The Department of Social Science actively collaborates with external research centres to maintain synergies that are needed to provide diverse learning opportunities for students and the community and organise research activities in the face of new questions and challenges.
Centre for Asian Languages and Cultures
The establishment of CALC was proposed to fulfil the needs of students, namely preparation courses and materials for Japanese and Korean Proficiency Tests, learning for other Asian languages with a focus on “Belt and Road” countries as well as Asian cultural activities. The centre is meant to arouse students’ interest and enhance learning by cultivating awareness on the development trends and potential in Asia with deliverables including but not limited to organizing preparation courses for languages tests, taster courses, e-learning platforms, seminars, workshops, exhibitions, and study tour to enable students to overcome the barriers of Asian languages and cultures when seeking new opportunities in an unfamiliar country.
Centre for Greater China Studies
The Centre, supported by the RGC Institutional Development Scheme, aims to enhance interdisciplinary research that highlights the rise of China and its impact on the rest of the world. The Centre has two major objectives. First, it serves as a research platform to formulate and promote Greater China studies at HSUHK. Second, its facilitates academic exchange and cooperation between local and international scholars. The Centre focuses on four key areas:
- To facilitate research on the Belt and Road Initiative and the Big Bay Area Development.
- To encourage research on interactions between China and the rest of the world, and accompanying problems that may occur.
- To promote digital research methods and apply related knowledge to the field of Greater China studies.
- To set up a “Greater China Research Network” website which would be used to engage in various types of academic activities and online publication.
Centre for Humanistic Buddhism
In 2021, a vision of fostering the good practice of Humanistic Buddhism in the Greater Bay Area has brought together a group of passionate faculty members of The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong (the “HSUHK”) and the members of Fo Guang Vihara Hong Kong (the “FGSHK”). A Cooperation Agreement was signed between the parties on 27 August 2021 to establish The Centre for Humanistic Buddhism, approved by Fo Guang Shan, and direct reports to the Provost of HUSHK. Venerable Yong Fu from Fo Guang Vihara has assumed the co-chairman of the Management Committee of the Centre. The management team comprises representatives of each college of HSUHK.
It is the first ever platform in Hong Kong and even the Greater Bay Area that is co-built by Fo Guang Shan (FGSHK) and a university in Hong Kong (the HSUHK), the focus of the Centre is to promote and apply Humanistic Buddhism in the domains of learning and research.
Centre for Public Policy and Research
The Centre for Public Policy Research (CPPR) was established in September 2021. It posits as a platform for academic researchers and policy practitioners from diverse backgrounds to exchange ideas and carry out research projects relating to public policy. Members of the CPPR come from all five Schools of the University, representing a truly cross-disciplinary endeavour in the conduct of public policy research. The team has both a strong track record in research publications and in securing externally competitive research funds by the Research Grants Council and the Public Policy Research Funding Scheme by the Policy Innovation and Co-ordination Office of the HKSAR Government.
