The Department of Sociology at National Taipei University (NTPU Sociology) was established in 1951 and is one of the earliest sociology departments in Taiwan. Its origins can be traced to 1949, when the Kuomintang (KMT) government relocated to Taiwan and established the Taiwan Provincial College of Public Administration, including a Department of Social Administration. This marked the institutional beginning of NTPU Sociology.

　Shaped by its historical context, the Department was initially known as a training ground for civil servants. From the 1980s onward, it increasingly drew on developments in U.S. sociology, modernizing its faculty structure and curriculum design while establishing a balanced approach to qualitative and quantitative research. Following its relocation to the Sanxia Campus in 2007, the Department further diversified its faculty and expanded its emphasis on the applied dimensions of sociological knowledge.

　Over more than seventy years, different generations of faculty have brought distinct approaches to teaching and research. At the same time, the Department has maintained a stable and diverse academic structure, with steadily growing strength in both scholarship and instruction. To provide a clear overview, its development can be understood in three phases:

(1) Postwar Foundations: Civil Service Training (1951–1984);

(2) Institutional Modernization (1984–2007);

(3) Practice and Application (2007–Present).

 　The establishment of the Department was closely tied to the postwar context. In 1949, following the Chinese Civil War, many faculty and students relocated to Taiwan, facing disruptions in education and employment. To address these challenges, the government established the Taiwan Provincial College of Public Administration, the predecessor of NTPU, with the primary aim of training public sector professionals.

　In 1951, the Department of Social Administration was established at the request of the Ministry of the Interior, with Professor Chang Ching-yu serving as its first chair. It was reorganized in 1955 as the Department of Sociology under the Taiwan Provincial College of Law and Business, with separate tracks in Social Theory (now Sociology) and Social Work. In 1961, it became part of National Chung Hsing University, marking the formal institutional foundation of the present Department.

　In its early years, sociology education in Taiwan was still developing. The Department emphasized systematic and scientific approaches to both research and practice. Students in the sociology track were primarily research-oriented, while those in social work focused on practical training. Coursework reflected this distinction, with sociology students studying social theory and the history of social thought, and social work students engaging in applied training and fieldwork.

　Beginning in the late 1950s, the Department expanded its engagement with public institutions, collaborating with government agencies, conducting surveys on labor conditions, poverty, and community development across Taiwan. These efforts both strengthened students’ practical skills and demonstrated the societal value of sociological knowledge during a period of rapid modernization.

　Despite limited resources— including constrained campus space and a shortage of full-time faculty —the Department gradually expanded its curriculum through collaboration with domestic scholars and visiting international scholars. By the 1970s, a wide range of foundational courses had been established, including urban sociology, social psychology, family sociology, demography, modernization, and community studies. The Department also published the journal Social Research (1961–1989), featuring contributions from both faculty and students. 

　During this period, a significant proportion of graduates entered public service, reinforcing the Department’s reputation as a “cradle of civil servants. At the same time, many alumni pursued academic careers, later contributing to universities and research institutions in Taiwan and abroad.

　In sum, despite limited resources, the Department successfully built its foundation through sustained effort. Its early mission—to cultivate professionals in social welfare administration—shaped its teaching, activities, and career pathways. These efforts laid a solid groundwork for subsequent institutional transformation.

　Beginning in 1981, the Department formally separated admissions for sociology and social work, and subsequently recruited faculty for these two areas independently. This marked a shift toward disciplinary specialization in both faculty composition and curriculum design.

　From 1984 onward, the Department welcomed a group of scholars trained in sociology doctoral programs in the United States, including Hsu Tsung-kuo, Charles Hou, Chang Ching-fu, Tsai Ming-chang, Chang Chin-fen, Wang Ya-ko, Kuo Wen-ban, Shen Yow-suen, Yang Jung-tsung, and Huang Su-jen. This generation of scholars played a pivotal role in bridging the Department’s early development with its later transformation. They introduced contemporary developments in American sociology, along with its academic training model, and accelerated institutional change within the Department. During this period, the Department also established a teaching approach that placed equal emphasis on both quality and scale.

　These scholars brought with them a wide range of subfields, including criminology, sociology of work, gender studies, grounded theory, development sociology, historical sociology, social stratification, and sociology of religion. Their individual contributions further enriched the Department’s academic profile. For example, Hsu Tsung-kuo specialized in gender and work, and was among the earliest scholars in Taiwan to introduce and apply grounded theory. Charles Hou, a leading scholar in criminology, later served as President of National Taipei University in 2004, contributing significantly to institutional development. Chang Ching-fu focused on urban sociology, poverty, and organizational studies, with long-term attention to urban inequality in Taiwan. Tsai Ming-chang specialized in development and political sociology, and later joined Academia Sinica to conduct research on quality of life and social indicators.

