人口高齡化已經成為全球關注的議題，尤其對於高齡化速度極快的國家而言，更是一迫在眉睫的挑戰。台灣也同樣面臨這波銀色的高齡浪潮，在1993年步入高齡化社會（ageing society），預計在2018年進入高齡社會（aged society），更以極快的速度朝向超高齡社會（supper-aged society）。「年齡」確實在我們的社會中產生一些影響。這一門課將從社會學研究的四個不同面向－社會變遷、角色與關係、制度、不平等，帶領同學們一起探討這個時代的課題。透過這學期的討論，希望你/妳們可以對社會世界中的年齡有更深層的思考觀點，同時也可以反省你/妳們平常在各種管道中所接觸的年齡意象。除了課堂的講授與討論之外，本課程更期待同學們可以接觸台灣社會在面對高齡社會上，政府、學界、社會企業已有的實踐行動，甚至是國外在高齡議題上的社會實踐。因此，本課程要求同學分組深入理解一個高齡社會的實實踐案例，並在課堂上進行報告。

The aging of the population has become a topic of global concern, especially for countries with extremely rapid aging, which is an imminent challenge. Taiwan is also facing this silver wave of aging. It entered an aging society in 1993, is expected to enter an aged society in 2018, and is moving towards a super-aged society at an extremely fast speed. "Age" does have some effects in our society. This course will lead students to explore the issues of this era from four different aspects of sociological research - social change, roles and relationships, systems, and inequality. Through discussions this semester, I hope you can have a deeper thinking about age in the social world, and at the same time, you can reflect on the images of age that you are usually exposed to through various channels. In addition to classroom lectures and discussions, this course also expects students to be exposed to the existing practical actions of the government, academia, and social enterprises in Taiwan's society in facing the aging society, and even the social practices of foreign countries on the issue of aging. Therefore, this course requires students to work in groups to deeply understand a practical case of an elderly society and report it in class.

Atchley, Robert C., and Amanda S. Barusch. 2003. Social Forces and Aging: An Introduction to Social Gerontology (10th ). Cengage Learning. (曾煥裕等編譯2012，《社會老人學》。台北：新加坡商聖智學習。)
Thorson, James A. 1999.(潘英美譯)，《老人與社會》。台北：五南。
羅紀瓊主編，2009，《台灣人口老化問題》。台北：中研院。

Atchley, Robert C., and Amanda S. Barusch. 2003. Social Forces and Aging: An Introduction to Social Gerontology (10th). Cengage Learning. Thorson, James A. 1999. (Translated by Pan Yingmei), "The Elderly and Society". Taipei: Wunan.
Editor-in-chief Luo Jiqiong, 2009, "Taiwan's Population Aging Problem". Taipei: Academia Sinica.