Hopkins-Nanjing Center Blog

The HNC and the Australia-China Youth Association (ACYA) organized an end-of-semester barbecue last week! The Australia-China Youth Association (ACYA) is a not-for-profit, apolitical youth organization that operates through a comprehensive online presence and university/regional chapters in Australia and China. ACYA is a vibrant community of young Australians and Chinese interested in promoting cross-cultural understanding and developing lasting friendships, academic and business partnerships, and professional and educational opportunities. About a hundred  ACYA members attended the barbecue event. Activities included a tour of HNC, ping pong tournament, cup-water relay, music by MENenergy, a band formed of HNC students along with a selection of Australian music played by a DJ. The menu included pulled-pork sandwiches, sausages, potato salad and Belgian draft beer. Enjoy the pictures from the event! Students serving up some delicious BBQ food! ACYA students...

Last week at the Hopkins-Nanjing Center, MAIS students defended their theses to their chosen thesis adviser, as well as other HNC faculty members. While at the Center, MAIS students must declare a concentration area from among the five different areas of study offered: Chinese Studies, International Politics; International Economics, International and Comparative Law, and Energy, Resources and Environment. At the end of their two years of study, international MAIS students are required to write and orally defend a thesis in Chinese which relates to their chosen concentration area, while Chinese MAIS students complete their thesis in English. To help prepare for the thesis writing process, international MAIS students choose a thesis adviser from among the Chinese faculty members. In addition, MAIS students participate in thesis prep courses to learn about different research techniques, and to discover how their thesis topic might relate to a wider range of Sino-global relations. Below a...

The 2014 Johns Hopkins SAIS commencement was held at the Daughters of the American Revolution Constitution Hall on Thursday, May 22 nd . There were a number of HNC Certificate/SAIS MA students graduating!  Here are some pictures from the Commencement ceremony and reception. You can find more pictures of the commencement here . The Hopkins-Nanjing Center commencement will be held on June 13 th , 2014 in Nanjing with SAIS Dean Vali Nasr as one of the commencement speakers. Congratulations graduates! Students getting ready for the processional. HNC Certificate/SAIS MA students 2014 SAIS graduates! Commencement ceremony Reception at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium Hall JHU SAIS cupcakes!

The DC campus of Johns Hopkins University SAIS will be closed May 22, May 23, and May 26 in observance of SAIS commencement and Memorial Day, so the Hopkins-Nanjing Center admissions office will not be open to visitors on those days.  The easiest way to reach an HNC admissions representative during that time is by emailing nanjing@jhu.edu.  Check back here on the blog on Friday for pictures from the ceremony! Congratulations to all SAIS graduates and enjoy the long weekend!

It's an important week for incoming students!  Please read the sections below for more information on pre-departure forms and activating your JHU ID. Pre-Departure Forms This is a reminder that Pre-Departure Forms are due tomorrow , Friday May 16.  These include: Form 1: JW202 Student Information  Form 2: Visa Information and Arrival Plans Form 3: Roommate Preference Form (for students living in double rooms) It is crucial that these forms be submitted on time so that supporting documents for your Chinese visa application can be created in Nanjing.  These documents will then be mailed to you in late-June.  If you have any questions while filling out the pre-departure forms, please contact nanjing@jhu.edu.    Johns Hopkins University ID and Email Access All incoming students will be receiving an email later today containing instructions on how to activate your Johns Hopkins Enterprise Directory Login ID (JHED LID).  This ID is required ...

Hopkins-Nanjing Center faculty are an integral part of the HNC community.  In addition to their teaching and research interests, they are actively involved in campus life.  For example,  they can often be found joining students for lunch in the Center's cafeteria, cheering on the HNC basketball and dragonboat teams, and advising students in co-curricular activities like moot court.  We recently checked in with Professor Jacob Kurien about his research interests and academic pursuits over the last year. Professor Kurien teaches "Development Economics" Professor Jacob Kurien is a resident professor of International Economics at the Hopkins-Nanjing Center.  Professor Kurien is currently focused on China's currency and its prospects for internationalization.  During the 2013-2014 academic year, he taught Macroeconomics , Development Economics , Economics of Globalization , and International Monetary Theory and Policy . In March of 2013, Pr...

The Hopkins-Nanjing Center holds frequent guest lectures in English and Chinese on a variety of topics.  This week alone the HNC hosted guest speakers Dr. Zhao Jianzhong, the Vice Inspector in the Counselors' Office of the Nanjing Municipal Government, and Karen Liu, the Managing Director of Social Venture Group.  We are also holding a conference on East Asian Regionalism over the next few days that is open to students.  HNC Five-Semester Option student Emily Walz sends an update about another recent guest lecture by Zi Zhongyun, senior fellow and former director of the American Studies Institute at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS).   On April 14, the Hopkins-Nanjing Center hosted professor Zi Zhongyun 资中筠 for a Monday night lecture on “the current domestic and international situation.” Students flocked to the classroom where the talk was to be held as organizers rushed to add rows of chairs to the back of the room. The majority of the room was filled ...

The SAIS Observer is a weekly newspaper written, edited, and produced by the students of The Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).  Students, faculty, and staff in Washington, Bologna, and Nanjing are encouraged to submit items for consideration. Interested in joining the SAIS Observer editorial staff as an HNC student?  Click here for more information! Check out some of the recent SAIS Observer articles written by HNC students below: East Asian Regionalism Conference at the Hopkins-Nanjing Center, by Maryan Escarfullett For the first time in Hopkins-Nanjing Center history, the Center has organized a research conference focused on East Asian regionalism. Associate Editor at the HNC Maryan Escarfullett covers the highlights of the conference. The Dragons are Coming! by Anne Meredith Hopkins-Nanjing Center students will celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival by participating in the annual Dragon Boat race. Anne Meredith, staff ...

Attention incoming HNC students: This morning you received a very important email!  It contained the 2014-2015 Orientation Handbook, as well as pre-departure forms which will assist us in securing your visa documents and assigning roommates.  These forms are due by May 16 .  The Orientation Handbook will be your resource throughout the summer and contains answers to essentially every question you may have regarding preparing for your time at the Center.  We encourage you to read it through thoroughly from cover to cover!  Should you have any questions after reviewing this document, please email nanjing@jhu.edu.