International Graduate Lectures in Sinology, NCCU

科技文獻的過去、現在與未來/Science and Technology Literature for the Past, Present, and the Future   This course is designed to provide practical training in the analysis, retrieval, and interpretation of scientific and technological literature, examining its past, present, and future. In the past, many scholars have employed bibliometric methods to study the academic development of specific research fields. Such approaches make it possible to trace the evolution of knowledge and scholarly communities through publication timelines, offering valuable contextual analyses for policymakers in science and technology. Bibliometric analysis of research activities can be applied in three main areas: describing the current state, evaluation and assessment, and long-term monitoring. By systematically processing large-scale journal publication data and aggregate statistics, bibliometric methods can be applied at multiple levels: the macro level (regions and nations), the meso level (research programs, institutions, and disciplines), and the micro level (individual researchers). In terms of purpose, bibliometric analysis also serves as a complementary tool to peer review. When examining national trends in science and technology development, it enables the handling of vast datasets, statistical analysis, and periodic monitoring of the growth of a country or field of knowledge. To capture fully the dynamics and contexts of technological development, it is essential to establish a structured framework for the classification, tagging, annotation, and summarization of scientific and technological literature. This framework facilitates subsequent retrieval, reading, and tracking, while uncovering valuable information hidden within massive bodies of literature and identifying previously unrecognized research issues. This course will feature Dr. Yasutomo Takano, a researcher at the University of Tokyo, who will deliver remote lectures on emerging trends in the use of scientific and technological literature. Drawing on his work in artificial intelligence applications, Dr. Takano will demonstrate how technological literature can be transformed into intermediary data, thereby showcasing potential avenues for enhanced utilization and value-added research applications. Dr. Takano is a co-founder of Paper Digest and CEO of JIYU Laboratories, Inc. (https://jiyu-labs.com/), a company specializing in the analysis of scientific literature for the Japanese government. Paper Digest employs artificial intelligence to generate concise and precise summaries of open-access scientific articles, typically around 300 words, covering the key sections: “Introduction and Objective,” “Results,” and “Discussion and Conclusions.” Its mission is to reduce the time required to read each article to approximately three minutes. Currently, the Paper Digest platform offers an online trial service: by entering the DOI of any open-access publication, users can instantly generate a summary. Since literature review is a crucial part of scientific research, Paper Digest helps researchers enhance the efficiency of their literature surveys, thereby fostering greater diversity and innovation in their scientific work. Dr. Takano received his Ph.D. from the Tokyo Institute of Technology, specializing in bibliometrics, artificial intelligence, and science and technology policy. After graduation, he was invited to join the University of Tokyo’s Institute for Future Initiatives (IFI, https://ifi.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/), where he worked on projects to align the university’s research achievements with future industrial applications. As a co-founder of Paper Digest (https://www.paper-digest.com/), Dr. Takano has spearheaded efforts to apply AI to the summarization of global scientific literature, creating a convenient platform for researchers to read academic papers efficiently. By enabling summaries that can be read within three minutes, Paper Digest has successfully commercialized rapid literature summarization services. In 2018, the project was awarded the Catalyst Grant by Digital Science, further affirming the value and market recognition of its AI-based approach to summarizing scientific literature in Japan.

帝國學知與近代台灣/Imperial Knowledge and Modern Taiwan This course takes as its point of departure recent scholarly work in Japan to examine the relationship between knowledge production and the structures of state authority, colonialism, postcolonial conditions, and gender. The production of knowledge in modern Japan was deeply intertwined with the imperial project, encompassing institutional frameworks, academic journals and organizations, disciplinary boundaries, and ideological orientations. To explore these dynamics, the course invites both established and emerging Japanese scholars to address various dimensions of knowledge production from the perspectives of empire and colony. Through both broad historical contexts and detailed case studies, the course aims to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of this significant historical process.

近代中國與周邊：翻譯及國制/Modern China and its neighbors: translation and state systems This course is jointly taught by Professor Takashi Okamoto of Kyoto Prefectural University and Associate Professor Keiko Hakoda of Kyoto Women’s University. It focuses on China’s foreign relations and conceptual vocabulary during the Ming and Qing dynasties, as well as in the Republican period. By examining terms that were central to the discourse of each historical era, the course seeks to illuminate how China’s relations with neighboring states were articulated and understood. Particular attention will be given to clarifying similarities and differences in the meanings of key Chinese concepts and their translated counterparts—such as “China,” “tributary state,” “king,” “emperor,” as well as “public opinion,” “criticism,” “arbitration,” and “judgment.” Through this approach, students will gain deeper insight into the concepts and institutions that shaped China’s relations with surrounding countries from the Ming and Qing dynasties onward.

