Agricultural Sciences

This course explores microbiological concepts relevant to agricultural, environmental, and food applications. Examples relate microbiological theory to the production and spoilage of foods and fodders, water quality, microbiological regulation of nutrient cycles, animal and plant health, and biotechnology. Students are introduced to common microorganisms and consider growth, classification, genetics, survival, and control by sterilization, disinfection, immunization, and antibiotics. As part of the theoretical and practical aspects of the course students gain experience with microbiological laboratory methodologies such as microscopy, sterile technique, and the isolation and identification of pure cultures.

Upon completion of the course, students are able to …..

1.. understand and apply key concepts and ideas relating to food and nutrition from a social science/human geography approach.
2.. understand and analyze food issues from a relational perspective, in terms of both its geographical dimensions as well as systems thinking.
3.. understand food as a contested domain, and being able to identify and analyze major issues of social justice and sustainability relating to food.
4. reflect critically on social and geographical issues of food, and develop and communicate an informed argument about them (academic skills).
5. apply a set of specific analytical tools with respect to food and nutrition issues.   

 

The six-week summer lab research program at National Taiwan University places students in various science, engineering and social science research labs and/or projects under the supervision of faculty. Students spend approximately 30 hours per week in lab activities.

Mapping and cartography have long been used in social sciences, in geography and beyond. Political scientists, historians and sociologists have increasingly used such tools, which have become more and more present in the media, the administrations and the corporate world as well. Maps in all their forms have gained a strong foothold in all these fields and are now easier to produce thanks to the digital tools making their production easily accessible by non-specialists. This workshop has two main objectives. The first is to master critical approaches to cartographic designs, not only thanks to a better understanding of the foundations of cartography but also of their status as a discourse on various objects of study. The second is for the students to acquire skills enabling them to make their own maps and designs with some of the basic digital tools available, in relation to multidisciplinary issues.