Hopkins-Nanjing Center Blog

On March 4th, Laure Pallez, an HNC ’11 alumna and an Economic Advisor at the French Embassy in the United States, led a lecture about France’s upcoming presidential election. Laure, who has written extensively before on the 2020 US Presidential Elections for her fellow French citizens, discussed the French community overseas, the institutional background of French elections, the political climate in France, and international implications of the campaign.  “Today (March 4th) is the deadline of the publication of the official list of candidates for the presidential election of France, so what a great timing to discuss this issue.”    Laure expressed her personal interest in the French community overseas, numbering about 3 million people (5% of France’s total population). “The French are very patriotic, often nostalgic of their motherland, and see France’s ranking and position in the world as a key issue for them. The French community overseas is traditionally two-thirds con...

Grace Faerber (MAIS '22) checked in with the newly-elected representatives of the Hopkins-Nanjing Center student committee, also known as the "banwei"  ( 班委 ) . These four students were chosen by their peers during an election at the start of the semester. The banwei is typically comprised of two students (one male and one female) representing the international student body, and two representing the Chinese student body.  The banwei is an HNC tradition, serving as a valuable liaison between students and the administration. In addition to helping facilitate communication, banwei also take a leadership role in planning and organizing social events, extracurricular activities, and student engagement at the Hopkins-Nanjing Center. Let’s meet our new class of leaders:   Yang Jialin ( 杨佳霖) :  Candidate for  Master of  International Relations/International Politics  (MA’22) at the HNC. He received a BA in English at Beijing Foreign Studies University before a...

Have you ever wondered about the process that Hopkins-Nanjing Center MAIS students go through when completing their graduate thesis? Final-year student Grace Faerber gives us the rundown.  One of the main factors that distinguishes the Master of Arts in International Studies (MAIS) program at the HNC from the Certificate program is the thesis component. MAIS students prepare for writing their thesis during their first academic year by taking a thesis preparation course each semester; then, they spend their second year writing an academic thesis in their target language of study, in a subject related to their MAIS concentration and under the guidance of an HNC professor.    As a third-semester MAIS student, I am deep into my thesis experience at the Hopkins-Nanjing Center, and am seeing a tiny light at the end of the tunnel that I will reach in May of 2022, when I submit and defend my thesis before graduating. For my thesis topic, I am researching the recent rise in Chines...

David Fishman, MAIS ’14 recounts how he found his passion for the field of energy at the Hopkins-Nanjing Center and continued to work in the sector as a manager at Hong Kong based consultancy firm The Lantau Group.  How did you become interested in China and what drew you to the HNC? I studied Chinese during undergrad. When I went to school, I just wanted to go far away, experience diversity, and see the world. So, I decided to learn Chinese and study abroad in Beijing. I really enjoyed it. When I came back to the States and was finishing my degree, I knew I wanted to go back to China. But I didn't want to go back and do a gap year or just teach English. I wanted to study. At the time, the Hopkins-Nanjing Center was the only option I could find to go to grad school in China while also earning a US-accredited degree. So that's how I ended up being interested in China, coming to China, going to the HNC, and then working here ever since. How has your time at the HNC influenced you...