English

This course studies human society and introduces students to the field of sociology. Although the module provides theoretical perspectives of sociology, students are encouraged to explore a wide variety of empirical situations. Korean examples of relevant social issues are discussed. 

This course examines how mental processes such as attention, memory, language, and problem solving form the basis of our creative human cognitive abilities. An understanding of these cognitive abilities and the methods used by cognitive psychologists to study them provides an essential foundation for ongoing study in psychology. Classic and current research findings are discussed in this course to reveal what is known about the workings of the human mind. Specific topics covered in this course include: perceptual processes and their role in cognition; the nature and function of selective attention; categorization and the mental representation of knowledge; the structure, function and organization of the human memory system; human linguistic ability, including language acquisition, language disorders, and models of spoken and written language processes; and higher order cognitive processes such as problem solving, decision making, and musical ability.

As innovation is now the most important driver of competitive success, practitioners and scholars have raced to understand the nature and the process of innovation. This course provides a strategic framework for managing innovation. Specifically, attention is paid to the dynamics of innovation, formulation and implementation of technological innovation strategy, and the contexts in which innovation contributes to competitive advantage are highlighted. Texts: Melissa Schilling (2010) Strategic Management of Technological Innovation; Harvard Business School cases; and various articles. Assessment: group presentation (HBR articles) (10%); group presentation (term project) (25%), case write-ups (15%), class participation (10%), midterm and final exams (40%).

This course is for international students gain a better understanding of Taiwan. Local students also participate to reassess their understanding of local history and culture and compare it with view of students from foreign countries. The course focuses on four themes: cinema of Taiwan, history and social change in Taiwan, religious and folk culture in Taiwan, and population and gender issues in Taiwan. Through in-class lecture, video screening, seminar discussion and field trips, students go through a succinct yet thorough introduction of how the Island of Formosa became modern Taiwan, and look into some traditional beliefs, customs and local lives in Taiwan. They are led to appreciate films produced in different periods and explore how various issues or events are presented in those films, as well as study Taiwan's demographic transition, marriage transformation and stalled gender relationship.

This course offers an introduction to the theories and debates in policy studies, public policy analysis, comparative politics, international relations, political economy, sociology, and development economics. As such, the course does not aim to provide concrete policy answers in many cases to longstanding policy debates and questions, but instead intellectually guides students to think through these big questions. The overarching goal in this course is to understand why there is no “one size fits all” policy solutions. That means there's no generic solution. But there are some key principles to help find the right policy in the right situation, and history to learn from. The class consists of three modules. Module one focuses on the fundamentals of the politics of the policy process. Here, the course explores the intersection between politics and public policy, the usefulness and criticisms of the policy cycle, the role of official and unofficial actors in the policy-making process, as well as the major theories of the policy process. Module two reviews major factors and causes that account for variation in policy outcomes across countries. Importantly, the course discusses and analyzes the factors that explain variation in public policies across countries and the domestic context of policymaking in both developed and developing countries. Lastly, in module three, the course concludes by empirically reviewing the highly contested topics that animate today’s public debates, such as immigration and citizenship, education, health care, and welfare policies.

This course provides an understanding of Southeast Asian cultures and peoples, by explaining the general historical change from the 19th century to the 1990s by focusing on cultural change. This course is not meant to be a memorization of detailed names and times, but a creation of soft thinking for cultural change in this complicated wide area. The course looks the following important historical waves: Early Colonization (the period of mercantilism: before 18th century); Imperialism (19th century); birth of Nationalism (first half of the 20th century); Decolonization (the 1940s and 50s); Cold War (the 1960s); and New Change Period (the 1970s and 80s). This course focuses on material cultural elements or pictorial data in each period.