Course: Introduction to taiwanese language and culture

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Course title Introduction to taiwanese language and culture
Course code ASH/ITL
Organizational form of instruction Lecture + Seminary
Level of course Master
Year of study not specified
Semester Winter and summer
Number of ECTS credits 3
Language of instruction English
Status of course Compulsory-optional
Form of instruction Face-to-face
Work placements This is not an internship
Recommended optional programme components None
Course availability The course is available to visiting students
Lecturer(s)
  • Jandová chen Yixuan, M.A.
Course content
W1 Course Introduction and Taiwan Overview W2 Taiwan's Multilingual Ecology W3 A Brief History of Four Centuries of Taiwan W4 Linguistic Traces of Historical Evolution W5 Seasons and Solar Terms W6 "B? Q?" and "X?ng?n": Body and Organs in Language W7 Festivals, Color, and Taboos W8 Implicit or Direct? Euphemism and the Art of 'Mi?nzi' W9 The Appearance of Urbanized Life W10 The Internet and Creation of Digital Codes W11 Shifts in Language Policy and Integration of New Residents W12 Conclusion and Future Challenges W13 Final Oral Presentation

Learning activities and teaching methods
Lecture, Dialogic Lecture (Discussion, Dialog, Brainstorming), Work with Text (with Book, Textbook), Group work
Learning outcomes
The course adopts an interdisciplinary analytical framework, aiming to guide students toward understanding the complex social, historical, and linguistic structures underpinning Taiwan's local cultural customs and living norms through in-depth observation. The curriculum will help students grasp Taiwan's unique identity shaped by colonialism, ethnic interaction, and globalization, and analyze the communicative function of everyday objects or rituals as cultural symbols in society. Furthermore, students will be trained in using theoretical tools from cognitive linguistics and social pragmatics to analyze how language systems, through specific vocabulary, metaphors, and expressive strategies, reflect collective cognition regarding the body, emotion, and communication norms. Ultimately, students will be able to contrast the Taiwanese experience with their own cultural background, fostering respect for linguistic diversity and cultural compatibility, alongside a critical understanding of cultural change during modernization.

Prerequisites
No previous knowledge of Chinese is required.

Assessment methods and criteria
Oral exam, Dialog, Visitation

Participation in classes, attendance and final oral presentation
Recommended literature
  • Farzad Sharifian. Cultural Linguistics.
  • JOURDAN, CH.; TUITE, K. Language, culture and society: key topics in linguistic anthropology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006..
  • Ronald Wardhaugh and Janet M. Fuller. An introduction to sociolinguistics.


Study plans that include the course
Faculty Study plan (Version) Category of Branch/Specialization Recommended year of study Recommended semester
Faculty: Faculty of Arts Study plan (Version): Chinese Studies (2023_24) Category: Philological sciences - Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: -