2. 英文文章作品集
2. 英文文章作品集
2. 英文文章作品集
⽂章作品集⽬錄
Argumentative essay:
higher education?
Reading Note:
Group Report:
Weber, Bureaucracy
110042026
Sarah
Cause and Effect Essay:
Why Some People Hate Feminism
Intro
*One in three men believe feminism does more harm than good (globally)
*Fewer women identify themselves as feminist even though they believe the value
of gender equality.
Thesis: Antifeminism is a structural issue, which not only results from the
misconception of feminism’s pursuit but also manifest in the culture of misogyny.
Cause:
Draft
What things come to our mind when we hear the word “feminism”? It’s the
legal term like “equal work equal pay”, strong waves of sexual liberation and
different genders? According to statistics, one in three men believe feminism does
more harm than good; what’s more, fewer women identify themselves as feminist
even though they believe the value of gender equality. In open discussion, some
would label feminism as “went too far” or “over-demanding”, and this impression
structural issue worthy of attention, which not only results from the misconception
the era of social media, people are equipped with medium to voice their opinions;
at the same time, they are also bombarded with tons of information, and this
creates unfriendly online environment, where key focus often being distorted in
sensational way to incite hatred from different groups. The most common myth of
feminism is to see it as a single ideology for one group’s benefits; on the contrary,
there are many strands of feminism being proposed. They came from different
historical contexts, the legal status of women in certain countries, or other factors,
and these brought about different routes to achieve different goals; for example,
education in liberal feminism, control over their body and identity in radical
feminism... But the core value of feminism is not just about promoting women’s
welfare but bringing the revolution to advocate for gender equality and dismantle
the systemic oppression against women and other marginalized genders. Overall, it
is a social, political, and cultural movement, trying to create a society where all
vicious way to make women more superior to men, and we must identify that this
idea is wrong.
should we need this? Does any gender inequality still exist nowadays? Sadly, the
answer is yes. According to a survey in 2020, about half of Americans say granting
women the right to vote has been the most important milestone in advancing the
position of women in the country. Still, most U.S. adults say the country hasn’t
gone far enough when it comes to giving women equal rights with men. “The
unions… churches, and armies,” quoted from a strong claim from Marxist
not comes from biologically thinking---- Woman is not born to be a woman but
taught by society to “become” a socially approved woman. And this also reminds
me of a slogan called “the personal is political”, proposed during the second wave
of feminism in the 1960s and 1970s, which emphasizes that personal experiences,
particularly those related to gender and sexuality, are inherently political and
reflect larger societal power dynamics. This suggests that the struggles and issues
faced by individual women are not just private matters but are in fact shaped by
larger societal structures and power relations. For example, a woman who
herself and her abuser, but feminists argue that this violence is part of a larger
power structures in society. From previous times, feminine traits have often seen
useless or flawed; for example, in Freud’s theory, the development of femininity is
originally a flaw, because women don’t have penis, and it somehow shows how a
masculine culture being intensified and become a reality, but in fact this is not
from science but by social construction. When we faced with injustice, people
and this keeps necessary changes from happening. Personal is political, the reality
we experience is often what the environment constructs for us, and this must be
seen and identified, not being labeled as “normal”, which is partly feminism doing
“I ask no favor for my sex. All I ask of our brethren is that they take their
feet off our necks.”, said Ruth Bader Ginsburg, one prior Associate Justices of the
Supreme Court of the United States. Finally, someone speaks out the truth, and this
all came back to the masculine culture/society, one that stresses different
expectations for men and women; men are expected to be assertive, competitive,
and focused on material success. Women are expected to be nurturing and focused
on people and quality of life. And this is what feminism want to tackle, ideas
constructed to stop individuals from pursuing what they desire, no matter the
ideas that judges one’s value not from his or her character but gender
classification. Unfortunately, this is not all people’s ideal, some of them may fear
that feminism will mean that men will eventually lose out – of power, influence,
impact, authority, and control, and economic opportunities. Or even worse, there’s
associated with strong, forceful, and angry women, whom others want to silence.
Later, there’s a huge echo assemble to call those feminists to shut up or even label
them as “mad women” or some problems need to fix. And this is what we see in
the culture of misogyny---- the ones holding the misogynic belief would classify
women into two types, one is good and another is bad and totally wrong, and
constantly jeer at those don’t follow the “rules”; for example, they may call women
“dish-doing machine” to emphasis the idea that women should stay at kitchen and
do “their responsibility” or criticize women who are sexually harassed that “they
As mentioned above, there are three reasons why some people would hold so
itself, the patriarchy perpetuated in society and constructing the reality, and
have more freedoms and opportunities, but there are still rooms for improvement to
reach the equality. What we must bear in mind is that if “personal is political”, then
political things are often start from personal ideas, so what we can do is do not let
other voices to tell us what should we become, but fight for what we truly deserve.
Sarah
110042026
Online Streaming Service War:
Netflix vs. Disney plus
Outline
Introduction:
In terms of the online entertainment services, Netflix is one of the first runner,
which is launched back in 2007; however, Disney plus, only launching in November
2019, has gained more and more popularity. As one who subscribes both, I can’t help
wondering which will prevails one another.
Thesis:
Netflix and Disney plus are competitive in different aspects, the future of online
streaming service war is unknown. In my opinion, compared with such huge
competitors, Netflix is still best online streaming service.
Essay Map:
Conclusion:
Through comparing their price, user experience, and potential direction, we can
see that different business model made them have different strategy, and the future is
unknown. But personally, Netflix will always be my favorite online streaming
platform.
Online Streaming Service War:
Why Netflix is way better than Disney plus?
In the era of digital service, it is common for us to use portable devices to enjoy
different kinds of entertainment at anywhere, anytime. When it comes to online
streaming platform, the thrilling scene in Squid Game, the educational and touching
stories in Sex Education, the worldwide craze over the Queen’s Gambit in 2020…
remembering those memorable series, Netflix will immediately come to my mind.
Starting its business back in 2007, Netflix is one of the first runner in the market,
which owns 222 million subscribers all over the world in 2022; however, Disney plus,
only launching in November 2019, with total of 137.9 million subscription, has
gained more and more popularity in recent years. For people wondering which one
is more worthy to pay for every month, myself as one who subscribes both, I
would highly recommend Netflix as our first choice. Compared with Disney plus,
Netflix wins my heart in three aspects---- price, user experience, and the blueprint in
the future.
First thing first, let’s talk about how their subscription works. As of 2022, Netflix
has 4 separate price tiers from $6.99 per month to $22.99 per month, including basic
with ads, basic, standard, and premium plan. The choose between four different plans
depends on which video quality you prefer, how many simultaneous streams you want
and whether there will be ads or not. However, Disney plus only provides one
subscription plan, which cost $12 per month without any ads.
You may think that almost every audience hates ads, how can the Netflix basic
ad-based plan work? In fact, the Netflix with ads $7 plan promises only 4 to 5
minutes of commercials per hour of content; also, the ads do not operate as pop-up
surprises, there will be yellow dots on the progress bar to indicate when and how
many ad breaks will appear in a TV show or movie. Compared with Disney plus,
Netflix has more subscription plans to choose based on customer’s needs and comes
with more affordable price.
In terms of user experience, both Netflix and Disney plus do a good job, as they
are available through various interfaces across a wide range of devices. And two
services offer similar designs, with content laid out in rows and sorted into categories
that simplify the task of finding new movies and shows to watch, and they also use
subscribers’ viewing history data to recommend new content to them. Even though
both Netflix and Disney plus utilize algorithm in sorting through different categories,
Hastings, the former CEO of Netflix, when being asked about how he imagines
schools since he donates lots of his millions into it, he replied “Think about it as with
multiple kids, there are all different needs, that need to be met, so there is not anyone
model, and being able to choose depending on your kid, and what you think they
need”. Therefore, Netflix content is diversified. People can go through whatever they
like to watch, no matter what their mood is.
