This past summer, the UW School of Art sponsored the study abroad course, Design in Taiwan: Sustainable Innovation through Craft and Technology.
Led by UW Assistant Professor in Industrial Design and Taiwan Studies Program member, Meichun Liu, 17 students in 3 weeks explored design culture in Taiwan across the private and public sectors. Their travels took them to three different sites Taipei, Nantou, and Tainan to understand the rich field of design. In 2016 the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design named Taipei the World Design Capital.
Beyond earning 5 credits toward the Arts and Humanities (A&H) and Diversity (DIV) general education requirements, students had the opportunity to learn alongside and from Taiwanese students at Shih Chien University in Taipei and National Cheng Kung University in Tainan. Classroom experiences were further enriched by outside field trips to Yingge, pottery town, and in Nantou, a bamboo craft center. The trip concluded with a final project and student presentations on sustainable design.
Read more about the student experience through their daily blog posts featured here: https://uwdesignintaiwan24.blogspot.com/
We look forward to Assistant Professor Liu leading this trip in the future. More details about the program can be found on the study abroad website. We encourage UW students to stay tuned for upcoming study abroad opportunities!