In principle, this section of the system offered to equip students with a broad-based general education, the curricula of Associate Degree programmes in this College are also designed with foci on a wide range of academic disciplines and professional specialisms to provide students with solid preparation for their university studies or future employment.
Online Resource, Collaboration and Advising System, or ORCAS in short, is a newly developed online system to offer a convenient way for student to find academic resources. ORCAS is open-sourced, the construction of the database is a collaborative process of all students, teacher and project staff.
Writings, one of the greatest invention that human ever created; they allow people to communicate freely through time, space and langauge differences. Knowledge is distributed widely by different formats of writings, our ancestors' knowledge was preserved and delievered despite we are not living in the same time and space with them. Hence, writing is the foundation of knowledge, and reading and creating academic writings will occupy most your study time.
Journal articles are the most important building blocks of your essays and presentations, they are the source of reliable knowledge and they are the key to make your writings more convincing. Teachers will definitely give lists of reading materials that related to their teachings, but what really makes your assignment shines are materials that you look up beyond your course reading lists. We would like to recommend two free journal databases to you and we wish you woudl find materials that could help polishing your assignments:
Taylor & Francis Online free journal database that provide a wide range of journal articles from the social sciences, humanities and business studies field. Despite not every article offers a free access to the public, the database updates frequently and contents are rich enough to support most studies.
Nature is another journal databse that we recommend, it provides articles of various natural science discplines. Most articles offered by nature are free access and you should be able to find most updated ideas now popular in the academia.
Theoretical debate is important, but you need real life proof sometimes, and news articles will be something that you need. News is a record of the most recent events happened in real life, and probably the best thing to analyse; current online newspapers would also achieve newspaper reports from decades ago, which allows you to compare the past and the present.
The Standard is a free online newspaper that based in Hong Kong, it has limitless access and you could find the most localised material for your case studies.
CNBC is an American Online Newspaper, it free and limitless. Its strength is critiques and analysis on business, stock markets and economy.
BBC News, a very historical and authoritative news agency that based in the UK; it has a wide range of news that covers information from all over the world and all times.
It is a digital era, things got digitalised and knowledge always comes in various format for you to choose. Reading can be boring, so why not try learning from videos? Moving pictures and catchy narrators are always some attractive, right?
Referenceable resources
Many academic magazines and publications require paid subscription but they do publish videos that can be freely access online. With the creditability of the publishers themselves, these videos can be used as reference in your assignments. The YouTube channels below provide a wide range of short videos that cover almost every discipline.
Wall Street Journal, The Economist and Times are a few publishers that require paid subscriptions that create high quality videos on YouTube, covering different social issues range from pet rights to international relations, you can always find a great video that suits you.
Inspiring resources (but you cannot cite in your essays)
It is very common that you stuck mid-way of your assignment and run out of ideas, the following YouTube channels may help you out. They are informational videos that are well organised and often give you a new insight of a particular issue.
The School of Life introduces a lot of social science topics and some of them you might not even heard of; psychology, sociology and philosophy are just a few disciplines that they would step on.
Case studies can be a headache for you if you cannot come up with an idea, and what if we told you there are actually people doing case study videos on almost every issue and uploading them online. Half and interesting, The Life Guide and PolyMatter are a few YouTube channels that do in-depth case studies on a huge amount of social issues, including climate change, poverty, Bitcoin, cultural invasion etc.
A familiar language can be a great boost in your understanding of contents, that is why we are recommending the following Taiwan YouTube channels. SuperY is a channel do videos on social sciences, philosophy and book review, the channel owner often refer to academic journals that you can actually use as your essays' references. Vincent's Reading is a channel that specialise on doing to book introductions, the host will walk you through influential books like "Rich Dad, Poor Dad", "Thinking, Fast and Slow" and "Ultra learning"
Other resources
Assessment tasks are evolving, essays and exams are still the most common assessments that you would encounter, but assignments that require multimedia involvement are starting to take up more and more parts of your assessments. Therefore, we found some resources for you to create nice and attractive slides, presentations and videos.