In comparison with Disney plus, which organizes its programming into the big
five brands: Disney, Marvel, National Geographic, Pixar, and Star Wars, Netflix
attempts to suggest new video shows that customers will like based on many criteria;
for example, viewer’s interactions with the Netflix service (such as watch history, and
ratings for other titles), other members of services who have similar likes and
preferences to viewers, and some information about the video, such as genre, actors,
year of release, etc. It makes Netflix’s interface personalized and constantly changing,
creating a great experience for people who likes to explore different contents to binge-
watch.
Secondly, with much more affordable price, Netflix offers over 6000 titles for
audience to enjoy (2,388 TV shows, 4,378 movies), ranging from scientific-thriller,
romantic comedies, to reality shows. Furthermore, it is notable that one of the biggest
factors that draw subscribers to Netflix is its vast library full of original contents with
high quality, such as The Witcher, The Crown, The Queen’s Gambit, and Emily in
Paris, just to name a few. Every year, Netflix not only invests heavily in original
productions but also take a great step in true crime documentaries and reality TV; for
example, “Making a murderer,” “Our planet,” “Dirty money,” and Anime is a well-
represented on Netflix as well. According to Statistics, in 2020, Netflix has
received 160 nominations at the Emmys, which is worth praising compared to other
platforms. (See figure 1) With so many excellent trending original contents, more and
more dominant actors are motivated to participate in Netflix’s original productions,
like Cillian Murphy, Helen McCrory, Tom Hardy, and Aidan Gillen (Peaky Blinders),
Viola Davis (how to get away with murder?), Jonah Hill, and Emma Stone (Maniac) ,
and this gives new advantage to Netflix concerned with the fan base.
(Figure 1: Number of nominations and wins for Netflix originals)
With only 3000 titles (798 TV shows, 2,611 movies), Disney Plus owns some of
the most popular entertainment franchises in the world – Marvel and Star Wars. The
platform includes shows and movies set in those worlds you can't watch anywhere
else; for example, The Mandalorian, Wanda Vision, Loki, She-Hulk: Attorney at
Law, and more. Moreover, Disney Plus also streams content from Pixar and National
Geographic, and has century-old, animated classics catering to adults and children as
well. Holding the ownership of so many strong intellectual properties, Disney plus
becomes a strong threat to Netflix, but just like a double-edged sword, it also makes
them weak.
The contents they offer may not appeal to all consumers, compared with wide
range of contents Netflix provide, Disney plus features more family-friendly content
compared with Netflix, which could be considered an extension of the Disney
Channel, which is not fitted with every household needs; for example, the family who
doesn’t have kids, and some adults have already “outgrown” Disney stuffs, they may
not have strong appeal to subscribe for their childhood dream. In terms of the content
from Star Wars and Marvel, they did attract a bunch dedicated fans to subscribe
Disney plus; nevertheless, not every fan would run for Disney plus, maybe some
people have already owned the DVDs of their favorites, then they may not want to
pay additional money for same contents; furthermore, it is obvious that not every
original series connected with Marvel successful, which depends on the popularity of
the character or whether it can create a buzz on the Internet or not, there’s no perfect
formula in creating originals, and it may not be an enough push to the fans. (See
figure 2) Compared with Disney plus, as we just mentioned above, Netflix owns a lot
of strong originals as well, which not only equips Netflix with more diverse fans base,
but also brings anticipation when the new season is coming. (See figure 3)
Finally, when we take a closer look on their overall strategy, we can find that it is
their fundamental differences that make them go on different path to go-to-market.
Disney is a long-existing brand, which is more like a wish-granted factory to all ages,
what they should do is to re-manufacture old concept to keep creating and selling
dreams to fans; nevertheless, Netflix doesn’t work like that, they don’t have such
strong background recourses to fetch, so they must consistently re-generating
themselves, trying to create reliable brand positioning to stretch their services to every
corner in the world.
In 2019, Netflix had launched its cheapest subscription plan in India only for
mobile users around $3/month. In a country of 1.3 billion people, its investment has
increased at a faster rate than any other market, has 13 new films and 9 original new
series on the platform; also, Netflix is trying to produce region-specific content in
their local languages, which has proven beneficial and an added value for the firm.
For example, “La Casa de Papel” is a Spanish series but also became a very popular
show in all countries where Netflix operates. Not to mention the Indian series “Sacred
Games” that is preparing for the second season to be released soon. And this is how I
love Netflix so much, as they are always innovative and take bold steps to try new
things for audience around the world to enjoy. (See figure 4 and 5)
Disney plus however, with the negative connotation associated with the “Disney-
ization” of society, a concept that hypothesizes that Disney’s influence has spread so
widely and rapidly that the company’s presence is everywhere, may have some
backslash on them; moreover, even though Disney has been trying to emphasize
political correctness in recent years, the move brought some controversy and even
boycott. This may have bad impact on the growth of Disney plus. (See figure 6)
Through comparing their price, user experience, and potential direction, we can
see that different business model made them have different strategy, but personally,
Netflix will always be my favorite online streaming platform.
(Figure 4: Predominant formulas in Netflix’s original content per year)
(Figure 6: Disney CEO’s conflict with Florida Gov. over ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill)
Reference:
l Netflix’s help center: https://help.netflix.com/zh-tw/node/100639
l Mohamad Kanso, Swot analysis on Netflix, 2018
l Jordan Sturgill, Beyond the Castle: An Analysis of the Strategic Implications of
Disney plus, 2019
l Disney SWOT Analysis 2022: https://bstrategyhub.com/swot-analysis-of-disney-
2019-disney-swot-analysis/
l Netflix SWOT Analysis 2022: https://bstrategyhub.com/swot-analysis-of-netflix-
2019-netflix-swot-analysis/
l Disney Plus vs Netflix December 2022: Which prevails:
https://www.finder.com.au/disney-plus-vs-netflix-streaming-tv-
comparison#:~:text=To%20get%20a%20like%2Dfor,helps%20you%20save%20
even%20more.
l Disney Plus vs Netflix: Ultimate Streaming Platform Comparison Guide:
https://techdaily.ca/disney-plus-vs-netflix
l The Rise of Netflix: A Data Analysis:
https://medium.datadriveninvestor.com/the-rise-of-netflix-a-data-analysis-
9cbd3e00d736
l The Fascinating History of Netflix:
https://interestingengineering.com/culture/the-fascinating-history-of-netflix
l Disney plus vs. Netflix: Which streaming service is right for you?
https://www.cordcuttersnews.com/disney-plus-vs-netflix/
l Netflix Review: With or Without Ads, Still the Best Streaming Service
https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/netflix-review-still-the-best-
streaming-service/
110042026
Sarah
Argumentative Essay
Outline
Title:
The idea of university: Do we fall trap in marketization of higher education?
Intro:
This semester, I took the course Victorian Literature, and one of our
assigned readings is John Cardinal Newman, “the idea of university”. In the class
discussion, the professor strongly emphasized the importance of “knowledge”
(which in Newman’s argument, is its own end.) and its connection between
education. I agree up to a point but not fully convinced by her ideology, the
problem of education is not only about the original idea of university is distorted
but also about the change of society.
Thesis:
The marketization of higher education does exist, and to turn the university
back into its own idea could not fix all the problems.
Point I
What is the marketization of higher education and how it works?
• The marketization of education refers to the process of applying market principles
and practices to the education sector. This often involves introducing competition,
choice, and market mechanisms into the provision and funding of education, as
well as treating education as a commodity to be bought and sold in the
marketplace.
