Introduction to the Graduate Institute for Gender Studies at Shih Hsin University

 

1. Purpose of the Institute

To achieve the internationalization of education, follow the trend of international gender education in the second half of the 20^th century and combine the international issues of gender equal rights promoted by the UN, Shih Hsin University set up The Graduate Institute of Gender Studies (GIGS), the first graduate institute of gender in the north of Taiwan, in 2003.

The purpose of the GIGS is to: (1) Respond to the national gender equality policies and deeply implant the academic and practical resources of gender studies; (2) Highlight the international tide of gender studies and strengthen the academic position and competitive advantage of this university; (3) Integrate the resources of gender studies in the north of Taiwan and improve the academic level of Taiwan’s gender studies; (4) Promote the interdisciplinary collaboration of this university and cultivate the talents with diverse vision in gender studies; (5) Advocate the public policy based on academic studies and promote the social development in line with gender justice; (6) Combine the academic studies and social practices and promote the social transformation of gender equality. The educational objective of the GIGS is to cultivate the leadership talents taking into account both theory and practice in gender studies and gender movements, to promote the gender equality in Taiwan’s society.

 

2. Faculty & Staff

There are currently 5 faculty members in the GIGS and all of them have the doctoral degree. In terms of professional title, there are 2 professors, 2 associate professors, and 1 assistant professor. 12 to 15 master graduates are recruited every year. Now the Master’s Program has been established for 16 years. There is a total of 61 students at the moment. In terms of administration and human resources, this institute has 1 team member (secretary) and 1-2 temporary part-time student(s) employees to assist with the institute’s affairs.

The academic backgrounds, research areas and courses taught are listed as follows:

 

Faculty	Highest Degree Of Education	Research Areas	Courses
Tsun Yin Luo (羅燦煐)	Ph.D. in Sociology, University of Hawaii-Manoa, USA	Gender Studies, Gendered Violence, Gender and Media, Gender and Policy	Sociology of Gender, Graduate Seminar on Gendered Violence, Thesis Writing for Gender Studies, Academic Competence and Social Practice for Gender Studies, Theory and Practice of Campus Gendered Violence Incidents
Yi-Chien Chen (陳宜倩)	J.S.D. Doctor of Science of Law, Cornell University, New York, USA	Feminist Jurisprudence, Comparative Law Studies, Gender and Public Policies, Men’s Studies, LGBT Legal Studies	Feminist Theories, Professional Seminar for Gender Studies, Seminar on Gender, Marriage and Family, Lesbian, Gay and Transgender Legal Studies, Law’s Love Stories
Ming-Li Chen (陳明莉)	Ph.D. in Cultural Studies and Sociology, University of Birmingham, UK	Cultural Studies, Gender and Consumption, Gender and Body, Gender and Age	Seminar on Gender and Body, Seminar on Gender and Consumption, Qualitative Research Methods, Research Methods in Gender Studies, Gender Relation, Consumption and Multi-culture, Age, Generation and Culture
Ling Ling Hung / Lucifer Hung (洪泠泠／洪凌)	Ph.D. in Cultural Studies, Chinese University of Hong Kong	Queer Theory, Post-cold-War and the politics of nation/state, Speculative Fiction Studies, Paraliterary writings, Psychoanalysis, Socialism and its struggles, Inter-species intimacy and affect politics	Professional Seminar for Gender Studies, Seminar on Sexology, Seminar on Sexualities, Gender and Cultural Studies, Queer Studies, Gender, Knowledge and Power, Studies on Erotic Politics and Pornography, Feminist Theories
Weiting Wu (伍維婷)	Ph.D. in Political Science, City University of New York, USA	Gender Politics, Gender and Policy, Gender Studies, Theories and Practices of Social Movement, The State-society Relation in China, Theories and Practices of CEDAW	Gender and Policy Studies, Theories and Practices of CEDAW, Sociology of Gender, Gender Relation, Gender Studies, Gender, the State and Social Movements

 

3. Overall work

Gender and policy, gender and communication, and gender and cultural studies are our main academic directions. Our curriculum also reflects an emphasis on theory and practice. It teaches the integration of knowledge and methodology, the application of gender studies in policymaking, and the implementation of gender equality and cultural diversity. The teacher’s teaching style of this institute is lively, critical and inspirational, which can be demonstrated through the positive feedback from students and graduates. This institute also has an outstanding performance in professional academic research and several books of gender studies have been published. Moreover, many teachers of the GIGS act as the consultants and committee members of government and NPOs, actively participating in the formulation of national gender policies. Therefore, the teachers of this institute have achieved extraordinary performance in terms of research, teaching and student instruction, or contributing to the discussion on Taiwan’s social issues and policy formulation.

Our students actively explore various gender-related issues, and some master’s theses have won major academic paper awards in Taiwan recently. Many students of the GIGS also participate in various social activities, including assisting this university with classroom instruction in gender equality education, participating in the planning and implementation of gender equality week and gender neutral bathrooms in this university, participating in the advocacy of equal rights for same-sex marriage, rights and interests of transgender people, the abolition of the crime of adultery and other initiative campaigns, and offering the volunteer services to the non-governmental organizations related to gender diversity.

Our graduates of GIGS enjoy a wide variety of professional career options. Over the past decade, our graduates have been employed in both public and private sectors, including schools and colleges, research institutes, government agencies, media organizations, and NGOs. Over the past two decades, the passage of legislative acts, including the Sexual Assault Crime Prevention Act, Domestic Violence Prevention Act, Act of Gender Equality in Employment, Gender Equity Education Act, and Sexual Harassment Prevention Act have increased demand for gender violence prevention and management professionals. In addition, the establishment of gender equality committees at the Executive, Legislative and Examination Yuans in Taiwan, as well as the launch of a gender equality working group in every department under the Executive Yuan, has increased the demand for gender studies experts in many fields. Finally, the establishment of the Gender Equality Office by the Executive Yuan has created additional positions for our graduates.

 

TEL：886-2-2236-8225 ext 83612

Email：gndrshu@mail.shu.edu.tw