Reminder: Deadlines

Just a reminder of paper deadlines:
POLI0019 editorials: Friday, 23 November (not 16 November)
POLI0068 papers: Friday, 7 December

Hard copies of papers should be deposited at the Politics and Public Administration Department office, Meng Wah 622, by the close of business on those days.

Next Week: A Business Perspective

A number of our speakers have spoken - sometimes positively, sometimes negatively - about the role and influence of business in Hong Kong. Next week, on 7 November, we have a great opportunity to hear from one of Hong Kong's leading business figures: Ronnie Chan Chi-chung (left, in center, with fellow Enron board members), Chairman of Hang Lung Group, a major real estate development company. One of the most engaging and dynamic businesspeople in Hong Kong, Mr Chan also serves as Vice Chairman of the Asia Society and Chairman of the Asia Society Hong Kong Center. He was formerly a director of Standard Chartered Bank, Motorola and Enron, where he was on the board's audit committee. I have posted a selection of Mr Chan's articles and speeches in a folder in the WebCT course site. If you can, please read some of them before class.

[NOTE: Photo changed and text/links revised on 10 December 2007 in the interest of full disclosure and transparency. For some reason, official biographies of Mr Ronnie Chan fail to mention his previous service on the board of Enron, which is an important aspect of his background.]

Regina Ip on English in Hong Kong Schools

I know that the topic of mother-tongue instruction is of great interest to many of you. You might be interested in this paper on language of instruction that Mrs Ip has posted on the Savantas Policy Institute website.

Update on Readings

I have uploaded a number of readings on to the WebCT site. Please check it out.

Also, I have put on reserve at the PPA Department the following two books produced by Civic Exchange:

Still Holding our Breath: A Review of Air Quality Policy in Hong Kong 1997-2007

Reflections of Leadership: Tung Chee Hwa and Donald Tsang, 1997-2007

Legal Bloggers on Hong Kong

This might be of interest to you, particularly the Law and Government & Law students. Dan Harris, a partner at Harris & Moure, a boutique international law firm in Seattle, and his Mandarin-speaking colleague Steve Dickinson, who is based in Shanghai, run the China Law Blog. A few days ago Mr Harris posted a comment on Hong Kong (which included a link to our class blog!) and his impressions of the SAR. I found his account of how his firm's work in Hong Kong has diminished very interesting:

"There was a time where we fairly frequently helped our clients (mostly non-American clients) form companies in Hong Kong, but that work started dropping off around three years ago. Now when clients talk about wanting to form a Hong Kong company to go into mainland China we tell them doing so will in most cases do little more than increase their costs. Rarely does it make sense to do anything other than to just go into China directly by forming a company there."

Mr Harris includes a number of interesting links in his post. About 30 of his readers have commented on his observations. It makes for an interesting exchange - what the blog format is supposed to encourage. Check it out.

Advice and Information

I wish to make clear that the postings I have made in the past few days are meant to provide information and respond to what I understood to be questions about choosing a topic for the writing assignments, how to prepare for the exam, how the debates will be conducted, and so forth. Besides the granting of additional time for writing the editorial, the slight change in the tutorial schedule for November, and the setting of the debate resolutions, they do not add anything particularly new in terms of course policy or guidelines. There were questions so I have tried to answer them, reiterating many things I said early in the semester. Much of the advice I have given, quite frankly, are points of common sense that I did not think I would need to make, but I do so to help as much as I can.

If you have any questions or complaints, please take them up with me. I am happy to listen and make myself available.

Question of the Week: Does Hong Kong Need to Develop Politically to Truly Be an International City?

Here's a question I put to Emily Lau (not in exactly the same way): As Hong Kong aims to be an international city, does its political development matter? Why should the SAR's Chief Executive and legislators being directly elected make a difference as Hong Kong develops its role in the world? Is it more important for Hong Kong not to create friction with the mainland by moving on political development at a pace unacceptable to Beijing?

What do you think?

POLI0019 Debates

Mr Wong will discuss and organize the debates in tutorial meetings on 31 October, but we thought we should outline here how they will work.

• There will be two rounds: on 21 November and 28 November.

• On 31 October, Mr Wong will divide each section into four teams of three. (The 10-student section will have two teams of three and two teams of two.) He will assign the resolutions to be debated.
  

• On 21 November, in each section, two teams will debate the first resolution. The order of speakers will alternate between teams. The second and third speakers on either team may choose to rebut points made by earlier speakers, but need not do so. The best speakers will be those that follow a clear and logical line of argument and do not read verbatim from a prepared text but work from notes or off the cuff. After each speaker has taken his turn, the remaining members of the tutorial section will react to what they heard and offer constructive criticism (perhaps in the style of the judges on "American Idol"?). At the end of the tutorial, the judges will vote on which side presented the better arguments. In the case of a tie, the tutor will decide if a winner should be declared or the tie should stand. Whether or not you are on the winning side will have no bearing on your assessment for the debate. What will matter is how well prepared your team is and how well you made your arguments.
  