• The marketization of education has been driven by a range of factors, including
the rise of neoliberalism and globalization, the growth of the knowledge economy,
and the increasing demand for education as a pathway to economic success.
Point II
The phenomenon of devaluation of higher education in Taiwan
• Marketization can take many forms, including the creation of charter schools, the
introduction of voucher systems, the development of for-profit education
providers, and the increasing use of standardized testing and performance metrics
to measure educational outcomes.
• “Specifically, it is oriented towards the transformation of what is an abstract,
intangible, non-material, and relational experience into a visible, quantifiable,
and instrumentally driven process. The various rituals of commodification,
such as quality control, auditing and ranking performance, quantifying the
experience of students, and constructing league tables, are essentially
performative accomplishments.
Point III
#counter:
“University should be a place of Education rather than Instruction…should be a
liberal education not a professional education…The education of the intellects is to
teach them to reason well in all matters, to reach out towards truth, and to grasp it.”
#refutation:
In the era of AI, it seems that the ability of creativity or critical thinking has
become important, but can our education system really give this to us?
Point IV
#counter2:
“Knowledge is capable of being its own end. Such is the constitution of the
human mind, that any kind of knowledge if it be really such, is its own reward.”
#refutation:
If we are ought to go to college, the paradox between useful skills and liberal
education will haunt the whole society, and the academic part of college should
change for the next generation.
Conclusion:
The marketization of higher education is an unavoidable trend, what we
should do is not accuse of the environment but try to create our own path in
possible way.
References:
Draft
How did we imagine our college life before getting into one? Is it the escape
from parental control to freedom? Is it one way forward to pursuing our goal? Or is
it the place to equip us with all practical skills to find a dream job? As for me, the
ideal of college has always been simple: to study for what I find most fascinating,
literature. This semester, I took the course Victorian Literature, and one of our
assigned readings is John Cardinal Newman, “the idea of university”. In the class
discussion, the professor strongly emphasized that most people misunderstand
what a university should offer to students, is knowledge not skills. And the
connection between education and “knowledge”, which in Newman’s argument, is
its own end. After 2 years of college life, I agree up to a point that knowledge is
important for everyone but not fully convinced by her ideology, the problem of
contemporary higher education is not only about the original idea of university is
distorted, but also about the change of society.
As college students, we have been bombarded with a lot of things----
academically, every midterm and finals to study for, and endless deadlines of
group projects, presentation, or papers to hand in; personally, getting a part-time
job, extracurricular activities, club things, or even potential romantic relationship.
In this highspeed kind of lifestyle, sometimes we stop catching up to life and start
to ask ourselves “what am I doing for right now?”, or sometimes we are terrified of
the future taking approach to us, “what am I going to do after graduation?” And
they all come back to the same question, what’s the idea of university? Why shall
we all attend the university?
In Newman’s argument, “university should be a place of Education rather
than Instruction…should be a liberal education not a professional education…The
education of the intellects is to teach them to reason well in all matters, to reach out
towards truth, and to grasp it.” In other words, college is ought to be the place for
acquiring and appreciating “knowledge” in general. Nevertheless, in the
industrialized society, we must admit that the reason why most of us attend
university is not for being educated to be an “intellectual” but for getting the
“academic qualification” to support us for “having a good job” in the future, the
four years of education somehow becomes nothing but a paper, a process we must
go through to get a door in the workplace. This popular phenomenon is what we
call, the marketization of higher education, which refers to the process of applying
market principles and practices to the education sector. This often involves
introducing competition, choice, and market mechanisms into the provision and
funding of education, as well as treating education as a commodity to be bought
and sold in the marketplace.
As a Taiwan’s student, since our childhood, we’re nurtured under the idea
that “to study hard” is the most important thing, and we must strive for a good
grade, or we’re ashamed of our family and ourselves, but it is not until the
moment I became undergraduate that I got to know the cruel truth---- what we do,
putting ourselves into good high school, working hard for GSAT for three years,
and finally getting into the prestigious university, all for nothing but a future
shinning resume. According to the research, the marketization of education has
been driven by a range of factors, including the rise of neoliberalism and
globalization, the growth of the knowledge economy, and the increasing demand
for education as a pathway to economic success. It seems almost inevitable in
Asia’s education system, that our society can hardly escape the notion “Only the
learned rank high, all other trades are low (萬般皆下品,唯有讀書高).” And this
culture somehow brings about the devaluation of higher education in Taiwan, even
though the government tried to establish a good system for vocational school,
everyone flocks into academic one, which is so-called “the right path for having a
career”, not to mention the disaster of the educational reform as widely setting up
more universities among the nation. All of this become a vicious cycle, everyone
goes to college, which focused more on academical pursuit, and what
undergraduates learn from college is disconnected to the skills in line with
industry; what’s worse, the vocational school are still discriminated against by
society, and undergraduates should climb up the ladder even though they may not
be interested in research, so they go to graduate school to get higher-paid job. The
education becomes diploma mill, which turns knowledge into commodity.
“Students know how they want to be taught and have ideas about how
techniques can be improved” is the conclusion drawn by the 1994 Group (2007: 6).
Aside from a disturbing tendency to equate academic teaching with a technique,
the assimilation of the idea that the customer ‘knows how they want to be taught’
reduces academics to a service provider. As always, the commercialization of
education encourages institutions to provide what customers want rather than what
they need to become truly educated. This is a problem that philosophers have
wrestled with since the beginning of human civilization.” (Simon, B. (2007, The
Marketization of Higher Education and the Student as Consumer. Routledge)
We all understand the point that the marketization of higher education is the
problem need to deal with, but my question is, if we are ought to go to college, the
paradox between useful skills and liberal education won’t disappear, and why can’t
we do both? Why can’t we have more courses to give students some practical skills
and keep the courses of nurturing students become truly intellectual(知識份子)?
Do we fall trap of the marketization of higher education? Sadly, the answer is yes,
and it seems an unavoidable trend, which cannot be tackled overnight. As a result,
what we should do is not accuse of the environment but identify the problem and
try to equip ourselves for creating our own path in possible way, so that we can
survive in the mess of education system.
The idea of university could consider providing students practical skills and
liberal arts at the same time, to change the society overall. And If I could turn back
in time, I would still choose to major in FLL, I would choose to get the beautiful
fruit of thinking and expressing methods, which others cannot take away and try
my best to find the place I suit in the future. When we see the value of what we are
doing, keeping abreast of our own ability, how others judge us is not that
important, which is also what humanities taught us, hope.
110042026
賴語彤 Sarah
Reading Note #1
“Karl Marx, Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844”
In Marx’s work, the first concept I want to approach is the objectification of labor.
Compared to the Durkheim’s organic solidarity, Marx sees the unstable aspect in social
hierarchy, which works itself in the division of labor in the era of industrialization---- someone is
under oppression in the system and the other has all the profits and makes others suffer. The ones
who hold the capital or land, so-called capitalists, or property-owner, would hire a lot of people
to work in the factory to create products for them; nevertheless, they don’t care about working
environment, working hours, or payment for workers’ sake, all they take in consideration is how
to make money more effectively and efficiently. And this results in the phenomenon that when a
worker works harder, which brings more value to his or her employer, the less value workers
leave for themselves. Workers, or so-called the propertyless, can only rely on the poor salary to
make a living but have no backup to reject this oppression. Their labor becomes like an object,
counted by money, and controlled by the property-owners, and the existence of working
individual matters nothing but in how much they can produce, just like machines or animals,
whose human rights and dignity are overlooked.
