Hopkins-Nanjing Center Blog

HNC Co-Director and Resident Professor of Political Science Adam K Webb's new book has been released.  The World's Constitution: Spheres of Liberty in the Future Global Order  is available in a free e-book version (from Routledge and Amazon Kindle) thanks to the generous support of the Johns Hopkins Libraries Open Monograph Initiative (JHLOMI). Book description: Global governance is tightening and foreshadows that world state formation will become a live political issue in this century. Some observers treat it as inevitable amid the urgency of global issues. They foresee a technocratic scaling up of the model of state authority that has prevailed at the national level for over two hundred years. Many critics and members of the public around the world look askance at that prospect. They rightly fear a moral vacuum of authority disconnected from the world’s traditions, and a concentration of power that would be damaging to liberty or even dystopian in its upshot. Still, they oft...

What led you to the Hopkins-Nanjing Center? What made you choose the HNC? After several undergraduate study-abroad programs in Shanghai, Hangzhou and Suzhou, I knew that I wanted to spend part of graduate school in China. I initially applied in late-2019 and was able to travel to Nanjing for a tour of the campus, which I really enjoyed. I was drawn to the program because of how unique it was. First, the program is taught entirely in Chinese but targeted at international students. From a content perspective, Chinese professors are teaching topics on international relations that are of interest to international students. These factors allow one to learn Chinese perspectives in the Chinese language, an important way to study China. In contrast, other degree programs in China for international students are typically taught in English.  Furthermore, HNC students come from various parts of the world and the programme is designed such that all students have to live, eat, and breathe tog...

Towards the end of the fall semester, Hailey McGleam, our SAIS Global Careers Manager, engaged the HNC community in a workshop about “Professional Correspondence” regarding the etiquette of professional communication, emails and cover letters. We spent an hour laughing, questioning our history of correspondence, and learning how to improve our professional communication skills.   This Blog highlights important communication skills discussed in depth from one of our career related seminars. Regardless of who we are, a professional, current SAIS student or candidate, or a reader randomly browsing through the HNC blog page, we all have our fair share of mishaps in our deliberations. Perhaps you spelled someone’s name wrong on an email exchange; sent an AI inspired correspondence that made you sound more poetic than you are; or contacted the wrong professor (with the right name) telling him how much you love his class (which they do not teach). It happens to us all. Hailey knew this an...

 Susan Wang is a graduate of the Hopkins-Nanjing Center Certificate in Chinese and American Studies '16. She currently resides in both Oakland, California and Boulder, Colorado, working as a Solutions Architect for LanguageLine Solutions.  How did you become interested in China and what drew you to the Hopkins-Nanjing Center? My parents, especially my Dad, were always extremely supportive with my studies, and suggested I declare linguistics at the University of Colorado-Boulder. My undergraduate majors were Chinese & Linguistics, and I studied abroad in 2009 at Peking University for a year during a post-Olympics Beijing. A year later, I interned with 100+ American college students at the US Pavilion in the 2010 World Expo: Shanghai. A few months after undergrad, I ended up teaching Mandarin at Fairview High, which also happens to be where I attended high school. Over the next three years I worked to bring stability and structure back into the Chinese program there, but as ...

Lauren Barney is a graduate of the Hopkins-Nanjing Center '16 and Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies '17. During her time in Nanjing, Lauren was one of the international student representatives for the HNC's class committee ( 班委) . She is currently a Foreign Affairs Officer with the U.S. Department of State.   This interview is conducted with Lauren Barney in her personal capacity. The views, opinions, and statements expressed in this interview are those of the individual and do not reflect the official policy or position of the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. government, or any of its affiliated agencies. This conversation is intended solely for informational and educational purposes. How did you find yourself at the Hopkins-Nanjing Center? I was studying Chinese and political science at the University of Pittsburgh, and I was searching for a strong graduate program where students could spend time in the PRC. HNC was the perfect opportunity for r...

Ceramics classes have always been a way for me to unwind and get lost in the process of creating something with my own two hands. Upon coming to Nanjing, I wanted to find a new studio and use the experience to branch out into the city. I was lucky enough to experience two sides of ceramics in Nanjing: DIY activities made for a one-time experience, and professional studios of students majoring in ceramics. This blog delves into my personal experiences with ceramics and the community in Nanjing as well as my plans to continue my involvement in the future. Taking a DIY Ceramics Class  To kickstart the studio-finding process, I spent several days searching on 小红书 x iǎo hóng shū (a C hinese equivalent of Instagram) as well as on 百度地图 b ǎidù dìtú (a Chinese equivalent of Google) trying to find a convenient and accessible studio. I quickly learned that experiencing ceramics here is a bit different. Unlike the weekly class packs and set studio hours I’m used to in the United States, many ...

The Sumerians of Ancient Mesopotamia established the first well documented government in human history, as they systematically ruled over their city-states with kings and religious leaders. Over 4500 years later we see a world organized by government entities from top to bottom, and educational institutions are no exception. So, what does this look like at the Hopkins-Nanjing Center? This blog introduces how student governance works at the HNC and the current student leaders in office. Orientation is a whirlwind of new information, but an exciting time as you get to know your classmates, professors, and staff. Halfway through orientation elections are held for the positions of 班委 (Bān wěi). This position roughly translates to class committee, which is made up of four members who act as student representatives that meet with the administration. Their main roles are the planning of student events, tackling of any student issues which may arise, and relaying crucial information from the ...