Reflections on “China and America: A Cross-Cultural Dialogue”

While the HNC offers a great selection of courses taught by stellar faculty, one class particularly stood out during the 2017 fall semester. Student blogger, Alexandra Hansen reflects on her experience in a piloted bilingual taught course, China and America: A Cross Cultural Dialogue (中国与美国：文化对话课).

The Hopkins-Nanjing Center is well known for being a one-of-a-kind graduate center for students pursuing international studies. In line with the HNC’s mission to train graduates in Sino-global relations, the HNC is inherently effective in creating a cross-cultural educational experience. The courses taught at the HNC are varied in discipline, but accomplish the same goal: they inform and guide students in their study of China, the United States, and global relations through target-language curriculum. While I have enjoyed many courses I have taken at the HNC, one in particular has stood out as my favorite: “China and America: A Cross-Cultural Dialogue (中国与美国：文化对话课).”

Part of a series of new experiments in innovative teaching pedagogies at the HNC, this course is one of a few special co-taught, bilingual and cross-cultural classes offered this year. This class covers a range of topics, but mostly circulates around China’s understanding of America, and America’s understanding of China from the mid-1800s to the present day. In order to develop a fully cross-cultural environment, the class was evenly made up of 15 Chinese students and 15 international students.

Two professors collaborated to produce a curriculum that was incredibly engaging and informative. American professor Joe Renouard and Chinese professor Liu Woyu split class time during the week in order to educate students on the changing perspectives between China and America over the last few centuries. Both professors stimulated thought-provoking debates and discussions in class, and encouraged students to seek answers to the questions: In the eyes of Chinese people, what is America and who are the American people?  And in the eyes of Americans, what is China and who are the Chinese people?
 

 Professor Joe Renouard and Professor Liu Woyu

While many classes offered at the HNC focus on policy, diplomacy and politics, this course focused on the relationship between the ordinary people who comprise the two nations including immigrants, missionaries, traders, tourists, students, and many others. To better understand their perspectives, students enrolled in the class read original sources including diary entries, pamphlets, newspaper articles, and books and watched various films and documentaries. In addition, the class took a field trip to Pearl Buck’s house which is located on Nanjing University’s campus. After reading sections of her Pulitzer Prize winning work, “The Good Earth” it was great to see where she grew up, especially as it was so close to our HNC campus!

By immersing myself in the curriculum, assigned materials, and class discussions, I ended my first semester feeling more equipped to analyze and explore the interpersonal relationships between Chinese and American people. I believe that this course embodies the goals of the Hopkins-Nanjing Center. Having taken this bilingual course, which included complete immersion and cross-cultural analysis I finished off my fall semester feeling more confident in my understanding of the historical and current state of US-China relations.
 

Written by Alexandra Hansen, Certificate '18

Coursework at the HNC

Emily Rivera (Certificate ’18) shares her experience choosing classes at the HNC and tips on overcoming the learning curve.

During orientation week at the Hopkins-Nanjing Center, students gathered in the auditorium to listen to the international and Chinese faculty present on the courses they would teach that semester. As an HNC Certificate student, students are required to take a minimum of three courses per semester in their target language. Students also have the option to take an additional fourth course in their non-target language.

At my undergraduate university, I was a Government and Chinese double major. At the beginning of orientation, I naturally gravitated towards government and politics courses. However, after much thought, I decided I wanted to take courses that I would only be able to take in China and particularly, courses unique to the Hopkins-Nanjing Center. I decided that I wanted to explore other areas of China studies and really challenge myself by expanding my vocabulary beyond my comfortable 政治生词。With this in mind, I chose the following Chinese courses for the Fall semester: Anthropology and Chinese Studies, China’s Development and Environment, and Contemporary Chinese Foreign Policy. I also opted to take an additional English course and chose History and Philosophy of Law in the West.

Presenting on China’s foreign policy in Southeast Asia for Contemporary Chinese Foreign Policy (当代中国对外政策).

