Making of the Modern World-Taiwan: Culture, Art, Nature is a two-week immersive program offered in Summer 2027 through National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU). MMW Taiwan provides NTNU academic credit and, for UC San Diego students, Co-Curricular Record documentation on UCSD transcripts.

Open to Taiwanese, American, and international students, the program invites participants to encounter Taiwan through direct engagement with its arts, culture, and natural environment. Through visits to galleries, museums, parks, religious and cultural sites, and, most importantly, through interaction with local communities and fellow participants, students explore the diverse traditions, histories, and landscapes of Taipei, while developing meaningful intercultural connections.

Program Includes

1. Coursework

• A 2-unit NTNU course (MMW-Taiwan).
• Lectures, discussions, site-based learning, and reflective assignments.
• Collaborative learning among Taiwanese and international students.

2. Site Visits

Culture: Zhinan Temple, Longshan Temple, Bao’an Temple, Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, and historic neighborhoods and preservation projects, including the Dadaocheng Historic District, exploring Taiwan’s religious traditions, historical memory, urban development, and efforts to preserve and interpret cultural heritage in a rapidly changing world.

Art: National Taiwan Museum, NTNU galleries, and additional museums, galleries, and venues, examining Taiwan’s artistic traditions, cultural heritage, and contemporary visual culture.

Nature: Expo Park, Daan Forest Park, and other natural and urban green spaces in Taipei, examining the relationship between environmental stewardship, urban development, and public life in contemporary Taiwan; and Yangmingshan National Park, exploring Taiwan’s volcanic landscapes, biodiversity, and approaches to environmental conservation.

Optional: Extend your stay by two weeks to volunteer as a teacher at rural schools in Taiwan through Project Let’s Go. It’s a chance to see parts of the island most travelers never visit, and to connect with local communities in a genuinely meaningful way.

For UC San Diego Students: 

1. To be eligible for the following, ERC students must apply for MMW-Taiwan through the Making of the Modern World Program. Please note that there will be more applicants than there are spaces in the program.
   • UCSD students enroll in the MMW-Taiwan course at National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU), co-taught by Profs. Matthew Herbst and Koching Chao, and reside in NTNU student housing for the duration of the program. NTNU tuition is US$135 and the MMW-Taiwan program fee is US$550, which includes a US$50 insurance fee. This fee does not include meals, which are more affordable in Taiwan than in the US, nor does it include airfare, which students must arrange on their own, arriving on Saturday, July 10 for the program’s start on July 11 and departing on Sunday, July 25. For staying before or after the program, students must arrange lodging on their own.
   • Upon successful completion of the program, “Making of the Modern World Taiwan” will be recorded as a Co-Curricular Record (CCR) activity on UCSD transcripts. 
   • Following successful completion of MMW Taiwan, students may enroll in the MMW – Taiwan seminar in fall term. Building upon the experiences and themes explored during the summer program, this seminar fulfills the MMW requirement while providing students with an opportunity to deepen their understanding through sustained reflection and analysis.

Applications open in late fall and are due by February, 3, 2027.