Dear Editor,
As a non-Chinese reader of Sinorama, I read with interest the article by Teng Sue-feng, "The New University: Breaking Down the Departmental Barriers" (June 1998). We must commend the challenges and inroads of Taiwan's educational reforms and its aspirants. Please allow me to say that I share the "ideal" of Professor He Te-fen of NTU in her suggestion that "all academic fields are multidisciplinary," though in practice, the science of the classrooms may differ from the most noble ideals we wish for.
Surely, virtue dictates that in every mathematical equation, there is a degree of enigmatic spirituality: Einstein was an advocate of such virtuosity in natural sciences, but where pursuit of spirituality is not a goal, diverse academic fields can not generate anything interdisciplinary. What Taiwanese universities need is educational diversity in such a way that would encourage inter-university exchange with contrasting societies as far afield as Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America; its primary effects would be to energize and prepare minds to help improve the system through a process of comparison and exploring contrasts. Because the Chinese models are always there, either indigenous or from the mainland, they impose themselves nonetheless.
As regards core curriculum courses, it is better if their content is based on some innovative lively programs instead of drills and rote learning. Moreover, students can be encouraged to be intuitional in their choices and preparations, so that the framework of classroom orientation would identify with the establishment of an idea: what one wants to achieve as a major in college, or a later goal/employment.
The future of education in Taiwan and the rest of Southeast Asia should be based on "student themes," or "student formats": the students must be given the liberty to discuss the curriculum with the faculty, and be given veto power to help shape the curriculum system. Senior graduating groups are ideal for a "teacher-student summit" once a year. I also support the idea that "reorganizing courses rather than departments" can be an approach to bringing changes in Taiwanese models of educational diversity. By the 21st century, it becomes inevitable to promote two models for BA and BS degrees: (a) curriculum of graduation by class attendance and thesis, (b) graduation through multidisciplinary activities and oral examinations. Until then, experimentation is a must: let the students raise their hands in the class and say: Teacher, your lecture is boring and we are confused!
Correction:
In the article about "millennial bugs" in the September edition of Sinorama, we misspelled the term as "millenial bugs." We offer apologies to our readers.
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