Department of Ethnic Relations and Cultures

The Department of Ethnic Relations and Cultures is the first department in Taiwan dedicated to the study of ethnic relations and cultures. It offers a complete range of degrees: B.A., M.A., M.A. for Working Professionals, and Ph.D. An interdisciplinary program, faculty members have a wide range of expertise, including, anthropology, sociology, political science, history, and art history.

The department provides training for academic research in ethnic studies and cultural theory with an emphasis on applied work within an interdisciplinary and cross-cultural framework. The department is particularly concerned with issues of indigenous community development and identity, as well as the shifting nature of cultural traditions. 

We strongly encourage students to form vigorous partnerships with local communities; serving and collaborating with those communities to promote community development and cultural revitalization. 

Our department offers special courses of study in the following areas: Ethnic Development and Cultural Change, Modernity and Postcolonialism, Issues in Ethnicity, Gender, and Class, Community Development, Indigenous Ecotourism, Indigenous History and Culture, and Contemporary Indigenous Issues, etc.

The department cultivates skills in ethnic studies, multiculturalism, traditional knowledge, and social practice in order to prepare graduates for careers in research, government service, as well as cultural policy development and implementation.

In addition to pursuing advanced degrees — in Taiwan and abroad — in fields such as ethnic studies, anthropology, sociology, religious studies, history, and art-related programs, our graduates have a successful record of finding jobs in the public sector as well as the cultural industry. Graduates have found work in museums, private foundations, publishing houses, historical and cultural centers, as well as working on projects related to indigenous community development.