That first Sunday before class, it felt like every student at the HNC was in the library preparing for our very first class. I remember printing out my readings for Foreign Policy – the class I thought I would feel most comfortable in – and staring back at me was a very small font 60-page reading on Chinese culture and its influence on diplomatic decision making. I won’t lie – it was completely nerve-racking! I remember feeling nervous, thinking, is anyone else just a little bit worried? And, is this going to get easier? The answer is yes and yes. After the first couple weeks of class, that nervous feeling before class went away. Students became more confident and more comfortable raising their hands and participating in class. The readings also became easier to get through and more and more recurring 生词 started to become consistent in everyday vocabulary. Here are some tips to consider when preparing for your classes in that first semester:

1) Talk to your professors! (I cannot stress this enough). The first day sitting in my China’s Development and Environment class was very, very, very intimidating to say the least. I had never taken an environmental studies course in English, let alone at a graduate level and in Mandarin. I remember after about two weeks of class, after taking in all new vocabulary and doing outside reading on my own, I excitedly ran to my professor’s office and told her, “I don’t always understand every single word you are saying, but I love your class and I think it is all so interesting.” My Professor helped me better understand the broader concepts we were learning in class and gave me tips on how to prepare for her class. Even more, she helped me feel confident and told me she was so proud of all of the international students in her class – she knew it wasn’t easy and she was impressed by our willingness to think critically about the most pressing environmental issues that China faces. Professors at the HNC care about their students and are more than happy to chat about anything – whether it be on a required reading for class or on independent reading students complete outside of class.

2) Explore and push your boundaries. The HNC has a very unique curriculum that gives students the option to take courses particularly unique to the HNC. Students can choose from classes in international politics, international economics, and energy, environment, and resources (ERE), a new concentration offered since 2014, among others. My favorite Chinese course I took in the Fall semester was my China’s Development and Environment class. This class challenged me to step outside of my comfort zone and it ended up being one of the best decisions I could have made! I learned about electronic waste, water resource management, and outsourcing CO2 within China, topics I never thought I would learn about in China and in Chinese. This semester, I decided to take another ERE course called Global Environment Fundamentals and I have a feeling my pursuit of ERE studies will not stop there!

3) Ask second-year MAIS students for advice. Second-year students are returning to finish their last year at the HNC and to earn their master’s degree. That means, they have likely taken the classes you have questions about. They are not only experienced, but also have great advice. That first week (and even beyond that) the second-year students graciously offered advice on preparing and reading for class. Also, become friends with them too! While they may be busy preparing for their thesis, they are very friendly and want to get to know you too.

4) Make a vocabulary list (and only write down those really important words). While reading for class, you may feel as though you want to constantly stop and write down every single unknown word in an 80-page reading. While this may be doable for some people, I found the best study method for me personally was to really understand what I felt were the most important, most frequently used words so that I could actively participate in class. For me, this set realistic expectations, helped me get through the readings quicker, and further, I never felt as though I was drowning in learning 150+ characters per reading.

5) Find a study method that works for you and be patient with yourself. Everyone both learns and studies differently. Some students like to use their laptops in class to jot down notes and instantly look up words they might not know, while other students focus better by physically writing down characters in a notebook to look up after class. Some students enjoy using apps like Pleco for learning unfamiliar words, while others prefer good old-fashioned flashcards. Don’t get frustrated with yourself if you switch study methods after the first few weeks – this is normal, just find what works for you!

6) Also find a study spot that works for you. Some students (cough, me) enjoy studying alone in quiet spaces like the library cubicles. Other students prefer being surrounded by their friends and perhaps work better with a little noise in the background. Accordingly, this student may opt to study in shared work spaces. Choose wherever you feel most productive and better yet, feel free to switch it up! There are also several study spots outside of the HNC at coffee shops and public libraries.

7) Ask your Chinese roommate for recommendations on the most popular TV shows/movies at the moment. Reading articles in Chinese on water resource management and arbitration proceedings on the South China Sea dispute can surely get tiring. Take a break and watch a Chinese TV show or movie for fun. You are still learning and taking in new information, while simultaneously taking a break from dense class readings.

