HNC Alumni Profile: Max Parasol

Max Parasol, MAIS 2012, reflects back on his time at the HNC and his experience as a senior fellow at at Monash University.  Read on to hear how his HNC experience helped further his career.  

Max with his Chinese roommate, Yuguang

Tell us about your current role.
I am a Senior Fellow at Monash University, Melbourne, Australia, where I created two courses about the Chinese legal system for LLM students. I am currently completing my PhD on Chinese innovation policies at the University of Technology, Sydney. I consult based on my research. I previously, spent more than 5 years studying and practicing law in China. I practised law in Victoria, Western Australia, and Shanghai.

How did your experience at the HNC prepare you for this work?
Writing my thesis in Chinese, taught me humility, and an understanding of what is “sensitive” in China. And what is not. My supervisor Professor Li Bin, was outstanding and he really helped me learn how to write a thesis. Through Professors Hua Tao, Zhao Shudong, Feng Chuan, Hill, Webb, Simon and others I learned how to navigate the world objectively and appreciate that life is not black and white. As the only Australian at HNC, I had to navigate both Chinese and American cultures.

What was your most memorable moment when you were at the HNC?
Many great moments. But my best memory is living with Yuguang, my Chinese roommate, for two years, without quarrelling once. I took him surfing in Australia, he was a natural. We saw each other most recently in Shanghai in March 2017. We remain close friends.

What advice would you give for current or future students at the HNC?
It’s the best time of your life. Enjoy. Learn. Be Humble. Don’t be self-righteous. The world is a big, complicated place. Figure out what you don’t like doing. Then figure out what you do like doing. HNC will shape you for the better. Not just your career.

2017 MAIS Thesis Defense Topics

At the end of the 2016-2017 Academic year nearly 40 Hopkins-Nanjing Center MAIS students defended their theses. The wide variety of compelling topics speaks to the intellectual curiosity and wide-ranging academic interests of the HNC’s unique Chinese and international student body. While at the HNC, MAIS students choose a concentration area from among the six different areas of study offered: International Politics; International Economics; International and Comparative Law; Energy, Resources and Environment; Chinese Studies; and American Studies. During their two years of study, international and Chinese MAIS students are required to research, write, and orally defend a thesis in their “target language.” Chinese students complete their thesis in English and international students complete their thesis in Chinese. To help prepare for thesis research and writing, MAIS students have thesis advisers in their target language and participate in thesis prep courses that focus on research approaches and connecting their thesis topics to larger questions of China, the U.S. and the world.

Below is a sample of theses that highlight the breadth and depth of research being conducted by HNC students who graduated this spring.

Chinese Studies

• Sustainable Tourism Development and the Protection of Xizhou Old Town's 'Living' Cultural Heritage
• Issues of Gender Equality in Chinese Athletics: An Analysis of Barriers to Female Grassroots Sports Participation in China

International Politics

• The Dragon's Journey: An Inquiry into the Value Preferences of the Chinese Government under the Socialist Core Values System
• The Responsibility to Protect' and China's Humanitarian Intervention Strategy: A Case Study of Libya and Syria

International Economics 

• Forecasting Future Trends of the Beer Industry in China: A Game Theory Analysis of Competitive Strategy
• Determinants of Age at First Marriage for Women and International Comparisons

Comparative and International Law

• Prospects of Terminating the NME-Methodology in Antidumping Cases: The Challenge Ahead
• Breaking the Silence: The Role of International Law with Respect to Conflict-Related Sexual Violence 

Energy, Resources, and Environment

• Green Credit Policies in China: Overcoming Current Obstacles in Implementation
• Life Cycle Greenhouse Gas Impacts of Battery Energy

To learn more about the HNC MAIS thesis experience, check out this post to hear from MAIS alumni about the challenges and successes they encountered throughout the process.