Professor Ricardo Mak King-sang,Head of History Department, HKBU

The BUddy Post reporter has interviewed Professor Ricardo Mak King-sang, the Head of History Department, who has been teaching in HKBU for over 19 years. We are delighted to have Professor Mak share with us his devotion in history and his dedication to enriching the learning and research environment of History Department.

Reporter: Can you tell us something more about yourself? Why do you like to study history?

Prof. Mak: I obtained my Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Later on, I was awarded a scholarship to further pursue my PhD at the University of Regensburg in Germany. After my graduation, I taught at the National Taiwan University for a year, and then I started teaching in Hong Kong Baptist University upon my return to Hong Kong. The seeds of passion towards history were planted during my study at secondary school because my History teachers were very inspiring to me.

Reporter: As the Head of Department of History, can you share with us the mission and vision of the Department? What is the core academic curriculum and career development of your graduates?

Prof. Mak: I have been working as the Head of History Department for four consecutive years, and we have been undergoing a lot of changes in terms of academic staff and course curriculum. Under the structure of 4-year curriculum, we are also the major provider for General Education elective course in History and Civilisation. In view of these changes, our scope of teaching has become more comprehensive and broad-based to cater for the students’ needs.

Our programmes aim at consolidating students’ appreciation of history and sharpening their critical thinking abilities. Currently, we are offering three undergraduate programmes, namely Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in History, Bachelor of Social Sciences (Honours) in China Studies - History Option, and Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in History and Bachelor of Education (Honours) in Liberal Studies Teaching. We also offer research postgraduate programmes (MPhil and PhD), and a taught postgraduate programme (Master of Social Sciences in Contemporary China Studies). These programmes provide a wide spectrum of courses, including modern Chinese history, Sino-foreign relations, gender history, Christianity in modern China and Hong Kong history.

Like most of the graduates from other disciplines, the career prospects of History graduates are quite broad and diverse. The majority of our graduates will apply for jobs in the marketing, finance or media field, whilst about 40% of them will join the academia.

Reporter: As the Head of Department of History, you must be very busy in conducting research work? What is your research focus? Can you share with us your recent publications?

Prof. Mak: My key research areas focus on modern Chinese and Western intellectual thoughts;Western historiography and historical theories; as well as Sino-Western cultural exchange; modern German history and Sino-German relations. My most recent publications including a German book entitled Aufklärung-Evolution-Globalgeschichte and a Chinese book known as《中國史上的著名戰役》which were published in 2010 and 2012 respectively.

Reporter: In your opinion, who is the most respected historical figure?

Prof. Mak: I do not have a particular respected historical figure. Nevertheless, I have one person in mind of whom I respect him as my spiritual leader. I believe Karl Marx is one of the most visionary and influential figures in human history.

Reporter: What do you think about the saying “History always repeats itself”?

Prof. Mak: I certainly agree with this saying. When human beings have fulfilled their basic needs, conflicts will always arise due to scarcity of resources. Yet, mankind in general has similar wisdoms and similar solutions to resolve the problems. As a result, it is not difficult to explain why history always repeats itself.

Reporter: Could you recommend one inspiring history book?

Prof. Mak: I would highly recommend a German book known as Die Geschichte eines Deutschen which portrays vividly a holistic view of modern history from the author’s personal experience in Germany.

Reporter: What are your favourite pastimes?

Prof. Mak: My favourite pastimes were used to be practicing martial arts like Chinese Kung Fu, Korean Taekwondo and Japanese Judo. As I am getting older now, I can no longer do too much vigorous movement in martial arts due to muscle strain. I also enjoy drinking wine to relief stress and mingle with friends at home. It is indeed surprising to find that smoking is perceived as devilish, whilst drinking is elegant in society nowadays. I am neither pro-smoking nor pro-drinking, but I think that one should exercise more stringent controls on the intake in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Also, always remember if you drink, don't drive.

Reporter: What is your motto in life?

Prof. Mak: Life is long and tough; I strongly encourage my students and graduates to be courageous and positive in facing different challenges ahead.

Reporter: What is the impression that HKBU graduates / students give you?

Prof. Mak: I believe that HKBU students have improved in leaps and bounds in terms of self-image and self-confidence. We also received constructive feedback from employers about their work attitude and behaviour. In particular, our graduates are considered to be conscientious, highly disciplined and capable of demonstrating adequate skills and strengths when performing their duties.

Interviewee’s Biography:
Professor Ricardo Mak King-sang
Professor Mak is currently the Head and Professor of History Department, Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU), and he has been teaching in HKBU for over 19 years. He received his Bachelor of Arts Degree (Honors) and Masters of Arts Degree in History from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and subsequently a PhD in History from the University of Regensburg in Germany. His main research interests are modern Chinese and Western intellectual thoughts; Western historiography and historical theories; as well as Sino-Western cultural exchange; modern German history and Sino-German relations.