Hi everyone! My name is Sam Olson, and I am a first-year master’s student at the Hopkins-Nanjing Center double-concentrating in international politics and Chinese studies. I graduated from Brock University in Ontario, Canada, where I majored in tourism and environment. I started learning Chinese in middle school and knew from early on that I wanted to pursue a major and career that allowed me to work with China in some way.I first heard about the Hopkins-Nanjing Center when I attended the Middlebury College Summer Language School. There were several aspects that drew me to apply for the master’s program. First, the degree is jointly granted by both a top-tier American and top-tier Chinese university. Second, the Hopkins-Nanjing Center offers the opportunity to study about China in the country itself, which provides key insights that are hard to replicate when studying about China from a school located outside of China. Finally, studying in Nanjing provides the opportunity for international and Chinese students to live and work together. This unique environment not only increases cross-cultural understanding and learning, but also gives international students the chance to ask their Chinese classmates about their perspectives and experiences on what is taught in the classroom, and vice versa. For example, this semester I am taking a class called Social Issues of China’s Modernization, where we’ve been focusing on topics such as the hukou system and Reform and Opening Up. I’ve had the opportunity to discuss these topics with my roommate and hear his experience with both issues. Having the opportunity to discuss such issues has broadened my understanding of the course material and given me insights that would be difficult to obtain elsewhere.
Cady Deck, Hopkins-Nanjing Center Certificate ’19
Hello! My name is Cady Deck and I am a Certificate student at the Hopkins-Nanjing Center. I graduated from The George Washington University (GW) last May with a double major in international affairs and political science and a minor in Chinese. I also studied abroad in Beijing, Kunming, and Taiwan. I learned about the Hopkins-Nanjing Center when an admissions representative came to GW last November and immediately knew I had to apply!This semester I am taking three classes taught in Chinese and one class taught in English. One unique class I am taking this semester is called Chinese and American Thought: Bilingual Perspectives. Half of the students are Chinese and the other half are international students, which has already led to some interesting cultural and intellectual exchanges on a variety of topics as we examine and discuss primary texts in the Western and Chinese cannons in Chinese and English. I do not think I would have the opportunity to take a class like this anywhere else! Additionally, in any US institution I can sit in a library reading about China or take a course about China, but at the Hopkins-Nanjing Center I can discuss the lingering effects of the one child policy in Chinese with people inside China. Of course, I will also spend a fair amount of time in the library as well.
Even though it has only been a few weeks, like many students here, I am already involved in several extracurriculars, including basketball and volunteer teaching. One of the great things about the Hopkins-Nanjing Center is that students are encouraged to venture off campus to engage with the community, whether that be informally, like on the Nanjing University basketball courts, or formally, like teaching English at a local elementary school.
I am excited to blog about my experiences this semester and offer insights into what makes the Hopkins-Nanjing Center such a great place! I look forward to helping prospective students throughout the application process.
Hope Parker, Master of Arts in International Studies ’20
I first heard about the Hopkins-Nanjing Center while in Beijing as a junior at Wellesley College. I was excited by the opportunity to learn more about China in Chinese and from Chinese professors. In the first few weeks of classes I have already noticed unique opportunities that the Hopkins-Nanjing Center offers. Chinese and International students working and studying together requires us to engage in tough conversations and think critically about each other’s perspectives.
This semester I am taking four courses: International Political Economy, International Relations of East Asia, Transboundary Challenges to Law, and the Master’s Tutorial Course, which helps master’s students prepare for their theses. These courses have given me the chance to hear different perspectives on issues, which I would not have heard or understood in the United States. Additionally, even though the Hopkins-Nanjing Center is not a law school, students have the opportunity to participate in several different moot court teams and compete in China and abroad. This year, I am on the Jessup moot court team, which focuses on international law.
I am excited to help represent the Hopkins-Nanjing Center through the admissions office this year. Before arriving, I knew that it was a unique program. After being here, I am looking forward to helping prospective students understand the opportunities that they could have at the Hopkins-Nanjing Center.