　Other faculty members further expanded the Department’s intellectual scope. Chang Chin-fen worked in labor and gender studies; Wang Ya-ko was a pioneering and influential scholar in LGBTQ and masculinity studies in Taiwan; Kuo Wen-pan specialized in sociology of religion and social networks, with notable work on Christianity in Taiwan; Shen Yow-suen focused on class mobility and political sociology, teaching core topics such as social stratification; Yang Jung-tsung introduced postmodern sociology, offering courses on the sociology of the body, animals, and humor; and Huang Su-jen specialized in classical sociological theory, with research spanning historical sociology, political sociology, and land reform in Taiwan.

　Alongside this expansion of research areas, the Department established a defining teaching principle that places equal importance on qualitative and quantitative approaches. This approach reflects the training tradition of U.S. sociology programs, where both forms of research are considered equally essential. As a result, faculty recruitment has consistently maintained a balance between qualitative and quantitative specialists, enabling parallel development in both areas. The curriculum includes courses such as qualitative research methods, social science qualitative research, multivariate analysis, data processing, and survey research techniques.

　Compared to earlier periods, faculty during this stage became more actively engaged in academic exchange, publishing in journals and presenting at conferences, while placing greater emphasis on research methodology and academic writing in teaching. In the 1990s, preparations began for the establishment of a graduate program. The Master’s Program was formally established in 1999, followed by the institutional separation of the Departments of Sociology and Social Work in 2000, and the launch of the In-Service Master’s Program in 2001.

　In the early 21st century, the Department welcomed a new group of faculty members, including Su Kuo-hsien, Lin Kuei-hsiu, Chen Ming-chi, Chen Yin-zu, and Chen Wan-chi. While continuing existing strengths in areas such as family sociology, work, deviance, and gender studies, they also introduced new fields, including youth studies, sociology of education, Latin American studies, and social movements.

　Overall, the arrival of mid-career scholars during this period brought new intellectual energy to the Department, significantly expanding both teaching and research areas. While the Department did not deliberately concentrate on a single specialized field, certain areas—particularly gender studies, represented by scholars such as Hsu Tsung-kuo, Wang Ya-ko, and Chen Yin-zu—emerged as distinctive strengths. This period also marked the development of a more stable and professionalized division of academic labor, alongside a shift toward a more research-oriented model of teaching.

　Just as importantly, this period also saw the development of a strong sense of community within the Department. As different generations of faculty came together, close and collegial relationships naturally formed, strengthening both commitment to the Department and a shared sense of purpose.

　Faculty members remained closely connected, both in their academic work and beyond, and it was common for colleagues to spend time together outside of the classroom. New faculty were welcomed into this environment and encouraged to contribute their ideas on curriculum and institutional development. Visiting scholars from other universities often remarked on the Department’s distinctive atmosphere. This spirit of openness and connection has continued over time, shaping a learning environment where interactions between faculty and students are direct and approachable.

More than an organizational feature, this has become a defining characteristic of the Department.

　In 2007, following its relocation to the College of Social Sciences at the Sanxia campus, the Department of Sociology at National Taipei University began reshaping its learning environment and institutional structures. In the first year after the move, then department chair Professor Huang Su-zen established a public reading room and expanded library resources to support student learning. At the same time, the department introduced new traditions—such as welcome and farewell banquets—to strengthen a sense of community among faculty and students. These efforts contributed to a noticeably more active and engaged departmental atmosphere.

　In 2010, Professor Huang also initiated the “Social Practice Award” (now the Huang Su-zen Memorial Social Practice Award). Unlike traditional academic awards, it encourages students to propose projects and carry them out beyond the classroom during winter and summer breaks, broadening their life experiences and perspectives. It has since become a defining tradition of the department.

　During this period, the department also introduced significant curricular changes to integrate practice into learning. Quantitative research methods courses were redesigned to focus on large-scale surveys of residents in the Sanxia and Yingge areas. Students are required to leave campus, knock on doors, and conduct face-to-face surveys with residents. In qualitative research courses, students select topics related to local organizations or cultural phenomena and carry out fieldwork and analysis within these communities. Past projects have included studies of temple spirit mediums, anti-land expropriation movements, and informal factories in the Sanxia–Yingge region. Since 2009, the research methods sequence has been continuously implemented, and since 2015, the department has expanded its annual Sanxia–Yingge Social Survey Presentation Conference. This platform allows students to present their findings while integrating their academic work more closely with the local community.

