Asian Studies

As a democratized, globalized and multi-ethnic society, contemporary Taiwan is rich in cultural diversity. Not only is Taiwan often influenced by international trends, but its domestic environment provides a fertile ground for social innovations; as a result, Taiwan’s cultural landscape is undergoing a process of permanent revolution. Multiculturalism is not a proclaimed future goal ahead of us, but is taking place in our daily life. This course follows Raymond Williams in viewing culture “not only as a body of intellectual and imaginative work; it is also and essentially a whole way of life.” In other words, culture should not be taken narrowly as a prized property monopolized by an elite group of people, but various ways of acting and thinking embraced by different groups. A survey on contemporary Taiwan’s cultures necessarily sensitizes us to the complicated nature of social groupings. Differences in ethnicity, class, gender, region, age, sexual orientation, religious belief, and life-style give rise to highly diversified cultural expressions, among which contention and cooperation co-exist.

This course examines the history and the characteristics of Chinese economy, culture and politics. Beginning in 1978, economic reforms guiding China from a planned economy toward a market-oriented economy have led China to become the 2nd largest economy in a span of four decades. It will start with the historical background of this transition process with a selective survey of two centuries of modern Chinese economic history. It aims to shed lights on the critical questions that pertain to the long two centuries with episodes of expansion and stagnation. It provides a selective survey on some crucial debates and case studies particularly on historical turning points such as the opening of China during the mid-19th century, the collapse of Qing in 1911, the rise of Communist rule in the 1950s and the adoption of reform policy since the late 1970s. For the reform period, it will turn to major ideology and policy reform paradigms that are critical for understanding the transformation of Chinese economy. It will cover topics such as demography, hukou system, regional inequality, macro and financial reform.

This course covers the connection between tourism and Chinese landscape culture, Chinese garden art, Chinese food culture, religious culture, folk culture, etc. 

This course introduces Chinese dietetic culture, traditional Chinese medicine and medicated diet in its background, and guides students to understand the concept and practice of traditional Chinese medicine. Students examine this practice for health preservation, so as to establish a correct and healthy diet and life concept, to explore and identify different health theories and viewpoints, to lay a professional foundation for students’ healthy diet lifestyle, and to pass on and carry forward the splendid Chinese diet and medicinal diet culture. The course looks at the similar origins of medicine and food. It introduces the Chinese traditional culture embodied in daily diet activities. This course introduces the ups and downs of Yin and Yang in the natural world, and through understanding the big universe in the natural world to understand the small universe of the human body, to appreciate the charm of the idea of harmony between heaven and man, and to guide students to inherit and carry forward Chinese traditional culture.

This course examines the material culture of modern China from the Republican period to the Reform era, with a focus on the Maoist era from 1949 to the late 1970s. By focusing on the design, production, consumption, and circulation of the material culture everyday life, this course will make sense of how the profound changes experienced during the twentieth century translated into the material, aesthetic, and cultural experiences of everyday people in China. It looks at how objects came to signify abstract concepts such as socialist modernity, feudal backwardness, or revolution, and ask how material goods can carry multiple associations, from the ideological to the aesthetic. The class will examine a variety of objects, including ceramics, consumer goods, enamelware, interior design and decor, lantern slides, photographs, posters, and textiles, paying particular attention to the relationships formed with objects and the cultural meanings ascribed to them.

This course provides a comprehensive overview of the archaeological evidence for Southeast Asian history. It is generally possible to see Southeast Asian culture as a diverse historical complex of local pre-historical cultures, Indian-influenced cultures, Chinese-influenced cultures, Islamic-influenced cultures, and European-influenced cultures. Geological separation between insular and mainland Southeast Asia further complicates the situation. This course traces the development of each culture in Southeast Asian through an archaeological examination of its material culture. Course topics include: the age of European influence; the age of Islamic influenc; the age of Chinese influence; the pre-modern ceramic trade and Taiwan; sunken ships and underwater archaeology; Southeast Asian castles and towns.