Introduction to Contemporary Taiwan

Streets at night in Taiwan.

autumn 2025 and spring 2026

Image by tingyaoh from Pixabay

Register now through Peppi or Sisu! Read more about the registration/application process!

Autumn 2025 onwards:

Registration through Peppi and Sisu: on-going online course, starting each study period. Register for the implementation that suits  your schedule best, and take the course on that period. Registeration is open always on the preceding month of the next period.

Study time: On-going online course. The course can be started at any study period.

Level: Advanced

Amount of credits: 2 ECTS

Teacher:  Doctoral researcher Ari-Joonas Pitkänen, University of Turku

Learning outcomes: This online course will enable students to understand and analyse Taiwan, one of the most complex and contentious places in East Asia. By the end of the course, students will be familiar with the key aspects of contemporary Taiwanese society and politics, including Taiwan’s national identity debates, its contested relationship with the Chinese mainland, and its socio-cultural mix of Indigenous, Chinese, Western, and Japanese influences. By introducing the main dynamics of Taiwan’s socio-political situation, this course provides a valuable complement to other courses on China and the East Asian region.

Content:

The online course consists of six thematic modules:

  1. Introduction – What is Taiwan?
  2. An Overview of Taiwanese History
  3. The Taiwan Question and Cross-Strait Relations
  4. Identity, Nationalism, and Taiwanisation
  5. Taiwan’s Political System and Party Politics
  6. Social Issues and Cultural Trends in Taiwan Today

Study methods: Self-study of online materials, quizzes, and learning diary.

Taken as: an online course in Moodle learning environment. Students can complete the course at their own pace within the course period.

Learning material: Recorded online lectures, reading materials, online materials.

Qualifications: Basic knowledge about China and/or the East Asian region.

Assessment scale: Failed / Pass / Pass with honors

Assessment criteria: Failed / Pass / Pass with donors

Languages: English

Registration: Degree students from the member universities of the Finnish University Network for Asian Studies can register for this course during the registration period through their university’s own Peppi or Sisu systems. Other students can apply for non-degree self-paying study right to the University of Turku.  Read more here!

This course has a maximum intake of 40 students. Students are selected in the order of application. The places are divided evenly between the member universities of the Network.

Starting the course:  On the first day of the course, you will receive a welcome message from the teacher, including a link to the course webpage.