What is a city? What were the conditions as well as socio-historical contexts in which modern cities came about? How does the formation and transformation of the urban space have impacts to the people living in that city? What are the relationships between a city and its people, along with their feelings, consciousness, identities, professions, social conduct, consumption, and all the various practices? What are the cultural practices particular to a specific city, such as movies and literature, and what do they reveal of this city? In this class we explore topics regarding urban culture and urban life from cultural and social scientific perspectives. We take examples from some of the most important cities of the world today, including New York, Paris, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas; we also look at the cities we are more familiar with, like Taichung and Taipei. Throughout the semester we look at the city in relations to subject matters like gender, migration, and subculture. With all the examples as well as film appreciation in correspondence with certain topics, we try and understand how cultural production reflects on and interact with urban culture and social change.

What is a city? What were the conditions as well as socio-historical contexts in which modern cities came about? How does the formation and transformation of the urban space have impacts to the people living in that city? What are the relationships between a city and its people, along with their feelings, consciousness, identities, professions, social conduct, consumption, and all the various practices? What are the cultural practices particular to a specific city, such as movies and literature, and what do they reveal of this city? In this class we explore topics regarding urban culture and urban life from cultural and social scientific perspectives. We take examples from some of the most important cities of the world today, including New York, Paris, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas; we also look at the cities we are more familiar with, like Taichung and Taipei. Throughout the semester we look at the city in relationships to subject matters like gender, migration, and subculture. With all the examples as well as film appreciation in correspondence with certain topics, we try and understand how cultural production reflects on and interact with urban culture and social change.

通識課程不同於專業課程，實乃著重引導學生主動關懷、探索與實踐人類的終極價值與智慧；同時通識課程所提供的知識，不是專業課程的淺薄化，而是具有厚實感的基礎知識。本校根據創校傳統、校訓與辦學理念訂定通識教育定四大基本素養：求真素養、篤信素養、力行素養與宏通素養，以具體落實本校通識教育之理想。希望本校學生能發揮自主學習精神，在通識課程老師的引導下，逐漸培養其通識教育基本素養，並期待能終身學習。各種基本素養並訂有具體的學習成效指標，以做教學與學習成效之自我檢證的具體指標，分述如下：求真素養（自然領域）：1.學習自然科學的方法或哲學以探索物理與生命世界的微妙，2.發揮就事論事的精神，3.能參與科學議題相關的公共事務。篤信素養（人文領域）：1.學習人文精神以探索內在自我與領會人類文明的深層價值，2.發展自律精神，3.能運用理性進行道德推理。力行素養（社會領域）：1.運用社會科學的方法或哲學以激發學生的傾聽與溝通能力，2.承認與尊重多元差，3.實踐民主審議的精神。宏通素養（跨領域）：1.追求人類的整體價值，2.融通求真、篤信、力行等素養於個人生命之中。各領域的課程對於學習成效指標可以跨選，不必拘泥。

The general course is different from the professional course, and it focuses on guiding students to actively care, explore and understand the ultimate value and wisdom of human beings. At the same time, the knowledge provided by the general course is not the purity of the professional course, but the basic knowledge with a strong sense of reality. Our school has established four basic qualities for general education based on the concept of creating school traditions, school training and management: seeking truth, trustworthiness, striving for general education, and implementing the ideal of general education in our school in a specific way. I hope that students of this school can develop the spirit of independent learning, and under the guidance of general course teachers, they will gradually cultivate their basic qualities of general education, and look forward to finally learning. Various basic qualities are cultivated and have specific indicators for self-verification of teaching and learning results. They are divided into the following: Truth-seeking and nourishing (nature domain): 1. Learn the methods or philosophy of natural sciences to explore the subtleties of physics and the world of life, 2. Develop the spirit of doing things, 3. Be able to participate in public affairs related to scientific topics. Relief and nourishment (humanity field): 1. Learn the humanistic spirit to explore the deep value of inner self and leading human civilization, 2. Develop self-discipline spirit, 3. Be able to use rationality to conduct moral reasoning. Practice and cultivate (social field): 1. Use social science methods or philosophy to stimulate students' listening and communication skills, 2. Accept and respect for diversity and differences, 3. Realize the spirit of democratic review. Hongtong basic cultivation (cross-domain): 1. Pursuing the overall value of human beings, 2. Integrating truth-seeking, trustworthiness, and action in personal life. Courses in various fields can be selected across learning performance indicators without being restricted.

Edward Glaeser。《城市的勝利》。時報出版，2012年
Joel Kotkin. The City: A Global History. Modern Library, 2006.
Doug Saunders。《落腳城市：最終的人口大遷徙與世界的未來》。麥田，2011年
Richard Sennett. Flesh and Stone: The Body and the City in Western Civilization. W.W. Norton and Company, 1996.
五十嵐太郎、磯達雄。《我們夢想的未來都市》。田園城市，2014年
吉見俊哉。《博覽會的政治學》。群學，2010年
呂紹理。《展示台灣：權力、空間與殖民的形象表述》。麥田，2005年
吳鄭重。《廚房之舞：身體與空間的日常生活地理學考察》，聯經，2010年
町村敬志、西則晃彥。《都市的社會學：社會顯露表象的時刻》。群學，2012年
葉肅科。《芝加哥學派》。遠流，1993年
殷寶寧。《情欲‧國族‧後殖民：誰的中山北路？》。左岸，2006年
黃孫權。《綠色推土機》。獨立媒體，2012年

Edward Glaeser. "The City's Victory". Times Publishing, 2012
Joel Kotkin. The City: A Global History. Modern Library, 2006.
Doug Saunders. "City of Falling Foot: The Final Population Transfer and the Future of the World". Maitian, 2011
Richard Sennett. Flesh and Stone: The Body and the City in Western Civilization. W.W. Norton and Company, 1996.
Izuka Taro and Tatsuo. "The Future City We Dream". Garden City, 2014
Good luck. "Politics of the Expo". Group Studies, 2010
Reason. "Demonstration of Taiwan: Image Expression of Power, Space and Coloniality". Maitian, 2005
Wu Zhengzhong. "Dance in the Kitchen: A Geography of the Daily Life of the Body and Space", Joint, 2010
Keishi, Machimura, and Nishiki. "The City's Society: The Moment of Society Showing Appearances". Group Studies, 2012
Leaf family. "Chicago School". Far, 1993
Yin Baoning. "Luxury: Nationalities: Post-colonial: Whose Zhongshan North Road? 》. Left Bank, 2006
Huangsun rights. "Green Bulldozer". Independent Media, 2012