Chinese

This course provides an analysis of portfolio selection, corporate decision making and asset pricing. It also provides the tools and advice needed to understand corporate finance principles and strategies and information on the risks and rewards associated with corporate finance and lending. The lectures develop the central concepts of modern finance: net present value, efficient markets and the trade-off between risk and return, and use them to explain corporate finance with a balance of theory and application. It emphasizes the modern fundamentals of the theory of corporate finance, while providing contemporary examples to make the theory come to life, such as determining an operating budget and calculating future cash flows. The course also covers behavioral corporate finance, which identifies the key psychological obstacles to value maximizing behavior, along with steps that managers can take to mitigate the effects of these obstacles. 

The course examines the relationship between tourism and culture, including how culture influences tourism and how tourism contains culture. Topics include the theory, orientation, basis, and characteristics of tourism culture. It also looks at the traditional culture of tourism, subject culture, consumption culture, aesthetic culture, object culture, landscape culture, regional culture, media culture, and the twenty-first Century China tourism culture.

This course examines Chinese traditional culture. Topics include origin and context, social background, historical influence, core elements, and future developments.

Because Taiwan is not a major producer of coffee, coffee in Taiwan is not a major cash crop. The consumption of coffee is increasing and this course focuses on various areas of the coffee industry and the culture of coffee in Taiwan. Topics include a profile of coffee; coffee plant taxonomy; reproductive ecology and environment for coffee growth; reproductive physiology of of coffee; propagation techniques; cultivation and management techniques; harvest and yield management; pest and disease prevention; quality improvement and breeding; green coffee bean appearance; coffee roasting and modulation; coffee liquors; and coffee and health. Assessment: midterm and final exams.

This course imparts the relevant knowledge of basic marine science, but also analyzes the marine environment in Taiwan from the perspectives of sea power, resources, ecological environment, climate change and environmental protection, etc., so as to enhance students' understanding of the ocean around Taiwan. The course enhances students' critical thinking and discussion skills on global environmental changes, the occurrence and prevention of natural disasters, and environmental protection.

This course explores Taiwan's relationship with the United States. It also examines the scope of the Department of the Communist Party of China since the normalization of relations with the United States in 1978 from the final stages of negotiations to the end Chen's presidency in 2008. The two countries have safely survived relations, including arms sales, strategic dialogue and military exchanges. Due to the United States’ status as a global power, the "Taiwan Relations Act" (and its concerns with major issues of democracy, economic development, national defense, foreign relations, and developing relations with mainland China) is of great importance to continued relations. This course examines several major events over a 30-year period from the points of view of Taipei, Washington, and Beijing. During this period, the teachers have actually participated in various events, and can offer personal observation and reflections to students. Students select topics from the China, the United States and the Communist point of view to write a paper (less than 1,500 Chinese characters) on the day before class to upload to the CEIBA website for downloading the class to read.

The course introduces the basic concepts of corporate finance both in practice and theory. It focuses on how firm raise money, how to evaluate a firm’s value, and how firms make investment decisions. Specific topics addressed in the course are the valuation of companies, the operating capital of company, the costs of capital, the ways of raising money both equity and bonds, the rules of evaluating investment and liquidity management.

This course teaches basic Taiwanese language. The course includes basic pronunciation of consonants, vowels and tones; Taiwanese advanced pronunciation: tone, softly, legato; Taiwanese Romanization spelling and Taiwanese Chinese characters; simple greetings, basic vocabulary terms and a variety of topics; Taiwanese life (living in Taiwan, customs and taboos); basic sentence of sentences exercises, quizzes and conversation practice; Taiwanese songs; basic information, family status, personal preferences; and basic terminology (numbers, time, color, orientation, call). The course utilizes the text, HARVARD TAIWANESE 101.