CCHU9045 Arts and Humanities

Vision: The Science and Art of Perception

This course is under the thematic cluster(s) of:

  • Sustaining Cities, Cultures, and the Earth (SCCE)

 

Course Description

We use vision as a means to illustrate that perception depends on the interaction of body and mind. The course will cover the following topics: (i) “Seeing is believing” – Our eye can be easily fooled and sometimes we see what we want to or expect to see. Under this topic, we will learn how we see and explore the nature of illusion, delusion and hallucination; (ii) “Can we trust our eyes?” – This looks at social media. We will examine how a picture tells a story and find out how our perception can be manipulated to influence our perception; and (iii) “Looking at you, looking at me” – Popular culture can objectify our bodies and endorse a value system that is based on self-image and physical attractiveness. The way we see ourselves and others affects the way we think, feel and behave. All of this is at play in the art and science of perception.

Course Learning Outcomes

On completing the course, students will be able to:

  1. Compare the way pictures are captured by a camera with the perception we acquire through sight.
  2. Analyze how misinformation is widespread to influence our perceptions.
  3. Differentiate when it comes to beauty, the subjective from the objective.
  4. Analyze the nature of conflicts between people and ways to resolve the disputes.

Offer Semester and Day of Teaching

Second semester (Wed)


Study Load

Activities Number of hours
Lectures 24
Tutorials 12
Reading / Self-study 40
Finding materials from the Internet/magazines, newspapers or books 10
Assessment: Reflective writing 6
Assessment: Essay writing 20
Assessment: Presentation 16
Total: 128

Assessment: 100% coursework

Assessment Tasks Weighting
Essay 40
In-class presentation 30
Class discussion 15
Reflective writing 15

Required Reading

  • Alissa, I. (1995). The illusion of reality or the reality of illusion – Hallucinations and culture. British Journal of Psychiatry, 166, 368-373.
  • Bottino, A., & Laurentini, A. (2010). The analysis of facial beauty: An emerging area of research in pattern analysis. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 6111, 425-435. 
  • Cross, J. F., & Cross, J. (1971). Age, sex, race, and perception of facial beauty. Developmental Psychology, 5(3), 433-439. 
  • Duane, P. S., & Sydney, E. S. (2005). Theories of personality (9th ed.). Wadsworth Learning. 
  • Jefferson, Y. (2004). Facial beauty – Establishing a universal standard. International Journal of Orthodontics, 15(1), 9-22. 
  • Patnaik, V., Rajan, S., & Sanju, B. (2003). Anatomy of “A beautiful face & smile”. Journal of the Anatomical Society of India, 52(1), 74-80.


Course Co-ordinator and Teacher(s)

Course Co-ordinator Contact
Professor Q.W.S. See
Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine
Tel: 2255 3455
Email: wssee@hku.hk
Teacher(s) Contact
Professor Q.W.S. See
Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine
Tel: 2255 3455
Email: wssee@hku.hk
Professor G.C.F. Chan
Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine
Tel:  2255 4482
Email: gcfchan@hku.hk
Dr M.K.L. Fung
Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine
Tel: 3917 9355
Email: fkl117@hku.hk
Professor K.C. Shih
Department of Ophthalmology, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine
Tel: 2817 5085
Email: kcshih@hku.hk