Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences: Practical curriculum design and general education enhance personal competitiveness and strengths
The Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (FHSS) of the City University of Macau (CityU) provides a range of programs with distinctive features and strengths, placing equal emphasis on teaching, research, and application. FHSS offers nine degree programs with the support of its teaching and research units, including the Department of Innovative Social Work, Institute of Analytic Psychology, General Education Department, and Foreign Language Education and Research Center. It works closely with prestigious institutions, universities and businesses to develop a broader platform for industry-academia collaboration.
General education promotes holistic development
General Education is an integral part of university education. FHSS has established the General Education Department (GED) to provide undergraduates with 50+ courses through a three-dimension learning model of “Core Module + Elective Module + Interdisciplinary Module” in five different areas, namely Intercultural Communication, Science and Technology Prospect, International Understanding, Artistic Cultivation, and Humanities Reflection. GED is committed to helping students achieve whole-person development, motivating them to be more proactive and enthusiastic in learning and, helping them to master the knowledge, fostering personal competency.
FHSS education emphasizes the “Loving the Country, Loving Macao” quality. It has developed a wide range of modules centered on patriotic education to strengthen love for the home country and Chinese culture, helping students to build cultural confidence.
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Foreign language education helps students develop expertise
FHSS provides practical courses to meet the needs of society and establishes the Foreign Language Education and Research Center to support teaching and research.
The Bachelor of English program is designed to cater to the needs of English education and translation professionals for the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. The curriculum emphasizes “language expertise + specialized field” to cultivate future high school English teachers or Chinese-English translators. During four years of studies, students will have exchange opportunities and access to a wide range of training to obtain certifications. The faculty also prepares internships for them to gain hands-on experience.
The Bachelor of Portuguese program ingrains “language expertise + specialized field” into its curriculum, helping students develop language proficiency and knowledge in law, economics, business, tourism, and accounting, adding value to career development and further studies.
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Experiential Learning fosters innovative social work professionals
The Department of Innovative Social Work aims to develop innovative mindsets to address social problems. FHSS develops courses in psychology and sociology, which develop the overall competency of communication, coordination, teamwork, problem-solving, empathy, and sensitivity to social issues. It also involves on-the-job social workers and service representatives in the lectures, aiming to promote innovative thinking to help disadvantaged groups, thus enhancing society’s resilience and overall happiness.
The Bachelor of Social Work program emphasizes practical skills, social work values and work attitudes. The compulsory courses are intertwined with extensive social work practices such as casework and counselling, group project and community services in its curriculum design. The faculty also adopts flexible and innovative teaching approaches, including Problem-Based Learning or Project-Based Learning (PBL), outdoor learning, and role-playing, to enhance knowledge and application techniques.
The Master of Social Work program aims to prepare future professionals with advanced research and practical ability in social services. The program is divided into two major areas: gerontology and social service management, which has produced a wealth of leading social work professionals to serve Macao.
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Macao’s first postgraduate programs in Cultural Industries Management
The master’s degree program in Cultural Industries Management and PhD program in Cultural Industry Studies are the first and only related programs offered at Macao universities. These postgraduate programs aim to develop professionals in the planning, management, and marketing of cultural industries with a focus on the development and utilization of cultural resources, which strive to innovate cutting-edge and unique research pathways and methodologies.
The Master of Cultural Industries Management program combines professional knowledge of culture and arts with management theories and methods. It strives to explore the frontiers of contemporary cultural and creative industries and develop students’ learning and research competency, hands-on abilities, and innovation. The program will prepare future professionals with solid theoretical knowledge and professional skills in cultural studies, management, and business operations.
FHSS has established a comprehensive laboratory to support cultural industry courses, innovation, and entrepreneurship. It aims to provide practicum and enhance the teaching quality of cultural project management and cultural and festival event planning. The program actively promotes industry-academia collaboration and engages students in different exchange activities. Through various initiatives and projects, it aims to enhance teaching environments, education quality, and learning motivation.
The Doctor of Philosophy in Cultural Industry Studies aims to nurture advanced cultural industry research professionals with international perspectives. It considers the evolution of social culture and the impact of cultural industries. The program features political science, sociology, anthropology, and cultural studies research methodologies to address topics in the field.
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Leading scholar leads discipline development of Applied Psychology
With the establishment of the Institute of Analytical Psychology (IAP), FHSS offers the Master of Applied Psychology program and the Doctor of Applied Psychology program led by Prof Shen Heyong, Psychotherapist of the International Society of Sandplay Therapy (ISST) and China Development Leader of the International Association for Analytical Psychology (IAAP) and International Society for Sandplay Therapy (ISST).
