Faculty of the Arts

Dean’s Message

Whether you are a new student or a visitor to the Faculty of Arts, you are welcome to get to know us better by exploring the many sites that make up our homepage!

Here you will discover the reasons our Faculty is recognised throughout the world as a key institution for teaching, researching and promoting the best that the cultures of both East and West have to offer. As one of the oldest and largest faculties in HKU, we have an enviable reputation as a top academic enterprise in the region. Located in Hong Kong, we are ideally situated to carry out the task of investigating how the humanities, particularly the key elements of the East-West interface, have been shaped and transformed in modern times.

You will find that within each department, program and discipline, our staff and students are all dedicated to fulfilling the mission of the Faculty to develop creative talents and analytical skills and to further a broad appreciation of the intrinsic joys and value of the Arts. Our aim is to enable all Faculty members to develop to their full potential. We believe that as well-informed, innovative and happy individuals, our staff and students are well equipped for the challenges of a rapidly changing world. And they are able to serve the community both locally and internationally in a host of fields.

We have over 200 full-time teaching staff and about 100 part-time and non-academic staff. Over 90 administrative, executive and office staff support the academics and their students. Our alumni provide vital links between the Faculty and the outside world. Faculty of Arts alumni have a diverse range of occupations and regularly contribute to HKU events. Together, we form a team that takes HKU's proud history and tradition to new heights. We are aware that complex problems in the contemporary world demand subtle, new approaches. Well-trodden paths and simple solutions are no longer adequate for the twenty-first century. Our staff value imaginative perspectives and many adopt inter-disciplinary and cross-disciplinary teaching and research methods. You will find in these pages the courses (both undergraduate and postgraduate) offered by our highly qualified, energetic team. Through the information provided on individual staff members' research activities, you will also discover why HKU Arts continues to be the focal point of academic life in the University.

Naturally, even though we try to present as much information as we can on these pages, electronic communication has its limits. You are very welcome to come and visit HKU's splendid new Centennial Campus, which includes the Arts Faculty's new home in the Run Run Shaw Tower. We hope you will be able to participate in our numerous activities and become a member or supporter of the HKU Faculty of Arts!

Professor Derek Collins
Dean
Faculty of Arts

To find out more about the Faculty of the Arts please click here.