• On 28 November, the roles will switch and the previous week's judges become the debaters, while the debaters turn into judges. The debating teams will take up a second resolution.
  

POLI0068: Calling for Paper Proposals

If any team or individual is ready to make their paper proposal presentations in our next tutorial on Wednesday, 31 October, please let me know and I will put you on the schedule. All you would need to do is submit your proposal to me before class - ideally the day before - so I can post it. You or your team would have about five minutes to explain your topic. We would then take a few minutes to discuss your plans.

I would like as many students or teams as possible to make their presentations in tutorial on 7 November since I don't plan to have a formal tutorial on 14 November. (Instead, you may join me and Dr Unteroberdoerster of the IMF at an informal lunch after the lecture on that day.) If we can't get through everybody on 7 November, we may have to schedule a special tutorial on 14 November or some other mutually agreed date and time. The last resort would be to finish the presentations in tutorial on 28 November, but I would prefer to have the presentations done sooner than that.

POLI0068 Papers

Lest the IBGM students think I've forgotten them, here is a rundown on your research paper assignment, which is due by the end of business on Friday, 7 December. A hard copy should be deposited at the PPA Department office (Meng Wah, Room 622). Please take note of the late paper and plagiarims policies.

As noted in the syllabus, you are working in teams of two unless you prefer to work on your own. If you are working with a partner, the paper should be between 3,000 and 4,000 words. If you are going solo, then the length should be between 1,500 and 2,000 words.

I have asked for teams or individuals to submit a paper proposal (outline format, 12 pt. font, double spaced, one-inch margins). What I would like to do is post these proposals online with links to the course blog. This will, I hope, allow you to exchange ideas among your colleagues and perhaps gain from other people's insights. The proposal should include (1) a thesis statement (a summary of the central argument of your paper) and (2) a general outline (a plan for how you will organize background information, arguments, refutation of counter-arguments, and conclusions to support your thesis), and (3) a bibliography of at least five sources.

Once you are ready with your proposal, just send it to me by e-mail and I can post it. I will then give you or your team five minutes or so to present your proposal in tutorial.

I realize that we need to get moving on the paper proposal presentations. I should have moved forward on this sooner. If anybody is prepared to make their presentation on Wednesday, 31 October, please let me know and I will schedule it. It would be great if two or three of you could do so. I would like as many of you as possible to give your presentation in tutorial on 7 November. It might be possible to do all or nearly all of them. The remainder will have to do so at a special voluntary tutorial perhaps in the afternoon of 14 November (or some other mutually arranged date and time) or in tutorial on 28 November. I would rather not have anybody wait until 28 November as that will be quite close to the due date. The main reason for the presentations is to allow for some constructive exchange of ideas that will help you with your writing.

What makes a good topic? You should select an issue relating to Hong Kong's role in the world. As with the POLI0019 editorials, the key is not to choose anything that is too broad, though with 3,000-plus words to play with, you have much more space than in an opinion piece. The paper should seek to answer a particular question or set of questions. This is a research paper so it should be organized as such, with a clear thesis, a line of argument, key points made in a systematic way, refutation of counter-arguments, and a conclusion that may suggest topics or ideas for further research. The paper should be properly annotated, i.e. sources should be noted, and include a bibliography. Please note the policy on online sources as described in the syllabus.

As always, please aim to write as best you can with correct grammar and spelling. But I am fully aware that not everybody's English is to native standard.

If you would like to discuss your topic or any other aspect of this assignment with me, please don't hesitate to arrange an appointment.

Global Citizenship and Industrial Relations in Asia

These University events to promote global citizenship may be of interest to you. You might also be interested in this lecture on industrial relations in Asia.

Looking Forward: Lecture Schedule

I thought I would review the remaining lecture schedule:

31 October
Xu Sitao, Chief China Representative, The Economist Group, and former chief economist, ICBC Asia (from 9.30 am)

Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, Founder and Chairperson, Savantas Policy Institute, and former secretary of security, HKSARG (from 10.15 am)

7 November
Ronnie Chan Chi-chung, Chairman, Hang Lung Group

My lecture will focus on corporate social responsibility and sustainable development.

14 November
Teresa Au, Head of Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability, Asia Pacific Region, HSBC (from 9.30 am)

Dr Olaf Unteroberdoerster, Resident Representative in the HKSAR, International Monetary Fund (from 10.30 am - he will stay for an informal voluntary discussion session with IBGM students over lunch)

Dr Unteroberdoerster will brief us on the recently concluded IMF review of Hong Kong.

