HASS Courses
Course Credit: 3
Course Description:
“Philosophy, Science and Society” is one of four courses in the General Education Program forming the ideology/national education component required for higher education curriculum as directed by the Ministry of Education & Training, Socialist Republic of Vietnam. These four courses are written to achieve the primary objective of helping students understand the core values of both country and university through objective and critical academic lenses in a global context. As these courses will be taught in English to students for whom English is mainly a second language at VinUniversity, each course is designed to be delivered in the spirit of a content-based language learning approach to help students both develop English language competency (focusing on speaking, listening, and reading) and basic understanding of the content. Philosophy, Science & Society (PSS) provides students with a broad survey of key ideas in Philosophy, its relevance to society and the way we think we understand the world, or to put it broadly, “science.”
We begin the course with an overview of the role of Philosophy and Metaphysics as we embark on this journey of critically re-examining the way we look at our world. In the second part of the course, we take a deep dive into questions of Epistemology, based on which students can orient and develop their creative thinking, philosophy of humanity and action. We follow up with an exploration of trends that came into being with the “social turn” of epistemology found in the critical works of Thomas Kuhn and later in the burgeoning body of works clustered as Sociology of Science. Following this radical re-thinking, we return to the fundamental questions about humanity posed in Social Philosophy and Ethics, to round up our critical inquiry into the complex relationship among philosophy, science, and society.
Course Credit: 2
Course Description:
Global Political Economy is a two-credit compulsory course in the General Education Program forming the ideology education component required by the Ministry of Education and Training, Socialist Republic of Vietnam. This course begins with a broad survey of different conceptualizations of globalization viewed through lenses of the political economy of various persuasions in Marx-Leninism, political science, economic geography, anthropology, and history. This course brings you through nuanced narratives of globalization to review Vietnam’s place – or lack of site – in the global political economy. A critical development in studies of the political economy suggests that the ability of a country to integrate or cope with the extending reach of globalization is primarily determined by domestic governance.
In line with this, the second part of the course focuses on the economic history of Vietnam in the global context and the changing domestic governance of the country from past to present. In particular, we pay attention to “alternate histories” of change that underlined the road to the Doi Moi reforms and Vietnam’s re-entry into the global political economy. In the third part of this course, we examine the changing configurations of the international political economy in Vietnam, paying particular attention to the immediate regions surrounding Vietnam, namely ASEAN, East Asia (in particular, China), and South Asia. This stand-alone course on global political economy concluded by examining the current status of Vietnam and possible pathways the country might take in the globalizing digital present and future.
Course Credit: 2
Course Description:
Politics and Social Change is a part of VinUni’s General Education Program that make up the ideology/national education component mandated by the Ministry of Education & Training of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam for higher education curriculum. The fundamental goal of the course is to help students comprehend the underlying principles of both their country and their university from a global perspective via objective and critical academic lenses. These courses will be given in English to VinUniversity students who speak English as a second language.
The course is based on the assumption that there is a fundamental, powerful and even essential interaction between society and politics in Vietnam and the larger Asian area in the twentieth and 21st-century. The course examines the processes of politics and social change in specific terms, while also exploring major concepts in politics and social change. These skills will aid students in pursuing professional occupations, especially those that need a thorough awareness of politics, current events, and international histories from the previous century.
Students are expected to be familiarized with the ideas of politics and social change in Vietnam after taking the course, in which they can have a good understanding of Vietnam’s development initiatives compared to the neighbouring countries. Finally, they will learn about significant political and international relations events from the twentieth century.
Course Credit: 2
Course Description:
Vietnam History and Culture (I) is a two-credit compulsory course in the General Education Program forming the ideology education component required by the Ministry of Education and Training, Socialist Republic of Vietnam. It examines Vietnamese history and cultural production from its early origins to 1858 and the French Colonial project. The curriculum is divided into five units. The curriculum began by considering the study of both history and culture from theoretical perspectives and considering what these mean in the Vietnamese context. Just what are “History” and “culture”? What does it mean to be Vietnamese?
In the second unit, we consider the ancient construction of Vietnamese history and cultural production. The third portion of the course examines the Lý and Trần dynasties as well as the Ming Occupation. Fourth, you will explore the movement of Vietnamese people southward and the Tây Sơn Rebellion. And finally, fifth, you will assess the unification of Vietnam under the Nguyễn and what is to come.