Pixabay is a free source of loyalty-free photos and videos, and check it out and get some pictures to flourish your slides now! By the way, don't forget to give credits to the creators.
Supportive Video for LASSI Achievements: Time Management
https://orcas.uowchk.edu.hk/search?query=Supportive%20Video%20for%20LASSI%20Achievements%3A%20Time%20Management
Supportive Video for LASSI Achievements: Attitude
https://orcas.uowchk.edu.hk/search?query=Supportive%20Video%20for%20LASSI%20Achievements%3A%20Attitude
Supportive Video for LASSI Achievements: Motivation
https://orcas.uowchk.edu.hk/search?query=Supportive%20Video%20for%20LASSI%20Achievements%3A%20Motivation
Supportive Video for LASSI Achievements: Fighting Anxiety
https://orcas.uowchk.edu.hk/search?query=Supportive%20Video%20for%20LASSI%20Achievements%3A%20Fighting%20Anxiety
Apart from discipline specific knowledge, learning includes a large variety of supporting skills and resources, such as language skills, illustrations and references. They act like vitamin to our body, you would live without having sufficient intake of vitamin, but your body will not function as smooth as you wish; supporting skills and resources are similar, you can still learn and apply knowledge, but in less effective ways. We have gathered a variety of support materials, and all of them are FREE! Please check out everything below and you will definitely find something useful for your study.
Needless to say that English is a crucial element your study, most of your assignments and presentations are done in English, most of your academic materials are written in English. SEE U, developed by the College with the support from previous QESS funding, is a set of English self-training materials that you could complete to enhance you English. So why not visit and start enhancing your English today!
Things look dull and boring if the same wordings keep repeating, and here is where synonyms come in handy. Words with same or similar meanings would be one of the keys to make your assignments outstanding. Thesaurus.com is an online thesaurus that would provide synonyms within a click! Just make sure that you are using the words correctly!
English can be annoying sometimes, when you cannot pick between raise and rise, or in other similar scenarios; you may want to consult an English expert and it seems there is not anyone that you could ask immediately. Online Cambridge Dictionary would be the best to solve your English issues, especially when you are doing your assignment alone.
You are reaching the end of your assignment and here comes the most professional part of it, creating your reference list. Sequence, Italics, brackets... these are causing headaches to many young students, however, thanks to the quick development of technology, there are online assistance for you to generate and create a formal, neat and organised reference list. CiteMachine is one of the simplest and most reliable online citing assistance that you can use. So... What are you waiting for? Try it in the next assignment.
What makes literature so fascinating to study is, regardless of how many theories and principles have been proposed, there will never be a definite interpretation of what the author truly thinking when he/she was writing the piece. Literature is not just a reflection of the author's mind, but also a reflection of the soceity that the author lives in, that is why studying literature would give us lens to see a world the located distantly in time and space through the author's words.
Abdulrazak Gurnah, Nbel Literature Priza 2021 winner, had been writing the world that he sees in the Tarzanian civil war and the lives of African refugees in Europe, let's dive into the news and interviews of him to know more about the world reconstructed by his pen.
1. Nobel Literature Prize 2021: Abdulrazak Gurnah named winner. (2021, October 7). BBC News. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-58828947.
2. Roth, F., Holzenthal, M., & Zingel, L. (2016, January 21). Interview with Abdulrazak Gurnah. other. Retrieved from https://www.afraso.org/sites/default/files/downloads/Interview%20with%20Abdulrazak%20Gurnah-1.pdf.
Language, the daily tool that everybody to communicate with others, but do you truly know how does a language function? You might have learnt verb, nouns, vowels and so on in you English class, however, language is way more than these simple building blocks. Are there any common features shared among all languages? What are the uniqueness of each languauge? How can a language die and then ressurrect?
