The University of Hong Kong Capstone project
Offer semester
Full-year course
Course description
This course aims to facilitate students to integrate and apply the knowledge and skills they acquired through the Media, Culture & Creative Cities programme. In collaboration with community partners in the field of media and culture, students have to conduct a research project in two semesters individually or in a group of two students under the supervision of an academic supervisor assigned by the department. Each student/group has to develop a research topic related to the field of media, culture and creative cities with his/her supervisor or to select one research topic suggested by his/her community partners.
Sample topics include but not limited to the following: evaluating the effectiveness of the web platform for preserving local history; the role of public engagement in cultural conservation projects; a comparison of the funding models for international art festivals; independent filmmaking in the digital age; gender identity and consumer culture in globalization; the opportunities and challenges of new media in business; the emergence of cultural clusters and art districts in global cities; a proposal for setting up a crafts museum in Hong Kong; assessing Hong Kong’s cultural policy after the development of the West Kowloon Cultural District. Each student/group is required to prepare a research proposal, two progress reports, two presentations of his/her project and a research report.
Project archive
A collection of past students’ final capstone reports is available on the HKU Scholars’ Hub.
Community partners
We have excellent connections to the practitioners and non-governmental bodies in the fields of media, culture, and creative cities, providing exceptionally strong external links for research and teaching input, especially in the capstone project. Below are the Community Partners who have agreed to participate in our programme:
- Amnesty International HK 國際特赦組織香港分會
- Ladies of Luxury and Lifestyle
- Asia Art Archive
- Hong Kong Art Gallery Association 香港畫廊協會
- West Kowloon Cultural District (WKCD) Authority (Performing Arts) 西九文化區管理局
- Big Love Alliance 大愛同盟
- Renaissance Foundation 文藝復興基金會
- Videotage 錄映太奇
- Lakoo 拉闊遊戲
- LUSH
- HKICC Lee Shau Kee School 香港兆基創意書院
- Ming-ai Association 明愛會
- Hong Kong Children’s Musical Theatre 香港兒童音樂劇團
- SEE Network 思網絡
- Association Concerning Sexual Violence Against Women 關注婦女性暴力協會
- Radio Television Hong Kong 香港電台
- Spicy Fish Cultural Production (Fleurs des lettres) 字花
- WOW Music 維高文化
- British Council 英國文化協會
- City Magazine 號外
- Commercial Radio – Channel One 商業電台第一台
- Roundtable Institute & Its Network
- Hong Kong AIDS Foundation 香港愛滋病基金會
- Hong Kong In-Media 香港獨立媒體
Course learning outcomes
Upon completion of the capstone project, students should be able to:
- Conduct academic research in collaboration with a community partner;
- Integrate and apply the knowledge acquired from the programme to collect and analyze data;
- Demonstrate a thorough understanding of theories related to media, culture and creative cities through presenting their research findings;
- Develop analytical skills and critical thinking through producing a research report.
Assessment
| Tasks | Weighting |
|---|---|
| Coursework | 100% |
Course co-ordinator and teachers
Au-Yeung Shing
LecturerResearch interests: Cultural policy, Production of culture, Sociology of art, New mediaSee full profileCarmen K M Tong
LecturerResearch interests: Education and schooling, Gender and sexualities, Self and identity, Media and cultural studies, Human-animal relationshipsSee full profileGary Pui-fung Wong
LecturerResearch interests: Contemporary China, Henri Lefebvre, Hong Kong society, Media studies and popular culture, Social mobility, Urban sociologySee full profileVictor Shin
Assistant ProfessorResearch interests: Economic sociology, Organizations and institutions, Sociology of media and culture, Development and globalizationSee full profileDenise Tang
Assistant ProfessorResearch interests: Urban sociology, Cultural studies, Gender and sexualities, Media studiesSee full profileTom McDonald
Assistant ProfessorResearch interests: Anthropology, Consumption, China, Religion, Internet, Economics, Social relationships, Material culture, MediaSee full profile
Student view
The best part of this course is that students were granted freedom to explore any topic that we are interested in using mainly qualitative research methods. The data collection process provides a journey to truly experience the cultural aspects and discourses of a particular topic within the context of Hong Kong and Asia.
– Elizabeth Wang, year 2 MSocSc Media, Culture & Creative Cities student