Department Introduction

History                                                       

The school was founded on July 1, 1995. Professor Pi-twan Huang first established the Chinese Teaching and Research Center and was responsible for the preparation of the Department of Foreign Languages ​​and Literature. On August 1, 1996, the department formally established a bachelor’s program and began to enroll students. The number of students enrolled in the first year was 33; after that, it increased year by year, and the number of new students enrolled nowadays is 62 a year, 42 of which approved by the Ministry of Education (14 for exam distribution, 7 for star recommendation, 20 for personal application, and 1 for special talent selection: special ability/new residents and their children), plus 20 overseas Chinese students and foreign students.

In the 1999 academic year, the department was approved to establish the “Master’s Program of the Department of Foreign Languages ​​and Literature”, which is divided into “Literature and Translation Group” and “Linguistics and Language Teaching Group”. From the 2015 academic year, in response to the diverse development of the language industry, the department merged the "Literature and Translation Group" and the "Linguistics and Language Teaching Group" , comprehensively using the prossional training and resources of the two groups to cultivate cross-domain talents in literature, translation, linguistics and teaching. All elective courses in the master’s program are open to students to combine and arrange. Only one “Bibliography and Research Methodology” or “Thesis Writing and Research Methodology” is required (the former is more literary-oriented, and the latter is more linguistics-and-language-teaching-oriented).

In addition, in order to benefit students to enter the workplace early and start a career, the graduation credits have been reduced from 30 credits to 24 credits. The form of graduation thesis is also the most flexible, including academic papers, translation practice and translation introduction, and professional case reports, to satisfy students’ diverse interests and needs. Students can choose all the courses offered in the institute according to their own aspirations, allocating the most suitable combination for their own planning. The enrollment quota is 4, and another 5 overseas students and foreign students are recruited.

 

Educational Goals and Students' Core Abilities

Program	Educational Goals	Students' Core Abilities
Bachelor’s Degree	1. Cultivate outstanding foreign language talents. 2. Inspire interest in exploring other cultures. 3. Cultivate students’ abilities to use what they have learned and to expand the application level. 4. Cultivate interdisciplinary talents.	1. Cultivate literary knowledge and appreciation and analysis ability. 2. Cultivate knowledge of linguistics and applied linguistics. 3. Possess excellent English listening, speaking, reading, writing and translation skills. 4. Second foreign language ability (Japanese, French, Spanish, German, Korean and Southeast Asian languages). 5. Comprehensively use and present the learning outcomes of literature and translation, linguistics and language teaching, and language and culture training courses.
Master’s Degree	1. Cultivate outstanding foreign language talents. 2. Lay the foundation of academic excellence. 3. Cultivate students’ abilities to use what they have learned and to expand the application level. 4. Cultivate interdisciplinary talents.	1. Possess the ability to do literary academic discourse and independent research. 2. Possess the ability to do  academic discourse and independent research in linguistics.

 

Teaching Features

1. Global Integration: Cultivate humanities knowledge, cross-cultural communication, critical thinking, interdisciplinary translation skills, and international competitiveness.

2. Diverse Curriculum: Emphasize both theory and practice in literature, linguistics, translation, and language teaching.

3. Small-Class Instruction: Language training is conducted in small classes.

4. Multiple Foreign Languages: Japanese, Korean, Spanish, German, French, and Southeast Asian languages.

5. International Exchange: Exchange programs with countries like Japan, the U.S., and other countries in Europe or Asia.

6. Dual Degree Program: Complete a dual degree in four years through collaboration with Middlesex University in the UK.

7. AI Integration: Utilize AI to integrate professional skills with extracurricular activities and internships.

Position

Foreign language ability and cross-cultural perspective are the most common conditions in the globalized and networked world. However, this ability cannot be achieved overnight. Just like any discipline, it can only be achieved after completing the whole courses and professional practice. Our school is not a metropolitan institution, but because it is located in a beautiful, quiet and open place, it is most suitable for concentrating on studying and cultivating a deeper friendship with peers, teachers and students. Therefore, the department develops the characteristics of teaching and research based on this: the bachelor’s program aims to cultivate students who are proficient in foreign languages ​​and open to cultural views in order that they can enter any organization and unit that catches up with the globalization and networking of the world. The master’s program aims to make what students learn more in line with the modern world and, when there are many domestic graduate schools of foreign languages, to find a new way to expand the scope of the literature and linguistics. The former adds translation, and the latter increases the angle of applied linguistics.