The programs have had significant impacts internationally and have developed special professional studies in psychoanalysis and Chinese culture, sandplay, and imagery embodiment, which have been highly recognized by IAAP and ISST.
The faculty is experienced in psychoanalysis and sandplay therapy. The programs emphasize analytical psychological theories and professional psychoanalytic practice ability, reflecting the discipline characteristics and international frontier of psychoanalysis and sandplay.
The curriculum is designed to integrate psychoanalysis and Chinese culture. It promotes the development of psychoanalysis and sandplay, psychoanalysis and dream work, and psychoanalysis and imagery research in the mainland and Chinese communities through a wide range of activities. Through cooperation with international academic organizations such as IAAP and ISST, the Institute successfully organized the two editions of the Analytical Psychology and Chinese Culture International Forum (2012 & 2015) in Macao, with participants from 20+ countries and regions.
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Diverse activities to expand learning resources
FHSS actively initiates academic and cultural exchange activities across different disciplines to expand learning resources and help students gain practical experience.
The Institute of Analytical Psychology has played an active role in the nationwide charitable project, Garden of Heart & Soul. The Garden of Heart & Soul project has over 80 service stations in the country. In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Institute has teamed up with the Guangdong Association for Analytical Psychology (GAAP), China Society for Analytical Psychology (CSAP), China Society for Sandplay Therapy (CSST), Chinese Federation for Analytical Psychology (CFAP) to provide mental assistance under the Garden of Heart & Soul project. Together with medical frontline fighters, patients and families nationwide, the faculty and students have provided over 2,000+ times one-on-one professional psychological counseling services to help people in need.
FHSS organizes various activities to nurture talents and social work professionals. In May this year, the Department of Innovative Social Work (DISW) visited the Yee Lok Centre of the Fuhong Society of Macau and participated in sharing sessions and workshops to learn more about social work practice and local psychiatric rehabilitation services. In September, DISW teamed up with the Department of General Education (GED) organized the Conference on Sustainable Social Work Education to enhance teaching quality and promote sustainable development in social work education. The conference attracted 12 experts from universities and social work organizations in Guangdong and Macao.
The Department of General Education will organize the City Cup English Public Speaking Competition annually. The contest will provide training workshops for students to improve their speaking techniques and help them build confidence and professionalism on the stage. Aside from that, GED will hold various language competitions, including the English Debate Competition, the English Vocabulary and Proficiency Competition, and the Business English Speech Competition. In addition, a peer observation program was launched to help academic members reflect on their teaching and learn from each other.
FHSS actively encourage students to take part in competitions and contest. In September, an English-majored student won second prize at the “FLTRP·ETIC Cup” short video contest (English category) organized by the Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press.
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Build experiential leaning platform through industry-academia collaboration
FHSS forges collaborations and organizes exchange activities with institutions, higher education institutions, and enterprises internationally, seeking to provide a larger platform for industry-academia-research development. In recent years, the faculty has established close partnerships with the College of Chinese Language and Literature at Fujian Normal University, the General Union of Neighbourhood Association of Macao, Shenzhen Chuan Jin Dai Yin Co Ltd, the International Association for Analytical Psychology (IAAP), the International Society for Sandplay Therapy (ISST), and the Good Shepherd Centre. These collaborations have brought substantial outcomes on international forums, talent cultivation, internships and exchanges, and academic research.
The Department of Innovative Social Work (DISW) has established ties with some 200 social welfare services in Macao and the Greater Bay Area to provide experiential services and hands-on learning opportunities. Depending on their interests, students can choose to take up intern roles in health care, caring centers, seniors and children’s welfare organizations, mental health, and specialized community services. Students are required to complete fieldwork to lay a solid foundation for career development.
In response to social development, FHSS organizes thematic talks to promote healthy living and a sustainable lifestyle. The faculty has organized the “Healthcare and Wellness Seminar Series” for six consecutive weeks (every Wednesday) to help teaching members, students, and the general public gain understanding of health science. With the theme of “Serving the Macao Community, Caring for the Elderly and Children”, the Healthcare and Wellness Seminar Series invited experts and academics from the University of Nottingham Ningbo China, Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, International Research Centre for Child Language Development (Chinese: 在助國際兒童語言發展研究中心), Metropolitan University of Hong Kong and the City University of Macau to give six science popularization seminars on various topics, namely “Secrets behind Effective Language Development among Children”, “Child Language Disabilities”, “Autism Spectrum”, “Dysphagia among Senior Citizens”, “Anxiety under COVID-19 Pandemic”, “Trauma-Informed Care, Communication, and Bonding”.
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The Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences is the foundation for discipline development. FHSS aims to enrich humanities knowledge, cultivate humanistic spirits, promote comprehensive development, and enhance competitiveness.
