現代化是人類近代歷史進程的一種經驗現象與重要的觀察指標。西方社會首開其先，自文藝復興至工業革命，漸躍居為世界強權。非西方社會則是在西力入侵後，積極邁向與尋求現代化道路，以求圖強。中國在19世紀中後葉，面臨西方衝擊，迫使朝野亟思變革之道。臺灣則是於開港貿易後，以至日治時期，逐漸奠定現代化的基礎。二次戰後，經濟與政治方面的現代化，使得臺灣的現代化在全球變革中有其獨特性。 金耀基是臺灣早期研究現代化的重要學者，於1960年代中期引介當時風行於美國學界的古典現代化理論，開啟臺灣學界研究現代化的序章。本文以金耀基關於中國現代化的著作為主，探討其現代化思想中的核心議題──政治現代化，內容包括學術理論的引介與運用，以及對兩岸三地政治動向的觀察。藉以探究金氏的學術史歷程，及中國政治進程的發展。

Modernization is an empirical phenomenon of human modern history. From the Renaissance to the Industrial Revolution, Western society gradually grew into a world power. Non-Western societies in the face of Western forces invasion, tried seeking the path of modernization, in order to strengthen their respective countries. After the mid-19th century, the Chinese were facing the full impact of the West and forced both ruling and opposition parties to think of ways to modernize. Taiwan, after the opening up trade with the Western world, as well as under the Japanese colonial period, gradually laid the basis for modernization. After World War II, due to its economic and political modernization, Taiwan’s development was special from the development in the rest of the world. Ambrose Y.C. King was one of the most important early scholars on the Western modernization of Taiwan and introduced popular American Modernization theory to Taiwan in the mid-1960’s. The paper focused on King’s writings which concerned China’s modernization and explored the main topic - political modernization in his academic research including the introduction and application of academic theory as well as political trends in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and China. This course will explore his academic history and the development of the Chinese political process.