Emily Rivera (Certificate ’18) and 凌梓钦 (Certificate ’18) presenting oral arguments in History and Philosophy of Law in the West.

8) Take that optional fourth class in English if your schedule allows for it. Although not necessary, I took an English course and absolutely loved it! I enjoyed being in a class where the majority of the students were Chinese (about 15) and the international students were in the minority (only 3 of us). History and Philosophy of Law in the West was one of my favorite classes, partially for this reason. Throughout the semester, me and my Chinese classmates had such interesting discussions on topics ranging from human nature to the relationship between law and morality. This gave me the chance to not only understand the differences between America’s criminal law system and China’s criminal law system, but also the opportunity to hear the perspectives of my fellow Chinese classmates on different areas within criminal law.

Written by Emily Rivera, Certificate '18

Wordless Wednesday: The Start of the Spring Semester

Student blogger, Alexandra Hansen shares her photos taken during the first two weeks of spring semester. This week’s wordless Wednesday features photos of the spring semester banwei (student committee) elections, a day-trip to Suzhou, Nanjing’s plum blossom hill (梅花山), a massive bookstore located in a parking garage down the street from campus, and the HNC basketball semi-finals game.

Photos by Alexandra Hansen, Certificate '18

Four Tips for a Rewarding Second Semester

As the HNC spring semester gets underway, I thought it would be a good time to offer some advice from their predecessors as to how to make this last semester at the HNC really count. The first semester involves so much learning and constant improvements, and keeping that pace up through the second will ensure students get just as much out of their second semester.

Tip 1: Consider a more challenging class: In the fall, it can be tempting to go for a more manageable workload – be it taking classes with subjects you are more comfortable with, or ones with relatively fewer readings on the syllabus.  In the spring, you have a semester of graduate level Chinese classes under your belt, and it’s time for some of those more intimidating, challenging classes! I did this with taking Econometrics which involved both theory and the practical skills of learning how to use the program STATA. Another option might be to take a discussion seminar, like the Advanced Seminar in US-China Relations. You may even just commit to taking that class where the content really appeals to you, but you were initially scared off by the heavy accent of the professor!

Tip 2: Aim higher in your participation and written work: Everyone has their own preference in terms of how much they like to talk in class, which is understandable. But one of the best ways to get your spoken Chinese to a highly sophisticated level is by actively participating in every class – the professors will not hesitate to point out holes in your argument or push back on your statements, ultimately making for better, more persuasive communication skills. It also gets you thinking even more critically about the readings. Another aspect to this is pushing yourself to really level up in your written work for the classes you’re taking – trying to form more sophisticated sentences, using more varied vocabulary and choosing topics that are a little out of the box are all great ways to do this.

Tip 3: Engage in an activity: Now that your Chinese reading speed is so elevated, it’s time to do something with all that time you’re saving! The HNC has a plethora of student organized interest groups that meet regularly (or maybe even start your own!) Dragon boat training starts in the spring (and for the less athletic, dragon boat cheerleading). Moreover, the HNC offers cultural courses in Tai Chi, Calligraphy and Erhu. And for the politically inclined, there’s always the option of running for Banwei (the student committee).

View from Yuejiang Tower on Shizishan (Lion Mountain) in Nanjing

Tip 4: Make a Nanjing bucket list: Something special about the HNC’s location in Nanjing is that as students there, we really get the chance to explore and get to know the city really well. Even if you stay in China or return in later years, a lot of the international professionals in China end up in places like Beijing or Shanghai. With this in mind, it’s important to make the most of the remaining time you have as a Nanjing inhabitant, and go out and enjoy all that the city has to offer! In the spring semester, some of our favourite weekend sightseeing activities were visiting the Tangshan hot springs, the plum blossom festival on Purple Mountain and the Sifang modern art and architecture park.


