SemesterFall Semester, 2025
DepartmentMA Program of Public Administration, First Year MA Program of Public Administration, Second Year
Course NameContemporary Social Problems and Justice
InstructorSHIE WEN-CHI
Credit3.0
Course TypeElective
Prerequisite
Course Objective
Course Description
Course Schedule




































































































Week

Date

Topic and Content 

1

09/05

Course Introduction and Unflattening




  • First Day of Class Attendance Questionnaire

  • Self-Introduction within the Discussion Board

  • Introduction to Interdisciplinary Studies

  • Social Problem Discussion: COVID-19

  • See Moodle for Reading Assignments and Library Resources

2

09/12

Introduction to Interdisciplinary Studies, Literature Review Skills & Research Ethics, and Library Resources



Collaboration with NCUU Library




  • Lecture by Dr. WenChi Shie

  • Social Problem Discussion: COVID-19 Vaccine, The Tuskegee Experiment, Racial Bias

  • See Moodle for Reading Assignments and Library Resources

3

09/19

Agenda Setting and Problem Definition




  • Lecture by Dr. WenChi Shie

  • Social Problem Discussion and Case Study: Fake News, Environmental Justice, and Human Rights

  • How to do a Field Observation?

  • See Moodle for Reading Assignments and Library Resources

4

09/26

The Interdisciplinary Cognitive Toolkit and Disciplinarities




  • Lecture by Dr. WenChi Shie 

  • Social Problem Discussion: Social Order and Equity: Police Brutality, School Violence, Racial Bias, and Human Rights

  • See Moodle for Reading Assignments and Library Resources

5

10/03

Youth Public Participation Forum and Field Trips



Collaboration with Nanyang Technological University - NTU Singapore 




  • Field Trips:


    • Department for Youth, Taipei City Government 

    • Evergreen Maritime Museum



  • Social Problem Discussion: Citizen Participation for Diversity, Inclusion, and Social Equity

6

10/10

National Holiday: Taiwan National Day – No Class. 

7

10/17

Disciplinarities and Project Preparation/Consultation




  • Lecture by Dr. WenChi Shie 

  • Peer Feedback and Feedback from Dr. WenChi Shie and Guest Lecturer: Dr. Chung-An Chen

  • See Moodle for Reading Assignments and Library Resources

8

10/24

National Holiday: Taiwan's Retrocession Day – No Class. 

9

10/31

Introduction to Political Science & Public Administration




  • Social Problem Discussion: Collaborative Governance, Collective Action Problems, Nature and Manmade Disasters: Hurricane, Gender Inequality 

  • Lecture by Dr. WenChi Shie

  • See Moodle for Reading Assignments and Library Resources

10

11/07

Keynote Speech & Workshop: Introduction to Public Budgeting and Budget Simulation




  • Lecture by Dr. WenChi Shie with Guest Lecturer

  • Interactive Event: Budget Simulation




  • See Moodle for Reading Assignments and Library Resources

11

11/14

Finding a Social Problem: Field Observation & Presentation




  • Peer Feedback and Feedback from Dr. WenChi Shie 

12

11/21

Keynote Speech & Workshop: Transitional Justice for Democracy in Southeast Asia




  • Lecture by Dr. WenChi Shie with Guest Lecturer

  • Social Problem Discussion: Transitional Justice within Democracy, Citizen Participation, Advocacy 

  • See Moodle for Reading Assignments and Library Resources

13

11/28

Sustainability Forum and Field Trips: 




  • Field Trip: CPC Petroleum Discovery Museum

  • Lecture by Dr. WenChi Shie

  • Social Problem Discussion: ESG, Renewable Energy, Environmental Justice, and Conservation

  • See Moodle for Reading Assignments and Library Resources

14

12/05

Workshop: Gender Inequality




  • Lecture by Dr. WenChi Shie with Guest Lecturer

  • Social Problem Discussion: Gender Roles and Norms, Gender Pay Gap, Sex Harassment/Assault, and/or the #MeToo Movement

  • See Moodle for Reading Assignments

15

12/12

Keynote Speech & Workshop: Elevating Academic Voices: Strategies for Student Success at International Conferences




  • Lecture by Dr. WenChi Shie with Guest Lecturer

  • Group Project Consultation  

  • See Moodle for Reading Assignments

16

12/19

Disciplinary Integration and Justice: Final Presentation with Q&A




  • Peer Feedback and Feedback from Dr. WenChi Shie and Guest Lecturer

  • See Moodle for Reading Assignments

17

12/26

Completion of the Designated After-Course Assignment or Work

18

01/02

Completion of the Designated After-Course Assignment or Work


Teaching Methods
Teaching Assistant

TBA



 


Requirement/Grading

Each student is expected to:




  • Lead course discussion 

  • Actively participate in course discussions, in-class activities, and group project assignments 

  • Complete all required assignments, activities, and exams on time



* All the assignments are designed to guide you to complete your final project with your critical thinking, problem identification, and problem-solving skills. 



* All students are required to attend each class meeting and be ready to discuss the reading materials and assigned social problems with others.



 



Evaluation:




  1. Preparation, Engagement, and Participation (10%)



*Absent 3 times without university-eligible reasons and the permissions from Dr. Shie in advance will lead to zero credit. 



*Also, absence will lead to zero credit for those weekly assignments assigned for the week absent. 




  1. Individual Assignments 


    • Weekly Questions (Due every Tuesday at 11:59 PM, 2-3 meaningful questions based on required readings and weekly topics), In-Class Activities, and Weekly Notes and Reflective Journals (Due every Tuesday at 11:59 PM) (25%)

    • Leading Discussion (Due the Tuesday before presentation at 11:59 PM, Presentation Slides with a List of Questions), Critique, and Reflection (Due the following Tuesday)(15%)

    • Finding a Social Problem: Field Observation, Online Presentation (10-15 minutes video recording), and Peer Feedback (20%)



  2. Group Assignments

    • Group Project and Final Integration Presentation (20%) 

    • Weekly Group Discussion and Progress (10%)





*Group assignments will be graded based on your role(s) and contributions in each assignment, as well as self & peer evaluation. Non-participation will lead to a zero for your group project grades. 



*Graduate students are expected to complete their group projects with a full research design and thorough literature review. 



 



* Lateness Policy:




  • If you have any questions or challenges or special learning needs, you need to contact Dr. Shie in advance to discuss your situation and a learning plan. At the same time, you have to reach out to NCCU resources and/or other relevant sources to support your situation and be able to request a letter of support.   

  • Late homework submissions will only be accepted with a University approved excused absence given to the instructor within 24 hours of the missed due date. If you anticipate you won’t be able to meet the deadline with eligible reasons, you have to get an approval from Dr. Shie in advance. 

  • Without an excused absence, there will be no late work accepted. From the time of the due date, students with an excused absence have 24 hours to turn in missing assignments, unless otherwise arranged with the instructor. If you have any questions or difficulties, contact Dr. Shie as soon as possible before the due dates.


Textbook & Reference

Required Text: 




  1. Repko, Allen F., Rick Szostak, and Michelle Phillips Buchberger. Introduction to interdisciplinary studies. SAGE Publications, Incorporated, 2019. (This book has been assigned as a textbook within the NCCU library.) 

  2. Other required readings (for example, talks, videos, short readings, and journal articles) and weekly assignments will be posted within the class Moodle site to clarify concepts during the semester.


Urls about Course
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