型態與變奏：中國現代詩學（1911-1949）/Lost and Found of Modern Chinese Poetics.1911-1949 This course studies the transformation of Chinese modern poetics in the first half of the twentieth century. Chinese society and its culture have been immensely impacted by the West since the Late Qing Period. Literature, and in particular, its relevant poetics, exemplifies the Chinese ways of resolving the tension between tradition and modernity, as well as China and the West. The aim of this course is to examine the various modes of modern Chinese poetics so as to have a better understanding of the subjectivity of the literary thoughts and discourses in this critical period of Chinese modernity.

從日本看近現代中國與臺灣的政治與思想/The Politics and Thought of Modern China and Taiwan: A Japanese Perspective Since the modern era, Japan has not only observed but also actively participated in the profound transformations of the Asian continent and the East Asian maritime sphere, devoting significant attention to the region’s political developments and intellectual currents. This course invites distinguished Japanese scholars of modern Chinese history to provide concise yet multifaceted perspectives on this complex and dynamic historical process, focusing on political thought, key figures, and historiography. Through careful textual analysis and broader contextual understanding, students will be able to deepen their grasp of modern Chinese political history and thought, and further reflect on their connections to contemporary Taiwan and China.

海外華人的離散與認同/Chinese Diaspora Identities This course invites nine international scholars to share their research on the identity and identity construction of the Chinese diaspora. The historical background of overseas Chinese around the world affects their identity in their respective region. Examples include, whether they retain their language and traditions or try to integrate into their ancestral society. Whether their cultural products are in Chinese or local languages. The Chinese diaspora presented in this course are located in Southeast Asia, South Asia, Australia and New Zealand, Europe, North America, and Latin America. The language of the course is English and Mandarin, depending on the wishes of the lecturers.  

中國與現代世界/China and the Modern World This course examines modern Chinese history in global context through the reading and discussion of important recent works of English-language scholarship.  We will analyze the diverse analytical frameworks through which recent scholars have studied modern China’s connections with the world, focusing in particular on the themes of transnational migration, science and technology, imperialism and colonialism, and global capitalism.  Course sessions will be taught by leading scholars of modern Chinese from North America, Europe, and Asia to provide students with a deeper understanding of the latest international scholarship on modern Chinese history as well as new directions for future research.  

醫學、宗教與療癒的歷史視野/Medicine, Religion and Healing in Historical Perspectives In longue durée and border-crossing perspectives, this course will explore the relationship between medicine, religions and healings in Chinese history. By nine seminars the topics to be discussed include medicine and politics, religious healings (of Buddhism, Daoism, Shamanism and gu-poisoning), sexual/gender aspects of medical knowledge, anatomy, psychiatry and psychoanalysis in premodern and modern times. Medicine and religion are primarily aimed at body-mind healings and pursuits of immortal life. Studies of these topics in historical evolutions under the threat of the Pandemic reveal both theoretical and practical significance. They will help to speculate human beings’ experiences and wisdom for struggles with diseases and suffering.

跨文化哲學：中國與歐洲/Intercultural Philosophy: China and Europe This course considers the possibility of intercultural philosophy between Chinese and European traditions.  The course follows the three main phases of Western philosophy: its beginning in ancient Greece, its high point between Kant and Hegel, and its decline after the second world war.  When we compare ancient Chinese and ancient Greek thought we find similarities, for in both cases philosophy is grounded in spiritual exercises.  In the nineteenth century, however, Europe developed a philosophical culture that laid the foundation for the human sciences.  Since a similar philosophical culture is not found in traditional China, it became common to deny that there is philosophy in China.  At the end of the nineteenth century nihilism, the counterpoint to philosophy, gained strength.  We will read what Nietzsche says about nihilism and consider if nihilism is also found in the Chinese tradition.  Today the European culture of philosophy is in decline and we see an openness to what is now called “Chinese philosophy.” We consider examples of how Chinese philosophy is presented on the global stage.  The main questions addressed in the course are: What is philosophy?  Is there philosophy in China?  Can you have philosophy without nihilism?  Has European philosophy come to an end?  Is there such a thing as global, or intercultural philosophy?

