Course Information
Course title
Taiwan through the Lens of Its Museums 
Semester
106-1 
Designated for
 
Instructor
CHUN-YI JOYCE TSAI 
Curriculum Number
LibEdu1064 
Curriculum Identity Number
H01E06400 
Class
01 
Credits
3.0 
Full/Half
Yr.
Half 
Required/
Elective
 
Time
Thursday 3,4,5(10:20~13:10) 
Remarks
The upper limit of the number of students: 25. 
Ceiba Web Server
http://ceiba.ntu.edu.tw/1061LibEdu1064_01 
Course introduction video
 
Table of Core Capabilities and Curriculum Planning
Association has not been established
Course Syllabus
Please respect the intellectual property rights of others and do not copy any of the course information without permission
Course Description

****THE INSTRUCTOR RESERVES THE RIGHT TO MODIFY THE SYLLABUS WITH ADVANCED NOTICE.

****TO ENROLL, PLEASE COME TO CLASS IN WEEK 2. THE FINAL ROSTER WILL BE DETERMINED BY THE LETTER ABOVE AND THE FOLLOWING PRIORITY:
1. INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS 2. STUDENTS IN RELEVANT CERTIFICATE PROGRAMS (ASIAN ART, ART & DESIGN, TAIWAN STUDIES) 3. LOCAL SENIORS 4. OTHERS

****THERE WILL BE NO CLASS IN WEEK 1 (9/14). HOWEVER, THE TEACHING ASSISTENT WILL BE IN THE CLASSROOM (LIBERAL EDUCATION CLASSROOM BUILDING 310) TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE AND TO DISTRIBUTE THE SYLLABUS. STUDENTS WHO HAVE NOT ENROLLED YET ARE ALSO WELCOME TO PICK UP A SYLLABUS AND SIGN THE INTENT TO ENROLL SHEET.

At once a Taiwan studies and a museum studies course, this course analyzes a variety of museums in Taiwan—their history, location, architecture, contents, and their constructed narratives—with critical readings in museum studies. The museums featured range from archaeology to contemporary art, from natural history to ethnography, and from concrete artifacts to intangible cultural heritage and digitized material in virtual reality. All are conveniently located in the greater Taipei area for visitations.

Each class will consist of a 2-hour lecture by the instructor, followed by a 1-hour group discussion on key readings or video clips led by the TA. There will be a few museum trips to give students first-hand experiences of institutions introduced in class. Seasoned curators and museum professionals will be invited to give students perspectives from behind-the-scenes.

The course’s goal is threefold: (1) it introduces students to the unique arts, cultures, peoples, and histories of Taiwan as represented through its museums, (2) it brings attention to the historical context that engendered these institutions, (3) and it draws awareness to the theory and practice of collecting, display, and interpretation at work behind the museum’s narratives.

Readings will be mostly in English and occasionally in Chinese. International and local students are strongly encouraged to partner with each other to complete readings and exchange ideas. We will focus on one museum each week and read the museums’ official publications, second-hand scholarship, and studies on similar types of museums abroad.
 

Course Objective
(1) Students will be interested in and have a basic understanding of the art, history, culture, and peoples of Taiwan, as well as the history of its museums.
(2) Students will have a basic grasp of key scholarship and topics in museum studies.
(3) Students will develop a critical approach in future museum visitations, being aware of the institution’s ideologies at play behind seeming neutral and objective displays.

 
Course Requirement
****There are no mid-term or final exams for this class.
****SEE ENROLLMENT REQUIREMENTS UNDER "COURSE DESCRIPTION" ABOVE.

Class Participation:
(1) attending and participating actively in classes,
(2) completing museum visit worksheets and other homework,
(3) submitting a short review of the class at the end of the semester (2-3 pages)

Class Presentation:
Students will do a 20-minute group presentation (4-5 persons per group, 8-10 groups in total) at the end of the semester.
 
Student Workload (expected study time outside of class per week)
 
Office Hours
Appointment required. 
Designated reading
****The complete bibliography will be made available to registered students.  
References
Useful References (Available on Course Reserves):
****The complete bibliography will be made available to registered students.

Preziosi, Donald, and Claire Farago, eds., Grasping the World: The Idea of
the Museum. Burlington, VT: Ashgate Publishing Co., 2004. [hereafter GW]

Carbonell, Bettina M. ed. Museum Studies: An Anthology of Contexts. Oxford,
UK: Blackwell Publishing, 2004. [hereafter MSAC]

Knell, Simon J. [et al.], eds. National Museums: New Studies From Around the
World. London; New York: Routledge, 2011. [hereafter NM] 
Grading
 
No.
Item
%
Explanations for the conditions
1. 
Class Participation 
50% 
Includes attendance, discussion, museum worksheets, other homework.  
2. 
Class Presentation 
50% 
Includes group oral presentation, group written report, group creative project.  
 
Progress
Week
Date
Topic
Week 1
09/14  Holiday 
Week 2
09/21  Introduction: Approach, Topics, and Goals  
Week 3
09/28  The Birth of Museums & Critical Issues in Museology</br>
</br>
**Due: Personal profile 
Week 4
10/05  Taiwan’s Museums: A General History 
Week 5
10/12  NTU Campus Museums: NTU History Gallery (台大校史館) 
Week 6
10/19  Taiwan’s Native Peoples: NTU Museum of Anthropology (台大人類學博物館) 
Week 7
10/26  Taiwan’s Cultural Legitimacy: National Palace Museum (NPM) (國立故宮博物院)</br>
</br>
**Due: Final groups formed and submitted 
Week 8
11/02  CLASS TRIP TO NPM ON 11/04 (SAT) 
Week 9
11/09  Taiwan’s Art: Taipei Fine Arts Museum (台北市立美術館)</br>
</br>
**Due: Two final project topics 
Week 10
11/16  No class (停課)</br>
</br>
**Due: First museum essay 
Week 11
11/23  CLASS TRIP TO NTM 
Week 12
11/30  Taiwan’s Natural History: National Taiwan Museum (NTM) (國立台灣博物館)</br>
</br>
**Due: Final project proposal 
Week 13
12/07  Taiwan’s Historical Trauma: National 228 Memorial Museum (二二八紀念館) 
Week 14
12/14  CLASS TRIP TO 228 MUSEUM</br>
</br>
**Final project proposal feedback offered 
Week 15
12/21  Taiwan’s Literature: National Museum of Taiwan Literature (國立台灣文學館)</br>
</br>
**Due: Second museum essay 
Week 16
12/28  Taiwan Digitized: Taiwan Digital Collections Project (台灣數位典藏計畫)  
Week 17
01/04  FINAL PRESENTATIONS  
Week 18
01/11  FINAL PRESENTATIONS</br>
</br>
**Due: Final class review; final project written report; extra credit assignments 
Week 18-1
  Group pictures