Common Core Curriculum | HKU Teaching and Learning

Common Learning Experiences

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The HKU Common Core Curriculum is the centrepiece of our undergraduate curriculum. It stimulates students’ intellectual curiosity to explore issues of profound significance to humankind through five Areas of Inquiry (AoIs): Scientific and Technological Literacy, Arts and Humanities, Global Issues, China: Culture, State and Society, and Artificial Intelligence. Students are normally required to take 36 credits in the Common Core Curriculum, one from each AoI and not more than two from any AoI. They may also pursue an organized course of interdisciplinary study tailor-made to their interests by declaring a Common Core Cluster or Transdisciplinary Minor. Common Core courses are interdisciplinary in nature and are taught by staff from all Faculties.

Learn more: commoncore.hku.hk

The Common Core Student Consultants

Our Student Consultants are a lively group of thoughtful, active, and eloquent students from across all the Faculties who help improve the experience of the Common Core. They initiate seminars, peer-to-peer conversations, and student exhibits, as well as represent the Core at university and community events. In addition, they give feedback about how the Core is engaged with the major, how to insure the highest quality of learning experience, and about the ways in which the Core is changing lives.

Examples of courses

Scientific and Technological Literacy AoI

CCST9025 Genetics and Human Nature
CCST9045 The Science and Lore of Culinary Culture
CCST9072 Smile! Teeth and Society
CCST9076 Attention Magnet: The Psychological and Technological Aspects of Social Media Addiction

Arts and Humanities AoI

CCHU9007 Sexuality and Gender: Diversity and Society
CCHU9076 The Journalist: Comics, Movies, Fiction & Fact
CCHU9084 The Law in Everyday Life
CCHU9090 The Love We Give and the Lies We Tell: The Ethics of Relationships

Global Issues AoI

CCGL9001 Hong Kong Cinema through a Global Lens
CCGL9031 Entrepreneurship: Global and Social Development
CCGL9073 Fashion, Politics and the Global City
CCGL9074 Unleashing the Power of Big Data in Global Cities

China: Culture, State and Society AoI

CCCH9001 Chinese House and Garden: Architecture, Landscape, and Material Culture
CCCH9007 China in the Global Economy
CCCH9029 Ideas and Practices of Healing Arts in Traditional Chinese Medicine
CCCH9051 Digitizing Cultural Heritage in Greater China

Artificial Intelligence AoI

CCAI9006 AI and the Bio-Revolution
CCAI9013 Emotions and AI: Bridging Technology and Human Experience
CCAI9017 Who Made This? Authorship and Art in the Age of AI
CCAI9026 Programmed to Love: Reimagining Gender, Sexuality and Intimacy in the Age of AI

Common Core Undergraduate Research Opportunities

The Common Core also provides the platform for all undergraduate students to undertake research individually or in a small group to build their competencies around communication, collaboration, planning, and research. Students may start their own research project with a faculty mentor through the Transdisciplinary Undergraduate Research Project scheme, create experiential learning projects/activities and apply for the CC Transdisciplinary Experiential Learning Fund.