Professor Chomsky is most well-known within the academic arena as a linguist. His seminal theory of Generative Grammar, elaborated in his treatise Syntactic Structures (1957), hypothesizes “an innate set of linguistic principles shared by all humans” known as Universal Grammar, and postulates that “a biological language capacity underpins human facility”. The theory, which subsequently underwent numerous revisions, challenged the then dominant structural theory of linguistics and had a huge impact on the field.

       In addition to his research in linguistics, Professor Chomsky is widely-known outside the academic arena for his vocal and sustained criticism of US foreign policy and power. His life-long engagement in political activism, which started with his opposition to US involvement in the Vietnam War in the 1960s, has won him both fame and notoriety across the globe. Professor Chomsky has also been a relentless critic of the ideological role of mainstream mass media in the US, which oftentimes, he argues, gravitates towards capitalism and the political powers supportive of it.

       Professor Chomsky is an Institute Professor and Professor Emeritus of Linguistics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) where he has been lecturing continuously for 55 years. He joined the MIT faculty after receiving his Ph.D. in linguistics from the University of Pennsylvania in 1955. In 1976, he was honored with the title of Institute Professor at the MIT, the highest honor that can be awarded to a faculty member at the institution. He is a prolific writer, with scores of book and hundreds of articles to replica rm-35-01 his name including: Aspects of the Theory of Syntax (1964); The Responsibility of Intellectuals (1967); Understanding Power (2002); and Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media (1988) written with Edward S. Herman.

        During his academic career, Professor Chomsky has received honorary degrees from over 30 institutions, including Cambridge University, Harvard University and the University of Chicago. He is also an elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the National Academy of Science and other learned societies around the world. In addition, Professor Chomsky is a recipient of the Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award of the American Psychological Association, the Kyoto Prize in Basic Sciences, the Helmholtz Medal, the Dorothy Eldridge Peacemaker Award and the Ben Franklin Medal in Computer and Cognitive Science.

Event:  Academia Sinica Special Lecture by Professor Noam Chomsky
Title:  “Contours of World Order: Continuities and Changes”
Time:  15:30 – 17:00
Date:  Monday, August 9, 2010
Venue:  Auditorium, 1F, Center of Academic Activities, Academia Sinica, No.128, Sec.2, Academia Road, Nangang District, Taipei City
Organizer:  Academia Sinica
Co-organizer:  National Tsing Hua University
Sponsor:  Yu, Chi-Chung Cultural and Educational Foundation
Speaker:  Professor Noam Chomsky, Institute Professor and Professor 
                 Emeritus of Linguistics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Moderator:  Dr. Chi-Huey Wong, President, Academia Sinica

Event:  Press Meeting with Professor Noam Chomsky
Time:  17:25 – 17:55
Date:  Monday, August 9, 2010
Venue:  2nd Conference Room, 2F, Center of Academic Activities, Academia Sinica, No.128, Sec.2, Academia Road, Nangang District, Taipei City

Related Websites: http://iao.sinica.edu.tw/