US-China Relations Symposium Call for Student Proposals

Date: October 11, 2024
Location: Duke Kunshan University

The Duke Kunshan University (DKU) US-China Relations Symposium invites students to submit proposals for presentations at our upcoming event. This one-day symposium will bring together a distinguished group of interdisciplinary scholars, including faculty from DKU, Harvard University, Lingnan University, and NYU-Shanghai. The symposium will focus on exploring the complex and evolving relationship between China and the United States in a global context.

 About the Symposium:

The US-China Relations Symposium at DKU aims to engage both faculty and students in meaningful discussions about Sino-American relations. Participants will have the opportunity to share research, discuss course syllabi, and brainstorm new ideas for pedagogical and co-curricular programming that can help students gain a deeper understanding of this crucial bilateral relationship.

 Symposium Schedule:

  • 9:30 to 11:00 AM: Faculty Research Presentations
  • 11:15 AM to 12:30 PM: Student-Faculty Discussion
  • 12:30 to 2:00 PM: Lunch
  • 2:00 to 3:30 PM: Syllabus Workshop
  • 3:45 to 5:15 PM: Pedagogy and Co-Curricular Programming Discussion
  • 5:30 PM: Dinner

 Invitation to Students:

We welcome all DKU students to submit proposals to present their own research on topics related to US-China relations. This is a valuable opportunity to showcase your work and engage in discussions with scholars working in this field. Students interested in presenting are invited to submit a 100-word abstract summarizing their research. Proposals should focus on any aspect of Sino-American relations, whether historical, contemporary, economic, political, cultural, or related to educational and co-curricular programming.

 Submission Guidelines:

  • Deadline: Please submit your abstract by September 30th, 2024.
  • How to Apply: Send your proposal (100-word abstract) to Professor Zach Fredman at zsf5@duke.edu.
  • Eligibility: All DKU undergraduate and graduate students are eligible to submit proposals.

 About Professor Zach Fredman:
Zach Fredman is an Associate Professor of History and Chair of the Division of Arts and Humanities at Duke Kunshan University. His research focuses on US-China relations. He is the author of The Tormented Alliance: American Servicemen and the Occupation of China, 1941-1949 (UNC Press, 2022) and co-editor of Uneasy Allies: Sino-American Relations at the Grassroots, 1937-1949 (Cambridge UP, 2024).

We look forward to receiving your submissions and hope to see you at the symposium!

GSL Faculty-Student Research Grants Call

The Gender Studies Lab invites applications for AY 2024-2025 funding (up to $500 USD) for new faculty-student research projects on topics related to gender, sexuality, queer theory, or feminism. The applications may be submitted either by the faculty member or the student(s) but must involve some sort of faculty-student collaboration. This could entail a collaborative faculty-student project but also includes faculty working with student research assistants, student projects that have a faculty advisor, and students working on their Signature Work projects with their mentors.

This grant is intended to help develop new projects that have not yet received funding elsewhere. Funds may be used for any research-related expenses, including books, travel and accommodation expenses, interview or survey compensation, research assistant stipend, purchase of or subscription to relevant research resources and software, etc. Please note that receipts must be submitted for reimbursement by June 25, 2025, and assuming they have not graduated, the student awardees will be expected to present their work at a GSI research workshop in fall 2025.

If the research projects involve human participants, students must begin research activities only after their IRB proposal has been approved. Please note that research expenses can be reimbursed only after students have submitted proof of IRB approval.

The application should be a 1-2 page document that includes the following:

  • The members of the research team (including position and division for faculty and year and major/intended major for students)
  • Project title
  • A brief abstract (less than 200 words)
  • A brief description of the type of faculty-student collaboration you envision
  • A brief statement of how your project addresses issues related to gender, sexualities, or feminism
  • A brief budget

Applications are due by September 30. Please email your applications to GSI co-lead Jesse Olsavsky (jesse.olsavsky@dukekunshan.edu.cn).

