Introduction to Modern China – A Three Week Summer Course, 2-20 July, 2007
With its yearly summer course "Introduction to Modern China", the Nordic Centre at Fudan University in Shanghai, has since 1999 provided an opportunity for Nordic students to familiarize themselves with vital issues in China’s history and development, as well as to gain first-hand experience of the rapidly changing contemporary Chinese society. The course is designed for students with little or no previous knowledge about China and Chinese studies.
The course is divided into two parallel tracks, one that is called “Introduction to Chinese Politics and Economy” and another one called “Introduction to Chinese Politics and Society”.
The courses are produced jointly by23 Nordic universities together with Fudan University in Shanghai - one of China's most prestigious universities. The courses are free of charge and open to students from the 20 Nordic universities that sponsor the Nordic Centre. The coursesare taught in English by teachers from Fudan, as well as some lecturers from other institutions. Each course will also have a Nordic teacher who follows the course, functions as a cultural broker, organizes weekly summing-ups, as well as offers a few lectures throughout the course.
In addition to the lectures, the programmes also include several study visits to various places of cultural and historical interest, and foreign-owned companies in China. There will also be ample opportunities for weekend-trips at the student’s own convenience to places of interest within reach from Shanghai. Shanghai, the city that is China’s economic hub, is one of the most diverse and exciting cities in Asia today. Spend three weeks here this coming summer and get a glimpse of what China tomorrow will belike!
Chen Yinzhang Gry-Irene Skorstad
Executive Director Programme Manager
Time: 2-20 July 2007
Classes every day from 9:00-11:30 and 13:30-15:30, which amounts to a total of about sixty hours for the whole course. A minimum of 80 % attendance of lectures is required to pass the course.
Examination: A written paper on a theme of your own choice, to be decided in consultation with the Nordic teacher. The paper should be 5-8 pages long and written in English. Deadline for submitting the paper to the Nordic teacher: 15 September 2007.
Credits: The course corresponds to 6 ECTS Credits. Please turn to the International Office of your university for information regarding credits for the course.
Accommodation: Fudan campus. 76 RMB per student and night in a single room sharing bathroom or 134 RMB in single room with individual bathroom.
How to apply: For application details, please contact the International Office of your university. Please note that only students from the 23 universities sponsoring the Nordic Centre are entitled to apply. No previous China studies are required. The summer course is free of charge, however travel expenses, accommodation, medical insurance and subsistence cost will be the responsibility of the individual student.
Number of participants: “Introduction to Chinese Politics and Society”: 30 participants
“Introduction to Chinese Politics and Economy”: 40 participants
Preliminary Schedule – Summer course – Introduction to Modern China.
Chinese Politics and Society Chinese Politics and Economy
First week
Politics and Society Politics and Economy
Joint Lectures
Monday, 2 July
Morning: Welcome. Introduction to Fudan University and the Nordic Centre
The Study of Modern China by Foreign Students
Brief Sketch of Chinese Geography
Afternoon: Brief Sketch of Chinese History
Evening: Welcome dinner hosted by the Nordic Centre
Tuesday, 3 July
Morning: Introduction to Chinese Martial Arts
Afternoon: Brief Sketch of Chinese Politics
Wednesday, 4 July
Morning: Introduction to Shanghai
Afternoon: Visit to Shanghai Museum
Politics and Society Politics and Economy
Separate Lectures:
Thursday, 5 July
Morning: Comparative History – China’s Modern History
China and the West
Afternoon: Comparative Society – China’s Political System
China and the West
Friday, 6 July
Morning: Comparative Culture – Chinese Politics since 1949
China and the West
Afternoon: Summing up and questions Summing up and questions
Evening: Joint excursion on the Huangpu River by boat
Second week
Politics and Society Politics and Economy
Monday, 9 July
Morning: Social Changes and Tensions China’s Foreign Policy
Afternoon: Urban-rural relations China’s International Relations
Tuesday, 10 July
Morning: NGO’s in China China’s Economic History
Afternoon: Religion in China Today China’s Industrial Reforms
Wednesday, 11 July
All day excursion All day excursion
Thursday, 12 July
Morning: Education in China Today Types of Enterprise Organization
Afternoon: Group discussion with Chinese students Chinese Financial Reforms
Friday, 13 July
Morning: Human Rights in China Different Roles of “guanxi” in Commercializing China
Afternoon: Summing up, questions Summing up, questions and lecture:
and lecture: Approaches to the Study Approaches to the Study of Chinese
of Chinese Politics and Society Politics and Economy
Third week
Politics and Society Politics and Economy
Monday, 16 July
Morning: Chinese Media China and the WTO
Afternoon: Chinese Literature Group discussions with Chinese students
Tuesday, 17 July
Morning: Introduction to Beijing Opera Chinese Business Law
Afternoon: Gender Issues in China Marketing and PR in China
Joint Lectures
Wednesday, 18 July
Morning: Study Visit Study Visit
Afternoon: Joint visit to the Nordic Consulates General in Shanghai
Thursday, 19 July
Morning: China’s Business Culture
Afternoon: The Population Factor
Friday, 20 July
Morning: China’s Environmental Issues
Afternoon: Course summing up and lecture: Scenarios for China’s Future
Evening: Farewell dinner hosted by the Nordic Centre
Member universities
The Nordic Centre consists of 23 member universities from the five Nordic countries – Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden and Iceland.
Denmark: Copenhagen Business School, University of Aarhus and University of Copenhagen
Finland: Helsinki School of Economics and Business Administration, Helsinki University of Technology, University of Helsinki, University of Joensuu, University of Tampere, University of Turku and University of Kuopio.
Norway: Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration, Norwegian School of Management, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, University of Bergen and University of Oslo
Sweden: Gothenburg University, Lund University, Stockholm University, Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Umeå University, Uppsala University and Karolinska Institutet
Iceland: University of Iceland
The Nordic Centre at Fudan University
The Nordic Centre was opened in 1995. The Centre is unique in the sense that it is the only Nordic academic institution set up in the whole of China. The overriding vision of the Nordic Centre is to promote closer ties and understanding between the Nordic countries and China, by means of jointly undertaken research projects and educational activities.
The Centre is a place where scholars and students from the Nordic countries and China can meet. This specifically means being a platform for initiating and developing research and educational activities, conferences and workshops of mutual interest to Nordic and Chinese scholars. The Centre assists Nordic and Chinese scholars in their research on China and the Nordic countries respectively. Likewise, it will help Nordic and Chinese students in their tasks of searching for knowledge about each other's cultures and societies. To this end, the Centre facilitates academic contacts, gives access to the Centre library and provides local information. The Centre also arranges a regular seminar series that attracts researchers and students at Fudan University as well as staff from the Nordic Consulate Generals and companies in Shanghai.
Fudan University was established as a learning institution in 1905. Today Fudan is among the leading universities in China and was one of the first in the country to develop a department of business administration. The school offers management training and development programs in close co-operation with Chinese industry. www.fudan.edu.cn
Contacts:
The International Office of your university handles the application procedure.
Contact person at the Nordic Centre in Shanghai:
Gry-Irene Skorstad
Programme Manager
Nordic Centre
Fudan University
220 Han Dan Road
Shanghai 200433
P. R. China
E-mail:
Fax: +86 21 6564 8633
Tel: +86 21 6564 2267
Web: www.nordiccentre.org