Developing Taiwan Studies Teaching Programme in Europe and the United States: the experience of SOAS University of London and University of Texas at Austin

Fell, Dafydd; Chang, Sung-sheng Yvonne

Abstract

Over the last two decades, there has been a rapid expansion in the number of Taiwan programmes at universities in America and Europe; however, few of these Taiwan programmes have attempted to develop teaching courses. Where Taiwan courses have been introduced, they have tended to be in isolation and not well integrated into existing academic programmes. Among the universities with Taiwan programmes, only two have attempted to create comprehensive teaching programmes through which students can graduate with a degree in Taiwan studies: SOAS University of London and the University of Texas at Austin. The purpose of this paper is to compare the experiences of these two institutions in developing such niche teaching programmes. It begins with a discussion of how these two programmes first emerged and then goes on to review their distinct development trajectories and key features. The paper offers an analysis of how these two programmes were able not only to survive but also to expand their offerings and thrive in an academic environment that should be hostile to such niche programmes. It concludes with a review of the remaining challenges facing these teaching programmes.

Citation

Fell, D., & Chang, S.-S. Y. (in press). Developing Taiwan Studies Teaching Programme in Europe and the United States: the experience of SOAS University of London and University of Texas at Austin. The China Quarterly, 240, 1108-1134. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0305741019000031

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jun 12, 2018
• Online Publication Date: Feb 26, 2019
• Deposit Date: Jun 20, 2018
• Publicly Available Date: Jun 20, 2018
• Print ISSN: 0305-7410
• Electronic ISSN: 1468-2648
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 240
• Pages: 1108-1134
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0305741019000031