In his reflection on the ordeal workers faced with, Marx proposes the concept of
alienation to describe the effect on workers’ lives as the objectification of labor. So, the meaning
of alienation or alienated labor is “a result of separation of labor and capital.”, which illustrates
the sad situation we cannot escape in capitalism; that is, workers cannot own the product they
produce, and they can only depend on those products to survive in society. According to Marx,
there are three layers of alienation in terms of alienated labor; firstly, the relationship between
workers and the product, workers are distanced from the products they produce even though they
work for it every day ; secondly, the relationship between workers and the act of production,
which means the process of production are not connected to workers themselves, everything
feels like torture for them; last but most interesting, the relationship between workers and
themselves, because workers cannot find anything happy or satisfying in their labor, only freeing
themselves form work they can feel their existence again. They are all alienated. For example,
workers in Levi-jeans factory would never have enough money to own a Levi-jeans even though
he or she produce it every single day.
When it comes to the three layers of alienation in Marx’s definition, first thing came to
mind is about students majoring in STEM. As a humanities-oriented student, we often assume
that science-oriented students have more options in career path compared to us; however, after I
have known some of them, it took a dawn on me that they have their own problems. In
departments of STEM, there have already been a fixed path paving for students, which exists as a
notion that---- You would go to work as engineer in a large tech company after you graduate,
like TSMC or whatever, and this kind of “certainty” puts them into uncertain position, which is
alienated. The first layer of alienation is the relationship between engineers and what they
produce; for example, if he or she works in TSMC, the product would be something produced
from semi-conductor, and the product obviously is far from the engineers’ effort, because what
engineers do could only be one specific part of semi-conductor, which gives rise to the alienation
between worker and the product. Secondly, in a large tech company, there are many engineers
from different departments, and they often act as a cog in a big machine, doing something
repeatedly like debug, or programming and this creates another alienation, which works between
worker and the act of production. Lastly, working in a tech company tend to be a heavy burden
on workers, taking toll on their mental and physical health with long working hours and less
satisfying working experiences, but there are a lot of people still striving for this job to make a
living, and this phenomenon manifest in the third layer of alienation, worker would be alienated
to themselves, their happiness is taken of.
Another real-life example is about the meaning of attaining college. Thanks to the
popularization of higher education, we can go to college for learning; nevertheless, it also
triggers some problems in terms of education itself. Not far from this generation, going to
college is not for acquiring deeper knowledge but getting an academic certification to get a
profitable job. As for myself, when I was little, adults around me always told me to study harder
because “having good grades is important, and this is student’s responsibility” , but when we
became older, it took a dawn on us that what we should do is to get into the best school not for
personal realization but for the better quality of future life, and this is very frustrating for most of
the students, because most of them cannot choose department we love but something more
“useful”, and this creates the first layer of alienation, some people are alienated from their
“dream school” or “dream department” because deep down, they aren’t passionate about it but
still go for it due to practical reasons. Secondly, the situation mentioned above makes the
production less meaningful, which means when students are studying for the entrance exam for
college, they often feel themselves powerless and meaningless, because the future is so bleak in
their eyes, or they even cannot picture the future, which is all about having more exams to prove
that you are suitable for employment. Third, no matter it is in the process of attaining college or
college life, students are always lost, because the relationship between students and themselves
are already alienated. Finally, these three alienations have tremendous effect on our education
system, just like capitalism does, we are becoming slave to the employment but having no
chance to be who we really are.
110042026
Sarah
230612
Essay
We live in the era of self-help books, and there’s one I thought it is the strongest. Atomic
Habits, written by James Clear, has been the #1 best seller on New York Times, Wall Street
Journal, USA Today, Amazon Charts, and Audible since it published in 2018. The book has been
featured for over 45 weeks, translated into over 20 languages, and sold over 10 million copies
around the world. In this book, the author provides readers a proven framework to establish good
habits and get rid of bad ones, further making remarkable change in our life.
The book starts from the author’s life story, and how he come up with the concept of
atomic habits. Then, the book illustrates four laws to make good habits become a system to
follow, including making habits obvious, making habits attractive, making habits easy, making
habits satisfying, and finally gives us the new mindset; that is, with the right way of forming
habits, everyone can get remarkable results out of tiny changes. And the whole book is written in
simple fashion, provided with practical skills, a lot of real life examples, and innovative ideas
from scientific proofs; most importantly, this book explore the human nature and boost readers
confidence, these are the reasons why it holds the strongest in my heart.
There are six sections in the book, from the fundamentals, four rules respectively, to
chapter six advanced tactics. The fundamental chapter reveals the core concept of atomic habits,
that is, “success is not about setting ambitious goals or relying on willpower, but rather about
developing a system of small habits that align with our desired outcomes.” For starters, what is
atomic habits? Clear suggests that the term "atomic" refers to the idea of breaking down habits
into their smallest components. By focusing on small, manageable actions, it becomes easier to
establish and maintain positive habits.
“An atomic habit is a little habit that is part of a larger system. Just as atoms are the
building blocks of molecules, atomic habits are the building blocks of remarkable results.”
---- James Clear
(Figure 1: 1% Better Every Day)
In the fundamentals chapter, Clear also emphasizes the power of marginal gains. By
consistently improving 1% each day, individuals can achieve significant progress over time.
Small, incremental changes compound and lead to remarkable transformations. And this notion
implies that success is not about reaching a once-in-a-life victory, but the product of daily habits.
It can also apply to learning a new language, eating healthy, career transitioning, working out,
writing a book, and managing a household. When you are focused on the goal, improvements are
temporary. If you want to maintain this improvement, it should become part of who you are. The
book offers a simple guideline: We should focus on the system, how habits can be repeatedly
done, without thinking much about the goal itself, and we do not rise to the level of our goals.
We fall to the level of our systems.
When it comes to behavior change, there are three layers to consider: The first layer is
changing our outcomes, which is concerned with changing our results, for example, losing
weight, publishing a book, winning a championship, and these are mostly the goals we set for
ourselves. The second layer is changing our process, which is concerned with changing our
habits and systems, for instances, we may implement a new routine at the gym or start to do
meditation before sleep every day, and most of the habits we build are associated with this level.
And finally, the third and deepest layer is changing our identity. This level is about changing our
beliefs, including our worldview, our self-image, our judgments about ourselves and others, and
most of the beliefs, assumptions, and biases we hold are associated with this level.
According to the author, most people tend to focus on changing the first layer of
themselves when they want to improve; for example, if someone is a smoker who wants to quit,
he or she often starts from “stop smoking” or “throwing cigarettes away”, but the author gives
readers completely different mindset---- instead of pushing ourselves to follow the possibly
resistible behavior, we should aim at the third and deepest layer, that is, our identity. Turning
back to smoking-quitting example, if a person is trying to quit smoking and faces some lure,
instead of telling other people: “I don’t smoke”, what they should express is, “No thanks, I’m
not a smoker.” Even though it seems like a small action, it would bring about utterly different
outcome, because “every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become. No
single instance will transform your beliefs, but as the votes build up, so does the evidence of
your new identity.” In short, when we want to improve ourselves, we shall turn our focus to
“what kind of person I want to become”, which helps us form a new identity from our own core
value to drive change to the behavior mode.
Moreover, Clear introduces the habit loop to the readers, which consists of four stages:
cue, craving, response, and reward. Understanding this loop helps individuals identify the
triggers that lead to habits and make deliberate choices to replace negative behaviors with
positive ones. The cue is the trigger that initiates a habit, the craving is the desire or motivation
behind the habit, the response is the actual behavior, and the reward is the positive outcome
associated with the habit. By understanding and manipulating these elements, individuals can
shape their habits effectively. When we start to follow the habit loop, there comes the habit
stacking, which involves linking new habits to existing ones by identifying a specific cue that
will prompt the desired behavior. This technique makes it easier to adopt new habits by
leveraging established routines.
