晶片社會與國際政治

This course is taught in English and primarily conducted in a seminar format, complemented by urban walkshops, laboratory visits, international field excursions, and cross-border exchanges. Students are expected to engage deeply with assigned readings, actively participate in seminar discussions, attend off-campus visits, and contribute to collective reflection on technology-society dynamics. In addition to literature study and classroom dialogue, enrolled students will conduct interviews and cross-cultural conversations with international semiconductor students in the UK, focusing on emerging issues related to chip society and supply-chain cities, including their political, spatial, and ethical implications. We welcome students who meet the following criteria: 1. Basic English communication ability sufficient for discussions, and international engagement 2. Interest in global technology and society issues, especially those shaped by globalization and geopolitical tensions; 3. An open mindset toward cross-cultural communication, and a willingness to listen and learn from diverse perspectives

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Assignments, Exams, and Assessment This course evaluates students not primarily on their ability to reproduce theoretical knowledge, but on their capacity to recognize, interpret, and critically engage with real-world socio-technical issues related to semiconductors, global supply chains, and technological societies. Rather than treating theories as abstract intellectual content, students are encouraged to use conceptual tools learned from class to investigate how chip technologies shape everyday life, urban environments, labor relations, and geopolitical realities. Assessment therefore emphasizes: • problem identification rather than answer reproduction • situated observation rather than detached commentary • dialogical learning rather than individual performance • interdisciplinary translation across cultural and national contexts Pre-class Issue Notes and Dialogical Participation (25%) To support seminar-based learning, students must submit a one-page Issue Note prior to each session. Each submission should include: 1. A key concept or argument from the assigned reading 2. A connection to a contemporary real-world case, observation, or experience 3. One analytical question or unresolved tension emerging from the reading The purpose of this assignment is to shift learning from passive summary toward active issue detection. Students are encouraged to relate course materials to news events, technological systems encountered in daily life, local environments, or prior professional experiences. Classroom sessions emphasize dialogical inquiry. Participation is evaluated not by speaking frequency but by the ability to: • advance collective discussion, • connect theoretical ideas with empirical realities, • engage respectfully across disciplinary and cultural differences, • and critically reflect on assumptions. • Mid-term Field Visit Report: Chip Society Walkshop (30%) Situated learning constitutes a central component of this course. Students will participate in a Chip Society Walkshop, a guided field visit designed to explore semiconductor infrastructures and supply-chain urbanism beyond the classroom. The mid-term report requires students to analyze field observations using course concepts rather than producing a personal travel narrative. Students should address: • What infrastructures or systems became visible during the visit? • Any sound, smell, taste, or visual experience that change your perception of the city? • What forms of labor, coordination, or regulation remained invisible prior to the field experience? • What socio-technical problem emerged through on-site observation? • How can theoretical frameworks from the course help interpret these observations? The report evaluates students’ ability to translate embodied experience into analytical insight and to recognize how technological systems are embedded within spatial, social, and political environments. Chip Society Issue Tracking Portfolio (15%) Throughout the semester, students will maintain an Issue Tracking Portfolio, documenting the evolution of a real-world issue related to semiconductor technologies or digital infrastructures. Possible topics may include: • export controls and chip geopolitics • labor conditions in electronics manufacturing • environmental impacts of semiconductor production • AI hardware and military applications • urban transformation in chip-producing regions Students periodically update their portfolio by addressing: • What event or development occurred? • Who benefits and who bears risk? • Which infrastructures are involved? • Which course concepts help explain the issue? • What questions remain unresolved? This assignment encourages students to develop habits of continuous observation and analytical engagement with ongoing technological change. Final Project: Mapping Chip Society (30%) The final project invites students to investigate and communicate a real socio-technical issue connected to contemporary chip society. Rather than a traditional examination, students will produce an analytical project that combines conceptual interpretation with public-facing communication. Students may choose among multiple formats, including: • analytical essay • documentary video • photo essay • podcast All projects must include: 1. Problem Identification – clear articulation of a real-world issue 2. Infrastructure Analysis – identification of relevant technological, urban, labor, or geopolitical systems 3. Conceptual Application – use of course theories to interpret the issue 4. Public Communication – presentation accessible to a non-specialist audience The final project culminates in a public presentation session or exhibition, emphasizing communication, collaboration, and societal engagement. Very Important: Leave of absence will be granted only upon submission of valid supporting documents. It is your responsibility to discuss with the instructor and agree on a make-up assignment submission plan if applicable.

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地點

HC301

時間

By appointment

聯絡方式

sharonku@nycu.edu.tw