Language
Language, the daily tool that everybody to communicate with others, but do you truly know how does a language function? You might have learnt verb, nouns, vowels and so on in you English class, however, language is way more than these simple building blocks. Are there any common features shared among all languages? What are the uniqueness of each languauge? How can a language die and then ressurrect?
Lindsay Morcom: A history of Indigenous languages -- and how to revitalize them
Techniques for screenwriting | 編劇技巧
https://orcas.uowchk.edu.hk/search?query=Techniques%20for%20screenwriting
Hero's Journey: Myths, Screen Writings and Life | 英雄旅程：神話、劇作與人生
https://orcas.uowchk.edu.hk/search?query=Myths%2C%20Screen%20Writings%20and%20Life
How to Tell a Story with Film | 電影說故事
https://orcas.uowchk.edu.hk/search?query=How%20to%20Tell%20a%20Story%20with%20Film
Vincent by Don McLean: Lyrics analysis | 歌詞鑑賞—麥克林與梵高傳
https://orcas.uowchk.edu.hk/search?query=Vincent%20by%20Don%20McLean%3A%20Lyrics%20analysis%20
VARK Learning Style | VARK學習法
https://orcas.uowchk.edu.hk/search?query=VARK%20Learning%20Style%20
Voice-over Skills | 配音技巧
https://orcas.uowchk.edu.hk/search?query=Voice-over%20Skills%20
How to Improve our Konglish Accent? | 「港」好英文
https://orcas.uowchk.edu.hk/search?query=How%20to%20Improve%20our%20Konglish%20Accent
Stream of Consciousness | 意識流
https://orcas.uowchk.edu.hk/search?query=Stream%20of%20Consciousness
Design Fundamentals | 設計入門
https://orcas.uowchk.edu.hk/search?query=Design%20Fundamentals
Economics, as one of the central philosophies that how the business world operates, is important and complex, it includes not only how money flows around the world, demand and numbers, it also includes resources management, human desires and workplace culture. Nobel Prize-winning economist Esther Duflo has an in-depth research on the problem of extensively long working hours of the modern times, Check the CNBC news report for some inspiration of how things can be fixed.
Alicia, D. (2021, October 5). At Work Nobel Prize-winning economist: The world of long work hours is ripe for a revolution. CNBC. Retrieved from https://www.cnbc.com/2021/10/05/nobel-winning-economist-world-of-long-work-hours-ripe-for-revolution.html.
Trade
Under magical power of capitalism, everything, regardless of form, size, shape etc., has its tradability, the only difference between different tradables is value; gems, houses and crytocurrency seem to be more valuable than eggs, bus rides and labour forces. Some questions are often asked, what determines a good's or a service's value? Why this is more expensive than that? Why prices change? In this section, we found some trades and markets that worth investing time to explore.
Gold market
Gold, a scarce metal with its very own colour and an attractive glamorous appreance, is one of the most expensive metal on earth and a common tradable. High school science class had taught us that gold is not a metal that can be widely used in daily, it is soft and it melts easily when it is close to a heat source, hence the most common usage of gold is to create jewelry. How come a "daily useless" metal has its own market? Apart from scarcity, what makes gold so expensive? The video created by the Wall Street Journal would probable answer these questions from you.
Carbon market
Wait! What? Carbon has it own market as well? Surely yes, but they are not trading diamonds, charcoals and pencil cores. Carbon market is trading carbon credits, the tradable certificate or permit representing the right to emit one tonne of carbon dioxide or the equivalent amount of a different greenhouse gas. And next question, how do the market work? Who has the right to emit, sell and buy? The Economist is going to tell what is the carbon market.
