人口結構高齡化已是全球社會普遍面臨的重要議題，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。過去二三十年來，各種因應社會高齡化而來的相關概念紛至沓來，如成功老化（successful aging）、活躍老化（active aging）、具生產力的老化（productive aging）、韌性老化（resilient aging），這些概念共同指向於尋求通達「好晚年」的各種小徑。另一方面，近年來，各種正向面對高齡社會的想法結合1960年代的在地老化（aging in place）概念，以一種「活力老化在地化」的身影意圖結合社區、世代團結的力量，創造一個對高齡友善的生活環境。總而言之，面對人口結構動能所帶來的高齡化挑戰，國際組織、各國政府不斷提出各種策略，希冀走過此一世紀的重要課題。
台灣同樣面臨這波銀色的高齡浪潮，在1993年步入高齡化社會（aging society），2018年將進入高齡社會（aged society），更以急速朝向超高齡社會（supper-aged society），高齡化對台灣社會的影響甚鉅，政府更以國安問題來形容其嚴重性。本課程希望從社會學的知識背景，探討老化過程的社會面向；了解老化的過程如何影響個人的生活、以及環繞於生活週遭更宏觀的制度，如家庭、社群、國家、社會政策如何型塑老化生活的多元性。這門課程的目標將介紹老人社會學的關鍵概念、主要理論與重要的議題，並且聚焦於老化過程中的差異性，特別是老化經驗的社會階級、性別、種族/族群的差異。

The aging of the population structure has become an important issue faced by the global society. It is an urgent challenge especially for countries with extremely fast aging rate. In the past two or three decades, various related concepts have emerged in response to the aging of society, such as successful aging, active aging, productive aging, and resilient aging. These concepts collectively point to the search for various paths to "good old age." On the other hand, in recent years, various ideas for facing an aging society in a positive way have been combined with the concept of aging in place in the 1960s. In the form of "vital aging in place", the intention is to combine the power of community and generational unity to create an age-friendly living environment. All in all, in the face of the challenges of aging brought about by the dynamics of population structure, international organizations and governments of various countries continue to propose various strategies in the hope of overcoming this important issue of the century.
Taiwan is also facing this silver wave of aging. It entered an aging society in 1993, will enter an aged society in 2018, and will rapidly move towards a super-aged society. Aging has a huge impact on Taiwanese society, and the government even describes its seriousness as a national security issue. This course hopes to explore the social aspects of the aging process from the knowledge background of sociology; understand how the aging process affects individual lives, and how the larger systems surrounding life, such as family, community, country, and social policies, shape the diversity of aging life. The goals of this course will introduce key concepts, major theories, and important issues in the sociology of geriatrics, and focus on differences in the aging process, especially differences in social class, gender, and race/ethnicity in the aging experience.

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蔡瑞明主編之《銀髮生活：優質的長青生活品質與環境之研究》。高雄：巨流圖書。

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"Silver Life: Research on High-quality Evergreen Life Quality and Environment" edited by Cai Ruiming. Kaohsiung: Juliu Books.