The Gender Studies Initiative Calls for Applications for Faculty-Student Research Grants

The Gender Studies Initiative invites applications for AY 2024-2025 funding (up to $500 USD) for new faculty-student research projects on topics related to gender, sexuality, queer theory, or feminism.  The applications may be submitted either by the faculty member or the student(s) but must involve some sort of faculty-student collaboration.  This could entail a collaborative faculty-student project but also includes faculty working with student research assistants, student projects that have a faculty advisor, and students working on their Signature Work projects with their mentors.

This grant is intended to help develop new projects that have not yet received funding elsewhere.  Funds may be used for any research-related expenses, including books, travel and accommodation expenses, interview or survey compensation, research assistant stipend, purchase or subscription of relevant research resources and software, etc.  Please note that receipts must be submitted for reimbursement by June 25, 2025, and assuming they have not graduated, the student awardees will be expected to present their work at a GSI research workshop in fall 2026.

If the research projects involve human participants, students must begin research activities only after their IRB proposal has been approved. Please note that research expenses can be reimbursed after students have submitted proof of IRB approval.

The application should be a 1-2 page document that includes the following:

  • The members of the research team (including position and division for faculty and year and major/intended major for students)
  • Project title
  • A brief abstract (less than 200 words)
  • A brief description of the type of faculty-student collaboration you envision
  • A brief statement of how your project addresses issues related to gender, sexualities, or feminism
  • A brief budget

Applications are due by September 30.  Please email your applications to GSI co-lead Jesse Olsavsky (jesse.olsavsky@dukekunshan.edu.cn).

Humanities Research Center Fall Conference 2024 Call for Papers (submission deadline: July 31)

Humanities Matter: Ecological Crossroads, Past, Present, and Future

Conference Dates: August 30-31

Venue: Duke Kunshan University

Photograph by: Binbin Li, Associate Professor of Environmental Science at DKU

Why do the humanities matter in times of climate change, environmental unsustainability, and threats to biodiversity? What roles have the arts and the humanities played at different ecological crossroads—both past and present—in helping to ensure a more sustainable future?

The 2024 annual Fall HRC conference will foreground a set of concerns relating to environmental humanities, with keynote speakers, exhibits, screenings, and other activities. We also, however, invite faculty presentations on any topics relating to the humanities, interpretive social sciences, and creative arts.

Please send a title and a 150-word abstract to Faye Xu at fei.xu1@dukekunshan.edu.cn by July 31, 2024.

Call for Proposals for 2024-2025

The DKU Humanities Research Center (HRC) invites proposals from all DKU/Duke faculty and affiliates working on humanities-related projects. Projects should be based at DKU and/or connect Duke and DKU faculty. Proposals should be sent to Fei Xu at fx20@duke.edu by June 30, 2024.

All approved projects should be completed by June 30, 2025.

  • Small Events
  • Large Events
  • Book Manuscript Workshops

Small Events

The HRC will fund a number of small-scale events, which could take the form of workshops, reading groups, film screenings and discussions, excursions, and so forth. Experimentation and innovation is encouraged, and applications may be submitted by either individuals or by groups of collaborators. All DKU and Duke faculty affiliates may apply.

A complete proposal (max 5 pages single-spaced) should include a title, a description of the research question, a summary of the activities to be undertaken, a list of the applicants and collaborators to be invited (with brief bios), a description of anticipated outcomes, and a budget. The maximum contribution from the HRC for each small event is $5,000.

Large Events

The HRC will also fund at least one larger-scale event, which could take the form of a workshop, a lecture series, a curatorial project, etc. Experimentation and innovation is encouraged, and applications may be submitted by either individuals or by groups of collaborators. All DKU and Duke faculty affiliates may apply.

A complete proposal (max 5 pages single-spaced) should include a title, a description of the topic/research question, a summary of the activities to be undertaken, a list of the applicants and collaborators to be invited (with brief bios), a description of anticipated outcomes, and a budget. The maximum contribution from the HRC for a large event is $15,000.

Manuscript Workshops

The HRC will fund one or more faculty book manuscript workshops, which provide a structure for generating constructive, informed criticism on near-final book manuscripts. The goal is to transform already excellent scholarly projects into superior published works, and the Center will provide funding (generally up to $5,000) for faculty to invite two experts in their field and an acquisitions editor from a major scholarly press to DKU or Duke. During a half-day workshop, these guests present their thoughts on the manuscript, followed by a response from the author and a general discussion.

