From August 18 to 22, 2014, the 2014 Summer Institute on International Relations Theory and Method jointly organized by the School of International Studies, Peking University and the University of Chicago was held at the UChicago Center in Beijing.In the five-day intensive course, well-known scholars and up-and-coming academic youngsters in the field of international relations from the University of Chicago and Peking University offered an academic feast for more than 100 students and young teachers of international relations from universities and research institutions all over the country. At the same time, the two universities also strengthened mutual understanding and academic exchanges.
The training was set with specific topics each day, and special lectures were given on major topics in the field of international relations.The summer institute kicked off in the welcoming speeches by Professor Jia Qingguo, Dean of School of International Studies, Peking University, and Professor Yang Dali, Director of UChicago Center in Beijing.Then, Professor Robert Pape, head of US side of the project from the Department of Political Science of the University of Chicago and Professor Wang Yizhou, Deputy Dean of School of International Studies, Peking University, systematically introduced the development of the discipline and fields of international relations between China and the US from the perspective of characteristic research methods of the University of Chicago and Peking University respectively. The theme of the second day revolved around the theory and history of international relations. Professor Charles Lipson from the Department of Political Science and Professor Bruce Cummings, Dean of the Department of History of the University of Chicago, and Professor Zhang Xiaoming from School of International Studies, Peking University gave lectures. On the third day, Associate Professor Patrick McDonald from the University of Texas at Austin, Dr. Robert Gulotty, Assistant Professor from the Department of Political Science of the University of Chicago and Associate Professor Chen Shaofeng from School of International Studies, Peking University taught international political economy (IPE) and its latest development in China. On the fourth day, Associate Professors Paul Stanliland and Benjamin Lessing from the Department of Political Science of the University of Chicago, and Associate Professor Yu Tiejun from School of International Studies, Peking University, gave lectures on international security research and China’s international security research issues. On the final day of the course, Yang Dali, Professor from the Department of Political Science of the University of Chicago and Director of UChicago Center in Beijing, elaborated how Chinese politics affects international relations.
One of the most striking features of this summer institute lay in the introduction of Spark Talk and Workshop, which aim to present the distinctive teaching and scientific research model of the University of Chicago to the Chinese academic circle.In Spark Talk, the speaker introduced in the field that he is best at. While in the workshop, through the discussion and interaction of the academic community, the draft of the paper submitted by the reporter was discussed in-depth from the aspects of logic and framework construction.In the first day of the sample presentation, in Spark Talk, Professor Bruce Bumings introduced his in-depth thinking on the issue of Korean Peninsula; in Workshop,Professor Charles Lipson spoke on his recent “dualpolitk” and Professor Zhang Qingmin from Peking University commented on Professor Lipson’s research as a special guest and participated in this discussion.From the second day, all students were divided into four groups and took turns to listen to four keynote speeches from four scholars including Professor Pape of the University of Chicago, for their Spark Talk. The speakers made excellent speeches from four aspects: international relations, constructivism, historical research methods and domestic political research.The students actually participated in the Workshop interaction during the training every afternoon, and young scholars from Peking University and the University of Chicago reported the research they were engaged in as an example.In addition to the scholars as mentioned above, the reporters included Professor Xin Qiang, Deputy Director of Center for American Studies, Fudan University, Associate Professor Wang Dong from School of International Studies, Peking University and doctoral students Sheng Yubing, Mariya Grinberg and Genry Jenkins at the University of Chicago, and doctoral students and postgraduates at School of International Studies, Peking University, including Zhang Qi, Dong Liang, Zhao Minghao, Hai Zelong and Zhao Hanyu.Students and the scholars who participated in the speeches believed that the introduction of this form, which was still rare in China, yielded fruitful results in all aspects.In addition, the teachers also introduced the methods of database collection and design in empirical research, and gave a special lecture on how to embody and use causal logic thinking in academic articles and achievements.In these lectures and interactions, the organizer actively interacted with the students, and enthusiastically answered questions for everyone, so that the students had an evidently better understanding of the context and prospect of the discipline in the short-term training.
In the end, Professor Yang Dali, Director of UChicago Center in Beijing, and Professor Pape and Associate Professor Wang Dong who were responsible for the project, delivered closing speeches and issued course-completion certificates for the students. The summer institute jointly organized by the two universities was successfully concluded.
In this summer institute, the School of International Studies, Peking University played a good role as the host, so that many of the students from the University of Chicago who came to China for the first time could better understand China and the current situation of China’s academic circle of international relations. At the same time, the arrangement of various visits and activities enabled both teachers and students to fully establish friendship and encourage each other, thus laying a good foundation for further in-depth cooperation and promotion of similar academic exchanges in the future.
Link:http://www.cuppe.pku.edu.cn/jlhd/dwjl/230290.htm
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