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In this class, we will discuss sex and gender relations in Taiwan from different disciplinary perspectives. A mere 50 years ago, Taiwan was viewed as a predominantly rural society imbued with conservative, patriarchal values. Today, it is the first country in Asia to legally recognize same-sex marriage and has a higher representation of women in parliament than any European country outside of the Nordics. How did this rapid change come about? And does Taiwan defying global trends towards more conservative values make it a haven for gender equality? After first engaging developments in the 20th and 21st centuries in a longitudinal, historical manner, we will then focus on a variety of current issues, including where sex and gender intersect with other identities and positionalities, such as class and nationality. The course is reserved for MA students; please contact me in advance if you’d like to participate but are not an MA student. While I target students with prior knowledge of Taiwan, comparative perspectives are healthy and most welcome. Participation without any background in Taiwan studies is thus possible if you’re willing to dig into the Taiwanese case studies. Poslední úprava: Tischer Jacob Friedemann, Ph.D. (16.09.2026)
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Each class period, I will expect you to:
Late work: It has become an unfortunate tendency at the department for students to not submit their work on time and ask for extensions long after the fact. So let me clarify: Deadlines are called deadlines for a reason. I do not accept late work unless you have made specific arrangements with me in advance, have a doctor’s note, and/or have otherwise received my approval. That being said, if you realize you are going to have difficulty meeting a deadline, I am willing to work with you to give you extra time if you contact me in advance to make arrangements. Electronics in the Classroom: Please turn off (the sound of) your cell phone prior to coming to class. Students may use laptop computers to take notes and for class purposes only; students checking email, using social media, etc. will be asked to turn off their computers and will not be allowed to use their computers in subsequent classes. Academic Honesty: The Faculty of Arts does not tolerate plagiarism, cheating, or helping others to cheat. For this class, writing assignments will be submitted through Turnitin, a Web-based resource that compares student papers to an extensive electronic database. Writing assignments will be assessed by Turnitin for textual similarity review and possible AI use. I suspect that no one’s native language in class will be English. Nevertheless, if you are using AI tools like Grammarly to spellcheck your writing, make sure to never let it outright change your text, as that will make it sound like AI slop. While AI is a low-hanging fruit these days, use it as sparingly and consciously as you can. If you are passing off text generated or changed by AI as your own, you engage in plagiarism. Your own writing may not (and doesn’t have to) be perfect, but it represents your thinking at the stage of writing. Unlike AI, it has personality. Please spare me the torture of reading through dozens of the same soulless, AI-created... shall we say, stuff. For more information on plagiarism, please consult the Rector’s Directive No. 13/2020. Assignments: Please note that the first assignment is due in preparation for the first time we meet!
In class, I will ask you to give an initial brainstorming assessment of how the subjects discussed in sex and gender studies intersect with your personal interests in the class. This gives me both an idea of what you are looking for and the knowledge base upon which you are operating.
Poslední úprava: Tischer Jacob Friedemann, Ph.D. (16.09.2026)
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Required texts: “Texts” here includes both written books and articles as well as other cultural productions, such as videos. All such texts will be uploaded to Moodle. Critical reading: In completing the readings, I expect that you read the texts critically. This does not mean trying to find fault with the text, but rather to approach each text with an eye to the assumptions, claims, and conclusions of the authors. In other words, I expect you to derive from your reading not only the basic content of the materials, but also the ways in which these authors understand and work with broader concepts relevant to this course (i.e. "sex" and "gender," as well as “race,” “class,” “sexuality” etc.). As the semester progresses, you will be encouraged to put different readings in conversation with each other. As such, my strong suggestion is that you take notes on the materials you read to aid you in this task. Poslední úprava: Tischer Jacob Friedemann, Ph.D. (16.09.2026)
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Week 1 (October 7, 2026): Introduction
Week 2 (October 14): Women in rural society Week 3 (October 21): Gender in Taiwan’s socio-economic and political transformation (1960s-80s) Week 4 (October 28): Public holiday – NO CLASS Week 5 & 6 (November 4 & 11): NO CLASS Week 7 (November 18): Reading week – NO CLASS Week 8 (November 25): Feminist movements, changes in family structures Week 9 (December 2): Political representation of women Week 10 (December 9): Masculinities (tentatively, potential guest speaker) Week 11 (December 16): Queering Taiwan, queering gender Week 12 (January 6, 2027): Gender (in)equality at work Week 13 (January 13): Intersections: Labor, gender, transnational migration Week 14 (January 20): Presentation of research projects
The instructor reserves the right to make changes to individual sessions. Readings will be uploaded before the semester. Poslední úprava: Tischer Jacob Friedemann, Ph.D. (16.09.2026)
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After completing this course, you will be able to:
Poslední úprava: Tischer Jacob Friedemann, Ph.D. (16.09.2026)
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