Finally, the author provides readers four laws of habit-forming tactics. The first one is
making habits obvious, which emphasizes the importance of self-awareness when it comes to the
behavior change. If you are not aware of your habits, you cannot change them. So, first, you need
to somehow notice your habits. The second is making habits attractive, in the process of habit
formation, dopamine plays an important role. When an opportunity is so attractive that the
possibility of habit formation is high, and this is the chapter that Clear mentions the importance
of one’s surroundings; specifically, since childhood, we are prone to imitate the habits of our
surrounding social groups: family and friends, the tribe and of people who have the status and
prestige. The third and fourth one is about making habits easy and satisfying, which turns back to
the core value of habit stacking, if we make habits easy to follow and satisfying to sustain
through elevating the positive feelings connected to the habit itself, we can stack the good habits
and get rid of bad ones; for example, utilizing the habit tracker effectively.
In short, this book only has one straightforward and obvious point, ---- “Tiny changes,
remarkable results,” but it is not a bad one. Atomic Habits will reshape the way you think about
progress and success, and give you the tools and strategies you need to transform your habits--
whether you are a team looking to win a championship, an organization hoping to redefine an
industry, or simply an individual who wishes to quit smoking, lose weight, reduce stress, or
achieve any other goal. And how the author deliberates its points makes Atomic Habits the
greatest self-help books in 21st centenary readers’ heart.
One of the things I love about this book is that the author not only writes in clear and
simple fashion, but also includes a lot of real-life examples in each part, which helps readers
digest the concept in sensible and effective way. In each chapter, the author often starts from
telling a story, sometimes about the Olympic gold medalists, award-winning artists, business
leaders, life-saving physicians, and star comedians who have used the science of small habits to
master their craft and vault to the top of their field. Along the way, the author draws on proven
ideas from biology, psychology, and neuroscience to create an easy-to-understand guide for
making good habits inevitable and bad habits impossible. And this writing style not only creates
good reading experience, but also makes his point convincing and easily resonated.
Moreover, besides illustrates its points beautifully, Atomic Habits also serves as the
ultimate guide for readers on the way of improving themselves in small steps; for example, in the
chapter of the fourth law, the author brings about the habit tracker method, the one I really put it
in practice and get some outcome. There are a bunch of practical application mentioned in
Atomic Habits, what I started to use is habit tracker (make habits satisfying) to check how many
times I have beverages or not having one in a week, and I found the habit tracker method does
have some positive effect when it comes to quitting something, when I don’t have any drinks that
day, I would check it on my notebook, which makes me feel good and motivational to keep up
reducing the times of drinking. Another example is the mindset of creating identity-based habits
instead of focusing on behavior, which inspires me most. I have always been a professional
procrastinator of everything; interestingly, Atomic Habits somehow offers me the opportunity to
reflect on myself, in the past two years of college life, I tried so hard to not procrastinate, and
when I was off track, I would tell myself, “This is not surprising, because I’m a procrastinator,”
or even make jokes about “how I rushed to my deadlines on the last minute” to my friend, but the
behavior mentioned above imply that I didn’t pay attention to change my identity as “punctual”
people, who owns their time rather than being slaved to it. This time, I tried to reevaluate my
ideas in different direction, from “stop procrastinating” to “becoming a reliable person, who is
ready for any possible incidents”, and this new mindset makes so much difference in terms of
feelings and feasibility, which feels more autonomous and easier to start.
Most importantly, this book explores the human nature to form the best solution to really
help readers deal with their obstacles, further boosting their confidence to become the best
version of themselves. In conclusion, almost everyone can get some food for thought or new
ideas after reading Atomic Habits, I would suggest people who wants to better their lives, follow
the goals, or accomplish something this book, maybe that will give them a new way to think
about accomplishments and success, not just motivational stuffs but more practical methods to
take action.
Group written report
Weber (1925), Bureaucracy
*此為社會學經典名著之小組報告,請見2-b challenges it faced 紅框部分
薛盛安 106000140
陳郁晴 108096022
呂佳芸 109023034
陳聿璿 110042002
賴語彤 110042026
陳庭郁 110071001
Introduction
The essay is going to analyze the idea of bureaucracy in Weber’s work, Bureaucracy (19
25). The content of the article includes the function of bureaucracy, iron cage, and the concept of d
emocracy. There is an example of 108 Curriculum Guidelines and the introduction of the relations
hip between 108 Curriculum Guidelines and the function of bureaucracy, 108 Curriculum Guidelin
es and democracy, and 108 Curriculum Guidelines and iron cage. Furthermore, the interview of as
king students their opinions on 108 Curriculum Guidelines would be provided.
1. Weber, bureaucracy
Besides, all regulations, laws and rules are all written in documents. As Weber wrote, “T
he management of the modern office is based upon written documents,” all mentioned above like
authority, hierarchy, executing methods are in many different documents, which are sorted clearly.
These documents and respective material implements become “bureau”, which means the place
for work on duties.
Weber also declared “Office management, at least all specialized office management—an
d such management is distinctly modern—usually presupposes thorough training in a field of speci
alization. This, too, holds increasingly for the modern executive and employee of a private enterpri
se, just as it does for the state officials.” Recently, officials in the structure of bureaucracy have t
o be trained professionally. The training program is called official management. Official managem
ent would provide officials complete training in one particular field in order to make officials beco
me experts having enough knowledge and abilities to deal with their work. The training can sharpe
n officials’ professional skills and prevent them from making mistakes during the work.
The system of bureaucracy would gradually make the officials highly devote themselves to
participating in the official activities. Weber mentioned “When the office is fully developed, offic
ial activity demands the full working capacity of the official, irrespective of the fact that the length
of his obligatory working hours in the bureau may be limited.” So the more these officials put an
effort in these official affairs, the whole system of the bureaucracy can work in a much more effici
ent and effective way. Furthermore, even though officials in the system of the bureaucracy are enc
ouraged to greatly dedicate themselves to their work, their working time is still limited. They only
work during the office time.
In the system of bureaucracy, the officials would follow the rules to work. According to W
eber’s article, “The management of the office follows general rules, which are more or less stab
le, more or less exhaustive, and which can be learned. Knowledge of these rules represents a speci
al technical expertise which the officials possess. It involves jurisprudence, administrative or busin
ess management.” According to the texts, these rules have three important elements, including cla
rity, comprehensiveness, and learnability. The officials can work in a proper and accurate way sinc
e the rules are clear enough. These rules are suitable for any kind of work in the system of bureauc
racy because they contain a lot of fruitful information from different aspects. Moreover, the officia
ls can learn some technical skills while following the rules so as to do their work better and becom
e professionals.
b. Iron cage
Besides the features of bureaucracy, Max Weber (1925) also described that officials worki
ng in the system of bureaucracy are like kept in the “iron cage.” In the cage, the officials would
work with high efficiency, clear division, and objective discharge, so that the whole system can wo
rk much more efficiently. On the other hand, because the whole system emphasizes following the r
ules step by step a lot, these officials are forced to follow all the rules strictly while working. As th
e whole system puts too much emphasis on rationalization of the standard operating procedures too
much, the officials inside the system are trapped and treated as if they are files rather than human b
eings. Moreover, it may even cause the defeatment of the original purpose.
Max Weber offers some ideas about the relationship between democracy and bureaucracy i
n his great work “Bureaucracy”. Weber has argued that in modern democracies, bureaucracy pl
ays an important role in democratic politics.
The word democracy is from the Greek word which is called dēmokratíā. It was first de
fined by the Athenian leader Cleisthenes. If separating the roots of the word, it would be dêmos an
d -kratía which mean people and power, respectively. The original meaning of dēmokratíā is “r
ule by the people.”
