Brief History and Founding Background
To balance the research and development between the fields of technology and humanities, and to further promote conversation among the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences, National Chung Hsing University officially established the Research Center for Humanities and Social Sciences (RCHSS) in August 2008. As a first-tier unit, the research center aims to foster international competitiveness and improve teaching and research in the humanities and social sciences at NCHU.
Since the establishment of the center, RCHSS has been selected by the Ministry of Education and the National Science Council as one of the main humanities and social sciences research centers in Taiwan. Over the years, RCHSS has become the most important interdisciplinary research centers in central Taiwan that enhances research and exchange on forward-looking and innovative topics. RCHSS piloted the establishment of the “Central Taiwan Academic Research Group.” The research group is committed to promoting research on key topics such as digital humanities, the New Southbound Policy and environmental humanities, as well as implementing University Social Responsibility (USR). RCHSS also collaborates with local industries and cultural and historical groups on joint projects.
In order to keep up with the latest social and global changes and deepen the research on cutting-edge interdisciplinary issues, the RCHSS was renamed the “Advanced Research Center for Humanities and Social Sciences” (ARCHS) in late 2021.
Recent achievements of the center have focused on the following aspects:
- Interdisciplinary research on environment, technology and ethics.
- Interdisciplinary research on environmental humanities, digital humanities and Asia Studies.
- Promotion of transnational academic exchange and cooperation.
- Government-industry-university trilateral cooperation and regional linkage.