Day in the Life of a Hopkins-Nanjing Center Student: Sam Olson

Student blogger Sam Olson describes a typical day at the Hopkins-Nanjing Center. 

6:30-7:20am: Workout with my roommate 
I start off the day with a workout with my roommate, Adam Zhang, to get myself going and mentally prepared for class. The Hopkins-Nanjing Center has its own gym with an excellent variety of weights and exercise machines. In addition, students that apply for Nanjing University student cards can use the gym at Nanjing University, and there are private gyms nearby.

 The Hopkins-Nanjing Center gym

7:20-7:40am: Breakfast 
After working out, I head upstairs to eat breakfast at the cafeteria. The cafeteria offers good food at fairly affordable prices. Beyond the on-campus options, there are multiple restaurants on the main Nanjing University Gulou campus, as well as coffee shops that sell coffee, pastries, and small breakfast sandwiches at low cost.

8:00am: Review readings for my international politics class and catch up on homework
Next, I head to the library to review some readings that we will discuss in our international politics class and go over the PowerPoint slides for today’s class. The library is a very quiet, comfortable environment to do homework and offers an outstanding selection of books and other research materials.

9:50-11:20am: International politics class
In class, we discuss traditional and non-traditional security concerns from realist and non-realist perspectives.

A typical lunch at the 中美中心食堂

11:20 -11:40am: Lunch

12:20-1:40pm: Chinese Constitution class
In my Chinese Constitution class, one of my favorite classes this semester, we continued our discussion of the Chinese political system. One of the reasons I like this class so much is that it serves as a fascinating basis for comparing Western and non-Western legal cultures and values, which adds further dimension to the cross-cultural education we receive at the Hopkins-Nanjing Center.

2:00-5:00pm: Homework, read papers for MA Tutorial course, and begin outlines for papers
After Chinese Constitution is over, I do some readings for my MA Interdisciplinary Tutorial course, as well as for my class on social issues of China’s modernization, and work on some outlines for upcoming papers due in other classes.

5:00-6:00pm Research internships
I use the hour before dinner to research internships and put together application materials for positions next summer. The Hopkins-Nanjing Center provides students with a great career services office that offers extensive guidance and support for students.

6:00pm: Dinner 

6:30-8:30pm: Do additional readings for classes 

8:30-9:30pm: Relax and play pool in student lounge
After a long day of classes and homework, I unwind by playing some pool in the student recreation room with my roommate and a few other classmates. The recreation room offers students a variety of activities for students, such as gaming consoles, a music room, and a place to practice Chinese calligraphy.

9:30-10:45pm: Make reading notes and call home
I end the day by making some reading notes for tomorrow’s classes, calling my family in the U.S., and then going to bed.

11:00pm: Sleep

And that wraps up a typical day in the life of a student! Whatever you need to do during your day, be it doing homework or pursuing a good work-life balance by working out or relaxing, the Hopkins-Nanjing Center provides an excellent living environment in which to do so.

Written by Samuel Olson, Master of Arts in International Studies ’20

China-Africa mini-course at the Hopkins Nanjing Center

Student blogger Hope Parker reflects on her experience participating in the China-Africa mini-course held at the Hopkins-Nanjing Center in October. The mini-course was a bilingual course taught by Professor Joshua Eisenman from University of Texas at Austin and Professor Wang Duanyong from Shanghai International Studies University.

Before I arrived at the Hopkins-Nanjing Center, I was curious about the different ways that international and Chinese students interact with each other. Bilingual events at the Hopkins-Nanjing Center are one way that students engage with each and take advantage of the unique fact that students have language skills in both Chinese and English. At the end of October, for the first time, the Hopkins-Nanjing Center offered a truly bilingual mini-course with course time split between the two languages. During the year, the Hopkins-Nanjing Center hosts professors from other universities, or from professional experts in the field, to not just give a lecture, but to teach an intensive course over the weekend.

Students gathered on the first day of the course

The most recent mini-course was focused on China-Africa relations, a topic of increasing importance. It was a great opportunity to have Professor Joshua Eisenman from University of Texas at Austin and Professor Wang Duanyong from Shanghai International Studies University share their research and perspectives on Sino-African relations.

Given that I had heard about Chinese investment in African countries before, but had never actually formally studied the issue, the three-day mini-course was a great opportunity to hear differing perspectives about it from an American political scientist and from a Chinese economist. The mini-course was open to all students, regardless of having prior knowledge about China-Africa relations. The lectures prompted fruitful discussions between Chinese and international students.