As for the time bureaucracy has encouraged democracy, with rules of conduct such as law
s, the idea of equality emerged. By leveraging the idea of equality, people would seek to obtain the
right for election or participation in a bureaucratic system. Furthermore, Weber has illustrated that
the relationship between bureaucracy and democracy is complementary. The officials often have m
assive power in the system of bureaucracy. Also, the power is often concentrated in a few high-lev
el officials. Thus, democracy is a double-edged sword to bureaucracy. Democracy promotes burea
ucracy but also limits bureaucracy for that an elected leader could topple the power relation, but m
ore complex bureaucracy is needed for governance.
It is impossible to accomplish democracy without the help of bureaucracy. It is essential to
balance the two in order to create a great society. From Weber’s view, the relationship between d
emocracy and bureaucracy from different angles can be further discussed.
First, Weber has acknowledged that bureaucracy is very important for the stability and viab
ility of democratic politics. Citizens need efficient government institutions in modern democratic c
ountries. Therefore, public policy can be well executed in daily lives. When it comes to ensuring th
e legitimacy and efficiency of policy formulation and implementation, making use of bureaucracy i
s helpful. Bureaucracy could lead to a stable situation for executing the policy.
Next, Weber thinks that bureaucracy can provide a neutral and objective mechanism for de
mocratic politics. Nowadays, political decisions are influenced by lots of factors in modern democr
atic countries. For instance, political parties, interest groups, companies, or individuals all took par
t in the political issues. In these kinds of situations, bureaucracy can serve as an independent, depol
iticized body.
Finally, Weber believes that citizen participation and accountability also require bureaucrac
y. Citizen participation and accountability are important parts of democracy. They could make the
realization of democratic politics. Bureaucracies can provide a platform for them. For example, as
an application of bureaucracy, public consultation held by officials can ensure citizen participation
and oversight in policy formulation and implementation.
First, the curriculum is more flexible. For instance, one-third of the high school curriculum
is alternative, and required courses are reduced4. Hence, students have more chances to choose the
courses they are interested in.
Secondly, a substantial change is the occurrence of academic portfolios. High school stude
nts are asked to make documents for their required and elective courses, also their extra-curricular
activities. Meanwhile, they can think about what university department they want to major in.
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Compared to the previous application materials for college
(備審資料), with academic portfolio, professors can have a glimpse
of one student’s learning track. In the past, universities screened o
ut qualified applicants by their score in General Scholastic Ability
Test(學測)and through interviews. Now, in addition to these requirem
ents, academic portfolio is also an important reference.
In conclusion, 108 curriculum guidelines emphasize the competency of students rather than
the test score they get.
b. Challenge it faced
From the previous section, we can see that the establishment of 108 Curriculum Guidelines
was paved with good intentions; however, it does face some challenges.
The first challenge is that when it executes in the classroom, what it has expected would no
t necessarily work for every teacher. According to our interview, one student mentioned that some
teachers would not change their teaching styles, or they are not used to the new curriculum, and co
uldn’t play the role of guiding students.
Secondly, as our group member mentioned, the new curriculum guidelines strongly empha
size the diversity of learning, in other words, it will offer more opportunity for students to explore
different topics. And the gap between rural areas and urban areas has widened, schools in rural are
as don’t have enough resources (for example, enough teachers) to offer diverse multi-selective co
urses, not to mention helping students with their academic portfolios.
The fourth one is that, we all agree that the one key idea of the new curriculum guidelines i
s to change the traditional way to educate our students, training them to have not only knowledge b
ut also competency. However, it seems that students fall the trap of another arm race for learning p
rocess, because it takes large part for applying college, every student try to join more clubs, have m
ore experience to prove their ability; at the same time, they have to study hard to get high score, an
d this creates a vicious cycle, students are put under heavier pressure compared to the former era o
f education.
Finally, when it comes to applying for higher education, taking exams is something we cou
ldn’t escape from, and the new curriculum guidelines were made for us to think outside the box a
nd have more possibilities. Nevertheless, it seems that the whole society was not ready for the new
idea. Some students complained that what they learn is completely different from how they are bei
ng tested, and this made new guidelines seem meaningless.
Under the scope of Weber’s Bureaucracy, even though the new curriculum guideline was
made for improving education overall, there is still much room for improvement.
3. Relationship
As for the function of distributed authority, each character would have their own duties. Fo
r the system of 108 Curriculum Guidelines, the character would be Ministry of Education, schools,
teachers, and students. The Ministry of Education is the character that enacts the rules. Schools wo
uld base on the rules that the Ministry of Education enacts and map the curriculum. Teachers woul
d base on the courses that schools develop and teach students. For students, it is quite simple. They
just learn.
As for the function of hierarchy, the upper officials would supervise and evaluate the lower
officials. In the system of 108 Curriculum Guidelines, from upper to lower, it would be the Ministr
y of Education supervises and evaluates on schools, schools supervise and evaluate on teachers, te
achers supervise and evaluate on students.
As for the function of documents, they are the written papers that work in the system.The
Ministry of Education would write official documents to assign works to the following officials. Sc
hools would write implement proposals in order to get money to hold events such as the education
of the 108 Curriculum Guidelines. As for teachers, since 108 Curriculum Guidelines have a lot of n
ew concepts in it, they need to combine these new ideas with their courses. They would have to re
write the lesson plans to design new lectures. For students, the rules of 108 Curriculum Guidelines
make them write academic portfolios to record their learning process. Students must write their ref
lection on participating in different kinds of activities and make them into projects so as to apply f
or college.
As for the function of official management, this would be the training that each character w
ould take. For the people in the Ministry of Education, they have to enact rules of the 108 curriculu
m guidelines. Their backgrounds may be majored in departments related to education so that they c
an be trained to have enough knowledge to enact or revise the rules. As for schools, especially for t
he administration staff, they would need to take training courses in order to help them deal with ad
ministrative work faster. For teachers, in order to become a teacher, it is necessary to take a teache
r education program. People in the program would take courses that teach them how to teach and h
ow to become a good teacher in the future. As for students, since the whole system nowadays emp
hasizes that students are the main character in the whole educational system. Now students’ parti
cipation in courses are highly valued. Based on the trend, students are encouraged to preview befor
e the class in order to join the discussion successfully. If they preview before the class, they can ge
t the basic concept of the knowledge in advance so that the discussion may work well.
As for the function of self-devotion, Each character would put a lot of effort in their work
while working. For the Ministry of Education, people in this institution would dedicate themselves
to formulating policies associated with 108 Curriculum Guidelines during working time. For schoo
ls, the administration staff would devote themselves to working and dealing with the administrative
work in office time. For teachers, they would focus on teaching during their lectures. For students,
they would concentrate on learning in lessons in order to absorb new knowledge.
As for the function of following the rules, each character can learn from the rules if they st
rictly follow them. As for the people in the Ministry of Education, since they have to frequently en
act and revise the rules of the 108 Curriculum Guidelines, they would be more familiar with the kn
owledge related to education and gradually become experts in this field. For schools, the administr
ation staff would learn technical skills during the process of coping with administrative work so th
at they can work faster. For teachers, since they need to combine the new concepts from the 108 cu
rriculum guidelines with their courses, they have to figure out how to develop new lectures success
fully and this can help them improve their professional teaching ability. For students, since the rule
s make them write academic portfolios. In order to have great performance on this part, they will n
eed to join a lot of extra curricular activities. As they join different kinds of activities, they would a
ccumulate a lot of experience so that they can strengthen themselves in this way.
Finally, Weber values citizen participation in democracy. Besides, one of the core compete
ncies that 108 curriculum guidelines emphasize is to cultivate students’ civic awareness and socia
l participation. In reality, there might be challenges in terms of democracy; such as, the conflicts b
etween interest groups, which makes critical thinking and civic participation crucial for students, a
nd this is consistent with 108 curriculum guidelines’ expectation on students, which is the ability
to deal with challenges.
