In recent years, Taiwan has become increasingly important in discussions of contemporary Asia. However, assessments of its current circumstances rarely take into account roots that lie deep in the past. In this course we will take six topics that loom large in Taiwan now and examine their histories, development and ongoing relevance. These will be: Is Taiwan under threat?", "Who are the Taiwanese?", "Taiwan and Japan: The Legacies of Colonialism", ""Violence, Dictatorship, and Democracy", "Taiwan's Indigenous Peoples", and "Taiwan's Social and Economic Challenges". In our examination of these topics, we will also discuss the justifications for the positions taken by groups within Taiwan and those taken by other countries. This course will make use of feature films, documentaries, music videos, and other cultural products to supplement lectures and extended discussion of primary historical sources in seminars.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
- Analyse issues facing contemporary Taiwan, and identify their origins in earlier periods, extending back to the Qing dynasty.
- Describe and explain the history of ideas relating to Taiwanese identity.
- Analyse and evaluate the impact of colonial and autocratic governance in Taiwan, including moves toward transitional justice.
- Apply interdisciplinary methods and critical analysis to conduct independent research on Taiwan.
- Describe and explain current economic, social, and cultural issues facing Taiwan, particularly those related to demography and to Taiwan's indigenous peoples.
- Demonstrate advanced skills of communication, both through oral discussion and written exposition, justifying methods and approaches.
Other Information
None
Indicative Assessment
- 3 x seminar presentations (30) [LO 1,2,3,4,5,6]
- Exam (30) [LO 1,2,3,4,5]
- Research Essay (40) [LO 1,2,3,4,5,6]
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Workload
The weekly face-to-face component of the course will be a two-hour seminar or lecture and one hour of viewing supplementary material - films documentaries, short videos, music videos, artworks, etc. The total workload for the course is 130 hours.
Inherent Requirements
Not applicable
Prescribed Texts
Prescribed texts will be provided through the Wattle site.
Preliminary Reading
Chou Wan-yao (trans. Carole Plackitt and Tim Casey), A New Illustrated History of Taiwan (Taipei, SMC Publishing, 2020)
John J. Metzler, Taiwan's Transformation, 1895 to the Present (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2017)
Assumed Knowledge
None
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
Commonwealth Support (CSP) Students
If you have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). More information about your student contribution amount for each course at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 14
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are a domestic graduate coursework student with a Domestic Tuition Fee (DTF) place or international student you will be required to pay course tuition fees (see below). Course tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 0.12500 |
Course fees
- Domestic fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2024 | $4080 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2024 | $6000 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.
Second Semester
| Class number | Class start date | Last day to enrol | Census date | Class end date | Mode Of Delivery | Class Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8594 | 22 Jul 2024 | 29 Jul 2024 | 31 Aug 2024 | 25 Oct 2024 | In Person | N/A |
