National Taiwan University

Ecological design is a design form that integrates the life process and reduces the impact of environmental damage; it is an effective way to adjust and integrate natural processes. Integration means designing that respects species diversity, reduces resource consumption, preserves nutrient and water cycles, maintains habitat quality, and pays attention to all other prerequisites for human and ecosystem health. In response to the impact of climate change on the ecological environment and human life, this course starts from ecologically- oriented thinking and discusses three unit themes from macro to micro: ecological environment planning, activity introduction planning, and ecological space design/ecological product design. In addition, through the topic discussion and practical exercises of each unit, students are cultivated to have the professional ability of ecologically oriented planning and design. 

Much like humans, animals rely on a diverse array of signals and cues to communicate with one another, with this vital information guiding their decision-making processes. Whether it's fighting, mating, selecting their ideal habitat, or any other crucial aspect of their lives, these decisions hinge on the pivotal signals and cues they perceive in their environment. Those who struggle to efficiently or accurately gather this information tend to experience reduced reproductive success and survival rates.   

This course provides a foundational understanding of animal communication in both theoretical and empirical aspects. It delves into various signal and cue types that animals utilize in their environment, information gathering and assessment, and the challenges they encounter in the face of environmental changes.   

This course features a blended approach, including lectures and hands-on field activities each week.  

This course is suitable for learners who placed in the NTU Advanced level 1-1 course or above, meaning they have at least completed Lesson 13 of "Practical Audio-Visual Chinese Book 2," have a vocabulary of over 1,000 Chinese words, or have studied Chinese for a total of 300 hours in Taiwan (or 900 hours in other countries). It is also suitable for students who have passed the B1 level of the TOCFL Chinese Proficiency Test in Taiwan or the HSK Level 4 Chinese Proficiency Test. 
 

The primary language of instruction for this course is Chinese, with English used as a supplementary language.   

Commercial enterprise plays a fundamental role in the age of globalization both domestically and internationally interacting with state authorities as well as agencies of international organizations. Since the 1990s, the rise of multinational corporations in economic scale and political influence has massively empowered their agency in international relations and thus made them indispensable transnational actors and inevitably included in the strategic calculation when geopolitical competition intensified. This course introduces and establishes an understanding of the intricate relationship between commercial enterprise and government at both international and local levels. 

This course familiarizes students with some of the debates about the nature of sex and gender as they have evolved since the publishing of Simone De Beauvoir’s The Second Sex. In this book, Beauvoir famously argued that, while women may be born the members of a distinct sex, “one is not born, but becomes a woman.” In its wake, the book’s readers were left to grapple with the question of the meaning and significance of this bold assertion. This course seeks to answer the following questions: To what extent do anatomy and biology determine one’s disposition or sexual orientation? Can we talk about “normal” female or male behavior? Is it advantageous to define women in opposition to men? How does sex relate to sexuality? Is there such a thing as sexuality to begin with?   

This course studies the physical and mental characteristics of gifted students and their learning needs. It discusses the methods to identify gifted students and analyzes the timing of using assessment tools, as well as the development trends of gifted education. It also explores the ways to cultivate giftedness among people.  

To enhance global awareness and employ practical and innovative approaches to solve global problems, Taiwan added “global competence” through international mobility as a criterion in the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) for the first time in 2018. However, due to the unpredictable development of COVID-19, "local internationalization" has become an alternative to international mobility. This course features three NTU professors and administrators specializing in international affairs and higher education, as well as foreign national representatives and ambassadors, sharing insights on their countries’ unique issues and addressing global learning in times of uncertainty. The course covers topics such as education, diplomacy, economy, ecological and environmental protection, democracy, etc., and aims to advance professional and global competence in international and multicultural fields. 

This is a beginners' course in the Sanskrit language. It introduces the most important Sanskrit grammar in one year by using M. Deshpande's Samskrta-Subodhini's A Sanskrit Primer as the textbook. The course also begins by reading Sanskrit verses from the story of Nala and Damayant in Charles Lanman's A Sanskrit Reader. The course then reviews major Indian religions and philosophical texts in Chinese translations to know the basics about Indian culture. 

The course focuses on the major aspects of the basic physiological functions and the factors in relation to plant growth and development. The course provides a background in plant biology to gain a deeper understanding of processes that are important for agriculture, horticulture and industry, as well as further tools to further study plant biology. The course discusses plant hormones in detail, as well as how plants respond to changes in their environment, for instance to light, or to stress.  

This course requires a background in botany, plant biology or nutrition.  

Drawing is the most important part of the design process. The purpose of drawing is threefold:  

1. The process of drawing itself establishes the creative process of the design. The thoughts are constantly transformed along with the drawing and thinking. 
2. After the drawing is completed, it becomes a tool for communication with other people. Through the explanation of pictures, people can better understand one’s design concept. 
3. The goal of drawing is nothing more than to get all the details of the design that the designer wants. The drawing communicates to engineers how to perform production work.