While coursework at the Hopkins-Nanjing Center includes standard assignments such as readings, presentations, exams, and papers, some classes invite students to explore ideas more creatively. This blog features highlights from those innovative learning experiences.
International Water Politics - Role Play Simulations
International Water Politics is an Energy, Resources, and Environment course taught by Professor Wang Zhijian in Chinese. The course introduces various academic perspectives regarding current international freshwater politics (such as water security, water war, water politics, water hegemony, water justice, etc.) and explores some typical international river conflict and cooperation cases. Professor Wang takes an unconventional approach in the classroom by requesting international students to read and respond in Chinese, while the Chinese students read and respond in English. This provides a good challenge for anyone practicing their target language.
The course looks at a variety of cases around the globe, with each case having their own dynamics based on the river and state actors involved. One of the most engaging parts of the course is the political role playing simulations. In this type of activity, students pick different sides as representatives of a country to engage in negotiation talks. The first enactment imitated talks between the US and Mexico regarding three different water security situations in the Colorado and Rio Grande river basins. Professor Wang was the moderator, while students took on roles such as diplomat officer, environmental protection advocate, and water irrigation advocate for each respective country. In the second simulation, students acted as representatives of riparian countries China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam to negotiate treaty terms for the Mekong River basin. Students had to navigate tensions between lower river states and upper river states, while also taking into account the economies of their representative states, environmental impact, water scarcity, and other factors. After each simulation, Professor Wang would invite students to lunch at the nearby Old Friends restaurant on Jinyin Street (Popular food street adjacent to campus). Film, Society, and Culture in Contemporary China - Short Film Project
Professor Yang Liu teaches Film, Society, and Culture in Contemporary China in the fall semester. This course, within the Chinese Studies study area, introduces representative domestic films from the 1990s to the present, involving China’s urbanization, globalization, consumerism, orientalism, gender studies, Chinese youth subculture, and other areas. Students also get a taste of film and literary theory in order to study and analyze film in a more structured way.
The course mostly consists of engaging class discussion of films on the syllabus, occasional debates based on a single topic related to a film, and a final short film group project. Each film group included both international and Chinese students, students of different genders, and at least one student auditing the course. Students had ample time to brainstorm, film, and edit, with Professor Yang inviting an expert to give screenwriting and editing tips and providing students with class time to work on their films towards the end of the semester. This creative project allowed students to more deeply explore different societal phenomena or cultural issues in contemporary China and let students grapple with the concepts introduced throughout the semester in a creative, unique way, while learning practical skills like script writing, directing, acting, and video editing.
In early January, the class had their annual short film screening at the HNC Kuang Yaming auditorium big screen, open to all HNC students, faculty, and staff. All four successfully completed short films, each with a runtime of under 9 minutes, were presented to the HNC community and received laughter and applause. Votes from all audience members were collected by Professor Yang’s graduate students for Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Film. Students also held their own film screening on the weekend afterwards for those who missed out on the initial showing.
Written by Carolyn Chen HNC Certificate '25