All DKU faculty who will complete a book manuscript by Spring 2025 may apply.

A complete proposal should include a title, a synopsis of the book project, a draft of the introduction, a short CV of the applicant, a list of suggested invitees (including both outside scholars and local participants), and specification of which press the applicant would like to invite.

 

Call for Papers! – The 2nd DKU Gender Studies Initiative Annual Student Conference

To celebrate International Women’s Day, the DKU Gender Studies Initiative invites student papers that address various questions in gender and sexuality studies. The conference seeks to explore a wide range of topics that examines gender, sexuality, feminism, or queer theories as a primary focus of discussions. Interested students, regardless of their major and division, are welcome to submit their abstracts. GSI faculty affiliates will discuss student papers to offer constructive feedback.

Deadlines are as follows:

  • 2-300-word abstract: January 12, 2024
  • Finalist notification: February 2, 2024
  • 8-15 double-spaced page paper submission: March 1, 2024

Abstracts up to 300 words should be sent by Friday, January 12th, 2024 to Professor Hyun Jeong Ha (hyunjeong.ha@dukekunshan.edu.cn).

Your final paper should be no more than 4,000 words, including the references and footnotes.

Please direct questions to faculty co-leads: Professors Megan Rogers (megan.c.rogers@duke.edu), Jesse Olsavsky (jesse.olsavsky@dukekunshan.edu.cn), or Hyun Jeong Ha (hyunjeong.ha@dukekunshan.edu.cn

Gender Studies Initiative Calls for Applications for Faculty-Student Research Grants

The Gender Studies Initiative invites applications for spring 2024 funding (up to $500 USD) for new faculty-student research projects on topics related to gender, sexuality, queer theory, and/or feminism.  The applications may be submitted either by the faculty member or the student(s) but must involve some sort of faculty-student collaboration.  This could entail a collaborative faculty-student project but also includes faculty working with student research assistants and students working on their Signature Work projects with their mentors. Continue reading “Gender Studies Initiative Calls for Applications for Faculty-Student Research Grants”

中西太空探索的精神 The Spirit of Space Exploration in China and the West

昆山杜克大学人文研究中心荣幸地宣布,我们将于202466日至8日在中国江苏省昆山市以线上线下相结合的方式举办关于中西太空探索的精神的学术会议,并向各界人士诚征提案

English

本次会议旨在探讨不同文学、文化、宗教传统中的思想、人物、世界观和叙事如何与当代中外对太空空间的探索研究相联系我们诚邀来自不同学术领域和背景的科学家以及作家、文学家等人文学者加入我们,参与到这场中外对话之中

本次会议将围绕跨学科研究的前沿领域 太空文化(Astroculture) 旨在理解太空时代的文化历史Geppert 2012)。虽然目前的宇宙文化研究侧重于欧美,但近年来对俄罗斯太空时代的研究也有所增加。然而,尽管中国对地外空间有着悠久的文化和科学研究史,对中国方面的太空文化研究却相对较少。我们的会议将致力于填补这一知识上的空缺,将对中国太空探索的文化研究与西方学术界联系起来

各国对太空探索的持续投入证明了太空竞赛不只是为了展示科技实力或体现军事的领先。在西方,征服太空的追求表现了更深层的与太空中神圣存在相遇的欲望,而近来宇宙文化中的宗教因素也吸引了更多学术关注。例如,基于基督教启发的叙事我们的星球描述为一个需要逃脱的堕落之地,亦或者是亟待开拓的新疆。这样的叙事深刻地影响了杰夫·贝佐斯、伊隆·马斯克等致力太空探索的企业家的言辞(Rubenstein 2022)。同样的,学者们也指出太空竞赛在某些新的宗教运动——比如雷尔主义或科学教——的形成中扮演了起到了重要作用

