Department of Public and Cultural Affairs (including the Master of Austronesian Studies and the Master of Public Affairs)

Established in 2011, the Department of Public and Cultural Affairs provides the Undergraduate program and Master’s Programs in Austronesian Studies (established in 2003) and Public Affairs (established in 2014, the predecessor was Regional Policy and Development which was set up in 2004). The geographically and politico-economically marginal location of Taitung provides a wide diversity of ethnic cultures and the best environment for education and discussion of public and cultural affairs. With our curriculum design and local resources, we aim to train students to care for environmental and social issues, increase students’ cultural awareness, pay attention to local issues and develop comparative perspectives on public affairs.

The Department currently has the undergraduate courses of Public and Cultural Affairs Department and the graduate courses of Public Affairs and Austronesian Studies. The two Graduate courses are about the development of national policy and the effect of disadvantaged or remote districts. The department is located in Taitung, which is the remotest but the most abundant of the ethnic culture area. We not only provide the teaching field, but also help researchers study the public and cultural related issues. For teaching, we emphasize on the relation between local issues and social change, training students with technology integration and independent thinking. We hope that through curriculum planning and local resources, our students will be trained to care about the environment, social issues and have cultural literacy.

Ph.D. Program in Austronesian Studies, College of Humanities.   Program Description

Since the establishment of the Master's Program of Austronesian Studies at National Taitung University in 2003, the academic environment for Austronesian studies in National Taitung University (NTTU) have matured a great deal and more teachers are available. In 2021, National Taitung University has been approved by the Ministry of Education in Taiwan for the establishment of the " Ph.D. Program of Austronesian Studies ", and will start to enroll students in 2022. This is the first all English doctoral program in Taiwan focusing on the studies of Austronesian culture. It emphasizes the study of Austronesian culture from both theoretical and practical perspectives.

In terms of cultural diversity, Taitung County ranks first in Taiwan. There are seven Austronesian speaking indigenous groups: Amis, Paiwan, Bunun, Rukai, Puyuma, Tao, and Kavalan. Not only having a rich traditional cultural diversity, it is also possible for researchers to have closer opportunities to observe how different ethnic groups tackle the contemporary issues, which shows strong vitality and lively creativity. The physical proximity and social connection between the College of Humanities and local Austronesian communities provide a valuable resource for Ph.D. students to learn, in context, of practical problems solving, and to apply theoretical knowledge to the innovative construction of Austronesian communities.

The Center of Austronesian Culture of National Taitung University was established in 2014, it has since actively engaging in academic and cultural exchanges with overseas Austronesian-speaking countries. In order to respond to the further academic needs of young scholars from these countries, this doctoral program will serve as an institutional mechanism to recruit graduate students from these countries. And on this basis, it will expand the link between the various educational resources of National Taitung University and these Austronesian speaking countries, so as to contribute to the building of Taitung University as a regional hub of international academic network.