The Yenching Academy’s master’s program in China Studies is conducted in six areas: Law and Society, Politics and International Relations, Economics and Management, Literature and Culture, History and Archaeology, and Philosophy and Religion. In addition, every track features distinctly designed courses through which YCA Scholars can explore issues related to China.
The world is undergoing drastic changes like never before, growing ever-complex and volatile. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic impacts the entire humankind profoundly. In this vein, the Politics and International Relations concentration under the Yenching program aims to foster students with lofty aspirations and keep their minds open to adopting interdisciplinary approaches to reflect and express – through a diverse lens – their understanding of different global issues.
In the autumn semester 2020–21, twenty-nine YCA Scholars took “China’s Diplomacy and Global Governance in the New Era” by Professor He Yafei, China’s former Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs. The course covered topics in China’s diplomacy, including climate change, nuclear disarmament and global governance mechanisms, and looked at the ongoing pandemic’s impacts on global governance. Prof. He has had distinct insights on the issues touched upon in the course, thanks to his personal experiences in diplomacy and international affairs. The students cherished the opportunity to study with Prof. He. In this course, scholars could integrate different theories discussed in the texts with current practical cases to understand global governance better.
According to He Yiran from China, Prof. He’s lectures illustrated diplomatic practices somewhat different from the in-text IR theories. Likewise, the course unveiled details outside press releases and news, for the professor had experienced those events personally.
Associate Professor Liu Haifang from the School of International Studies of Peking University chaired “Chinese Perspective on Global Migration” at YCA in the autumn semester. The class encourages students to see migration and human mobility from a global perspective. Prof. Liu ingeniously designed the course to take into consideration the ongoing pandemic.
As Liu put it, “Public health issues, migration and national interest-oriented policies are interrelated as never before. Theories and analysis tools must be adapted to the new situation. Methodological nationalism has gained momentum in the study of immigrants. Therefore, through this course, we train students to go beyond the limits and see the complexity of immigrant issues. They, thus, maybe the force of change.”
Prof. Liu invited Professor Xiang Biao of social anthropology from the University of Oxford and Associate Professor Tu Huynh from the School of International Studies and Academy of Overseas Chinese Studies at Jinan University as guest lecturers. In her lecture, Prof. Tu introduced the social and economic conditions in early 20th century China when indentured labourers emerged and the plights of Chinese indentured labourers in South Africa, including restrictions on their freedom and jobs and repatriation imposed on them at the end of the contract. Prof. Tu urged students to strive to understand China’s position in global migration history. Prof. Xiang talked about “social competition and transnational mobility in China.” According to him, emigration from China keeps its momentum, despite the COVID-19 pandemic around the globe. Prof. Xiang saw that the ever-fiercer competition in China drives the transnational mobility of the Chinese population. The Chinese try to avoid that white-heat competition by emigrating to other countries.
As Liu laoshi describes it, governments in the world imposed strict restrictions on migration and travels as never before due to COVID-19 that was the “big breaker”. Consequently, migration-related issues have been a common problem, which is as complicated as the COVID-19 virus itself and requires concerted efforts from international organizations and countries.
Yenching courses uniquely invite diverse perspectives and incorporate grand theories and events with personal experience and viewpoints. YCA Scholars both admire teachers’ insights and brainstorm with fellow students. All participants, teachers or students, help push the academic horizon through their lens and academic concentrations.
Report by Tao Shuo, Dickson Agbaij, Natasha Lock, Daniel Quirt, Du Tao
Photographs by Tao Shuo, Daniel Quirk, Xu Shuo
