National Taiwan University

This course is a shared exploration of the history of relations between the United States and China from the 1770s to the present.  The course begins with the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), through the Republican period (1911-1949), and through the current era (1949-present).  

The course also explores cultural history – examining the dominant national mythologies of the United States and China, and how these have developed since the respective nations’ beginnings, including mythologies in popular culture and more official national mythologies. It examines the layers of national narratives in different periods both in terms of how the two powers perceived and depicted themselves, and how they perceived and depicted each other. This theme concludes with an exploration of the most recent national narratives, incorporating popular and official voices in Beijing and Taipei, Hollywood and Washington, and more. 

This course covers the key institutions, actors, and issues shaping Taiwan’s contemporary politics. The class introduces how Taiwan’s democracy operates, how it manages its complex relationship with China, and how it positions itself globally. The first half covers the structure and everyday workings of Taiwan’s political system, while the second half examines current political debates and challenges through weekly topics and guest speakers. Students gain a clear understanding of how Taiwan’s vibrant democracy functions and why it matters in today’s world.

This course examines modern Chinese novels, contemporary Taiwanese fiction, and Chinese-language films to illuminate their cultural contexts, thematic concerns, rural narratives, and artistic expressions, including modernism and postmodernism. Through close reading and analysis, the course investigates portrayals of individualism, intellectual figures, Republican-era culture, and feminist consciousness in modern Chinese literature, as well as the idealism of Taiwanese urban intellectuals and the evolving aesthetics of postmodern urban narratives. Film analysis further enriches this exploration, offering insight into urban–rural contrasts in contemporary mainland Chinese culture and the distinctive formal aesthetics found in the works of Jia Zhangke.

This course provides students with the knowledge and skills commonly adopted in practice to implement Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) framework utilizing risk management qualitative and quantitative methods. The course addresses how to identify, assess, control, and respond to risks for an enterprise and also integrates risks with business strategy to improve performance. In addition, the course identifies environmental, social, and governance (ESG) related risks to be incorporated into ERM framework. Last, this course introduces the practical implementation and application of financial risk management covering market, liquidity, credit, and operational risk measurement and management from the viewpoint of financial institutions.

This course begins with Japan’s early history then focuses on the different stages of modernization, extending into the twenty-first century. Following a chronological sequence, the thematic design introduces students to different aspects of Japan, including the “myth” of the country, and its multifarious relations with East Asia, the West, and the world. Japan serves as a non-Western case to understand (post-)modern world history.  

This course introduces the principles of 3D structures of proteins, which underlie all protein function, as well as the techniques used to obtain and analyze protein structures. The course strongly emphasizes protein dynamics as well; i.e. how protein structural flexibility permits enzymatic/receptor/structural activity. Finally, the course provides hands-on experience for all students, with in-silico analysis of protein structure, motion, and activity. 

The course provides an overview of the field of protein biophysics and structure, with a strong emphasis on practical analysis and structural evaluation. 

This course introduces the major themes in world prehistory through a global and comparative approach, focusing on the great evolutionary, behavioral, and cultural transitions or “revolutions” in our common past, beginning with the appearance of the first material culture record (the world’s earliest stone tools, dating 3.3 million years ago).  

Considering how power and violence, socio-political stratification, economies and trade, technological innovation, and especially ideology shaped human societies, the course addresses the following periods:  

• The hominin evolution and behavior during the Lower Paleolithic period 

• The first migrations of Homo erectus out of Africa  

• The evolution of archaic humans and their behavior (Middle Paleolithic period), and the emergence of anatomically modern humans and their interactions with archaic humans (Neanderthals and Denisovans). 

• The behavioral revolution of the Upper Paleolithic and the transition from hunting-gathering to village life and farming.  

• The emergence of socio-political complexity, the development of chiefdoms, and formation of state-level societies in the New World and the Old World, including Mesopotamia, Egypt, China, and Mesoamerica. 

This graduate course varies depending on the research topic but may include weekly lab meetings, presentations of up-to-date research articles, and participation in scientific discussion with the instructor and lab colleagues related to the topic of brain and consciousness.

This course explores how global “Unicorn” startups, such as OpenAI, Uber, Airbnb, ByteDance, SpaceX, and Taiwan’s Appier and Gogoro, evolved from early ideas into billion-dollar enterprises. Using the proven frameworks of Silicon Valley’s start-up ecosystem, the course emphasizes the Business Model Canvas and customer development methodology to ensure strong product–market fit and effective pivoting strategies. Through a team-based, hands-on approach, students form startup teams, test business hypotheses outside the classroom, and refine their models through direct feedback from professors, entrepreneurs, and investors. The course provides real-world experience in building scalable ventures, culminating in the creation of a viable business model ready for competition or seed funding opportunities.

This course provides an understanding of the neural basis of behavior and mind. It introduces the field of neuroscience and behavioral neurobiology from a biological perspective, incorporating both evolutionary and physiological approaches to behavior. Topics include the structure and function of the nervous system, genetic and biochemical models of behavior, hormones and behavior, the biological bases of learning, cognition, communication, and language, and the evolution of social organization.