The iron cage is like a dilemma students face under the rules of the 108 Curriculum Guidel
ines.
First, the higher percentage of comprehensive learning performance causes students a lot o
f pressure. The rules nowadays regulate that while colleges evaluate students' performance, the part
of comprehensive learning performance should count for at least 20%. This part includes the perfor
mance that students join extracurricular activities. In order to get a higher score on this proportion,
students would need to participate in extracurricular activities after class. This takes them a lot of ti
me.
Second, students need to regularly upload their academic portfolios. The rules regulate that
students must organize their record of learning process as academic portfolios and upload them onc
e a semester. This means that students have to join extracurricular activities each semester and writ
e their reflection on the activities they joined. They then need to design their reflection into dedicat
ed academic portfolios so that they can please the professors in college. They feel quite tired about
this since they feel like they are doing a big final project each semester. They put a lot of effort in i
t and they spend a lot of time working on making complete academic portfolios.
Third, students still need to prepare for their college entrance exam nowadays. Although so
ciety today focuses more on student comprehensive learning performance. This does not mean that
academic performance is not valued. It is still important and every student must take the General S
cholastic Ability Test. For students today, they need to prepare for the exam and join extracurricula
r activities after class at the same time. Every day their lives are quite busy.
Besides, it is obvious to see the importance of college admission, and another problem of 1
08 Curriculum Guidelines is the gap between rural areas and urban areas has widened, making som
e students lose the opportunity to better their academic protfolios. Moreover, how much resources s
tudents can get becomes another issue. For example, the number of teachers will differentiate the q
uality of education.
4. Interviews
In order to know more detailed contents about the 108 curriculum guidelines, interviewing
6 interviewees to gather some information is quite helpful. The interviewees are all students who h
ave been affected by 108 Curriculum Guidelines. For example, freshman, or the senior high studen
ts etc.
They have evaluated the 108 Curriculum Guidelines in pros and cons. For pros, they thoug
ht that it can improve self learning and critical thinking, and also benefit in diversification in devel
opment. Students could have more freedom and professors could know more about what the studen
t has done in senior high. For cons, they thought that it was an unreasonable process, it isn’t prac
tical. The promotion of policy is so poor. Also students would have a lot of pressure so that they m
ay have to compress study time. And their uncertainty will be higher.
Based on the question of whether it meets the students’ needs.
Some answers we got are incomplete, imperfect and so on. We conclu
de that 108 curriculum guidelines is unaffordable for students. The
positive impact for them is gaining core competency, trying self l
earning, internalizing thinking, and specializing in their own inter
est. The challenges are that students have lots of pressure. The rol
e of teacher becomes blurred and vague. Some teachers could not ca
tch up with new thinking. They may lead to be a jack of all trades a
nd a master of none(廣而不精). And some basic resources are insuff
icient. Also, the communication platform needed to be improved.
Some suggestions are the concern on physical and mental health. The content containing di
fficult knowledge could be less, and rolling corrections are troublesome, the policy should be revis
ed more precisely.
For conclusions, based on the answers from interviewees and the concepts of bureaucracy a
nd democracy, nowadays students are staying in an iron cage with lots of files. They needed to pre
pare for the learning portfolios and keep working hard to pursue their college. It is important to ref
lect on the importance of personal worth and the meaning of it in order to overcome the constraints
imposed by the "iron cage." Second, both 108 Curriculum Guidelines and Weber emphasize the im
portance of civic engagement and respect for pluralistic values.
1. References:
History. 2019. “Ancient Greek Democracy.” Aug 19. Accessed May 29th, 2023. https://www.hi
story.com/topics/ancient-greece/ancient-greece-democracy.
Council of Europe. (n.d.). “Democracy.” (n.d.). Accessed May 31st, 2023. https://www.coe.int/
en/web/compass/democracy.
Max Weber. 1925. “Bureaucracy.” Classical and Contemporary Sociological Theory: Text and
Readings: 186-194.
Thought.co. 2019. “Understanding Max Weber’s Iron Cage” October 1. Accessed May 10th, 2
023. https://www.thoughtco.com/understanding-max-webers-iron-cage-3026373.
108課綱資訊網。〈快速了解108課綱〉。檢索日期:2023年5月31日。
https://shs.k12ea.gov.tw/public/12basic/108course/index.html。
游舒文、鍾伯芬。2019。〈芬蘭新課綱對臺灣十二年國教實施跨領域課程之啟示〉。
《臺灣教育評論月刊》。檢索日期:2023年5月31日。http://www.ater.org.tw/journal/artic
le/8-9/free/05.pdf。
教育部。2014。《十二年基本教育課程綱要總綱》。檢索日期:2023年5月31日。htt
ps://www.naer.edu.tw/upload/1/16/doc/288/%E5%8D%81%E4%BA%8C%E5%B9%B4%E5%9C
%8B%E6%95%99%E8%AA%B2%E7%A8%8B%E7%B6%B1%E8%A6%81%E7%B8%BD%E7
%B6%B1.pdf。
張偉豪。2023。〈家長必知的12個108課綱的大變革〉。恆素養。4月20日。檢索日
期:2023年4月20日。
https://hengsuyang.tingmao.com.tw/article/inside/e919c46b-541a-11ec-8b7b-000c2904464e。
2. Interview questions and verbatims:
a. 訪綱題目
i. 你如何評價現行的108課綱?有哪些方面是其優點,哪些方面是其
缺點?
ii. 你認為108課綱的教學內容是否足夠完整和具體?是否符合學生需
求?
iii. 相較於前一版的課綱,你認為108課綱做了哪些改變?這些改變是
否帶來了正面的影響?
iv. 你覺得教師或學生在落實108課綱上遇到了哪些挑戰?
v. 你對108課綱的後續發展和推廣有哪些看法和建議?
vi. 最後,你還有什麼想要補充或分享的內容?