21 November
No lecture

28 November
Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, Chairman, Next Media

I will give a final wrap-up lecture for the semester.

Next Week: Two Guests

As I mentioned in class yesterday, we have two very interesting guests next week. Both could only make it on 31 October.

Xu Sitao, Chief Representative in China, The Economist Group, and former chief economist for ICBC Asia, the investment banking arm of China's biggest state bank

Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, (right), Founder and Chairperson, Savantas Policy Institute, and the former secretary of security of the HKSARG

Mr Xu will start at 9.30 am. Mrs Ip will arrive after 10 am and we will start the session with her around 10.15 am. Please try to come on time if you can.

I was keen to have a guest who could give a mainland Chinese perspective on Hong Kong. Mr Xu kindly agreed to stop in Hong Kong on his way to Taiwan specifically so he could join our class.

Mrs Ip needs no introduction. To continue from what we talked about with Emily Lau, she will discuss the dynamics of Hong Kong's relationship with the mainland. She will also talk about her experience in government, particularly in handling the trade and security portfolios. Finally, as the head of a recently established policy think tank, she will give her views on the role of civil society in Hong Kong.

POLI0019 Exam

I am in the process of setting the exam paper for POLI0019 students so I have been giving more thought to how it will proceed. As I mentioned in class yesterday, the Examinations Secretary has set the exam period for Friday, 14 December, from 9.30 am to 11.30 am. The venue is the Lindsay Ride Sports Centre. I know that a couple of students asked if the date could be changed. I looked into this and, unfortunately, this is NOT possible. I'm sorry - the Examinations Secretary is allowing no changes.

What I propose to do is have a fairly simple exam - two or three essay questions not unlike the Questions of the Week that have been posed on the course blog. The questions will be fairly broad in scope. A good essay in response will make reference to what the guest speakers told us during the semester, to any other recognized authorities, and to any of the assigned readings or other material that you may have read. You can also draw from your own experience.

What is important is to provide a clear line of argument with three or four key points that address the question. You should bolster these points with examples, facts and other information. Be as economical as you can. You should make your best effort to write with correct grammar and spelling, but I fully understand that not everyone can write English to a native standard.

I propose to have a review session during the exam period - perhaps on Monday, 10 December - if there is demand.

I should note that POLI0068 students will not need to sit an exam.

POLI0019 Editorials

Again on Mr Wong's good advice, I thought I would write about what makes a good editorial topic. But first, I should announce that we will push back the deadline for the POLI0019 editorials to give you more time to do them. Instead of Friday, 16 November, they will be due on Friday, 23 November, with hard copies delivered to the PPA Department office by the close of business that day. Please see the syllabus for some guidelines. There will be a penalty for late assignments (1/3 a grade per day); an assignment turned in more than three days after the due date will not be accepted.

Even though you have more time for this assignment, I would advise you not to leave it to the last minute, particularly since you will have the debates and the exam for which to prepare. The tutorial-free afternoon on 14 November would be a good time to catch up with any work.

As for selecting a topic, this is very much your choice. If you are working with a partner, you must of course choose a topic together. As I mentioned, I am happy to have those who wish to work alone to do so, but the required length of the article (about 800 words) will remain the same. I strongly recommend that you settle on a topic by the end of the first week of November.

What makes a good topic? The idea is to discuss some aspect of Hong Kong's role in the world. First and foremost, it should be something that interests you. Because the editorial is only about 800 words - 1,000 maximum, you should really choose a topic that can be easily dealt with in an essay of that length. Decide on a question that you want to consider or answer - or one, two or three points that you wish to make. Do not pick anything to broad. Try to narrow your topic, without getting too "micro" in your perspective. For example, it may be more manageable to write a piece arguing that "the direct election of the Chief Executive of Hong Kong cannot be delayed until 2012 because that would be a blow to the SAR's international standing" than it would be to take up the sweeping proposition that "democracy is good for Hong Kong."

Pick a topic that is timely, particularly if you would like to get it published. For example, it might be more interesting to write about the coming Beijing Olympics and the opportunity that this affords for Hong Kong than it would be to write something about the tenth anniversary of the handover.

When it comes to writing the piece, keep it simple. Structure your piece so that it has an introduction that grabs the reader's attention, a topic paragraph up front that tells the reader what it is that you want to say, and then subsequent paragraphs that make your points systematically. Make the paragraphs flow logically from one to the other. Remember that 800 words can go by rather quickly. Buttress your points with any relevant facts or figures. Quote certain authorities if necessary, but this is NOT an academic paper; it is an opinion piece for publication in a newspaper. Finally, stick to a clear line of argument.

