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Department Overview

The Department of Taiwanese Literature was founded in 2000 to promote the study of Taiwanese literature, which includes aboriginal and Han folktales, literary works written in classical Han during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, literary works written during the Japanese Occupation era, and all contemporary literature written after 1945.

This department is Taiwan's first academic institute that offers B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. programs in Taiwanese literature. Our department is located near the National Museum of Modern Taiwanese Literature in Tainan City.

We provide students with a solid foundation in both literature and language, including the theory and practice of each, and an environment well suited to developing critical thinking skills. In addition to teaching, collecting and editing literary works from Taiwan’s different historical periods is one of the major jobs of the department.

In February 2002, when Chair Chen’s tenure ended, Prof. Lui Hsing-chang took over the position and served as the second Chair. In September 2004, chair Lui retired and Prof. You Sheng-Guan took over the Chair position still January 2008. Prof. shih Yi Lin was the fourth Chair and Prof. Wu Mi-Cha took over the position in February 2009. Prof. Chung-Hsiung Lai, the president of College of Liberal Arts, became the sixth Chair in August 2010. He was followed by Prof. Wu Mei-Ying in February, and Prof. Chen Chang-Ming in August of 2011. Prof. Liao Shu-Fang took over as the ninth Chair in August 2012, and held the position until February 2014, when Prof. Chung Hsiu-Mei took over.

As the department's MA program has stepped into its 15th session, we are now composed of 193 undergraduates, 62 MA students, and 34 PhD students.