b. 受訪者1
i. 我認為108課綱還有很大的進步空間,在課程規劃、師資培育、學
生適應能力方面都有再加強的部分。優點是可以讓學生更自由的
找到自己有興趣的學科,也能有機會透過自主學習課探索。但缺
點是老師在過程中的定位有點模糊,學生遇到問題時可能無法及
時解決,導致最後成效不佳。
ii. 教學內容還是看各個學校的老師,即使教育部訂的課綱明確,但
有些還是用既有的教學模式在運行,學生在108課綱第一年運行的
時候常常面臨轉換不同步的情況,也可能學生還沒準備好一時接
受過大的自由,變成有點像無頭蒼蠅。
iii. 舊課綱我不太了解,但相比國中需要每個科目都顧好,高中在分
類組之後學生可以朝自己有興趣的學科專攻,108課綱分了數A數
B也讓學生可以依自己需求選擇。
iv. 就如上面提到,老師在108課綱的教學中的角色變得模糊,也會有
斷層問題,導致學生無法調適。且在新課綱講求素養之後,許多
的題目都會與生活更連結,老師在出題方面必須同時拓展視野,
對於年紀較長不願改變的老師來說會是一大挑戰。
v. 我對新課綱保持正面,願意跨出改革是好事,但主要問題還是在
於台灣升學體制無法更動的事實。後續發展部分相信在經過每一
屆不斷嘗試之後,可以找到一個大家都認同的模式,在網路上的
資源也更多,最終達到預期的效果。
c. 受訪者2
i. 沒什麼感覺,但對課綱認為的缺點是因為還沒確定有大學上,所
以要準備備審,又要同時準備分科。優點是做很多東西:學習歷
程檔案、自主學習(形式類似演講或小論文),教授能更知道學
生有哪些能力。
ii. iii. 沒有很確定108課綱改了什麼,不過高一有第二外語教學(講
師外聘)和選修課程,後者可以用來準備高二的自主學習。但他
覺得高一沒學到太多東西,高二還要做自主學習,有點難處理。
iv. v. 學校不確定要教什麼東西,所以講得很廣卻不精,也很少有實
作的活動,因為是新課綱的第二屆,老師可能還要再多加用心準
備。
d. 受訪者3
i. 108課綱多了很多思辨的機會,讓我們能夠更多的去思考在每一個
問題的前因後果,會有一個更完整統籌,也會更在意學習過程,
而當多了這些思考的過程,必會壓縮到學習的學科知識的時間。
ii. 課綱當然還有更完善的空間,這都是需要日進累積各方意見來求
善求美,畢竟老師們要從舊課綱中跳脫而適應新課綱並非一蹴可
幾。
iii. 多了很多實際探究、自行發想的課程,當然會有正面的影響,不
再是刻板的、死氣沈沈的課堂,可以自己研究有興趣的方面,不
會是接收指令然後照做,可以有自己錯中學的機會。更在意學習
過程,收穫了什麼成果,在這之中是否能夠有什麼辦法得以精
進,在北一個學習的步驟下都要有思考並且內化的過程。也增加
了很多跨科的題目,融入素養題。
iv. 教師需要有新的教學方法來做到新課綱的內容,這會增加教師的
工作量。並且要增加學生思考時間,給學生多一些思考的題目,
這會增加課程需要的時間。多數學生為了美化自己的學習歷程,
會參加課外活動、營隊等,這可能會大大拉大教育部平等,學生
除了學科能力,還要增加額外的軟實力,在時間利用上也會是一
大挑戰。
e. 受訪者4
i. 立意良善但現在的社會風氣、學校資源與考招配套並不完全,導
致目標扭曲或被錯誤解讀。優點在於其提供給學生多元發展的基
礎,包含表定彈性時間與多元入學管道;缺點在政策傳達不彰,
尤其高中職教師端經常不清楚新制且缺乏引導學生的知能。
ii. 不盡然,歷史科改為主題式的教學造成許多老師備課及學生吸收
的困擾;自然科下修必修學分,選修的章節調動與刪減不符合上
課時數,新舊課綱的銜接不是很完全。
iii. 強調素養與自主學習。是令人期待的目標。
iv. 各校基本資源不足、與選才端溝通管道不足。
v. 重視身心健康。
vi. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1eEFj_fwGQg8Gj6bK2
GfF7_Vj7QYpF1Od/view?fbclid=IwAR2Fp41LCreCUrIvf
sX7Z0ff_uPT3XBaI1ORMRpbe7AqqEVJw2Fsgz-3p4Q。
f. 受訪者5
i. 聽很多老師評價和我自己讀起來都覺得有點負擔,畢竟很多內容
以後不一定會用到。優點就是能學到很多知識,但缺點就是學到
的遠遠超於實用。
ii. 足夠完整,但有點超出學生需求了。
iii. 授課內容增加了與其他科的結合素養,我覺得可以增加學生更加
廣闊的思考這部分很不錯。
iv. 內容增加了許多,在老師授課進度壓力和學生吸收知識都更加的
挑戰。
v. 對於比較難的專業知識可以少一點。
g. 受訪者6
i. 我覺得108課綱有點像還沒規畫完成就上路的政策,實施過程當中
有滿多不合理的地方沒辦法及時修正,很容易造成困擾。優點的
話,我覺得多了一些可以自主學習的空間!
ii. 108課綱的願景我覺得是滿符合趨勢的,但實際操作起來好像有點
太理想化,要考量的點很多,所以完整程度沒有很高。
iii. 我沒有很仔細研究前版課綱,但之前上課的時候老師常說舊課綱
有的東西108課綱拿掉了,但這些被拿掉的不上的話內容會不夠完
整之類的,變成要靠老師補充這些原本舊課綱有的內容⋯。
iv. 有些老師會跟不上新的思維,或者是懶得改掉舊的教學習慣,以
我自己的經驗就會覺得學得沒有很踏實。
v. 政府官員進行改革的田野調查可能做得還不夠,似乎也沒有預先
想好可能發生的問題,滾動式修正真的造成滿多學生困擾和無法
復原的問題,希望政府未來在進行教育改革前能多傾聽教育現場
的老師和學生們的意見!
h. 訪談整理
i. 你如何評價現行的108課綱?有哪些方面是其優點,哪些方面是其
缺點?
● 優:自主學習。
● 缺:實施過程不合理的地方無法及時修正。
● 優:學到很多知識。
● 缺:學到的遠超於實用。
● 立意良善但社會風氣、學校資源與考招配套並不完全,導
致目標扭曲或被錯誤解讀。
● 優:多元發展的基礎,包含表定彈性時間、多元入學管
道。
● 缺:政策傳達不彰,高中職教師端不清楚新制、缺乏引導
學生的知能。
● 能夠更多的去思考在每一個問題的前因後果,會有一個更
完整統籌,也會更在意學習過程。
● 優:多了思考的過程。
● 缺:壓縮到學習的學科知識的時間。
● 優:學習歷程檔案、自主學習(形式類似演講或小論
文),教授能更知道學生有哪些能力。
● 缺:還沒確定有大學上,所以要準備備審,又要同時準備
分科。
● 課程規劃、師資培育、學生適應能力方面都有再加強的部
分。
● 優:學生更自由的找到自己有興趣的學科、有機會透過自
主學習課探索。
● 缺:老師的定位模糊,學生遇到問題無法及時解決,導致
成效不佳。
ii. 你認為108課綱的教學內容是否足夠完整和具體?是否符合學生需
求?
● 理想,符合趨勢,但不完整。。
● 完整,超出學生需求。
● 不盡然,歷史科改為主題式的教學造成許多老師備課及學
生吸收的困擾;自然科下修必修學分,選修的章節調動與
刪減不太符合上課時數。
● 還有更多完善的空間。
● 高一有第二外語教學(講師外聘)和選修課程,後者可以
用來準備高二的自主學習。但他覺得高一學到的東西不多。
● 學校用既有的教學模式在運行,學生面臨轉換不同步的情
況,也可能學生還沒準備好一時接受過大的自由,變成有
點像無頭蒼蠅。
iii. 相較於前一版的課綱,你認為108課綱做了哪些改變?這些改變是
否帶來了正面的影響?
● 老師要補充舊課綱的東西。
● 素養,棒。
● 素養與自主學習,是令人期待的目標。
● 實際探究、研究自己有興趣的東西、錯中學、思考內化、
跨科、素養題。
● 學生可以朝自己有興趣的學科專攻、數A數B依自己需求選
擇。
iv. 你覺得教師或學生在落實108課綱上遇到了哪些挑戰?
● 老師跟不上新思維。
● 老師的授課和學生的吸收壓力。
● 各校基本資源不足、與選才端溝通管道不足。
● 教師需要有新的教學方法、學生為了學習歷程的時間規劃
挑戰。
● 學校教學內容廣而不精、少有實作活動。
● 老師在108課綱的教學中的角色變得模糊。
v. 你對108課綱的後續發展和推廣有哪些看法和建議?
● 滾動式修正很麻煩,可以多聽教師與學生的聲音。
● 難的專業知識可以少一點。
● 重視身心健康。
● 對新課綱保持正面態度,願意跨出改革是好事,但主要問
題還是在於台灣升學體制無法更動的事實。
vi. 最後,你還有什麼想要補充或分享的內容?
● http://drive.google.com/file/d/1eEFj_fwGQg8Gj6bK2GfF7_Vj7QY
pF1Od/view?fbclid=IwAR2Fp41LCreCUrIvfsX7Z0ff_uPT3XBaI1
ORMRpbe7AqqEVJw2Fsgz-3p4Q。