Sustainable Development Goals

Abstract/Objectives

This course adopts tribal cultural journey-based learning and “difficult knowledge” curation, aligning with the practice-oriented design of the CHASS Cultural and Creative Industries Program and its focus on ethnic writing. Connected to “local fieldwork and writing” in the Literature and Creative Writing curriculum map, it strengthens students’ place-based practice and the revitalization and application of cultural resources. Off-campus learning takes place in Yufeng Village (Jianshi), including the Marigong and Wulai communities. Over 16 weeks, students learn the background and contemporary meaning of the Lidongshan Incident, then conduct cultural route reading, site-based reinterpretation, community organization surveys, and oral-history fieldwork through a one-day “ancient battlefield and stream culture” experience. They collect texts, images, and video, attend two weeks of expert talks on curation, and complete sustainability-focused reflective writing. From a postcolonial perspective, the course addresses historical harms of Indigenous policies, builds ethnic mainstreaming literacy, and integrates AI reading/writing plus filming and editing to present community resilience.

Results/Contributions

This course aims to achieve the ultimate goal of "online curating." This semester, we have arranged a field investigation in Jianshi Township and a viewing of an Atayal cultural play, inviting Professor Zhang Jiying from the General Education Center to guide students in their curatorial projects. Throughout the curatorial learning process, we observed a mature transformation in students regarding curatorial structure and perspective development. Firstly, most students no longer limit themselves to data collection and content stacking; instead, they actively ponder "how to curate," gradually establishing clear thematic structures and narrative logic. Through the experience of walking through the ancient battlefield, students understand the historical context and cultural trauma of the Jianshi ancient battlefield. As students translate materials related to Atayal history and culture, they become more engaged with and understand the topic, grasping the core conflicts in cross-cultural communication presented in the play, while pointing out the relationship between language and healthcare systems. Their understanding of "fragmented experiences of ethnic groups" and the loss of knowledge has a historical sense, reflecting the challenges of intergenerational transmission. For instance, some groups have demonstrated solid abilities in compiling primary and secondary sources and have effectively combined historical materials, maps, objects, and spaces to form contextually significant displays. This shows that they understand curation is not merely about presenting knowledge but also about organizing perspectives and guiding understanding. Students have begun to recognize the limitations of official documents and the "invisible" elements in historical narratives, and they attempt to supplement the shortcomings of a single historical viewpoint through material culture, daily life, and ethnic experiences. Some groups have gone even further by centering their curation around the "rhythm" of people's lives, bodily sensations, or spiritual memories, making war and governance not just abstract structures but concrete and plural historical sites.

Keywords

Local fieldwork and writing; revitalization and application of cultural resources; social connection; cross-cultural digital curation.

Contact Information

劉柳書琴
qabus@gapp.nthu.edu.tw