The Department of Sociology at National Taiwan University was established in July 1960. At that time, the objectives of the department included cultivating specialists in social issue research, nurturing talents in social administration, enhancing the international status of Taiwan sociology, and advocating for a culture of researching Taiwan society. Later, in response to social development and the demand for professional social workers, the department was approved by the Ministry of Education in 1973 to split into two teaching groups: sociology and social work. Beginning in 1981, the department started admitting students separately for each group. The master’s program was established in 1974, initially divided into two groups: theoretical sociology and applied sociology. In 1986, a doctoral program in theoretical sociology was added. In 2002, in response to the professionalization of social work research and the manpower demand for national social welfare development, the social work group became independent as the Department of Social Work and the Graduate School of Social Work.
In the 21st century, the Department of Sociology at NTU provides diverse, interdisciplinary, and innovative sociology education, striving to establish a vibrant and supportive learning environment to train the new generation to become talents equipped with solid theoretical knowledge, critical thinking skills, forward-looking insights, and the ability to cooperate and integrate in the new era. The department also endeavors to develop innovative sociological research, explore the fundamental issues of social concern, and delve into research methods such as social statistics, social surveys, fieldwork, in-depth interviews, historical institutionalism, comparative methods, and data analysis. We are concerned about social issues in Taiwan, East Asia, and globally, including social stratification, international migration, deliberative democracy, environmental sustainability, diverse genders, social movements, technological controversies, social innovation, changing families, and more. To promote the research and development of sociology, the department established and published the “NTU Journal of Sociology” in 1963. This journal merged with the “Taiwanese Sociological Review” from the Institute of Sociology at Academia Sinica in 2001 and was renamed “Taiwanese Sociology”, publishing two issues annually and gaining significant recognition from domestic and international academia. Currently, the Department of Sociology at NTU has 18 full-time faculty members, 221 undergraduate students, 44 master’s students, and 16 doctoral students. Both faculty and students in the department excel in research, teaching, and public service on various levels. In the 2020 QS World University Rankings, the Department of Sociology was ranked 46th, receiving significant international recognition.
Welcome to the Department of Sociology at NTU, and explore the society with us!