The Taiwan in the World program was established in 2020 with a gift of $2 million from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) of the Republic of China (Taiwan). The program aims to promote and disseminate Taiwan studies in a global context and train the next generation of scholars and professionals well-versed with Taiwanese society, culture, and political economy, including proficiency in Mandarin Chinese and the reading and use of traditional characters. The program includes a lecture series, a translation initiative to bring Taiwan scholarship to a wider English readership, scholarships for the study of Mandarin Chinese language, a postdoctoral fellowship, and an interactive website to disseminate scholarship on Taiwan studies and US-Taiwan-China international relations.

The inaugural Taiwan in the World Lecture Series program, Lessons from the Pandemic: Taiwan’s Response to COVID-19 and the Future of Global Health Policy and Research, features M.C. Frank Chang, Wintek Chair in Electrical Engineering and Distinguished Professor at UCLA in dialogue with Dr. C. Jason Wang, Director of the Center for Policy, Outcomes and Prevention (CPOP) and Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine at Stanford University.

UCLA Taiwan in the World Program:

The Taiwan in the World Lecture Series sheds light on Taiwan’s international relations, US-Taiwan relations, US-Taiwan-China relations, as well as Taiwan’s political system, social structure, and institutions, including public health and healthcare systems with timely policy response to Covid-19. The quarterly lectures feature academics, policy makers, and other experts. Videos from the series will be available on the Taiwan in the World website.

View the full list of Taiwan in the World lectures

Taiwan in the World Postdoctoral Fellowship
The Asia Pacific Center will host a postdoctoral fellow in Taiwan studies with a social science or policy focus. The fellowship aims to support the work of exceptional scholars in the social sciences whose presence at UCLA will strengthen the study of Taiwan in a global context. The scholar will also coordinate the Taiwan in the World Lecture Series while in residence. Applications are accepted annually in spring quarter. 

Taiwan Studies Translation Initiative
The aim of this initiative is to translate foundational scholarship of the history, culture, and society of Taiwan into English, making the works of important scholars in Taiwan more widely accessible. The program is chaired by Michael Berry, Professor of Asian Languages and Literatures and Director of the UCLA Center for Chinese Studies, a renowned translator of contemporary Chinese literature. The initiative will sponsor the translation of one academic monograph each year, and will also offer a student translation prize for an academic article or other work.

Support for Mandarin Chinese Language Instruction
The Taiwan in the World program will support a course in the Department of Asian Languages & Cultures, “Topics in Chinese Language and Culture” (Chinese 103). The course is part of the Chinese language series that focuses on linguistics, and it is required for undergraduate Chinese majors. The course will be offered in spring quarter, starting in 2021, and will focus on Mandarin Chinese using traditional characters.

The APC recognizes the centrality of Chinese language and scholarship to Taiwan Studies, connecting the study of contemporary Taiwan both to the classical tradition from which it in part emerges and to the broader Asian region of which it is such a vital part. In order to prepare the next generation of scholars, policy makers, and business leaders for success in an increasingly globalized world, the APC offers scholarships to UCLA graduate and undergraduate students from disciplines spanning the Social and Physical Sciences, Humanities, and professional schools to attain advanced proficiency in Mandarin Chinese language (including reading/writing in traditional characters) and Taiwan studies. Taiwan in the World Chinese language fellowship applications are open to UCLA graduate and undergraduate students in winter quarter each year for study at UCLA or in Taiwan.