• Department of Sociology

Founded in 1956, the Department of Sociology at Tunghai University was one of the first of its kind in Taiwan.
Twenty-two years later in 1978, our master program was created, followed by our Ph.D. program in 1981,
another first in
Taiwan's higher education. Since then, our department has come to be recognized to have among
the top sociology undergraduate and graduate programs in the country. Currently there are 5000 undergraduate
students, 300 MA students and 66 doctoral students.
 

The primary goals of our undergraduate program are to foster in our students the abilities to think more logically,
effectively carry out field research, analyze and understand different sociocultural phenomena, interpret future
social trends in business and education and, most importantly, to learn the skills to be a constructive member of
today's global society. For students with a particular interest in business, we offer a Business and Society program
consisting of a series of courses specifically designed to enhance their training in this field.
 

The curriculum of our department is designed so that upon completion of the undergraduate program, our students
should be prepared to either continue to intensify their ability to study in a graduate program or to enter the job market
with the skills needed to perform their job well.
 

Building upon these skills, our master and doctorate programs further develop our students' abilities for two major
purposes: to cultivate well-trained professional sociologists and to instill in our students the importance of having 
concern for the welfare of humanity. In order to encourage our graduate program students reach their potential,
we offer awards to students for outstanding dissertations. Furthermore, we offer Research Assistantships and
Teaching Assistantships to students who are interested and qualified.
 

There are four substantive areas of study for students to enroll in our graduate programs. These areas of
research focus include Sociological Theory and Intellectual History, Political Economy, Culture and History,
Stratification and Education.

Internationalizing our department is a primary goal for us in the increasingly global society as we are a member
of it. Because of this, we encourage our students to partake in programs allowing them to go abroad to study and
to participate in international conferences. Great effort is made to invite scholars to our department for teaching
positions, to give speeches at our department or to present research papers at the international conferences
we host here.
 

Recent graduates are found in every occupation and profession. Some graduates pursue professions in education,
journalism, business administration, social work, law, public administration and in NGOs. Graduate programs in
sociology further prepare students for both academic and professional careers.
 

For our graduate programs, we will consider any applicants regardless of their educational discipline or nationality.
We especially welcome any foreign student applicants that have at least a basic proficiency in Chinese. If you are
interested in applying or would like to request more information, please feel free to contact us.
 

Faculty member

 There are 14 members of faculty; all of them hold a Ph.D. degree. Many of our professors are distinguished in their
fields of research which include: Sociological Theory, European Intellectual History, Social Research Methods,
Historical Sociology, Economic Sociology, Urban Sociology, Political Sociology, Social Organization, Sociology of Education,
Social Movement, Social Stratification, Labor Market, Visual Culture, Class Analysis, Post-colonial Studies,
Gender Studies and Science, Technology and Societies (STS), Digital Social Innovation.
 

Cheng-shu Kao (Professor Emeritus)

Professor

Ph.D., Ohio State University

Economy Sociology, Historical Sociology, Taiwanese Society and Economy 

Chieh-hsuan Chen

Professor

Ph.D., Tunghai University

Economic Sociology, Historical Sociology, Sociological Theory 

Kang Chao

Professor

Ph.D., University of Kansas

Sociological Theory, Social Movement, Labor Studies 

Ruey-ming Tsai

Professor

Ph.D., Cornell University

Social Stratification, Organizational Sociology, Sociology of Education, Social Research Methods 

Yen-ning Chao

Professor

Ph.D., Cornell University

Cultural Anthropology, Cultural Studies, Transnational and Migration Studies 

Jeng Liu

Professor

Ph.D., University of Texas at Austin

Labor Market, Productivity Studies, Quantitative Methods, Organizational Theory and Design 

You-ren Yang

Professor

Ph.D., National Taiwan University

Global Production Networks(GPNs), Critical Urban Studies, China's Neo-liberal Urban-rural Transition, Cultural Activism and Social Movement 

Fei-wen Jeng

Associate Professor

Ph.D., University of Lancaster

Cultural and Gender Studies, Visual Culture Post-colonial Theory 

Chih-cheng Jeng

Associate Professor & Chair

Ph.D., Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelm-Universitaet Bonn

Sociological Theory, Intellectual History of Europe, Methodology, Historical Sociology 

Chung-hsien Huang

Assistant Professor

Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison

Economic Sociology, Political Sociology, Class Analysis 

Cheng-hui Lucy Chen

Assistant Professor

Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison

Biotechnology and Society, Rural Sociology, Statistics and Research Methods, Survey Research 

Wei-pang Wang

Assistant Professor

Ph.D., University of Texas at Austin

Quantitative Methods, Sociology of Health and Illness, Aging and Life Course, Sociology of Mental Health 

Kan-lin Hsu

Assistant Professor

Ph.D., Lancaster University, UK

Economic Sociology, Sociology of Health and Illness, State Theory 

Sung-Yueh Perng

Assistant Professor

Ph.D., Lancaster University, UK

Science and Technology Studies, Mobilities Studies, Urban Studies, Digital Social Innovation

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