Taiwan Program at APARC - Education

Instructor: Nina Lin

The course focuses on developing basic oral communication skills. No reading/writing of Chinese characters is required. The course is designed to equip students with the basic language skills needed in everyday situations.

Instructor: Yi-Ting Chung

Since the outbreak of the Russo-Ukrainian war, the prospect of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan has drawn renewed concern and debate around the world. To fully understand the contemporary Taiwanese issues, however, requires one to dig deeper and see Taiwan as a space where multiple great powers - China, Japan, and the United States - have historically intersected. This course explores the centuries-long history of Taiwan under different empires: the Qing empire (1683-1895), the Japanese empire (1895-1945), the Republic of China (1945-present), and the U.S. military empire (1945-present). Entering the postwar era, we will also cover the White Terror period (1947-1987), the democratization in the 1980s and 90s, and the issue of historical memory. Examining how different histories are remembered and forgotten, we will address the ways in which colonial legacies are intertwined with nation-making and postwar politics. Throughout the course, we will pay attention to how Taiwan's ethnic diversity has complicated the writing of national history and the formation of national identity. And we will ask: From whose perspective is Taiwanese history written? This course will analyze governmental reports, colonial travelogues, and propaganda videos, as well as fiction, music, and video games.

Instructor: Kharis Templeman

This course is an introduction to the contemporary politics of Taiwan. Once a poor, insecure autocracy, today's Taiwan has been transformed into a prosperous and stable liberal democracy, albeit one whose long-term security remains imperiled by the rising power of the People's Republic of China. We will draw on concepts and theories from political science to explore distinct aspects of this ongoing political evolution, including the transition to and consolidation of democracy, origins and trajectory of economic and social development, sources of Taiwanese nationalism, security of the Taiwanese state and its relationship to the PRC and the United States, parties and elections, and public policy processes and challenges.

Instructor: Kharis Templeman

This course will provide a broad overview of Taiwan's place in the security environment of East Asia, covering the history of US-Taiwan-People's Republic of China relations, Taiwan's ambiguous status in the contemporary inter-state system, cross-Strait trends including the changing balance of power and economic integration, the emergence and evolution of "sharp power" threats to Taiwan's security, and the impact of China's rise on the regional and global order. There are no prerequisites, but previous coursework in international relations, East Asian studies, or Chinese politics is recommended.