　In 2016, the department revised its regulations and introduced “Social Internship” credits as an undergraduate elective. It facilitates placements with companies and NGOs, while also allowing students to independently apply for internship credit recognition. This initiative aims to connect sociological knowledge with real-world application and deepen students’ understanding of professional environments. Together, the Sanxia–Yingge research projects, the Social Practice Award, and the internship credit system reflect a clear shift after 2007 toward practice-oriented and applied sociology. The department continues to rethink how sociological knowledge and skills are carried into diverse career paths beyond academia and public service.

　The department also places strong emphasis on students’ academic development. Since 2012, it has offered a “Research Design” course at the undergraduate level, guiding senior students in developing independent research proposals and encouraging applications for Ministry of Science and Technology undergraduate research grants. Since 2011, students have successfully secured 26 such grants.

　In 2019, the department established exchange partnerships with Ritsumeikan University in Japan and Chung-Ang University in South Korea. It introduced international courses and annual academic conferences, strengthening students’ research presentation skills and foreign-language academic communication. The department also launched interdisciplinary programs with other departments, including “Gender and Human Rights” and “Survey Methods and Data Analysis.” These programs expand the academic resources available to students.

　Following the retirement of many senior faculty members after 2009, the department welcomed a new generation of scholars over the next decade, including Chang Heng-hao, Chen Yi-fu, Yeh Hsin-yi, Tai Tsui-o, Chen Yu-hsiang, Tabata Mayumi, Ma Kuo-hsun, Chang Yu-fen, Mario Liong, and Thijs Velema. New appointments were made with a clear emphasis on continuity, ensuring that core teaching areas developed by earlier generations were sustained. As a result, fields such as gender studies, demography, organizational sociology, and family sociology have been carried forward through successive generations of faculty.

　In addition, newly appointed faculty have brought their areas of expertise into the department’s curriculum.

　Chang Heng-hao works on disability studies, social movements, and the sociology of health. Chen Yi-fu focuses on youth studies, the sociology of genetics, and life course research. Yeh Hsin-yi specializes in collective memory, national identity, and cognitive sociology. Tai Tsui-o works in demography, family sociology, and gender studies, while Chen Yu-hsiang focuses on organizational, economic, and financial sociology.

　Tabata Mayumi specializes in organizational and industrial sociology, and has since taken up a position at Senshu University in Japan. Ma Kuo-hsun works on social stratification and the sociology of education. Chang Yu-fen focuses on comparative historical sociology and Southeast Asian studies. Mario Liong specializes in gender studies, including masculinity, fatherhood, and migration. Most recently, Thijs Velema has joined the department, bringing expertise in organizational sociology, new institutionalism, and social network analysis.

　Over the past decade, the department’s faculty have also demonstrated a growing research profile. Since 2011, they have secured 32 projects funded by the Ministry of Science and Technology, spanning fields such as gender studies, disability studies, collective memory, life course research, financial sociology, social movements, and family sociology.

　The department has also expanded its collaboration with public sector institutions, including the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Ministry of Science and Technology, and the New Taipei City Government—on research and community-based initiatives. These efforts have been widely recognized and culminated in the department’s selection for the Ministry of Education’s 2021 Benchmark Program for Humanities and Social Sciences—an important milestone in its recent development.

　Since relocating to Sanxia, the department has shifted its teaching toward the practice and application of sociological knowledge. Faculty and students are more actively engaged in research and community work. While originally oriented toward training civil servants, the department now supports a wider range of academic and professional pathways. Graduates go on to fields such as academia, public service, NGOs, business, and market and public opinion research.

　Over the past seventy years, the Department of Sociology at National Taipei University has undergone a series of profound transformations—from its early role in training civil servants, to a period shaped by U.S. sociology and the establishment of a more formal academic system, and more recently to the development of field-based research, social practice, and internship programs. Across these shifts, successive generations of faculty have carried forward distinct teaching missions and intellectual ideals, shaping not a single model but an evolving set of pedagogical traditions and institutional characteristics.

　Over time, the Department has built a stable and diverse faculty structure while fostering an environment that encourages open discussion, reflection, and debate. These internal developments have unfolded alongside broader transformations in Taiwanese society, with the Department both responding to and participating in these changes. Through this ongoing process of continuity and renewal, it has developed a diverse and resilient academic structure—one that continues to evolve alongside society while playing an active role in the production and reproduction of sociological knowledge in Taiwan.

Figure 1. Early issues of Journal: Social Research

Figure 2. Department Office at the Minsheng Campus, Taipei