General Education Courses

　　The University offers general education curriculum in eight categories. Out of these, all students must take courses, with minimum number of credits required, in the five categories of Chinese, Foreign Language, History, Laws in a Democracy, and Distribution courses. The other three categories are Campus-wide Elective Courses, Military Instruction, and Physical Education.

The General Education Curriculum has the following features:
1. Forming full-grown men and women
The University puts equal emphasis on general and specialized education, as expressed in the school motto, “Unto a Full-grown Man.” The general education curriculum offers courses which conform the liberal education.

2. Emphasis on the teaching of Chinese
A Committee on Chinese Instruction has been set up to improve the teaching materials and methods for Chinese. Freshman Chinese puts special emphasis on composition. The Chinese Department annually organizes a composition contests and exhibitions to promote interaction and learning from one another.

3. Emphasis on foreign languages
All students have to take Sophomore English. Students who have attained the level of English required by the school may take English, Japanese or German elective courses.

4. Distribution Courses are incorporated into the curriculum
Students have to take General Erudition courses. The purpose of these courses is to give introductions to otherwise more difficult, specialized courses, like for example an introduction to political science, which otherwise is tought as a specialized subject to social science majors, or like introduction to physics, which otherwise is taught as a specialized subject to natural science majors. The courses include introductory courses in five categories, (1) Mankind and Culture, Reasoning and Methodology, Philosophy, (2) Literature and Arts, (3) Nature and Development, (4) Society and Development, and (5) Reading from the Classics, comprising seven areas, in order to broaden the students’ intellectual horizon.

5. Campus-wide Elective Courses incorporated into the curriculum
In view of the development of pluralist culture and new knowledge, the University offers some electives for all students, all in order to equip them with adaptability and forward- looking vision. These courses include Study of Taiwan-Mainland China Relations, The Art of Living, and Library Data Research Skills, which are given in Chinese, and the courses Beauty of Chinese Arts and Taiwan’s Political Development and Democratic Transformation , which are given in English.

6. Soochow Interdisciplinary Lecture Courses
To promote knowledge, common sense, vision and insight, courage, and the sense of appreciation (the five kinds of knowledge), the school organizes short lecture courses to be given by outstanding local or overseas specialists invited to Soochow, in order to give an opportunity to young scholars to listen to the leading authorities and get enlightenment from these multifaceted events, broaden their horizon, widen their mind and improve their creativity and ways of adaptation to society.