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About Us

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About us

【Background】
    As one of the founding departments of National Taiwan Normal University, originally named the Province of Taiwan Teachers College, the Department of History and Geography was established in 1946. The Department of History and Geography would then later divide into two departments, the Department of History and the Department of Geography, respectively, in 1962.

    The Department of Geography includes a bachelor’s program, a master’s program (est. 1970), and a Ph.D program (est. 1988). Additionally, several research centers and laboratories have been established since 1994 through 2006, including the Regional Research Center, the Research Center for Geographical Information, the Research Center for Geographic Education, the Research Center for Environmental Monitoring and Planning, and the Laboratory of Geographical Images.

    In accordance to the needs of the government’s education policies, our department also provides all kinds of advanced studies and professional development courses, such as the “Graduate Program in Teaching.” These types of courses present secondary school teachers opportunities to further develop their teaching, thereby contributing greatly to geographic education in secondary schools.
 
【Curriculum】
    Originally, the primary aim of NTNU’s Department of Geography was to provide secondary schools with properly trained teachers of geography. In response to the growing needs of society, the department has extended itself beyond the training of secondary school teachers to also prepare researchers for the field of geography and cultivate professionals that are equipped with knowledge and skills in environmental monitoring, land planning, GIS design and application, as well as, theories of tourism and recreation.
 
1.Professional Development and Training of Educators Link
    We devote ourselves to training student who may go on to teach geography at schools of different levels by familiarizing our students with geographical theories and applications while honing their abilities to teach and be engaged in independent research.
 
2.Environmental Monitoring and Disaster Mitigation Link
    We aspire to instill in our students not only a basic grasp of geography but also the ability to monitor environmental changes, which allows them to be competent in environment management. Such training helps us to fulfill the goal of integrating theory with technology, teaching with application, school with society, and academia with industry.
 
3.Regional Studies,Tourism and Planning Program Link
    To better accommodate Taiwan’s development, as well as, global trends, we equip our students with the capabilities to integrate regional developments and to carry out innovative tourist developments by training them to be versed in basic geographical knowledge, regional research skills, and practical planning abilities.
 
4.Geospatial Information Science Program Link
    We provide society with professionals who are able to effectively conduct space research, planning, and management. We aim to do so by grounding our education in geospatial information theories and technology and adopt ideas from the fields of humanities, sociology, economics, health promotion, environmental studies, and geotechnical engineering.
 
【Faculty】
    The faculty consists of highly-qualified professors, all of whom have received PhD degrees and consistently contribute to research in geography’s various fields. Their teaching materials cover not only geographical concepts and technology but also the latest and most advanced research results. Such preparedness allows their students to acquire both basic geographical knowledge and the ability to utilize such knowledge to excel, whether it is in research, teaching, or any other professions.
 
【Faculty-Student Interactions】
    Our department regularly collects teacher evaluations from students, which helps us monitor the teaching conditions in our classrooms and adjust accordingly. To ensure that the student body’s opinions and ideas are effectively expressed and taken care of, two student representatives are chosen to participate in department meetings and given the opportunity to discuss issues of the department. Moreover, conferences between students and professors are held each semester to promote their interactions with each other and establish a department that is united in fulfilling its goals.
 
【Library and Other Facilities】
    Our library is fully stocked with over ten thousand volumes of geography, over twenty thousand large-scale topographic charts, 200 walls charts, over 300 atlases, over 3000 aerial photographs, as well as, more than 300 distinct journal subscriptions of various languages over the years. To advance local geographical education and research, the Regional Research Center collects research results and other geographical information, including environment observations, place names, maps, local records, etc., from all over the world. Using GIS technology, these collections of information are also classified, filed, and analyzed to enrich regional research and provide the foundations for further research.

    Additionally, the department houses several labs, including the topography lab, the climatology lab, the hydrology lab, the geospatial information lab, and the computer lab, all of which are essential to our teaching and research.
 
【Teaching and Research】
    The field of geography considers the living space of humans as the focus of its research, where regional features and the distributions of and correlations between phenomena are observed and explained through the establishment of theories and verifications. The greater purpose in studying geography is to promote balanced developments on the national level and to foster positive attitudes towards the environment among individuals. From the beginning, we have kept to our aim of generating qualified geography educators and researchers by emphasizing not only building strong foundations of geographical knowledge within our students but also helping them acquire independent research and teaching skills.

    Thus, students enter the first and second years of the bachelor’s program with the main focus on learning basic geographic concepts, while the emphasis is placed on theories and their verification during the third year. By the fourth year, students are given training in teaching techniques and are encouraged to conduct research on more specific areas in geography. Furthermore, apart from lectures, students are given opportunities to learn from practical experiences in field work and internships. 

    During the first year of the master’s program, we highlight discussions of the geographical theories and techniques that have been increasingly important in recent years; during the second and third year, the focus is placed on conducting special topic research and thesis writing. For the Ph.D program, first and second year students focus on the advanced study of specialized areas of geography, while third and fourth years students also conduct special topic research and prepare their dissertations. Throughout the process of preparing their dissertations, a committee of professors is invited from various universities to advice each Ph.D candidate.

    To further encourage research activities and to bring our academic standards to another level, we publish many journals and series each year, including Geographical Studies, Journal of Geographical Research, The Series of Geographical Research, Journal of the Association of Geographical Research¸ and Geographical Education. Our professors are also often asked by the National Science Council, the Ministry of Education, Taiwan Power Company, the Water Resource Agency, and other organizations to provide assistance and conduct specialized research for them. The department has also held a Taiwan Geography Symposium each year since 1997. Besides attending conferences within the country and around the world, professors also share their research and engage in discussions with masters and Ph.D candidates during seminars that are held every Wednesday.
 
 
【Awards and Certification
 
 
 
【Vision for the Future】
    Our extensive core curriculum gives students the freedom to choose from a variety of career paths, while the specialized training courses prepare students with broad sets of practical skills. We welcome young people who are curious and enthusiastic to join us in our endeavor as we create a better society for future generations!
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