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.