2025 CIR Students Trek to Taiwan

Over spring break, students in the Committee on International Relations (CIR) MA Program traveled to Taiwan for the third annual CIR Asian International Relations Seminar. With a packed itinerary, the group engaged with journalists, scholars, and policymakers, including the trek's first official group visit to the Legistlative Yuan, Taiwan's national parliament.

The trek provided students with a unique experience to take their studies outside of the classroom. "While our students study international relations and learn about East Asia in their coursework," said Burcu Pinar Alakoc, CIR Associate Instructional Professor, "the opportunity to travel to Taiwan allowed them to apply ideas, concepts and theories they learned in class to real-world contexts."

The group met with academics from National Dong Hwa University and National Taiwan University, as well as politicians from Taiwan's DPP and KMT political parties. Participants enjoyed learning about Taiwanese culture, identity, and indigenous populations, including a visit to the Fata'an indigenous community in Hualien.

"Not only did I learn about Taiwanese politics and international relations—maybe even more than I would have in a quarter-long class—I was able to see exactly what different careers in international relations look like, which was really valuable," said CIR BA/MA student Audrey Weckwerth.

The annual seminar is possible thanks to the generous support of Mr. Sean Yu, MA'02 (CIR) allowing 14 students to travel to Taiwan for a fully-funded, 10-day academic trip. Students were accompanied by CIR Associate Instructional Professor Burcu Pinar Alakoc, Assistant Instructional Professor Kara Hooser, and Sandy Luk, Assistant Director at the UChicago Hong Kong campus. 

Learn more about CIR's Politics and International Relations Treks.