Minor Programme in Religion, Philosophy and Ethics
The Minor Programme in Religion, Philosophy and Ethics (RPE) is open for all UGC-funded full-time undergraduate students of HKBU to apply. No prior knowledge of religion or philosophy is required. We encourage HKBU students to explore other elective courses as much as possible during their four-year study. This will greatly help to broaden their horizons and develop critical thinking.
There are two major advantages of choosing minor in RPE, as listed below:
- We offer a variety of courses related to life and society, assisting students to develop a broad sense of humanistic vision and care.
- Our courses emphasize critical analysis of concepts and evaluation of arguments, which help to enhance students’ thinking skills.
Programme Aims
In order to realize the mission of the Department, the Minor Programme in Religion, Philosophy and Ethics emphasizes the following general aims:
- To equip students with reasoning and analytical skills;
- To enhance student’s ability to present lucid arguments and make independent judgment;
- To encourage students to reflect on academic issues from a cross-disciplinary perspective;
- To provide opportunities for students to develop their creative writing and thinking.
Programme Objectives
- To equip students with critical, analytical and interpretative skills with which they may understand religious and philosophical traditions, and schools of ethical thought in an objective way;
- To provide students with substantial information about ideas and practices of major religious and philosophical traditions, thus building a solid foundation for their understanding and interpretation;
- To help students develop capability in correlating religious ideas and values, philosophical traditions, and schools of ethical thought to socio-cultural problems;
- To widen students’ perspective in the understanding of both the human person and human culture through a comparative study of different religious and philosophical traditions, showing the range of human responses to life problems.
Programme Intended Learning Outcomes (PILOs)
After having completed the Minor Programme in Religion, Philosophy and Ethics, the students should be able to:
- Explain the main ideas of some of the major religious traditions, and major schools of philosophy and ethical thought;
- Demonstrate critical, analytical and interpretative skills in their understanding of religious traditions, major philosophical problems, and crucial ethical issues;
- Articulate the relevance of religious ideas/values, philosophical arguments and ethical analysis for socio-cultural issues.