Goals

The department has short-term and long-term goals. The short-term goals are: (1) to increase the basic language ability and academic analysis ability, that is, the applicability and development of writing, conversation, listening, and second foreign language; (2) to enhance the research capacity of teachers in the department and improve the quality and method of teaching. The long-term goal is to increase the common core ability of the department to support the diverse development of the  world, so as to match the diverse and changeable characteristics of the career development of graduates of foreign languages ​​majors.

Development of Diverse Features

The academic feature of the department is that the courses and researches are divided into two major fields: literature and linguistics. In the field of literature, English literature has researchers from the Renaissance, Enlightenment, and Romantic periods; European literature has French experts; in addition, it emphasizes the combination of literature and translation as one of the characteristics of the department. The field of linguistics has been designated as theoretical linguistics, focusing on phonology, semantics, and syntax, with a clear direction. In addition to literature and linguistics courses, language teaching practice courses are supplemented. In addition to English listening, speaking, reading, writing and translation, the language training courses also include multiple second foreign language courses such as French, German, Western, and Japanese. Since the 2014 academic year, Korean and Southeast Asian languages ​​have been added. Graduation performances and drama nights have been the department's traditions over the years. Every year, experts are regularly hired as lectures or part-time teachers to guide students to reflect the corresponding part of the literature curriculum.

Graduates’Careers

■Avanced studies: In addition to studying literature and languages in the domestic or foreign graduate schools, many alumni have stepped into other professional research fields, including business management, human resources, politics, diplomacy, mass media, design, education, etc., with outstanding performance.

■Immediate employment: In addition to engaging in humanities academic research and Chinese teaching, the employment fields of graduates cover all walks of life, including news communication, publishing design, aviation and shipping, public relations planning, enterprise management and marketing, international trade business, human resources, servicemen, policemen, and civil servants, etc., have broad room for development, and their performance has been well received by the industry.

Distinguished Alumni

●Shi-qi Ye (the 1st class of the bachelor’s program), is currently an assistant professor in the English Department of National Kaohsiung Normal University.

●Hao Yang (the 2nd class of the bachelor’s program), is currently the executive director of the Center for Southeast Asian Studies/deputy director/professor of the Institute of International Relations, National Chengchi University. Awarded the outstanding alumni of the 2015 academic year of the school.

●Wen-ping Su (the 2nd class of the bachelor’s program), is currently a civil aviation pilot.

●Chun-ying Wang (the 3rd class of the bachelor’s program / the 4th class of Master’s program), is currently a researcher at the Center for Applied Philosophy and Ethics, Kyoto University/Founder of MEBO Humanities Technology Co., Ltd. / Visiting Assistant Professor of the Department of Philosophy, Tunghai University. Awarded the outstanding alumni of the 2018 academic year of the school.

●Wen-bin Xie (the 3^rd class of the bachelor’s program), is currently a full-time lecturer in the Department of Asian Languages ​​and Cultures, Northwestern University.

●Wen-jie Wang (the 3rd class of the bachelor’s program), is currently the head of Droidtown Linguistic Tech. Co. Ltd.

●Bo-yuan Huang (the 3rd class of the bachelor’s program), is currently an assistant professor in the Department of Foreign Languages ​​and Literature, National Chiayi University.

●Nai-rong Hou (the 4th class of the bachelor’s program), is currently TV anchor and host. Awarded the outstanding alumni of the 2017 academic year of the school.

●Jia-yin Hu (the 4th class of the bachelor’s program), is currently an assistant professor in the Department of Applied Foreign Languages, National Taipei University.

●Bo-kai Xu (the 6th class of the bachelor’s program), is currently a co-pilot of Boeing 777 of EVA Air Co., Ltd.

●Yi-qin Shi (the 4th class of the master’s program), is currently an associate professor in the English Department of National Changhua Normal University.

●Ruo-qiao Xu (the 12th class of the bachelor's class), is currently the director of UNIQLO TAIWAN. Awarded the outstanding alumni of the 2020 academic year of the school.

Careers of the Graduates from the Master’s Program

Currently 37 graduates from the master's program of this department engage in teaching and academic research (including English teachers in schools at all levels), 5 in cram schools (the cradle of remedial teachers), and 7 in the information technology industry (the foreign language background is the most preferred).

Career Categories of the Graduates from the Master’s Program

Teaching, academic research/public office, cultural and educational institutions/information technology industry/culture, media, publishing industry/manufacturing/service industry/entrepreneurship/law industry/real estate/transportation industry/trade industry/catering industry/graduate school /other