The Taiwan Studies Center at the Department of East Asian Studies, Ruhr University Bochum, held a workshop titled “Digital Teaching and Digital Humanities in Taiwan Studies” this fall under the Taiwan as a Pioneer (TAP) program, supported by the German Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). The workshop officially opened on September 30, featuring a keynote speech by Dr. Chang Lung-chih, Director of the National Museum of Taiwan History, titled “Facing Up to the Digital Turn in the Museums: A Field Report from the NMTH.” Dr. Chang detailed the museum’s recent advancements in digital applications, particularly the achievements of the National Cultural Memory Bank 2.0. His presentation received enthusiastic responses from the participating scholars, sparking active discussions on the future innovations in language translation, exhibition experience, and educational outreach in museums.
The three-day workshop focused on four main topics: “Taiwanization and Reinvention,” “Digital Retrieval Systems and Innovation,” “Artificial Intelligence in Education and Schools,” and “Research Digital Visualization.” Scholars from various parts of Europe participated in discussions and exchanges. Participants included Professor Christian Soffel from the Sinology Department at Trier University, Dr. Martina Siebert from the Berlin State Library, Dr. Thorben Pelzer from the Global Dynamics Research Center at Leipzig University, Dr. Stefanie Elbern, Project Lead of the China School Academy at Heidelberg University, Dr. Mireia Vargas-Urpí from the Translation Department at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, Mr. Peng Zhao-Xuan, a doctoral candidate in modern history at EHESS (École des hautes études en sciences sociales) in France, and Lin Wan-Ju, a doctoral candidate in the Department of Taiwanese Culture, Languages and Literature at NTNU and a recipient of the TAP Grant. Several scholars from Taiwan also attended, including Professor Wang Ming-chih from the Department of History and Geography at the University of Taipei, Professor Kuo Chun-Lin from the Department of Taiwan Regional Studies at National Dong Hwa University, Professor Cheng An-Che from the Department of Regional and Social Development at National Taichung University of Education, and Professor Chien Hung-I from the Department of History at National Cheng Kung University, each sharing insights on digital teaching, GIS research, and multi-university collaboration outcomes. Professor Hsiang Jieh, Director of Research Center of Digital Humanities at National Taiwan University, also joined the workshop online, presenting her thoughts on cross-database search applications.
In the database introduction segment, the TAP program specifically invited Dr. Martina Siebert, one of the researchers responsible for the Cross Asia Database, to elaborate on its development history and special collections. Additionally, Lin Wan-Ju introduced the database content and usage related to Presbyterian Church in Taiwan, while Jeff, the product manager at United Digital Publication, participated online to provide an in-depth explanation of the features and operation of the Humanities Taiwan series databases. TAP program members Dr. Josie-Marie Perkuhn and Dr. Thomas Fliß from the Sinology Department at Trier University, as well as Dr. Yu-Yin Hsu from Ruhr University Bochum, also reported on the latest research progress and shared updates on the database’s current status during the third-day session.
This workshop not only facilitated in-depth exchanges between Taiwanese and European scholars but also provided a rich platform for inspiration and discussion on the future development of digital teaching and digital humanities research.