On Friday, we began the course with a history of China-Africa relations and an overview of current relations in order to prepare us to learn about economic, political, and cultural issues. During our class on Saturday, we analyzed statements from the Chinese government about China’s aid to African countries. In our discussions we considered Chinese motivations, responses from African governments, and overall, what we thought the strategic goals of the interactions might be. We even discussed definitions and specific terms used in dialogue among different governments. As relatively few scholars are researching this relationship, it was very useful to hear about research on the topic in comparison with what is reported in the media.

Professor Eisenman lectures on China’s political history with African states

On Sunday afternoon, our “reward,” as Professor Eisenman described it, was a crisis simulation that, “was ripped from the headlines.” We spent about three and a half hours doing a crisis simulation based on an event involving Chinese miners in Ghana. Each student was assigned a role as part of a government, a private citizen of China, Ghana, or Nigeria, or as part of the press. While many students acted as members of governments, attempting to resolve and negotiate the issue, I was given the role of a journalist. Even after a long weekend, everyone was dedicated to playing out their role, making the simulation fast-paced with constant changes. Although I had less information than most participants and many of the students portraying government officials were uninterested in talking to the media outlets, I was in a very interactive role, getting to hear about how a variety of students were approaching the issue based on their role and based on their own viewpoints.

At the Hopkins-Nanjing Center, students are frequently encouraged to engage with each other and not spend all of their time focusing just on coursework. This mini-course was academic, but it encouraged students to engage with new material and each other. In this way, the course fulfilled the goal of incorporating ideas based on a variety of student backgrounds in order to study important international issues.

Written by Hope Parker, Master of Arts in International Studies ‘20

Hopkins-Nanjing Center Student Band

Student blogger Sam Olson, Master of Arts in International Studies ’20, introduces the student band and discusses how it adds to the student experience and the Hopkins-Nanjing Center’s mission.

 Band playing at the Mid -Autumn Festival barbeque

Outside of the classroom, the Hopkins-Nanjing Center hosts a variety of student groups that enrich student life, such as basketball, the dragon boat team, and moot court. Although maybe not as well-known as some of the other groups, one activity in particular that enhances the student experience and reinforces the Hopkins-Nanjing Center’s cross-cultural environment is the student band.

To get a better picture of the student band, I talked with Sam Smith (MAIS ’19, Energy, Resources and the Environment) who has been a member of the band for the since last year. Sam said that at its core, the band is a way for Chinese and international students with a shared passion in music to come together to relax, build camaraderie, and have fun. Although some students bring their own instruments, the Hopkins-Nanjing Center provides some equipment as well, including a drum set, bass and electric guitars, keyboards, and microphones. Throughout the year, the band plays at student events, such as the Mid-Autumn Festival barbeque, Halloween Party, New Year’s Party, and end-of-year spring barbeque. In addition to events at the Hopkins-Nanjing Center, the band sometimes volunteers to play at local clubs in Nanjing. Once, Sam said the band even got an invitation to play in Shanghai!

 

Aside from providing entertainment for the community and around Nanjing, the band also facilitates cross-cultural interaction in several ways. For instance, the band strives to have a strong representation of Chinese and international students and provides groups the opportunity to play in front of crowds and teach each other how to play a variety of instruments. The band also integrates this into the music they play. “We want our sound to be as unique as the Hopkins-Nanjing Center,” Sam emphasized in our talk. One avenue that he is exploring to further this goal is by incorporating more Chinese instruments into performances, as well as experimenting with using traditional Chinese instruments to play popular Western songs, and vice versa.

Overall, the band is an important avenue for cross-cultural engagement outside of the classroom. I encourage all students to join a student group or activity during their time in Nanjing. It not only provides a break from studying, but also is an unparalleled opportunity to engage with the Hopkins-Nanjing Center’s bilingual, multicultural community. One of the Hopkins-Nanjing Center’s strengths is that its unique environment takes what would be an ordinary group at any other institution and transforms it into an opportunity for cross-cultural learning and enrichment.

Written by Samuel Olson, Master of Arts in International Studies ’20

Comparing the Master of Arts in International Studies and the HNC Certificate + Johns Hopkins SAIS MA

We hear from many students that they are debating between applying for the Master of Arts in International Studies (MAIS) or the HNC Certificate + Johns Hopkins SAIS MA. Both will prepare you for the next steps in your career, but there are significant differences in the study experience. Below, we have outlined the strengths of both options and we hope that this helps guide you in determining which program is the best fit for you.

Master of Arts in International Studies
The MAIS program is a great option for students who want to bring their Chinese language skills to an advanced professional level, develop strong research skills, and go into depth in one particular research area. Students spend two years at the Hopkins-Nanjing Center, and this program is the only master’s degree accredited in both China and the United States.

