National Taiwan University

Weekly talks by invited distinguished scholars. Topics across pure math, applied math, and statistics are allowed. The course is a requirement for masters and PHD students. 

This course introduces psychology as a science that integrates the two fields of natural science and social science. Students are exposed to a variety of topics, including biological, perceptual, cognitive, developmental, social, and clinical orientations. Students learn about the workings of the mental process, which is the result of the simultaneous interaction of the above-mentioned orientations. The class also explores how to apply the theories of psychology to everyday life. The first part introduces the history of psychology, explaining the evolution of psychology from the basis of philosophy and physiology; the second part discusses the initial mental process of external information processing, including sensation, perception and consciousness, and the third part details high-level cognitive mental processes, including learning (theory of constraints), memory, and language. Part IV explores the mental processes of individual differences, including intelligence, development, and motivational emotions; Part V describes the mental processes of social groups, including Social Psychology and Personality Theory, Part VI explores the clinical applications of psychology, including mental illness, psychotherapy, and health psychology. Each chapter topic is taught on a weekly basis as much as possible.

This course explores the career paths of many excellent female scientists, including how they have persevered through a variety of challenges. It examines many classic and contemporary female role models in science, such as Mary Curie (Mrs. Curie), Academician Wu Jianxiong, Dr. Inez Fung, Dr. Susan Solomon, Dr. Joanne Simpson, Academician Wang Yu, Academician Peng Wang Jiakang, Academician Meng Huaiying, and more.

This course cover major topics in deep-sea ecology including the physical environments and history, sampling techniques, adaptations of deep-sea organisms, community composition and functions, major habitats, and anthropogenic effects. Other focus include guest lectures to explore Taiwan's deep-sea environments and living resources. Assessment: participation 920%), discussion (20%), presentation (30%), final (30%).

This course closely examines several Taiwanese films from the past two decades, and through them, discovers what prominent phenomena and changes have been taking place in Taiwan's social culture. Taiwanese films present themselves as various attempts to make conversations with the world that we call Taiwan and live in. This course explores and reflects on Taiwanese social culture by not just watching but also reading Taiwanese films. The course intends for the students to familiarize themselves with Taiwanese history in the recent past, crucial events, contemporary social issues as well as cultural conditions. Through this course students expect to understand the social development vis-a-vis cinema in Taiwan. Students look closely at the emergence of Taiwan New Cinema in the 1980s as well as the socio-political and -cultural contexts in which it emerged. This course moves on to discuss various subject matters and social trends in Taiwan from the 1990s on; students also look at the films produced in Taiwan in relation to those matters and trends.

This course talks about the formation of the universe, and then discusses what is life and what is man. The course explores the origin of life, growth, continuity, evolution, progress and significance, and technological impact on humans and the environment, ideal society, human future and personal life and death, spiritual liberation and social responsibility.

This course is an introduction to the philosophy of language, including semantics and pragmatics. The course studies topics connected broadly to the systematic study of meaning, including theories of meaning and how these theories relate to language as a social practice. Students develop their understanding of the concepts involved through in-class discussion and doing short writing assignments throughout the semester. 

This course is for students who have taken Intermediate II of the Chinese Language Course for International Students or those who have taken Chinese for at least 600 hours. The course develops proficiency in listening, speaking, reading and writing to deal with complex situations within daily lives, and discuss about complex issues, such as economy, transportation, societal culture. Students learn to read simple document forms and announcements and to write a short essay of at least 500 words to express oneself. This course uses the textbook “Far East Daily Chinese III” (chapters 1-7).