(C) Readings included in Politics of Modern Taiwan. Dafydd Fell (ed.)

(O) Readings available online

Basic Reading:

1.          Rigger, Shelley (2002). “Political Science and Taiwan’s Domestic Politics: The State of the Field.” Issues and Studies 38 (4): pp. 49-92.

2.          Chu, Yun-han and Lin Jih-wen (2001). “Political Development in 20th Century Taiwan: State Building, Regime Transformation and the Construction of National Identity.” China Quarterly 165: pp. 102-129.

3.         Lee, Wei-chin (2004). "Field of Dreams: An Overview of the Practice and Study of Taiwan's Foreign Policy." Issues and Studies 40 (3/4): pp. 137-182.

4.          Roy, Denny (2003). Taiwan: A Political History. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. part 1, part 2, part 3

Discussion Questions:

1.    Why has Taiwan politics become the most studied topic in Taiwan studies?

2.     Why should students of comparative politics, international relations or modern Chinese studies be interested in Taiwan’s politics?

3.    How should Taiwan’s main political eras be divided?

4.     How useful is Taiwan for testing political science theories and as a comparative case with other new democracies?

5.     What have been the main themes that have attracted the interest of scholars of Taiwan’s political scene?