Spring 2023 Course: Introduction to Taiwan Studies (I A STD 188)

"The US is committed to Taiwan. In fact, that commitment is rock solid and consistent across administrations. It continues to be the maintenance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits and within the region." – US President Joe Biden

"I am glad this committee is holding this hearing at this critical time on Taiwan. As we increase the time, energy, and resources devoted to supporting this Indo-Pacific democracy, we need to be able to tell the American people why it's so important." – US Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho)

The importance of Taiwan has been widely discussed in US politicians' rhetoric across partisan lines; however why is Taiwan important? Taiwan has played a unique role in terms of domestic, regional, and international politics. Domestically Taiwan is one of the countries that have experienced successful economic development and democratization. Regionally, it has a close economic interdependency with neighboring countries like Japan, China, and South Korea. With the new Southbound Policy initiated by the Tsai administration, Taiwan builds a closer connection with ASEAN, South Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. Internationally, Taiwan has become not only an important contributor to semiconductor manufacturing but also a geopolitical hotspot due to the threat from China. To better understand these unique roles Taiwan performs, this course aims to provide an introduction to the various aspects of Taiwan. 

We will start with discussions on what elements constitute the concept of 'Taiwan" and briefly talk about the Taiwanese historical trajectory before the late 1980s when democratization unfolds. Given the importance of politics in our understanding of Taiwan, the course will then proceed with lectures that focus on the transition to a democratic regime, cross-Strait relations, and Taiwanese identity. In addition to politics, we will also cover topics related to economic development, international political economy, social movements, popular culture, and religion. The last part of these course will be a series of special-topic short courses that touch upon some of the essential ideas that are integral parts of the Taiwanese life experience. These special topics include LGBTI rights, indigenous people, new immigrants, women and COVID-19. After taking this class, the students are expected to have a deeper understanding of Taiwan in a comprehensive manner. Furthermore, the knowledge they gain in this class can be applied to theoretically compare and contrast other countries' situations.