Mechanism and highlights | 強積金及注意事項
https://orcas.uowchk.edu.hk/search?query=Mechanism%20and%20highlights
Sharing economy | 共享經濟
https://orcas.uowchk.edu.hk/search?query=Sharing%20economy
Digital marketing advantage during the pandemic | 數碼營銷在疫情下的優勢
https://orcas.uowchk.edu.hk/search?query=Digital%20marketing%20advantage%20during%20the%20pandemic
Green Bond: Factors on its price | 什麼是綠色債券及什麼因素影響其價格
https://orcas.uowchk.edu.hk/search?query=Green%20Bond%3A%20Factors%20on%20its%20price
Online Marketing | 如何在網絡行銷？
https://orcas.uowchk.edu.hk/search?query=Online%20Marketing
Pollution, deforestation, overhunting... these are some words that had been mentioned more and more frequently; it is undeniable that human has harmed that Earth, hence the most important thing is, how can be heal the world? Human development since the industrial revolution had brought devastating impact to the planet, and most impacts are irreversible by today's technolgy; hence, rather than blaming and arguing on the responsibility, we should focus on the questions below:
Our devastations on the natural environment should never be seen as a single event, disasters last way longer than we could imagine. The following videos and articles had covered a few recent events and we hope that you could have a better idea of the chained effect of a single devasting event cause by, no others, but the Homo Saipiens.
Bushfire in the Amazon rainforest
Food crisis led by global climate change
Tropical forests have big climate benefits beyond carbon storage
Tonga eruption: Robot boat to map explosive volcano's aftermath
There is always hope at the darkest time, scientists are developing technologies and devices to help fix the world.
Potty-trained cattle could help reduce pollution
Mathematics is the foundation of many disciplines of studies and is always the "must study" subject in many education systems. It can be as simple as single digits calculations, or as complicated as the calculations done quantum physcists, but no matter what, maths is part of our life. There is always a debate on the importance of maths in various fields, and what do you think?
How the strange idea of "statistical significance" was born.
Introduction to UX/UI | 媒體使用者體驗及介面
https://orcas.uowchk.edu.hk/search?query=Introduction%20to%20UX
Introduction to Cryptocurrency | 虛擬貨幣
https://orcas.uowchk.edu.hk/search?query=Introduction%20to%20Cryptocurrency
It is very common to find politicians mentioning that people without political senses and knowledge should not play the political games, but is this the real case? Politics actually relates to every single aspect of our daily life, range from the price of a grain of rice to a trigger of a war. It is undeniable that people can always play a better game if they are more keen and more sensible, but should people with ordiniary talent be rejected from the system? The cases below are recent issues that everybody should know and understand, the issue itself might be an localised problem, however, the reach of their impact can be way further you think.
The winners of 2021 Nobel Peace Prize, Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov, had beenfighting for the freedom of expression in their home countries for decades. Despite being arrested and accused, they still stand up to fight for the goal. Rather than knowing what they have done in the past decades, it is more important to know, what drives them to fight.
Do you think you are living in a world that playing fair to all genders? Yes? No? It is a very personal answer. The key of the question is not your answer of "yes" or "no", but the expression of "all genders". Gender is different from sex, it is determined by mostly social factors and one's self-understanding, and should not be confined in man and woman. The world is growing, so do the variation of gender; and this growth is a sign to us that, there are new challenges coming in. When gender issues cannot be simply explained on the grounds of men and women, what should be taken account to make everybody happy? Feminism, transgenderism and non-binary marriage are some of the hottest debate in recent years, shall we go through it one after the other.
Do you ever feel like you were born into a wrong body? Feeling like you would never behave as how others think you should be, in terms of gender. This is basically what what transgender people feel in their original life. With good care, kids undergoing their gender exploration would suffer way less than other transgender people.
Politics and International relationship
It is very common to find politicians mentioning that people without political senses and knowledge should not play the political games, but is this the real case? Politics actually relates to every single aspect of our daily life, range from the price of a grain of rice to a trigger of a war. It is undeniable that people can always play a better game if they are more keen and more sensible, but should people with ordiniary talent be rejected from the system? The cases below are recent issues that everybody should know and understand, the issue itself might be an localised problem, however, the reach of their impact can be way further you think.
