Purdue University and NTNU Strengthen Connections in the Humanities
A delegation from Purdue University's College of Liberal Arts (CLA) met with counterparts at NTNU in a series of meetings on May 16 and 17 to explore future faculty collaboration. This visit, which reflects the deepening academic relationship between the institutions, included Purdue CLA's Associate Dean, Dr. Wei Hong, and department heads Dr. Chris Yeomans (Philosophy), Dr. Frederick Davis (History), and Dr. Jennifer William (School of Languages and Cultures).
NTNU representatives, including College of Liberal Arts' Associate Dean Joan Chiung-Huei Chang, Associate Chair of English Dr. Miao-Hsia Chang, Associate Chair of History Dr. Tsong-Han Lee, Chair-elect of History Professor William Ng, and Professor Tsang-Long Liu from the Chinese Literature and Philosophy Department, welcomed the Purdue delegation. This visit aimed to initiate new academic collaborations between NTNU and Purdue professors in the humanities, an area where no previous research collaborations had occurred despite over 20 joint publications between the two universities.
Purdue's CLA highlighted its Bachelor of Science program in Artificial Intelligence, designed to educate students on AI systems' cognitive, psychological, and ethical dimensions. Dr. Yeomans emphasized the program's goal to produce AI policymakers across various sectors, rather than technical coders.
NTNU's College of Liberal Arts shared details about its innovative Metaverse Narrative undergraduate program. This program, which combines logical thinking, narrative skills, and digital art and design, includes courses like Introduction to Metaverse Narrative and Digital Image Processing. Professor Tsang-Long Liu expressed interest in collaborating with Purdue faculty to develop this program, particularly leveraging the expertise of Dr. Javier Gomez-Lavin from Purdue's Metaverse Narrative Program.
In philosophy, NTNU Professor William Ng has been collaborating with Dr. Fenggang Yang from Purdue's Center on Religion and the Global East. Both institutions are keen to explore joint courses and collaborative online international learning (COIL) programs in Chinese and comparative philosophy. Dr. Yeomans proposed a dialogue between German and Chinese philosophy as a potential area of cooperation.
NTNU's upcoming conference on digital humanities in November presents another collaboration opportunity, with Purdue faculty invited to participate. Associate Dean Joan Chang suggested organizing a preliminary seminar to finalize conference topics.
The visit also explored enhancing academic collaboration through NTNU Online's Global Virtual Classroom Program. This program has enabled transnational learning opportunities with 13 overseas partner institutions. Dr. Yeomans noted that NTNU Online’s Summer Session could align with Purdue’s schedule, facilitating online featured sessions despite time zone differences.
Purdue's delegation also visited NTNU's Metaverse Motion Capture Lab, where Emeritus Professor Hsin-Chien Huang showcased the lab's capabilities and recent collaborations. This visit underscored the potential for interdisciplinary collaboration between the universities.
The delegation concluded their visit with NTNU's College of International Studies and Social Sciences (CISS), where they met Dean Steven Chih-Chien Lai, Associate Dean Jia-Fei Hong, and other faculty members. The discussions highlighted possible joint research and teaching initiatives, given CISS’s cross-cultural and interdisciplinary focus. Dr. William noted the strong interest among Purdue faculty in collaborating with CISS professors.
The visit was particularly significant for NTNU faculty who are Purdue alumni, such as Associate Professor Chao-Mei Tu. The fruitful discussions during this visit have set the stage for several promising research and academic collaborations, including the joint planning of an international conference in May 2025.