The Institute for Advanced Studies in Humanities and Social Sciences, in collaboration with the Department of Sociology and its graduate school, has invited Academia Sinica Academician Dr. Nan Lin to give two lectures on social sciences on April 12^th and 13^th. Everyone is welcome to attend.

Dr. Nan Lin is the incumbent Oscar L. Tang Family chair professor at the Department of Sociology of Duke University and also a distinguished research fellow at Academia Sinica. Elected academician in 1998, Dr. Nan Lin once served as the Vice Chairman of the American Sociology Association(1999-2000). His research expertise lies in the area of social networks and social capital, social support and life pressure, social strata and interflow, and the study of Chinese society. Over the years, his social network research findings were widely discussed, quoted, and applied by professionals in social sciences, psychological health studies, and public health areas, and made outstanding contributions toward the increased visibility and influence of sociology as a cross disciplinary subject.

In recent years, Dr. Nan Lin was very interested in the interactivity issue among China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. In 2001 he joined the editorial team of the book "The Chinese Triangle of Mainland, Taiwan, and Hong Kong: Comparative Institutional Analysis" (edited by So Alvin, Nan Li and Poston Dudley). Dr, Nan Lin is also dedicated to the study of the establishment of social capital theories and experiences, having published a book on "Social Capital: A Theory of Social Structure and Action" (Cambridge University Press). In 2007 he plans to publish another anthology on social capital tentatively entitled "Social Capital" (edited by Nan Lin, and Bonnie Erickson, Oxford University Press. )

For related information on Dr. Nan Lin’s lectures, please consult the website of the Institute for Advanced Studies in Humanities and Social Sciences: http://ntuihs.ntu.edu.tw, or the website of the Department of Sociology: http://social.ntu.edu.tw/