HONG KONG Baptist College has launched an Applied Communication Studies option this year, designed to develop all facets of communication.
The college has also renamed its Department of Film and Video as the Department of Cinema and Television.
Dr Ernest Martin, the head of the Department of Communication Studies, described the new Applied Communication Studies option as mass communication-oriented. It has a human communication perspective, with emphasis on group, interpersonal and public communication.
One of the aims of the new option is to enable students to communicate effectively with different cultures in order to fit in with the cosmopolitan setting of Hong Kong.
Another aim is to enable students to improve their oral and written communication skills, both English and Chinese, by understanding the processes of communication.
''As Hong Kong is playing an increasingly important role within Asia and China, communication skills in Chinese and English are essential,'' Dr Martin said.
