ancient foundations of the discipline of ethics (moral philosophy) and its central concerns, the proper study of ethics goes beyond abstract considerations of right and wrong conduct, just and unjust behavior and institutions (structures) to encompass inquiry into what constitutes “the good life” or the life worth living. A special focus will be given to the relevance of the Christian tradition on value judgments, moral questions and ethics.
On the other hand, we will also study selected texts from ancient Greek, Hebrew, Chinese and Indian civilisations from philological, hermeneutical, literary, cultural and socio-political perspectives, in order to understand their meaning and their historical and contemporary significance.
我們如何定義「美」的概念?何謂「美」?這些都是與美學相關的疑問。至於在法老墓塗鴉以及掠奪、盜取位於巴格達的巴比倫寶藏之正當性,則是與道德及社會行為相關的倫理學議題。那麼,倫理學與美學可否相提並論?這些都是本課程將試圖探討的部分問題。本課程旨在增廣倫理學與美學的思考以及討論範圍,並研究此類議題是如何涉及我們生活的各個層面。本課程將從歷史背景開始(柏拉圖、康德、黑格爾),延伸至不同的倫理學與美學理論概念,如宗教、後現代、藝術、社會/科學、他者等範疇,並研究如道德、本真,以及寬恕等觀點。
The course will also introduce selected contemporary continental philosophers with different approaches and their discussions on religion (esp. Christianity): (1) hermeneutics, (2) deconstruction, (3) phenomenology, (4) feminism, (5) Neo-Marxism, and (6) others.
Year 3Introduction to basic Portuguese with stress on oral drill and pronunciation. This course will focus on personal information.Continuation of Portuguese I, introduction to basic Portuguese in context, and will focus on people and objects.This course will be a continuation of Portuguese III and an introduction to level A2 of CEFR with the introduction to the past forms.This module provides an understanding on the Chinese National Culture, it’s History and Philosophy. Furthermore, the module provides an overview of the key features and evolution of the China's political and legal system. There will be several topics covered in this course, including Chinese political ideology and organizations (the Chinese Communist Party and state institutions), legal and judicial systems and institutions, legislative systems and processes (the People's Congresses and the Political Consultative Conferences), and bureaucratic processes. In addition, the course introduces the concept of the One Country Two System and its operation.The development of thinking skills is fundamental to learning. Students will learn how to develop higher order thinking skills, especially through an appreciation of different philosophic and logic systems and an understanding of important research results from the analysis of human thought processes. In addition, students will learn to reason ethically and morally through readings, discussion of moral dilemmas, and other suitable exercises. They will also learn principled and conceptual thinking and reasoning skills.
Topics will be discussed through case studies and students will learn and understand
important concepts of thinking through class and group discussion.
This course intends to give an overview of Chinese traditional thought to students of in different backgrounds. It will start with the place of Chinese philosophy in Chinese civilisation, its historical and cultural aspects. It will then continue in examining China ancient schools of thoughts such as Confucianism, Daoism, Mohism and Legalism. Representative thinkers of each of these schools will be selected and studied in class.This course intends to be a continuation of the previous semester and the study of Chinese traditional thought to students of in different backgrounds. This course will be opened where it finished in the last semester, i.e. the Legalists’ school. It will then continue with the ascendancy of Confucianism and the revival of Taoism. The course will conclude with the introduction of European philosophy in China as well as the influence of Chinese philosophy on the European thought up to our Modern time. Seen through a comparative point of view, the latter part of this course aims at showing how those schools of thoughts differ or are similar to each other.This module offers students a historical and systematic approach of the developments in social and political philosophy and how they shape Ancient and Modern China, European and North American social, political, cultural and economical structures, and to a certain extents other countries in Asia. The course also intends to stir reflections on the social and political praxis, on moral correctness, social relationships and so on. Conditions and principles of a just and sustainable society (locally, nationally, globally) are presented and analyzed, based on the inalienable human dignity of human persons and the relevance of the common good for a harmonious development of human societies.This course intends to study French philosophy beginning with a brief philosophical background in reading Descartes, Montesquieu and Voltaire and their influence on 20th and 21st centuries French philosophers. We then emphasise our studies in reading selected texts excerpts from the most important French thinkers of our