 Written by Anna Woods, HNC Certificate/SAIS MA '18

Wordless Wednesday: Fall Semester Recap

Photos by Emily Rivera, Certificate '18

HNC Alumni Profile: Jessica Wong

Jessica Wong graduated from Wesleyan University in 2009 and received her Master of Arts in International Studies (MAIS) in 2011 from the Hopkins-Nanjing Center after studying in Nanjing for two years. Since 2014, she has worked as a Business Risk Intelligence Manager at Abbott Laboratories.

How did you find yourself at the HNC?
Part of my major requirement to earn an East Asian Studies degree when I was in college was to spend a semester abroad, so I decided to go to China - and I loved the experience. My mentor at the time in college told me in order to become a “China hand” you have to go to China and spend significant time in the country. So, I applied and was accepted to the HNC MAIS two-year degree program. At the time, I was also interested in doing more research in China. Being of Cantonese descent, I have a lot of connections in Guangdong, so I knew I wanted to do research there for my master’s thesis. I have very fond memories of my time at HNC. I had a good two years there. In fact, my HNC roommate recently got married and she asked me to come to her wedding - we still have a good relationship.

Can you tell us about your current role as a Business Risk Intelligence Manager at Abbott Laboratories?
Abbott Laboratories is an American multinational healthcare company. In my role, I conduct political risk and security risk forecasting for the Asia region. The company has assets all over the world and because it’s so globally dispersed, it can be impacted by political risk trends. When we talk about political risk at a very basic level, we are asking, is this country stable and does it provide a good operating environment for businesses? So I’m always looking at trends when it comes to healthcare or business, and trying to figure out if they impact the company’s ability to make money and invest. Many political science courses you can take at the HNC or in college may seem really abstract but I think that there are many spaces you can apply that knowledge that are not limited to diplomacy. Political science isn’t just limited to people who want to be in government – there is a lot of demand in the corporate sector for this type of “know-how” as well.

That’s fascinating that you are undertaking political risk and security risk research in your everyday work. Is the research done in Chinese, English, or both?
At my current job, I probably spend about 40% of my time on China issues, but the skill that got me here was the fact that I could do policy research in Chinese with no trouble; I still do this type of research today. Since I work at a healthcare company, I have to look at technical documents to keep up with the latest policy trends. For example, companies have to follow certain compliance standards for making or selling a new type of product. I’ll read those documents in Chinese and then have to explain them in plain language. I do still read Chinese every day for my job.

What is one skill you gained from your time at the HNC?
One of the greatest skills I gained while at the HNC that is still useful today in my career, even 5-6 years later, is policy research. As in, all of those really long documents that we read for class at the HNC about how China sets policy for all areas of life. At the HNC, I really picked up the ability to process a huge volume of characters very quickly. Since then, I’ve just refreshed that skill in terms of research topic scope every time I’ve either changed jobs or internships. I am where I am today because the HNC pushed me to develop policy research expertise, attention to detail, and grit to get through challenging material.

Was there a defining experience at the HNC that influenced steps you later took in your career?
The master’s thesis was one of the most defining experiences at the HNC for me. My entire thesis was in Chinese, titled “新课程改革对农村小学的影响：来自广东的个案研究”/ “The New Curriculum Reforms: A Case Study on Rural Primary Schools in the Guangdong Province.” Writing in Chinese was very challenging, but that was when I began honing on my ability to process information very quickly. The execution, such as compiling my research material and then also trying to define the story that I was trying to tell with my thesis, was the most difficult part of the process. However, once I had to defend my thesis orally, it wasn’t that hard, since at that point, I had spent many months immersed in the research.

The thesis experience was critical to my professional development because it was during that time that I thought to myself, if someone were to ask me to do policy research for any company or for any organization, I knew I could definitively say, yes, I can do it.

What was your most memorable experience from the HNC?
The most memorable experience for me was the dragon boat competition. There was a classmate of mine that led the team for two years and we actually placed third in an amateur competition. During my first year, we weren’t that serious, we only started practicing in the spring semester. We would get up at 5am about 2-3 times a week to practice and then afterwards get breakfast together as a team. In my second year, we decided to start rowing during the fall semester so we would have more time to prepare before competing. It was a great way to make friends. Some of my best memories at the HNC, outside of academics, are with the dragon boat team.