I suggest that, if you have not already done so, you might read some of the opinion-page pieces in the South China Morning Post. That would be the best way to get an idea of what good (and perhaps some bad) editorial pieces are like.

As I have mentioned before, you should make your best effort to write with correct grammar and spelling, but I fully appreciate that not everybody's English is to native standard. And of course please take note of the university's policy on plagiarism. I still intend to submit the best of the essays to the South China Morning Post or another publication so this could be a good opportunity for budding writers and journalists.

If you would like to discuss your topic or any aspect of this assignment, please feel free to approach me or Mr Wong. We would be happy to arrange an appointment.

Tutorials: Looking Ahead

After my big goof this week in forgetting that I had cancelled tutorials, Mr Wong and I reviewed the syllabus. This is the tutorial schedule going forward. It is essentially the same as in the syllabus, with key changes starred.

31 October: Tutorials as scheduled
7 November: Tutorials as scheduled
14 November: ***POLI0068 tutorial*** (no POLI0019 tutorials)
21 November: ***POLI0019 tutorial*** (first round of debates)
28 November: Tutorials as scheduled (second round of POLI0019 tutorial debates)
5 December: ***No tutorials***

As you know, I was not aware that Reading Week meant that many students would be away. In retrospect, I should not have had a make-up class and tutorials that week. I was also not aware until yesterday that by 5 December, the exam period will have already started. For that reason, I will not have any lecture or tutorials on 5 December. I would like to have an open review session before the 14 December exam - perhaps on Monday, 10 December? We can talk about that.

To accommodate the POLI0019 tutorial debates and to give enough time to conduct them, Mr Wong and I thought it would be better for him to start them on 21 November, with half of each tutorial section participating in the debate and the other half listening and then critiquing the discussion. On 28 November, the other half of each class will debate and the others will take the role of the judges. Please note that on 21 November there will be no lecture and no POLI0068 IBGM tutorial.

I will post something on the debates and on the POLI0019 and POLI0068 writing assignments soon.

Our Thinking Behind the Tutorials

On the very good advice of Mr Wong, I thought I would take some time to explain our thinking behind the tutorials. I did so at the beginning of the semester, but should probably have done so again after the course shopping period.

Because of my own experience with the American and British education systems, I view the tutorials as an opportunity for students to speak their mind. Of course, I would love to have comments and questions at any time during the lecture, particularly when we have guest speakers. But the tutorials are for you (I can go on a bit, I know). When I took an introductory Economics course as a freshman in the U.S. 26 years ago, we had over a thousand students in the course. During the lecture, the professor spoke and we listened. It was in our "section" meetings of about 15-20 stude nts that we really learned the material through free-for-all discussions of the lectures and the readings.

Later, I had a chance to experience the British tutorial system. I will never forget one of my first tutorial sessions - it was with Joseph Raz, a bearded legal philosopher and scholar of jurisprudence who was quite intimidating. I had done the week's reading and was sitting in an armchair in his study, reading my paper to him. After about ten minutes, he interrupted me, looked me deep in the eyes and said: "That's all very well, but what do you really think!" It was then that I appreciated the value of the tutorial system. It was not meant to rehash what you had heard in lectures or read in books; the tutorial was the time to shape your own thoughts and ideas and defend your own opinions, using what information you had gathered. And it was a time to learn from the exchange of ideas between student and teacher, between students.

This is why we are trying to encourage free-flowing discussion in tutorials, rather than make them too structured. It is perhaps more difficult to do so when there are a dozen or two dozen students in class, but it can be done, and we appreciate your participation so far. Speaking for myself, I have found the IBGM sessions to be quite lively and interesting. I have learned a lot.

So that's the thinking behind the tutorials and what might be viewed as a "less-than-systematic" approach.

Tutorial Schedule and the Exam

THERE WILL BE TUTORIALS NEXT WEEK, WEDNESDAY, 31 OCTOBER.

Mr Wong and I have reviewed the schedule for the remainder of the semester and are making some adjustments. I am preparing to post some announcements on these changes so please check the blog.

On the exam date: A couple of students approached me yesterday regarding the date of the exam for POLI0019 students. The Examinations Secretary of the University set the time and date of the exam for Friday, 14 December, 9.30 am - 11.30 am. I am told that this date and time cannot be changed, I am afraid.

After Emily

Two students have posted very interesting comments on yesterday's discussion with Emily Lau so I thought I would link them here and open a separate thread, as the original thread is not linked to a posting that relates to any specific issue and could be overlooked. Please contribute. Again, don't feel you have to write anything long; it's the ideas and your participation that are important.

Lecture Six Summary

Those who were unable to attend last week's Reading Week lecture may be interested in a summary of the session on the role of the media which I have just posted. I have uploaded the ppt presentationf for Lecture Six on to the WebCT site, along with all the other lecture slides.