Coursework and thesis component
Students declare a concentration from one of the Hopkins-Nanjing Center’s areas of study (Chinese studies; international politics, comparative and international law; energy, resources and the environment; and international economics). At the end of the program, students research, write, and defend a 15,000 minimum character thesis in Chinese that relates to their concentration area. Former students have written their theses on a variety of topics –from Chinese soft power in Africa to women’s rights in China. While writing a master’s thesis in Chinese may sound daunting, there is a lot of support at the Hopkins-Nanjing Center to guide you through that process. Part of the coursework includes classes designed to prepare you for the thesis process. Additionally, one of the unique benefits of the program is that you get the opportunity to work one-on-one with a Chinese faculty thesis advisor, who will help guide your research. For more information about the MAIS thesis writing process, please click here to hear from a current student.

Chinese proficiency 
The MAIS program requires a higher level of Chinese proficiency than the Certificate program. The recommended score on the Chinese proficiency test is 1300 for the MAIS program, compared to 1200 for the Certificate program. In addition to completing the thesis component, you are also required to take at least 9 courses taught in Chinese over the course of the two-year program.

Employment Outcomes
Completing the MAIS program and the thesis component provides you with concrete proof of your advanced Chinese ability and research skills. Not only can you write and articulate complex issues in international relations and China studies, you can demonstrate to prospective employers that you can also do it in Chinese. One common misconception about the MAIS program is that it only prepares you for a career in China. MAIS alumni aren’t limited to staying in China, and there are a number of alumni who have gone on to work for the US Department of State or other government agencies. In our employment outcomes, there is a lot of overlap between all programs for the different sectors represented. The bottom line is that completing one program over another isn’t going to limit your career path.

HNC Certificate + Johns Hopkins SAIS MA
The Certificate + MA provides students with the opportunity to complete the one-year Certificate program in Nanjing and then complete the Johns Hopkins SAIS MA in two to three semesters in Washington, DC (students interested in continuing their studies at the Johns Hopkins SAIS campus in Bologna should contact nanjing@jhu.edu before applying). This allows students to gain professional Chinese language skills while gaining a strong background in international economics and quantitative reasoning. 

Certificate coursework and Chinese proficiency
Students begin their studies in the one-year Certificate program. The Certificate offers flexible course selection that allows students to improve their Chinese and deepen their knowledge of international relations and Sino-global relations. Students must complete at least six courses taught in Chinese. Most students take three courses taught in Chinese and one course taught in English each semester. All applicants are required to take the Chinese proficiency test as part of their application, with a minimum recommended score of 1200.

MA Coursework and capstone component 
After completing the Certificate program in Nanjing, students begin the Johns Hopkins SAIS MA program and pursue one concentration out of the 19 concentration areas, which are divided into either an international policy area (for example, American foreign policy; conflict management; energy, resources and environment, etc.) or a regional area (China studies, Latin American studies, etc.) available at Johns Hopkins SAIS. Please click here to view a complete list of concentrations. As part of their concentration, students complete what is called a capstone at the end of the MA program. Capstones vary by concentration and can take the form of an oral exam, a written exam, a practicum, or a research project.

Once students begin the Johns Hopkins SAIS MA program, the coursework is taught in English. You can continue your language studies by taking language courses in Chinese or a new language, but you will have met the Johns Hopkins SAIS foreign language proficiency requirement by completing the Certificate program.

International economics foundation
In addition to the concentration in a policy area or regional area, students also complete a concentration in international economics. This requires all students to complete four core economics courses and a quantitative reasoning course to ensure that all students graduate with a strong economics foundation. Applicants must fulfill prerequisite courses in introduction to microeconomics and macroeconomics prior to matriculating to the DC campus. This means that you can fulfill these requirements while you are at the Hopkins-Nanjing Center, or over the summer, by enrolling in an online course offered by Johns Hopkins SAIS, or by taking these courses in Nanjing or from any other accredited institution. While many applicants have some prior economics background, there are also students who come to Johns Hopkins SAIS to gain an economics background as they recognize that it is essential to understanding issues of international relations.

Employment Outcomes
With the combination of a background in Chinese language and economics, the Certificate + MA prepares students to enter the global workforce. Additionally, most students are able to gain professional experience by interning while they are in Washington, DC. As mentioned above, there is a lot of overlap between all programs for the different sectors represented in our employment outcomes. However, many alumni of the Certificate + MA end up working for the government, think tanks, or the private sector after spending time in Washington and gaining a background in international economics.