東亞儒學與漢文學/East Asian Confucianism and Chinese Literature East Asia is a geographical term, yet its shared cultural symbols are Confucianism and classical Chinese literature. The literati of China, Japan, and Korea, through their interpretations of Confucian classics, shaped the Confucian cultural sphere. Poets and writers, in refining diction and crafting verse to convey inner sentiments and landscapes of the mind, enriched the flourishing legacy of Chinese literary expression. This course begins with an introduction by Professor Lian Qingji, who will outline the transmission of Confucianism and classical Chinese literature across East Asia. Professor Kim Byung-gi descends from a lineage of distinguished literati: his ancestor served as Chief State Councillor of the Goryeo dynasty, while his forebears were renowned for their poetry and prose. Inheriting this scholarly tradition, Professor Kim himself excels in literature and calligraphy. Having studied in Taiwan under Professor Wang Zhong, he devoted himself to the study of Song-dynasty literature, illuminating the subtleties of Korean Confucian and literary traditions, as well as explicating the aesthetic depth of Su Dongpo—achievements in which he stands without rival. Professor Fujii Michiaki, who received his doctorate in Chinese philosophy from Kyushu University, has taught at National Yunlin University of Science and Technology and National Taiwan Normal University, before being invited back to a professorship at Kyushu University three years ago. Well-versed in both Taiwanese and Japanese Sinological scholarship, he has produced original insights into the study of Zhu Xi in China and Japan, and was awarded the Excellence Prize by the Taiwan Zhu Xi Studies Association. His expertise lies in the intellectual legacy of Neo-Confucianism in early modern Japan, through which he clarifies the essential significance of modern research on Song-Ming thought and illuminates the meanings of Song studies in both China and Japan. Professor Hsiao Li-hua, who earned her Ph.D. in Chinese literature at National Taiwan University, has taught at both National Taiwan University and Fo Guang University. Prior to the publication of her monograph The Transmission of Chinese Poetry and Buddhist Culture in East Asia (2014), she conducted short-term research at Kyoto University, Ritsumeikan University, and Dongguk University in Korea, and participated in four academic conferences in Vietnam. From these experiences, she developed a comprehensive East Asian perspective encompassing Korea, Japan, and Vietnam. Her research focuses primarily on medieval Chinese poetry and Buddhist literature in the East Asian context.

中日的語言與文化/Sino-Japanese Language and Culture According to statistics from the Ministry of Education, the number of Taiwanese students studying abroad in major countries has grown steadily from 57,956 in the 2016 academic year to 71,488 in 2020, marking a 23% increase over five years. The top five study-abroad destinations are the United States, Australia, Japan, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Meanwhile, the number of Japanese university students studying in Taiwan has increased fivefold over the past decade. Given this steady growth in student mobility between Taiwan and Japan, active engagement in the study, communication, and exchange of Chinese and Japanese languages and cultures has become increasingly important. Since language serves as a vehicle of culture, in-depth analysis of different languages can enhance understanding and mastery of linguistics; likewise, effective language learning necessarily entails engagement with culture. Only by integrating both language and culture can learners gain a more comprehensive and profound appreciation of another country’s linguistic characteristics, customs, and institutions. This course brings together professors from Japan and Taiwan specializing in linguistics and cultural studies, offering complementary perspectives on the characteristics and differences between Chinese and Japanese, as well as on the processes of interaction, integration, and mutual influence. In the field of linguistics, Professor Yang Xiao-an will lecture on experimental phonetics, Chinese dialects, and culture; Professor Nakazatomi Takashi will discuss Chinese language teaching in Japan; and Professor Lin Qingxun will focus on the formation of Sino-Japanese pronunciations in early modern Japan and their phonetic analysis. On the cultural studies side, Professor Nakazatomi Takashi will examine the significance of Hamada Ichie in performance history, while Professor Hazama Fusako will discuss the Japanese translation of Chinese films. Covering both linguistic and cultural dimensions, the course aims to provide students with a broad and multifaceted perspective, as well as a deeper understanding of Chinese and Japanese language and culture.