THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG
CCGL9070
THE BIRTH OF THE CITY AND THE SHAPING OF SOCIETIES
2023–2024 (SEMESTER TWO) COURSE SYLLABUS
(detailed arrangements subject to change)
Further Information Concerning Course Assignments:
Required and recommended reading and short films:
Students are required to complete the required readings and short films or documentaries
assigned for each week prior to the corresponding lecture. They are also required to finish
watching the required short films or documentaries before Sat 27 April 2024. They are
encouraged to finish the recommended readings (one could earn extra points by
completing the extra readings marked and interacting with the recommended readings
in the weekly short questions and essays) and utilize other learning resources recommended
for the courses. Please view the full list of required and recommended readings and other
learning resources in the reading and other learning resources folder in the course Moodle.
Weekly discussion questions:
Each student is required to submit two discussion questions each week starting from week 3,
covering the teaching materials for weeks 2–11. The questions will be based on the students’
critical knowledge of, interaction with, and reflection on the required reading materials,
required short films or documentaries, and lectures. They are due by 21:00 one day before
the corresponding tutorials. The discussion questions for week 2 ‘Ancient Syrian and Iraq’
and week 3 ‘Ancient Assyria’ are combined, still only two questions, and are due 21:00 on
the day prior to the corresponding tutorials, starting from week 3. For example, if your
first tutorial is on Mon 5 Feb 2024, then your combined discussion questions for week 2
‘Ancient Syrian and Iraq’ and week 3 ‘Ancient Assyria’, still only two questions, are due
21:00 on Sunday 4 February 2024. In total there will be 18 discussion questions to submit.
Students are invited to bring their questions to each tutorial for discussion.
Weekly short essays:
Each student is required to submit one short essay (maximum 200 words) each week starting
from week 3, covering the teaching materials for weeks 2–11. The essay will be in response
to the one or more guiding questions from one of the following five categories, as students
critically interact with the required readings and short films/documentaries and lectures.
1. Spatial & Physical Aspects: urban form/morphology vis-à-vis human settlement
patterns
• Urban landscape:
o Topography: how does topography shape urban landscape and
morphology?
o Supporting environments and urban hinterlands:
• What is the relationship between cities and their hinterlands?
• What are good examples of interaction between urban development
and regional development (e.g., urban core, metropolitan
areas, and hinterlands)?
• Why is such interaction important for cities? To what extent does
such interaction affect urban development and urban
living?
o Urban layout:
• What are the defining physical and spatial layouts of urban landscapes in
different urban societies? How do they tell us about the
design and planning principles, social organisation and stratification, key
functions of these urban societies, and their social and
cultural ethos and values?
• How do urban forms, landscapes, and built environments shape human
thinking and behaviours?
• How do the physical forms, spatial arrangements, social organisation,
technological advancements, social fabric, and cultural life of
cities work together in forging urban visions, beliefs, and values and
shaping urban practices to make cities demonstrations of
power and control as well as viable and vibrant places for human
settlement?
o What are the key components of the built environment in a city (e.g., the
governing elite buildings and monuments, public
spaces and infrastructure, production and distribution sites, and
residential areas)?
• Organic urban growth and evolution vis-à-vis planned urban growth
o How did cities emerge? Did they grow organically or emerge through
planning?
o Which social groups and institutions were chiefly responsible for city-
making? To what extent do the cities they built reflect
their interests and the interests of urban population?
o Could you identify examples of multi-objective and multi-dimensional
nature of urban planning or city-making and how
these objectives and dimensions were coordinated spatially,
organisationally and otherwise?
o If you were to build your own city as a mayor, what would your chief
objectives, principles and considerations be?
• Urban economy vis-à-vis urban form
o How does the urban form reflect the urban economy (trading towns, port
cities, industrial cities, university towns, etc.)?
What about the metropolises with more complex economies?
• Urban networks and clusters on regional, national, and international levels
2. Structural Aspects: social organisation & urban governance
• How do cities organise themselves socially and economically so as to
function properly?
• What are the political structures and decision-making mechanisms of cities?
How do these interact with state and national
governance institutions and international organisations?
• What are the major institutions responsible for urban development and
governance?
• How is urban citizenship defined? What are the rights and responsibilities?
3. Functional Aspects: urban society, culture, and life
• What are the economic, social, and cultural functions of cities?
• How do these functions interact with one another?
4. Temporal Aspects: historical circumstances, forces, and process (continuities,
disruptions, and contingencies)
• Climatic and environment factors:
o How do the changing climates and environment affect cities?
• Evolution and developmental trajectories and major milestones in human
settlement and movement patterns, and socio-
economic, geo-political and cultural developments:
o What are the key motivations, circumstances, issues, guiding principles,
priorities, methods, agents, and institutions involved
in the making and remaking of cities in different urban societies and how
have these evolved over time?
o What are the major changes in social, political, and cultural values that
influence the planning principles and practices in
historical and contemporary societies?
o What are the chief characteristics of contemporary city-making that differentiate
itself from previous generations of city-making?
o What kind of lifecycles do cities go through? How do these affect cities?