time such as Althusser, Badiou, Derrida, Foucault, Kojève and Merleau-Ponty.This course offers a review how philosophical ideas are explored in literature and film. One of these ideas is the notion of Existentialism. In this seminar we shall show that Existentialism is not a school of thought nor reducible to any set of tenets, but a label for several widely different revolts against traditional philosophy. We will consider how Existentialist writers and filmmakers shared one essential feature: Individualism. Its potential meaning and relevance for communitarian Asian societies is analyzed and discussed. Also the relationship between the fictive world and the real world will be discussed in interaction between the author/filmmaker, the work/film and the reader/audience.This course intends to introduce students to the importance of philosophy in the development of modern German thought and culture from the late 18th century to the beginning of the 21st. The course begins with the Enlightenment, at a time when German philosophers dominate the European thought and continue with the study of Fichte, the Romantics, Hegel, Marx, Nietzsche, Wittgenstein, The Vienna Circle, Husserl, Heidegger and more, to end with an examination of the 20th and 21st centuries. The 20th century being one of huge tragedies for Germany, we will see how it develops itself from the rubble of WWII. A close reading of different texts excerpts will initiate students to the most important movements not only in Germany but also in German speaking countries.The aim of this course is to give students an understanding of Neo-Confucianism, one of the most important intellectual movements in China, its Buddhist and Daoist influences and philosophical views. Selected texts from thinkers such as Zhu Xi, Wang Yang Ming and Su Hsi will be read. From Neo-Confucianism, students will then be led to 20th century New Confucianism.The aim of this course is to introduce students to the different philosophical thoughts (Hindu; Buddhist and Jain) of Indian philosophy. It will begin with an overview of the early texts that influenced Indians philosophers most such as, the Vedas, the Upaniṣads, the Bhagavad-gīta as well as the early doctrines of Buddhism. After surveying those texts, the course will focuses on the major schools like Hindu Nyaya and Vedanta, the Buddhist Madhyamika school and the Jaina ethics.This course intends to explore the main ideas of Arabic philosophy and their heritage from the Ancient Greek philosophy. Thinkers such as Fârâbî, Avicenna, Ghazâlî and Averroes among others, will be studied. Arabic philosophy will also be compared with late medieval philosophy and subsequent European philosophy.As an integral part of the Bachelor studies, all undergraduate students in the Philosophy program are required to prepare and present a portfolio of their work. The portfolio is assembled over the entire duration of their undergraduate studies, and is to consist of selected pieces of work that they have produced during their studies. A student’s portfolio may contain examples of assignment work, tests and examination answer scripts, presentations and project reports, and other work done by the student during his or her studies.This course is the continuation of Portuguese II and will focus on public services and immediate needs, such as ordering food in a restaurant or complaining to the doctor.Year 4This accelerated course module is designed for students of Chinese heritage and advanced beginners with good speaking and listening skills. The focus is on reading, writing, and grammar, along with continuing improvement of oral communication skills. The purpose of instruction is to utilize previous language background to lay a solid foundation for further Chinese language study.
本課程為母語為粵語或具有較高漢語水平的人士開設,旨在通過對學習者普通話听、説、讀、寫的訓練,提高語言水平,瞭解普通話的基本知識,為更高層次的普通話學習打下基礎。
This accelerated course module is designed for students of Chinese heritage and advanced beginners with good speaking and listening skills. The focus is on reading, writing, and grammar, along with continuing improvement of oral communication skills. The purpose of instruction is to consolidate the foundation which students have built in their first level Chinese courses, to expand their vocabulary, and to introduce them to more complex grammatical structures.
本课程为母语是粵語或具有较高汉语水平的人士开设。在进一步提高学习者听、说能力,改善交际技巧的同时,重点对学习者进行阅读、写作和语法的训练。
Students read and discuss material from such sources as newspapers, journals, contemporary literature, media broadcasts and films. Students complete assignments in areas which focus on a practical application of Mandarin including in business, trade, tourism, education or linguistics.
本課程在學生完成普通話I、普通話II課程的基礎上,通過報紙、期刊、廣播、電影等大量現實語料的學習,幫助進一步讓學生進行提高語言水平,並能在商務、貿易等日程生活實際中正確運用。
This module covers a variety of modern Chinese literary genres including essays, short stories, biographies, and criticisms. Emphasis will be on reading comprehension and expansion of vocabulary. Class discussions are on some substantive issues related to the readings.