Talibans' Afghanistan
The most stunning news of 2021, who would believe that a group of "terrorist" will come back to power and rule Afghanitan again? The extreme group claims that they had changed and modernised, and will combine their tradition virtues with the mordern norms which they used to depict as diseent. Wall Street Journal had summarised the past 20 years of Taliban for you.
China's Economy
China is the one of the biggest economy in the world, even a minor change in its market would lead to a huge change in world market. Imagine China as the Giant Goliath in the Old Testament of Bible, no matter how big, how strong a body is, there is always a weak spot, will there be another economic body that would act as David would beaten the giant?
Myanmar
Myanmar has been staying in its unstable political environment since its independence, why would this country fall into its current situation? Did British colonial government leave some problems behind to hinder their own democractic development? How about the military?
Gender Studies
Do you think you are living in a world that playing fair to all genders? Yes? No? It is a very personal answer. The key of the question is not your answer of "yes" or "no", but the expression of "all genders". Gender is different from sex, it is determined by mostly social factors and one's self-understanding, and should not be confined in man and woman. The world is growing, so do the variation of gender; and this growth is a sign to us that, there are new challenges coming in. When gender issues cannot be simply explained on the grounds of men and women, what should be taken account to make everybody happy? Feminism, transgenderism and non-binary marriage are some of the hottest debate in recent years, shall we go through it one after the other.
Feminism
The World Wars had proved the power of women is no less than the men's, and that was the point where modern feminism bloomed. Half century had passed, what are the changes?
Ecological System Theory
https://orcas.uowchk.edu.hk/search?query=Ecological%20System%20Theory
Practical of Law – Tort Law (Negligence)
https://orcas.uowchk.edu.hk/search?query=Practical%20of%20Law%20%E2%80%93%20Tort%20Law%20%28Negligence%29
Rule of Law
https://orcas.uowchk.edu.hk/search?query=Rule%20of%20Law
Bystander Effect
https://orcas.uowchk.edu.hk/search?query=Bystander%20Effect
Sports and Health
https://orcas.uowchk.edu.hk/search?query=Sports%20and%20Health
Contract law | 合約法
https://orcas.uowchk.edu.hk/search?query=Contract%20law
Access to Justice: Legal aid Mechanism in Hong Kong | 香港法律援助機制
https://orcas.uowchk.edu.hk/search?query=Access%20to%20Justice%3A%20Legal%20aid%20Mechanism%20in%20Hong%20Kong
Experiential Learning Theory | 經驗學習法
https://orcas.uowchk.edu.hk/search?query=Experiential%20Learning%20Theory
Milgram experiment - A Study on Obedience to Authority | 米爾格倫實驗 - 權力服從研究
https://orcas.uowchk.edu.hk/search?query=Milgram%20experiment%20-%20A%20Study%20on%20Obedience%20to%20Authority
Misattribution of Arousal | 吊橋效應
https://orcas.uowchk.edu.hk/search?query=Misattribution%20of%20Arousal
Person-Centred Counselling The Necessary Conditions for Therapeutic Change | 個人中心治療
https://orcas.uowchk.edu.hk/search?query=Person-Centred%20Counselling%20The%20Necessary%20Conditions%20for%20Therapeutic%20Change
Borderline Personality Disorder | 邊緣性人格障礙