• Urban legacy and heritage
o What are the lasting heritages achieved by major urban civilisations, such as
Assyrian, Greco-Roman, Chinese, Medieval and early
modern European, in city-making?
o How have the past urban societies shaped cities and urban living in later eras?
Or what are the aspects of urban form, governance, and
life in the urban societies we have explored that continue to shape our urban
experience today (e.g., Greek and Roman public buildings
and infrastructure and urban layouts on the one hand and classical urban
governance and citizenship on the other)?
o If you had to choose to live in one of the urban civilizations we cover in this
course, which one would you choose and why? How would
you be shaped as an individual in such urban society?
o Imagine you were to live 100 years (or 200 years) in the future from now and to
carry out an assessment of today’s Hong Kong (or any
other cities you are from). What are the greatest and lasting legacies or
achievements of the city you would identity?
• Challenges, lessons, and prospects
o What are the major issues and challenges faced by historical, modern and
contemporary cities that threaten their viability and lead to
urban decline or demise? How do urban societies manage to overcome these
issues to achieve urban regeneration, renewal, and
innovation?
o What are the major lessons we could learn from past and contemporary urban
societies that could help us plan and make cities more
sustainable, resilient, safe, healthy, aesthetically attractive, economically viable
and competitive, and culturally stimulating and
inclusive?
o What are the major problems of contemporary cities you would think future
cities could overcome?
The essays are due by 21:00 one day before the corresponding tutorials. The short essays
for week 2 ‘Ancient Syrian and Iraq’ and week 3 ‘Ancient Assyria’ are combined, as one
essay but with the word limit of 400, which is due 21:00 on the day prior to the
corresponding tutorials, starting from week 3. For example, if your first tutorial is on Mon
5 Feb 2024, then your combined short essay for week 2 ‘Ancient Syrian and Iraq’ and week 3
‘Ancient Assyria’, is due 21:00 on Sunday 4 February 2024. In total there will be 9 short
essays to submit. Students are invited to bring their questions to each tutorial for discussion.
Group projects and field trips:
1. Options ((specific arrangements are subject to change):
Option 1: led by Tutor Mr Lucas Wong
Group Project Area: (Re-)Defining Culture in National Discourses and Lived Experience
Field Trip: West Kowloon Cultural District (WKCD)
13:30–17:30, Wed 6 March 2024
Option 2: led by Tutor Ms Christiana Chu
Group Project Area: HKSTP and Northern Metropolis Development Strategy: Past, Present,
and Future
Filed Trips: The Hong Kong Science Park (HKSP), Pak Shek Kok
11:00–16:00, Tues 5 March 2024
Option 3: led by Tutor Mr Haotian Man
Group Project Area: Urban Governance and Social Development: comparing Kai Tak and
the Northern Metropolis NDA
Field Trip: Kai Tak Development
13:30-17:30, Thurs 7 March 2024
Option 4: led by Tutor Dr Bobby Tam
Group Project Area: Balancing Urban Development and Environmental Preservation
Field Trip: TKO New Town
13:30–17:00, Fri 8 March 2024
Please view further details in the Group Project and Field Trip document in the
corresponding folder in the course Moodle.
2. Assignments:
Field trip: Each student is required to go on a field trip led by her or his tutor. The trip is
arranged to take place during the Reading Week.
Students are required to pay for their own transportation cost and the admission
fee (if required and may need to be collected prior to
the trip for securing the booking or reservation) for the sites visited. Tutors may
organise students in small groups of 3–4 during the
visit at certain sites due to the requirement of the sites for not having large groups.
One field trip report of observations and reflections: Each student is required to
submit a field trip report of observations and reflections
(maximum 600 words with a few photos taken from the trip) after the
completion of the field trip by 21:00 on Mon 11 March
2024.
Group project poster, PPT, oral presentation, and the script: Each tutorial group
(maximum 10 students) is required to design one poster
and a PPT for the final presentation on a group project assigned and led by
their tutor (please view information about the
section 3 ‘Assignments and Assessment’ and further details in the Group
Projects and Field Trips document in the
corresponding folder in the Moodle). Tutors are scheduled to start guiding
students in preparation for the projects from week
3 onwards. Each tutorial group is required to submit their specific project
proposal (max. 600 words and an outline in PPT
format) by 21:00 on Fri 1 March 2024, and then a mid-term update (max.
600 words and an outline in PPT format) by 21:00
on Thurs 21 March 2024. The final poster and PPT are due by 21:00,
Saturday 13 April 2024. The group presentation will
be given in class either on Wed 17 April 2024 or on Wed 24 April 2024.
And the final script of presentation must be
submitted two days after the presentation.
Further details about the assignments and assessment for the group projects will be
provided by the tutors during the tutorials.
