On October 26 and 27, Berea College will host two events focusing on contemporary China that may be of interest to students and faculty in Asian Studies, Business, Communication, and Political Science. These programs are open to the public and colleagues from neighboring institutions. The programs feature guest speakers Dr. Hua Shiping (University of Louisville) and Dr. Jiang Min (University of North Carolina, Charlotte). These events are co-sponsored by the United States Department of Education, the Center for International Education, and the Asian Studies Department.
Friday, October 26, 6:00pm in the Woods-Penn Commons: “Internet and Censorship in China.” Join Drs. Hua and Jiang for a buffet dinner and open-discussion session relating to the intersection of politics and media in China today. Free and open to all.
Saturday, October 27, Frost 218: Issues in Contemporary Politics and Media.
9:30am: Informal Coffee/Tea
10:00-12:00: Dr. Hua Shiping, “China’s Strive for A Constitutional Order: Law, Culture, and Politics” Abstract: This talk will examine six major constitutional reforms that China experienced in the last century--the Late Qing, the Republic, the early PRC, the Maoist, the Dengist, and the post-Deng era--as a way of understanding the unique characteristics of Chinese legal culture: Pragmatism, Instrumentalism, Statism, and Favoritism. With roots in China’s ancient past when law was generally viewed to be of secondary importance in governance to morality and rites, these characteristics also coincide partly with modern communist legal theory that views economic relations as more essential than law. The talk will conclude with reflections on China’s move toward rule of law and the likelihood of major changes in its legal system and culture.
12:00-2:00: Lunch Break
2:00-4:00: Dr. Jiang Min, “The Chinese Internet: Open for Business, Closed to Criticism?” Abstract: This talk offers an overview of the historical development of the Internet in China, exploring such topics as censorship, business monopoly and Internet activism. It demonstrates how the Internet in China is intricately embedded in and shaped by China’s politics, business, and people’s everyday lives. These programs are part of a grant from the Department of Education’s Undergraduate International Studies and Foreign Language program. At each workshop, our guests will present their talks, followed by sessions for non-specialist faculty who may wish to incorporate these issues into their classes.
Guest Speaker Biographies
Jiang Min (Ph.D.) is Associate Professor of Communication at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte and a secretariat member of the annual international Chinese Internet Research Conference (CIRC). Her research focuses on Chinese Internet technologies (search engine, social media, big data), politics (digital activism, online political satire, diplomacy), business (Chinese Internet giants, business ethics), and policies (real name registration, privacy). She has co-edited 2 special journal issues and published over 25 journal articles and book chapters on the Chinese Internet, some of which have appeared in Journal of Communication, New Media & Society, Information, Communication & Society, International Journal of Communication, International Communication Gazette, and Policy & Internet. Media outlets including Reuters, Foreign Policy, Financial Times, New Scientist, and The Chronicle of Higher Education have interviewed her for her work. She was born and raised in China. Prior to pursing her doctor’s degree in the U.S., she had worked at China Central Television (CCTV) and “Kill Bill I” in her native country China.
Hua Shiping is Calvin and Helen Lang Distinguished Chair in Asian Studies and Director of Asian Studies Program at the University of Louisville. His research area is comparative political/legal culture with a focus on China. His published books include: Scientism and Humanism: Two Cultures in Post Mao China (SUNY Press 1996); Chinese Utopianism: A Comparative Study of Reformist Thought with Japan and Russia (Stanford University Press 2009). He is editing a few book series that include “Asia in the New Millennium,” with University Press of Kentucky; “Comparative Asian Politics” with Routledge; and “Political Sciences Series (translations)” with Renmin University Press in China.
For more information, please contact Dr. Robert W. Foster, Professor of History and Asian Studies (fosterr@berea.edu).
