Youth, Identity, and Society is an interdisciplinary inquiry into what it means to become an adult in the twenty-first century. Situated within a context of rapid technological innovation, artificial intelligence, social transformation, and global uncertainty, the module invites students to critically examine the forces shaping their identities, aspirations, relationships, and future life trajectories. Rather than treating young people merely as objects of study, this module positions students as reflective investigators of their own generation and lived experiences. Drawing on insights from history, sociology, philosophy, education, media studies, and contemporary research on technology and society, students will explore fundamental questions concerning selfhood, belonging, work, meaning, and human flourishing. Students will critically engage with key issues affecting contemporary youth, including educational pressure, employment uncertainty, social mobility, mental well-being, intimate relationships, consumer culture, online life, and the search for meaning and belonging in a rapidly changing society. The module seeks to cultivate intellectual curiosity, critical reflection, self-awareness, and future-oriented thinking, enabling students to better understand themselves, their society, and their responsibilities in an increasingly interconnected and AI-mediated world.
A Demonstrate academic reading, writing, speaking, listening, and evidence-use capabilities required for later study, including awareness of disciplinary variations B Analyze public debates involving identity, personhood, and youth development in social and technological contexts. C Demonstrate reflective frameworks for future-oriented life decision-making
1) Talks. In these sessions, the qualified academic staff member will deliver a talk on the weekly topic. 2) Dialogue. Students will engage in conversation with the speaker (an academic staff member), who will pose prepared questions. Students will comment, ask questions, and debate the shared issues and concerns raised by the speaker. To facilitate student engagement, the talks and dialogue will be combined into a 2-hour lecture/seminar block. 3) Online activities. The module may open an online forum in Learning Mall for continuous discussion of the class topics and issues. Students can also engage in dialogue with the AI agent, which will be trained to sound like Hannah Arendt or other relevant intellectuals. 4) Reading group meeting. Students will read Biao Xiang’s book Self as Method and discuss it in small groups once during the semester. Reading group meetings will be held multiple times throughout the semester, and students can choose to attend one of them.