ENG-1975 — Page 92

EDUCATION

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the Institute of Science and Technology, and the Institute of Chinese Studies_enable staff members to keep up with the latest developments in their own fields and to contribute to them. Various research centres have been set up within the three insti- tutes to concentrate on specific fields of studies.

In the University of Hong Kong, the Centre of Asian Studies in 1975 updated the directory of current research on Asian topics in Hong Kong, which it publishes regularly to help liaison among researchers in all disciplines. The directory covers research being conducted in a wide range of institutions. The centre's own research work during the year included completion of the Hong Kong ecology project, carried out in association with the Australian National University; completion of the cata- logue of Cantonese paintings in the Luis de Camoes Museum, Macau; completion of a film on the Western district of Hong Kong; the sound recording of traditional street cries of Hong Kong; video-taping of traditional puppet performances as an initial step towards the making of a film; projects relating to rent control, labour tribunals, and comparative industrial relations; and further progress on the project studying the effect of culture on management in Southeast Asia.

During the year, 34 members of the university were appointed Fellows of the centre in recognition of their involvement in research on Asian topics. The centre also continued to provide services to visiting researchers and to foster the study of the People's Republic of China, particularly Kwangtung and its culture.

In the arts faculty at the University of Hong Kong, research is being undertaken in various aspects of English and Chinese language and literature, and in comparative literature. A history workshop, particularly concerned with Hong Kong history, is being set up. Studies on China and Southeast Asia-both at graduate and under- graduate levels--are a well-established feature of the work of the history-and geog- raphy departments. In 1975, for the first time, the faculty began to offer an MA degree in language studies, in either Chinese or English.

In the social sciences and law faculty, research projects relating to various fields are being undertaken. In social work, students in the Master's degree course are beginning to contribute to a number of empirical studies of social problems in Hong Kong. In 1975 a study was undertaken of young people's leisure activities and employ- ment expectations in Shek Pai Wan public housing estate. In statistics, studies on price movements in Hong Kong and on local measures of quality control are being carried out. Research is continuing in various fields of psychology. Those of particular local interest are related to cross-cultural studies, psycholinguistics, the psychology of Cantonese food habits, and the growth and development of the cognitive world of Cantonese children.

In the department of law, research ranges from Chinese customary law and legal history to international commercial transactions and taxation-both Hong Kong and overseas. The courses leading to the Postgraduate Certificate in Laws have attracted wide interest in professional legal education circles, particularly in Britain and Australia.

In the science faculty, continuing projects include the ecology of marine and freshwater organisms, investigations of agricultural pests, and studies of local