In this course—in which we will use elements of online, face-to-face, and self study learning methods—examines textual and visual representations of contacts between Britain and her various colonies, focusing on (but not restricted to) Hong Kong, from the mid-19^th Century to the late 20^th. Students are thus invited to learn about, and reflect critically upon, a particular period in history – which is also their own – by approaching it through historical texts and the creative arts, as well as postcolonial representations of British imperialism, portrayed in texts, images, and on screen.

The course is thematically structured, examining the “reality” versus “representations” of the British Empire. Within the Common Core, it invites students to tackle a set of unfamiliar questions, texts and thoughts, and approach these in an intellectually rigorous manner. Within the Arts & Humanities Area of Inquiry (AoI), the course will show students that the human experience and representation of reality might be very different from “the truth”, and that knowledge and experience are always contextual. Each week, we will look at a film set in a particular colonial place and time (representation) and compare it with the reality (or lack thereof) found in art and written works.

 

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Activities	Number of hours
Weekly online audio lectures / video clips	10
Self-study / film viewing / additional reading	50
Weekly in-class lecture/seminar + quizzes	20
Tutorials	10
Project: British Colonialism in Hong Kong	30
Midterm in-class writing assignment	1.5
Final in-class writing assignment	1.5
Total:	123

 

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1. Demonstrate knowledge of the key features of the historical project, trajectory and history of the British Empire.
2. Describe and critically examine a variety of representations of Empire in text and image with appropriate critical frameworks.
3. Explain, explore and appreciate the form and function of historical texts, the novel, poetry, travel writing, painting, sketch and cartoon.
4. Practice close reading strategies, analysis, discussion and argument.
5. Use critical approaches to various genres of text and image, including genre and gender discourse, colonial discourse analysis and postcolonial theory.

 

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Assessment Method	Details of Assignment	Weighting
In-class quizzes	done in weekly seminars	20
In-class writing assignments	Midterm (after Reading Week) Final (in last week of semester)	40
Project	Research project on the connection between colonialism and place-names in Hong Kong	40

 

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The British Empire; reality vs. representation; literary and critical genres; places of Empire: Hong Kong and other colonies (Asia/Pacific, India, Egypt, North America, Africa); colonial discourse analysis and postcolonial theory; motivations for Empire; women and Empire; literature and context.

 

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All texts and films will be freely available either through Moodle or online. Prior to the class seminar each week, you will need to prepare by working through the one-hour audio-lecture. Self-study materials, including films and readings, will be available in Moodle. The in-class writing assignment each week will be based on the audio-lecture.

Please note that the reading is appropriate for a 6-credit Common Core course in the Arts & Humanities, containing several short stories, poems, critical essays (or extracts), travel writing, and various works of art, totalling about 200 pages.