IMAS Welcomes International Student Tuition Waiver Recipients
IMAS New Students 2023 New International Student Half-Tuition Waiver Awardee
The following new students receive one semester half-tuition-waiver scholarship for the 1st semester.
Miriam Brunner
University of Vienna
My name is Miriam Brunner, 泉蜜兒, and I am currently a senior student at the Department of East Asian Studies at the University of Vienna studying Sinology and Sociology. I expect to graduate at the end of June 2023, and after completing my Sinology Bachelor I wish to enroll in the NCCU’s International Program in Inter-Asia Cultural Studies (IMAS) to pursue a Master’s degree in Taiwan. I started my Bachelor studies in 2020, majoring in Sinology with a minor in Transcultural Communication and at the same time enrolled in a second major, Sociology. During my academic pursuits at the University of Vienna, I was able to take several classes concerning the Taiwanese legal system, Taiwanese society and identity, which enriched both my academic life and personal life. I wrote several seminar papers on Taiwan specific topics, discussing “Why members of the LGBT+ community may not be seeking the help of suicide prevention hotlines in Taiwan”, “The Protection of the Child in Contemporary Taiwan (Republic of China)”, “The Possible Negative Impact of BL Dramas on the LGBT+ Community” and “Taiwanese Attitudes Towards Japan, their Development, Categorization, and Utilization”.
I decided to write my Bachelor thesis focusing on a Taiwan specific topic as well, and hence I am currently conducting a qualitative content analysis of suicide reports in Taiwanese newspapers (Liberty Times and United Daily News), analyzing their adherence to the Suicide Prevention Act and the WHO guidelines. I was also happy to participate in Mandarin Chinese speaking, listening, writing and reading classes. I have therefore obtained basic skills and knowledge and would estimate my Mandarin Chinese level at A2.
The knowledge, skills and understanding I was able to gain in my years of study hitherto and the extra research I did independently in my fields of interest induced me to continue this path and further deepen my knowledge and understanding by taking a Master course in Taiwan. Since I also want to expand my knowledge to cover the broader geographical context I am certain the International Program in Inter-Asia Cultural Studies (IMAS) would be the perfect fit for me. I am eager to enrichen my understanding of culture, society, and politics in the Asian Pacific region and also wish to take Mandarin Chinese classes to further improve my listening comprehension, speaking, reading and writing skills
Looking at the course list from previous years on the IMAS website, I am confident that the classes I intend to take, touching on subjects like democracy and democratization, economic and cultural developments, globalization etc., will be beneficial for continuation of my academic studies in social sciences. Furthermore, the mandatory course “Research Methods for Social Sciences” will constitute a highly useful basis for my future research projects. In pursuing a large volume of research about Taiwan, I came across numerous papers, books and other research works by professors at the National Chengchi University, making me increasingly aware of the university’s solid reputation for academic discipline and excellence, and stimulating my desire to make a contribution to the university’s research efforts. If I am successful in enrolling in the NCCU’s International Program in Inter-Asia Cultural Studies, I would like to investigate non-help seeking behavior among suicidal LGBT+ community members in Taiwan for my Master Thesis. The tentative title for my thesis is therefore “Nonhelp-seeking behavior of LGBT+ individuals with suicide ideation in Taiwan: How social factors influence the willingness of queer individuals to seek professional help in case of suicide ideation”.
Phoebe Pham
University of California, Berkeley
Growing up on an overseas military base in Japan, Phoebe Pham was inspired by a community that always emphasized courage and a higher calling to public service. She has worked in foreign policy legislation at the U.S. Senate and various nonprofit organizations. Phoebe currently works at RAND Corporation as a research associate. Her work spans across security cooperation, Army force mixing, space, and cyber security analysis. Phoebe graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, with B.A. degrees in Legal Studies and Political Science.
Danny Widiatmo
Universitas Indonesia
I am Danny Widiatmo (黃勤好 Huang Chin-Hao / Oei Khin-Ho), currently residing in Jakarta, Indonesia. Last year, I finished studying at the International Relations Department, Universitas Indonesia, focusing on Transnational Studies, especially diaspora, migration, and identity. As a person of Chinese descent, I’m always interested in Overseas Chinese or Chinese Diaspora-related issues, especially in Indonesia and Southeast Asia. I wrote my undergraduate thesis about the Chinese Diaspora in Global Politics, focusing on the region. My thesis finds that the identity of the Chinese Diaspora is highly imagined by states, including China and the host countries, and the community itself. My final work on the Chinese Diaspora was then awarded as the best undergraduate thesis in my Department.
After graduating from UI, I plan to continue my research in Taiwan and NCCU to learn more about how the government and people of Taiwan view and imagine the identity of the Chinese Diaspora in Southeast Asia. As the administration of Taiwan was shifted from Kuomintang to DPP, there must be a change in the view towards the Overseas Chinese. My research plan in Taiwan would also focus on Southeast Asian Chinese living in Taiwan and how they perceived their Chinese identity after residing there. After talking to some IMAS students and learning from your website, IMAS could help me to do this research and deepen my knowledge, especially on the theoretical framework that might be useful for my research.
For more information, I’m researching the Kokang Chinese community on the Myanmar-China border as part of my contribution to Knowledge Hub Myanmar. Recently I just published an online article on this issue at the London School of Economic and Political Sciences on their Southeast Asia blog.
