Arts & Social Sciences

"It was very refreshing indeed ... I was very glad that I could sit in meetings with engineers and architects as it gave me an opportunity to question and listen to their needs and requirements. ...The attachment also gave me the experience of carrying out a research project, which is a very useful skill indeed. ... I had the chance to interact with the public and to cope and deal with unfriendly residents, as well as friendly and helpful ones. ... On the whole, the attachment has been a very valuable experience."

Heng Shu Yen 3rd year, Arts

The Faculty offers students the richest opportunities to develop their interests in particular areas of the humanities and social sciences. They can take advantage of the excellent training that staff offer both in terms of breadth and depth of coverage. While operating within the larger framework of Single and Double Subject Concentrations as all other students in the Faculty do, the TDP offers a few unique features:

Independent Study Modules
Students will be able to read three modules on an "independent study" basis. The aim of these modules is to allow students to focus on any area within a discipline that is of particular interest to them and to read in-depth into the area under the guidance of a staff mentor. The module will take the form of a "reading course", where students, with the help of their mentor, identify the key works in a particular area and read critically these works together with their mentor. They may also undertake projects in these specially selected areas.

Civilisations, Ideas and Values
A special TDP module Civilisations, Ideas and Values is also available to TDP students. The attraction of this module is that it introduces students to cross-disciplinary currents in understanding selected important but taken-for-granted concepts underlying the humanities and social science tradition. In particular, students are introduced to the concept of "civilisation", exploring serious questions about the way we live, including debates about values, the environment and the social order. The module has attracted very good feedback from students.

Law, Business and Public Policy
TDP students may choose to read a multi-disciplinary cross-faculty module "Law, Business and Public Policy", jointly offered by the Faculties of Arts and Social Sciences, Business Administration and Law.

TDP students will be given special consideration when registering for modules of their choice.