Hopkins-Nanjing Center Blog

Dear Prospective Student, You're trying to decide where to go for graduate school. Trust me, I understand the stress! I had to choose between nine of the top policy programs in the country. It was not an easy decision, and I didn't know what to expect from the Hopkins-Nanjing Center (HNC) Certificate + SAIS MA(IR) program, but I got exactly what I was looking for: a top-notch education in the Chinese language, a large network across sectors, and deeper quantitative and policy writing skills. The only unforeseen circumstance was the coronavirus pandemic. But even in those uncertain times, the HNC helped along the way. Ultimately, it was up to me to make the experience everything that I wanted it to be...so I did! Here's how. I attended the HNC both before the pandemic hit the world and during, so for the first semester I lived in Nanjing and for the second I attended the HNC virtually. The city of Nanjing's moderate size (in comparison to other Chinese cities) made i...

While it certainly wasn't where our current cohort of HNC Boren Fellows expected to be spending their spring semester, Grace Faerber (MAIS '22), Nick Henderson (MAIS '21), and Daniel Brooks (MAIS '21) are taking advantage of their time in Taiwan. The three of them recently embarked on a 20mi bike ride from Taipei to Jiufen — a mountain village with a gold mining history that now draws in tourists for its beautiful views and Old Street packed with tea houses, restaurants, and souvenir shops. After renting bikes in Taipei, Grace, Nick, and Daniel biked through the city, local towns and villages, and on to Jiufen, where Grace celebrated her 22nd birthday. (L-R) Nick Henderson, Grace Faerber, and Daniel Brooks kicked off their ride at a local bike rental shop in Taipei. Grace Faerber with her rental bike. Nick Henderson navigates the journey from Taipei to Jiufen. Nick Henderson with his rental bike. Jiufen, Taiwan. Grace Faerber (pictured), Nick Henderson, and Daniel Brook...

As an international education and educational diplomacy professional, Stephanie Tao, Certificate '13,  currently serves as a  high school counselor at the International School Manila in the Philippines.   How did you become interested in China and end up at the HNC?   I moved to China after my undergraduate studies in anthropology because of inspiration from a course I took on urban ethnography. In this course, I read a study on the rapid urbanization of Beijing and what it was doing to the preservation of hutongs and the sociocultural communities that came with them. I wanted to see for myself how quickly urban Chinese cities were growing and the impact it had on sociocultural practices.   When I applied to the HNC, I was living in Wuhan, China working at the China-Canada Student Exchange Center at Wuhan University. This was my initial exposure to the field of higher education, and it gave me insight to educational diplomacy created between two countr...

Alexandra Hansen, Certificate ’18, is an Expedition/Polar Guide, International Studies Lecturer, and Naturalist with Silversea Cruises aboard small expedition ships spanning all seven continents. What led you to your current job?  A bizarre set of circumstances! At the beginning of my second semester at the Hopkins-Nanjing Center, I reached out to my network for job leads. One afternoon, a previous supervisor sent me an email of a poster. The poster had pictures of tropical reefs, king penguins, and snow-capped mountains. But, most prominently, it had a picture of a guide driving a zodiac (a small rubber inflatable boat) with an arrow that said, “This Could Be You.” The poster explained that the company was hosting an intensive training program aboard one of their expedition ships. The program was to train individuals to work and guide in some of the most remote destinations on the planet. They were particularly looking for mandarin speakers, anthropologists, and biologists. I was ...

Brandy Darling, HNC Certificate '20 + SAIS MA '21, had the opportunity to interview HNC professor Dr. Paul Dottin, who recently led a mini course on the Black Lives Matter movement. Dr. Dottin’s mini course titled Black Lives Matter in Social Movement Theory explored the origin and or ganization of the Black Lives Matter movement, important actors and strategies, as well as the movement’s international  manifestations and intended outcomes. This extracurricular course engaged students from all three campuses in academic study and critical discussion of this global movement for equality. Tell me about your journey in crafting this course and its impact across all three SAIS campuses.  Given the speed and scale of racial unrest sparked by George Floyd’s murder, Dr. Webb [HNC American Co-Director] and I wanted to create a course that would examine the BLM movement critically. What was conceived as a mini-course for HNC students in Nanjing quickly graduated into a four-country aff...

Lauren Gloudeman, HNC Certificate '12 + SAIS MA '13, is an Associate Director at Rhodium Group’s China Practice, where she  focuses on China’s trade dynamics and US-China trade policy, its economic reform agenda and implementation, and its macroeconomy and industrial activity.  How did you become interested in China and end up at the HNC? I've always loved language study, and during undergrad, I signed up for Chinese language on a whim. I did an intensive summer course in Shanghai and made Chinese language and literature my second major (the first was philosophy) upon my return. After years of bopping back and forth to China, I received a scholarship to study Chinese linguistics at Nanjing University after college, and was living at the dorms next to the HNC, not realizing that the program existed. When I learned about the HNC, I applied and started studying there the following year. How did your experience at the HNC and SAIS DC together prepare you for your current positi...

Nick Kaufman, Certificate '21, had an opportunity to speak with Professor Hua Tao, who teaches Ethnic Minorities in Chinese Society (少数民族与中国社会 ) and Social Issues of China’s Modernization (中国现代化中的社会问题) at the HNC. This year, the Hopkins-Nanjing Center celebrates its 35th anniversary as a center for study, research, and cultural exchange. The HNC hosts a large array of international and Chinese faculty, with many professors leaving long-lasting influence on their students.  One professor who has left his mark on generations of HNC students—both in the classroom and in the broader HNC community—is Professor Hua Tao.   Professor Hua first arrived at the HNC in 1994. Having previously researched Turkic ethnic groups on the medieval Mongolian steppe at Nanjing University, the first class he taught at the HNC examined Chinese ethnic minorities. 27 years later, he is still teaching a version of that class today: Ethnic Minorities in Chinese Society.  Professor Hua believes ...