What do you believe is one of the best resources available to HNC students?
The HNC made a great decision by hiring Robbie Shields, the HNC Career Counselor. He was actually not there when I was a student, so it was more difficult finding career development resources back then. I got to know Robbie because he comes to Shanghai to do the Shanghai career trek and alumni events. He’s done a great job helping students and I think students should definitely go see him. Even if they are not sure of what they want to do, they should go to him and have a conversation.

Any advice you would give to current or future HNC students about the type of work you currently do in political risk consulting?
Generally speaking, political risk consulting or risk management is seen as very mysterious, but it really isn’t - there are a lot of exciting problems you can solve by entering these industries. Additionally, consulting companies specializing in these fields sometimes give talks at the HNC to explain what it is they do. I would give students this advice: Don’t be intimidated by the labels, especially if you’re not sure what the job really is. Go to the corporate presentations and listen to their representatives to see if it’s something for you. I think if you don’t have the exposure, you might not know the full range of opportunities there are for you. Just go in, listen, and see for yourself.

 Written by Emily Rivera, HNC Certificate ‘18

Spring Festival Holiday and Celebrating Chinese New Year

Current student, Amanda Bogan, MAIS '18, shares her experience of celebrating Chinese New Year in Shanxi province and also taking some of the holiday to do her thesis research. 

After the Chinese New Year holiday, many HNC students returned from trips to exotic locales both inside and outside of China. Students will often use the long winter holiday to travel around Asia; some went to Korea for the Olympics, while others explored nearby Taiwan, Vietnam, and Thailand. Still other students took advantage of the break to conduct valuable field research on their thesis topics.

HNC student Su Mengfei (MAIS ‘18), for example, spent several weeks working at an NGO in rural Cambodia, doing research on ecotourism while learning about local social issues and how a grassroots organization is operated. While traveling throughout Vietnam and Cambodia, Margie Tanner (MAIS ’18) conducted interviews with human rights NGOs which provide legal assistance to victims of trafficking who are awaiting repatriation and upon return to their home countries.

I decided to spend most of my holiday within the PRC, wanting to both make progress on some academic research for my Master’s topic, and to experience the holiday here in China with my Chinese friends. During the first half of my vacation, I caught up on readings and online research, while also doing some preliminary writing for my thesis. After spending several afternoons working in coffee shops around Nanjing, I was excited to travel outside of the city and participate in some of the New Year festivities.

New Year's Eve dinner (年夜饭)

Traveling in China is one of my favorite ways to experience Chinese society and culture. Although Chinese New Year can be notorious for big crowds and sold-out tickets, I’ve learned that planning ahead and reserving tickets as far in advance as possible can help ensure relatively stress-free travel experience, even during the holidays. What’s more, finding myself sitting next to a stranger on a plane or in a crowded train car has often led to some interesting conversations with locals, while also allowing me to reflect on my improved ability to discuss a wide range of current issues in Chinese.

I passed the New Year’s holiday in Shanxi province with some of my close Chinese friends. Having lived in Shanxi for a year before coming to the HNC, coming back feels like returning to my 老家; this trip was particularly special as it was my first chance to spend the Chinese New Year in China with a Chinese family. It was a very traditional celebration, much of our time was spent making countless dumplings from scratch, watching the New Year’s Eve variety show (春晚),and walking around outside looking at the holiday lanterns and fireworks. I also had to opportunity to discuss my thesis research with a close friend of mine who is a Chinese professor, giving me some new perspectives on my topic.

南大‘s East Gate at night

Although the holiday seemed to pass by faster than expected, I now feel rejuvenated and excited to return to classes and get back to working on my thesis writing. I’m happy to be back to Nanjing, reunite with friends and classmates, and start preparing for the coming semester. 祝大家狗年快乐！
 
Written by Amanda Bogan, MAIS '18