https://orcas.uowchk.edu.hk/search?query=Borderline%20Personality%20Disorder
Introduction to Critical Thinking | 批判性思考
https://orcas.uowchk.edu.hk/search?query=Introduction%20to%20Critical%20Thinking
Equal Pay in Hong Kong | 香港的薪酬平等
https://orcas.uowchk.edu.hk/search?query=Equal%20Pay%20in%20Hong%20Kong
Is the Internet making us stupid? | 別讓互聯網令我們變笨
https://orcas.uowchk.edu.hk/search?query=Is%20the%20Internet%20making%20us%20stupid
Site selection of Government-owned incinerator | 公營焚化爐選址論
https://orcas.uowchk.edu.hk/search?query=Site%20selection%20of%20Government-owned%20incinerator
Defense mechanism | 心理防禦機制
https://orcas.uowchk.edu.hk/search?query=Defense%20mechanism
Autism | 自閉症
https://orcas.uowchk.edu.hk/search?query=Autism
Cultural Communication Breakdown | 跨文化溝通障礙
https://orcas.uowchk.edu.hk/search?query=Cultural%20Communication%20Breakdown
Stress and its coping strategies | 壓力與處理方法
https://orcas.uowchk.edu.hk/search?query=Stress%20and%20its%20coping%20strategies
Social Comparison Theory | 社會比較理論
https://orcas.uowchk.edu.hk/search?query=Social%20Comparison%20Theory
Structured-functional Approach | 結構功能主義
https://orcas.uowchk.edu.hk/search?query=Structured-functional%20Approach
Prejudice, Stereotypes, Discrimination and Oppression | 偏見、刻板印象、歧視與壓迫
https://orcas.uowchk.edu.hk/search?query=Prejudice%2C%20Stereotypes%2C%20Discrimination%20and%20Oppression
Masculinity in Chinese society | 中國社會的男性展現
https://orcas.uowchk.edu.hk/search?query=Masculinity%20in%20Chinese%20society
Objectification | 物化
https://orcas.uowchk.edu.hk/search?query=Objectification
What is Communication? | 溝通
https://orcas.uowchk.edu.hk/search?query=What%20is%20Communication
Solution-focused Therapy | 焦點解決治療
https://orcas.uowchk.edu.hk/search?query=Solution-focused%20Therapy
Sleepwalking | 夢遊症
https://orcas.uowchk.edu.hk/search?query=Sleepwalking
Flashbulb Memory | 閃光燈記憶
https://orcas.uowchk.edu.hk/search?query=Flashbulb%20Memory
Research Method for Social Sciences | 研究社會科學的方法
https://orcas.uowchk.edu.hk/search?query=Research%20Method%20for%20Social%20Sciences
Suicide and Utilitarianism: Is it a morally permissible act? | 自殺、道德與功利主義
https://orcas.uowchk.edu.hk/search?query=Suicide%20and%20Utilitarianism%3A%20Is%20it%20a%20morally%20permissible%20act
How Marketing can Charge You Extra in Daily Life | 市場推廣的代價
https://orcas.uowchk.edu.hk/search?query=How%20Marketing%20can%20Charge%20You%20Extra%20in%20Daily%20Life
Comparing the positions and opinions of newspaper from clippings | 從剪報比較報章的立場和觀點
https://orcas.uowchk.edu.hk/search?query=Comparing%20the%20positions%20and%20opinions%20of%20newspaper%20from%20clippings
The Cookies that changes the world | 改變世界的 Cookies
https://orcas.uowchk.edu.hk/search?query=The%20Cookies%20that%20changes%20the%20world
The Persistence and Sadness of "Low Desire Society" | 低慾望社會
https://orcas.uowchk.edu.hk/search?query=The%20Persistence%20and%20Sadness%20of%20%22Low%20Desire%20Society%22
Sexual morality: Whether same-sex marriage be legalized | 兩性道德與平等：同性婚姻應否合法化
https://orcas.uowchk.edu.hk/search?query=Sexual%20morality%3A%20Whether%20same-sex%20marriage%20be%20legalized
Time Management | 時間管理
https://orcas.uowchk.edu.hk/search?query=Time%20Management
Memory Retrieval | 記憶回想
https://orcas.uowchk.edu.hk/search?query=Memory%20Retrieval
Tel. 2707 3127
Email: uowchk-slss@uow.edu.au
