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 Name: Maria Belen Wu Program: HNC Certificate '18/Johns Hopkins SAIS MA Hometown: Buenos Aires, Argentina Undergraduate Institution and Major: Johns Hopkins University ’18, International Studies, Economics Fun Fact: I was born in Argentina, but my parents are actually immigrants from Shanghai. They moved to Argentina several years ago. My mom is a Chinese language teacher in Argentina.  Tell us about your undergraduate experience. How did you become interested in China Studies? When I first started college, I wasn’t sure that I wanted to focus on China studies or even do anything related to economics or international studies. I originally applied as a political science major. When I got there, I realized political science was too theoretical for me. I also learned that International Studies is one of the largest majors at Johns Hopkins University, and I thought this could be more relevant to me. I took my first international studies class and I loved it. I also added econo...

Student blogger Alexandra Hansen (Certificate ’18 ) describes her experience on a course-related field research trip  to Xishuangbanna, Yunnan Province during the spring semester. The trip was part of Professor Christofferson’s course China on the Border: Provincial Relations on the Periphery. It is an example of new teaching initiatives being promoted by the Hopkins-Nanjing Center administration that are jointly funded by generous donations from both American and Chinese supporters of the Hopkins-Nanjing Center. Over spring break, students in Professor Christofferson’s course China on the Border: Provincial Relations on the Periphery were given the opportunity to conduct field research on Sino-Myanmar and Sino-North Korea relations. This course is popular among students at the Center and is attended by Chinese and international students interested in learning more about China’s provincial foreign relations. This research trip was funded by the Hopkins-Nanjing Center and allowed s...

The Hopkins-Nanjing Center offers the U.S.-China Exchange Scholarship to alumni of U.S. government-supported programs for Chinese language study. These programs include, but are not limited to, the Critical Language Scholarship, Boren Award for International Study, Chinese Language Flagship Program, and the National Security Language Initiative for Youth. Meet the second group of U.S.-China Exchange Scholars below. Eric Lacour Chinese Language Flagship Program, Indiana University Bloomington Foreign Language Area Studies Scholarship (FLAS) Master of Arts in International Studies ’20 Eric Lacour began his Chinese studies during his sophomore year at Indiana University Bloomington (IUB). As a double bass student of Professor Lawrence Hurst in the prestigious Jacobs School of Music, Eric initially enrolled in Chinese courses out of pure interest in the language and culture of China. What was at first a fascination quickly became a passion when he was asked to join IUB’s Chinese Flagship...

As a student in the Master of Arts in International Studies (MAIS) program, Amanda Bogan, provides an overview of the final thesis requirement—from selecting a topic and an advisor to navigating the thesis defense.  The thesis defense is the final stage of the Master's thesis writing process, in which students present their papers and research findings to a panel of three professors with backgrounds in the same area of concentration (e.g. international economics, energy, resources and the environment, international politics, international and comparative law, or Chinese Studies). During the defense, professors will raise questions ranging from the implications of a thesis’s research findings to how the thesis is concluded, or offer up suggestions for how the thesis can be improved upon. But before students reach this final stage of the MA thesis process, there’s a great deal of research, revision, and discussions with thesis advisors before the final draft of a 15,000 character min...