Academic Objectives

The Faculty of Social Sciences aims to provide a holistic, student-centred liberal arts education which is designed to prepare students to be knowledgeable, informed, and productive global citizens equipped to contribute to a complex and dynamic planetary condition. Training in the social sciences will both enable students to further their education or to pursue careers in the public or private sectors.

Interdisciplinary Teaching & Research

While specific disciplinary training is important, the faculty encourages students to seek educational opportunities beyond their core major, and to develop cross-disciplinary knowledge and an interdisciplinary outlook. In addition to their major area of study, students have the opportunity to earn minor degrees in areas of interest offered in other departments, to pursue elective classes offered in other majors, and to utilize opportunities created by topical research centres and faculty projects which reach beyond departmental divisions.

Internship and Practicum

FSS students have opportunities to participate in various professional projects, including internships with Macau businesses and media companies, production of feature films and documentaries, publication of magazines and newspapers, club and association activities, debates and competitions, photography and graphic design, and research trips to museums and historical sites. For example, in recent years FSS students have participated in such activities as covering the Beijing Olympic Games for China Daily; competing in the “Public Relations and Advertising” contests in Beijing and Taipei; organising a campus blood donation drive for the Macau Ministry of Health; joining debates with students from other universities in Greater China; initiating campaigns to enhance environmental awareness, organising an Asian-American Film Festival; and compiling oral histories of villagers in Guangdong China. All these services and activities provide students with real world learning opportunities, helping them acquire hands-on experience and develop practical skills and abilities.

Academic Staff

The key factor in the success of FSS programmes is the excellent quality of our academic staff who come from all over the world, including North America, the UK, Portugal, the Netherlands, Canada, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. Many of our professors have rich and diverse experiences derived from working as practitioners and professionals in such domains as such as policy advisors to the local government, journalists and media reporters, producers, photographers and consultants to multinationals. This elite academic team consisting of scholars with rich knowledge and experience and strong research backgrounds provide students with quality courses and programmes consistent with international standards.

Facilities

The Faculty has facilities such as media and audio-visual labs and and resource centre to promote student development and quality teaching. The audio-visual labs and studios, where students produce videos and graphic designs, are equipped with DV Digital Editing System, SVHS Video Editing System and Mini Studios to give students practical training and help them gain hands-on experience in creating feature and documentary video productions and other creative visual designs. The resource centre provides opportunities for quality training to students majoring in Psychology in various forms of psychological assessment and treatment, and allows faculty and graduate students an appropriate venue to collect data for research in psychology.