Too often Vietnamese are portrayed in history as vessels upon which events happen to them. This course treats the Vietnamese as agents of their history, grappling with big questions and great problems. Students also explore the Vietnamese people’s historical willingness to learn from and integrate foreign ideas and instruments to further develop the Vietnamese culture. To this end, students will wrestle with questions such as: What are the forces that have shaped Vietnamese identity? What drives the world-view(s) of Vietnamese? How has it been transformed over time?
Course Credit: 3
Course Description:
Ho Chi Minh Ideology is a three-credit compulsory course in the General Education Program forming the ideology education component required by the Ministry of Education and Training, Socialist Republic of Vietnam. Vietnam History and Culture since 1858 is a continuation of the first period (from ancient times to 1858) and covers the period from 1858 until today. The main objective of the course is to analyze the development of Vietnam and its people from 1858 when France attacked and colonized VN through two Indochina wars (1946-1965) and (1954-1975) until today as Vietnam reunified and reformed and integrated into the international system.
Due to its strategic geopolitical position, Vietnam has long been a global crossroads. So, this course tries to show as much as possible the parallels, interactions between Vietnam’s history and events and that happened on the world’s stage. The course also aims to reflect Vietnam’s history and culture through the central figure of Ho Chi Minh (1890-1969), the most famous Vietnamese during this period. His life and career reflected the development of the very period of Vietnam’s history. Students are encouraged to do the research themselves to have a broader view and discover new historical details.
Course Credit: 2
Course Description:
21st-century students face a rapidly changing global landscape that requires an ability to navigate the challenges of multicultural societies and work environments. In Cross-Cultural Navigation, students will develop the fundamental skills necessary to achieve this objective. This course will help students to understand how different cultures can impact the way that people view themselves and their surroundings. Students will learn about different theories and practices related to the impact of culture on our lives. In the end, they will be able to identify and understand the interconnectedness of their own and others’ cultural identities in order to reflect on how various cultural concepts apply to their own life, communication, and various areas of study.
The course will primarily focus on practical applications and case studies. Lectures will be used to frame and enhance content. We will explore how to communicate effectively in a multicultural environment and how to manage, negotiate, and resolve cross-cultural conflicts. In these simulations, as well as in-class discussions, course members will analyze and reflect critically upon the multifaceted nature of communication, which includes verbal, non-verbal, and written forms of expression, as well as central customs and practices that give shape to relationships.
Course Credit: 2
Course Description:
This course exposes students to important Asian philosophers, concepts, and arguments, with a focus on the philosophical traditions that have had the most impact on Vietnam: Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism. Students will apply important philosophical ideas to a variety of social, ethical, and political challenges that occur in their particular fields of study as well as VinUni’s three primary academic areas: medicine, business, and engineering. Students will be able to study how Asian philosophy might help them reach their personal objectives and well-being as part of the course’s other practical component.
External learning activities such as a meditation session with a Buddhist monk, calligraphy at Van Mieu, and a discussion and yoga session with an Indian specialist will all contribute to students’ learning experiences throughout the course. Additional cultural events will include a variety of Asian foods, a Japanese tea ceremony, and the opportunity to study the foundations of ancient languages such as Sanskrit and Pali.
Course Credit: 2
Course Description:
Introduction to Law is a two-credit compulsory course in the General Education Program forming the ideology education component required by the Ministry of Education and Training, Socialist Republic of Vietnam. This course is an introduction to concepts, roles, and principles of law as well as major fields of law in society. It provides students with general knowledge of the law that will serve as a helpful foundation for understanding how the law interacts with other disciplines that they study and pursue in the future.
The course covers various aspects of legal theory including notion, nature, sources, rule of law, major legal and government systems, the legal profession, and comparative legal analysis between different bodies of law, branches of international law as well as different mechanisms of dispute settlement, either at municipal courts or other international forums worldwide. All the topics combine legal understanding and practical issues in both the Vietnamese context and a wide diversity of international legal backgrounds to help students gain familiarity with basic concepts of national law and be aware of international fundamental legal standards.