然而,学界对西方世界以外的太空计划以及其潜在的与亚洲文化、宗教、哲学传统和背景的关联却关注甚少。中国或印度的太空探索背后是哪些更深层的宇宙观?当亚洲的太空探索者遭遇地外生命时,他们将遵循怎样的价值观和伦理法则?哪一种探索和理解宇宙的角度可以避免我们的地球陷入环境危机之中?全球化时代的太空探索要求学者们用跨学科和跨文化的方式思考这一系列问题

主题演讲嘉宾

陈楸帆

陈楸帆是中国重要的科幻作者创意制作人。他是耶鲁大学的研究员,并在博古睿研究院担任研究员。他与前谷歌大中华区总裁李开复合著了《AI2041:预见个未来新世界》

Jeffrey Kripal

Jeffrey Kripal博士在莱斯大学担任哲学和宗教研究部门的主席。具有代表性的基本著作有:《伊沙兰:美国与无宗教的宗教》和《蛇的礼赠:诺斯底主义关于宗教研究的思考》。他被公认为宗教、超自然和不可能性方面的领先理论家

Mary-Jane Rubenstein

Mary-Jane Rubenstein是一位科学和宗教哲学家,著有多本作品,最著名的是Astrotopia: The Dangerous Religion of the Corporate Space Race她在描绘的太空探索的愿景中探讨了摒弃地球殖民此类暴行的可能性,而她的研究也提倡科幻故事更多地关注宇宙自身而非宇宙探索的潜在利益

苏萌

苏萌,作为起源太空的创始人兼CEO,是当今最重要的太空科学家之一。苏萌教授本科毕业于北京大学物理学院,并于哈佛大学获天体物理学博士,他也是麻省理工学院Pappalardo Fellowship和NASA Einstein Fellowship的获得者。凭借对银河系的泡状结构的发现,他于2014年成为了美国天文学会高能天体物理学最高奖Bruno Rossi Prize最年轻的共同得主。

文章主

我们接受不同主题的文章。文章的主题包括但不限于

  • 中外宗教、哲学或文化中的对太空科学家和宇航员的想
  • 中外科幻作品的对未来太空世界的构
  • 外星人与亚洲人/作为外星人的亚洲
  • 亚洲传统思想与文化、以及其对于行星文明和太空文化内涵的影响  
  • 与本次会议主题相关的艺术干预

本次会议语言为英语

截止时

请于20231231日前将文章题目,200英文字摘要,以及一份简短的个人信息发送至邮箱<ben.van.overmeire@dukekunshan.edu.cn,并于2024131日前告知我们您是否会线下或程参加会议

我们鼓励学者尽可能亲临现场参加。昆山紧邻苏州与上海,并可通过机场和高铁轻松抵达。在昆山市的花销将由昆山杜克大学人文研究中心承担,但我们将无法资助差旅费用。请与组织者联系以获取更多有关差旅的信息

本次会议结束时,我们将探讨以期刊特刊或编辑书籍的方式出版本次会议上的文章的可能性

如有任何问题,请通过邮件联系James Miller <jem122@duke.edu> Ben Van Overmeire <ben.van.overmeire@dukekunshan.edu.cn>

The Spirit of Space Exploration in China and the West 中西太空探索的精神

Duke Kunshan University Humanities Research Center is pleased to announce a call for proposals for a conference on “The Spirit of Space Exploration in China and the West,” to be held in person and virtually in Kunshan, Jiangsu, China, from June 6-8, 2024.

中文

This conference will explore how ideas, characters, worldviews, and narratives from literary, cultural, and religious traditions engage with contemporary space exploration in China and the West. It will do so by inviting scholarly and creative contributions from a wide variety of disciplines, bringing humanities scholars, scientists and authors from China and the west in dialogue with each other.

The conference theme is located in the cutting-edge interdisciplinary field of astroculture, which aims to understand the cultural history of the space age (Geppert 2012). Though research on astroculture has mainly focused on America and Europe, there is a growing body of research on Russia as well. Much less has been done on China, despite its long history of cultural and scientific inquiry into outer space. Our conference aims to address this gap in our knowledge and to bring it into conversation with scholarship from the West. Continue reading “The Spirit of Space Exploration in China and the West 中西太空探索的精神”