Lingnan’s first Joint Winter Course with Williams College

The University’s Faculty of Social Sciences hosted the first Joint Winter Course with Williams College at Lingnan from 5 to 25 January.  Williams College is a top liberal arts college in the US and one of Lingnan’s benchmarking institutions.  

 

The inter-disciplinary course “Hong Kong Culture, Society and Economic Development” was co-designed and co-taught by faculty from both institutions, and eight students from each institution paired up as “learning buddies”.  Prof Yu Li, Chair of Asian Studies and Associate Professor of Chinese at Williams College, worked with five Lingnan faculty members from Faculty of Social Sciences to make this course a success.

 

The “learning buddies” engaged in active and collaborative learning in class, and joined field trips in Hong Kong and Shenzhen over the weekends.  The course was a valuable chance for our students to exchange intellectually with students of Williams College and faculty from another culture in a small class environment.  Students from both institutions were able to have a deeper understanding of the socio-economic history and politics of Hong Kong and explore its cultural identity.

 

On 14 January, the Faculty of Social Sciences also hosted a reunion for Williams College’s alumni in Hong Kong and Macau to share their insights and experiences with the course participants.  The course was concluded with joy by a departure lunch attended by faculty and students from both institutions.