普通話IV的講授主要包括三個內容:一是將繼續幫助學生提昇普通話水平,主要選用一些中國現代文學作品,包括散文、故事、人物傳記、評論等,作為補充材料,幫助學生理解、擴展詞彙的同時,瞭解中國社會及文化,並對一些相關問題進行討論,從而讓學生達到普通話的高級水平;二是普通話水平測試介紹及應試訓練;三是講授普通話教學法,幫助學生在教与學兩方面,於更高層次上瞭解和掌握普通話。
This module provides students with an overview of major debates, trends, and factors that influence China's foreign policy. It will help students understand the pillars, principles and actors that shape the Chinese foreign policy. In this regard, the following topics will be explored in the course: the module will examine the actors, principles, constraints, and tools involved in the process of making foreign policy. On the other hand, the module will describe China's relations with the rest of the world through case studies. In order to achieve this, the course combines theoretical lectures, guest speakers, group exercises, and practical workshops. Additionally, this module will prepare students to conduct research on Chinese foreign policy.The course aims to develop a basic understanding of China’s historical relations with the world. Specifically, it explains the socio-historical environment and cultural identity of Macau, covering key aspects of its development over four centuries. The module will enhance understanding of the key socioeconomic aspects in the relationship between China and the Portuguese speaking world. The course addresses Macau’s past and present, including the basic concepts, theories, principles and spirit of the Constitution and the Basic Law. It covers residents’ fundamental rights and duties, political structure, economy, and culture. Furthermore, key events that have shaped its geographical space, its demography and its plural communities will also be covered. The students will study and explore aspects of the history, economic and administrative development, and the social, cultural and artistic patrimony of Macau through lectures, film, fieldwork, and reading of local writers and specialists who had written about Macau and its people.The aim of this course is to introduce students to the history of Japanese philosophy from its beginning to the modern time. Greatly influenced by both Chinese and Indian thoughts, Japanese philosophy is later inspired by European thinkers. It will then develop its own schools of thought, which in turn, influences world philosophers. Hence, this course intends to provide an overview of the development of the Japanese thought such as Shinto, Confucianism and Buddhism in its own context.This course is introducing students to East-Asian philosophy through texts of Confucianism, Buddhism, Daoism, Hinduism. Those schools of thoughts will be explored by students who will study topics such as ethics, reality, knowledge, self, among others.The module Environmental Philosophy and Ethics focuses on relationship of humans with the natural environment. While numerous philosophers have written on the meaning of nature and natural philosophy throughout history (Plato, Aristotle, Aquinas, Machiavelli, Rousseau, Locke, Marx, Merleu-Ponty, Heidegger, Rawls, etc.), environmental philosophy and ethics only developed into a specific philosophical discipline in the 1970s. This emergence occurred due to the increasing awareness in the 1960s of the effects that technology, industry, economic expansion and population growth were having on the environment.What is comparative philosophy? How to compare? These are some of the questions we will try to answer. The course aims at introducing and exploring important issues and concepts in the context of different cultures. Intellectual, historical and cultural background of philosophers will be studied. Thinkers of very different cultural traditions will be compared and discussed.In this module we will apply philosophical methodologies to different areas of human life in both global and local scales, including but not limited to worldviews and dialogue, professional and applied ethics, education, media and cultural studies, bioethics and environmental ethics. Historical cases as well as up-to-date global and local social issues will be discussed and analyzed, in an attempt to formulate practical suggestions. Emphasis will be put on the necessity of interdisciplinary approaches.This course begins with an explanation of the difference between philosophical and religious Daoism. It then continues with a study of its historical background and development. After this examination, the course will focus on texts from the most important Daoist philosophers.This course intends to introduce students to Mahayana Buddhist traditions, its Indian roots, and its ancient and modern texts. In this course, students will be familiarised with central philosophical concepts such as the Mahayana, Dhammapada and the Jatakas among others.As an integral part of the Bachelor studies, all undergraduate students in the Philosophy program are required to prepare and present a portfolio of their work. The portfolio is assembled over the entire duration of their undergraduate studies, and is to consist of selected pieces of work that they have produced during their studies. A student’s portfolio may contain examples of assignment work, tests and examination answer scripts, presentations and project reports, and other work done by the student during his or her studies.
Topics will be discussed through case studies and students will learn and understand
important concepts of thinking through class and group discussion.
本課程為母語為粵語或具有較高漢語水平的人士開設,旨在通過對學習者普通話听、説、讀、寫的訓練,提高語言水平,瞭解普通話的基本知識,為更高層次的普通話學習打下基礎。
本课程为母语是粵語或具有较高汉语水平的人士开设。在进一步提高学习者听、说能力,改善交际技巧的同时,重点对学习者进行阅读、写作和语法的训练。
本課程在學生完成普通話I、普通話II課程的基礎上,通過報紙、期刊、廣播、電影等大量現實語料的學習,幫助進一步讓學生進行提高語言水平,並能在商務、貿易等日程生活實際中正確運用。
普通話IV的講授主要包括三個內容:一是將繼續幫助學生提昇普通話水平,主要選用一些中國現代文學作品,包括散文、故事、人物傳記、評論等,作為補充材料,幫助學生理解、擴展詞彙的同時,瞭解中國社會及文化,並對一些相關問題進行討論,從而讓學生達到普通話的高級水平;二是普通話水平測試介紹及應試訓練;三是講授普通話教學法,幫助學生在教与學兩方面,於更高層次上瞭解和掌握普通話。
Last Updated: August 21, 2024 at 11:52 am