Final research essay:
Each student is required to write a research essay comparing one urban issue,
community/settlement, or city (best a capital or major city) in one urban civilization with one
urban issue, community/settlement, or city (best a capital or major city) in another urban
civilisation during specific periods (e.g., Tang Chang’an, Northern Wei Luoyang, Republic
Rome) covered in this course. The urban issues, communities/settlements, or cities under
study need to be comparable. We ask each student to approach this comparative research
project from one of the following angles:
1. Spatial and Physical Aspects: urban form & morphology vis-à-vis human
settlement patterns
e.g., how did the urban form reflect political, economic, technological, and cultural
developments and impact contemporary and
succeeding urban development and societies?
Examples:
• the rise of public space, such as agora in ancient Greece and forum in ancient Rome,
in relation to the development of democracy in Classical
Antiquity
• the rise of the ward system and its disintegration in imperial China and the
implications of these for urban governance, society, and life
• the development of infrastructure crucial for urban growth, especially cannels and
aqueducts, in ancient Assyria, China, and Rome
• medieval castles vs. star forts during the Renaissance and the early modern period
• how was the humanistic urban planning during the Renaissance period in Italy (e.g.,
Pienza) different from urban planning in previous
periods and in other regions?
• Roman insulae vs. apartment building blocks in Haussmann's Paris
• medieval irregular and sinuous street layout (e.g., Vienna) vs. the Grand Manner of
the Baroque Period (e.g., Roman, Paris, Washington,
D.C.)
2. Structural Aspects: social organisation & urban governance
Examples:
• How was urban governance in the Roman Republic similar to or different from that
of other urban civilisations, especially in terms of
hierarchy, the governance structure, and citizenship? How were the similarities and
differences reflected in the urban form?
• governance of markets in imperial China and historical Europe
3. Functional Aspects: urban culture, society, and life
Examples:
• athletic culture in ancient Greece vs. gladiator games in ancient Rome, and how these
were reflected in the built environment
• life in the public square in ancient Greece vs. life in the public square during the
Enlightenment Era, and how these were represented by
different built forms
• gardens in France vs. gardens in England during the early modern period
• citizen participation in public affairs in ancient Greece and the Enlightenment
Europe
4. Temporal Aspects: historical circumstances, factors, and processes involved in
making and remaking of cities
Examples:
• How did the codification and standardisation of urban planning and architectural
traditions in ancient China (e.g., kaogongji), Greece (e.g.,
Hippodamus), Rome (e.g., Vitruvius), and the Renaissance (e.g., Alberti) influence
urban planning and architectural practices and urban
landscapes in contemporary and succeeding urban developments?
• the expansion of the Greek poleis through Greek colonies vs. the expansion of
religious and self-sustaining communities (e.g., monasteries
and abbeys) in Europe and Britain which facilitated urban development during the
Middle Ages
• the conflicts during the Middle Ages which led to the drastic increase of fortified
cities or castles vs. the rise of fortified cities in imperial
China
If you describe city planning or architectural design, you need to include urban layout maps
or architectural design illustrations. Otherwise, it is too abstract. It is important to avoid
making vague and general statements without some concrete and specific analyses, examples,
and case studies. Maps, charts and the bibliography will not be counted towards the word
limit. If you need a limited extension for the word limit due to the topic you choose, please
contact your tutor for consultation as soon as possible. Also, make sure you don’t use a
specialised terminology or jargon without some brief explanation or context.
Each student is required to submit her/his specific essay proposal (maximum 600 words and
an outline in PPT format) by 21:00, Thurs 21 March 2024. She or he also needs to submit
a progress update (as above) by 21:00, Tues 16 April 2024. The final draft of the essay
(maximum 1,250 words) is due 21:00, Mon 6 May 2024.
The course teaching team aims to finish marking (with comments if necessary) the submitted
weekly discussion questions and short essays within a week. The marking of other submitted
works may take longer. Students are expected to check the markings by the teaching team in
their Moodle submission accounts.
Rules for Submission
Students are required to submit their work via the course’s Moodle portal according to the
due dates. Failure to submit will lead to a deduction in the section grade proportionally (e.g.,
if a student fails to submit one week’s short questions, 10% of this section grade, i.e., 10
points, will be deducted). Late submission will not be accepted except for extenuating
circumstances, such as family or personal emergency, in which case the student normally
needs to notify her or his tutor 3 days in advance.
Rules for Academic Writing Style and Referencing
Please follow the proper rules of academic referencing and writing style and conventions in
submitted written works. We suggest following the Chicago Manual of Style. Students are
required to carefully check the spelling, grammar, style, and structure of their written work
before submission through the course Moodle. As indicated in the follow section ‘Course
Grade Descriptors’, poor spelling, grammar, and style will affect the grades.
Policy on plagiarism: Students are required to abide by the University of Hong Kong’s
regulations on copyrights and plagiarism. Violation in this regard will lead to a failed grade.
Please visit the University webpage https://tl.hku.hk/plagiarism/ for information.
