The 15^thAnnual American Studies Network Conference

The Impact of Education Exchange on US-China Relations: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

November 2-4, Shanghai

Co-sponsored by: East China Normal University

US-China Education Trust

With the support of The U.S.-China New Perspectives Foundation and New York University Shanghai

East China Normal University and the US-China Education Trust cordially invite scholars and graduate students from all disciplines to participate in the 15^thAnnual ASN Conference, “The Impact of Education Exchange on US-China Relations: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow,”to be held November 2-4,at East China Normal University, Shanghai, China.

There will be a special forum for graduate students, who will have an opportunity to win Presentation Awards. The top two winners will join a USCET Anniversary Delegation attending the American Studies Association annual conference in Atlanta, Georgia.

Conference Theme

Throughout the ups and downs of the US-China relationship, international education exchange has remained a force for mutual understanding.However, in the context of China’s rise, the two nations have arrived at a critical juncture. Competing interests, gaps in perceptions, and differing political systems prevent the two nations from achieving a deeper level of cooperation. Now it is more important than ever for the next generation of leaders to study the use of international education exchange as a force for easing distrust and promoting peace as well as collaboration.

Beginning in 1854, when Yung Wing became the first Chinese student to graduate from an American university, education and cultural exchange has been an integral element of US-China relations. The Boxer Indemnity scholarships, called “the most important scheme for educating Chinese students in America,” later served as a model for the Fulbright Program, in which China was the first country to participate when a Fulbright accord was signed in1947 between the nationalist government of China and the United States government. The Fulbright Program resumed after a lapse of several decades in 1980. As of 2016, over 300thousand Chinese students account for 32% of all international students studying in the United States, while China is the 5th largest recipient of US students at its education institutions. Given the level of distrust andmisunderstanding that characterizes the bilateral relationship today, the 2018 ASN Conference will reflect on the history of US-China relations through people-to-people exchange, explore current trends, and determine how the past can inform the future of the most important bilateral relationship in the world.

Conference participants will discuss and debate the tangible impact of international education exchange. How can we quantify the effect of exchanges like the Fulbright Program on US-China relations? How did the earliest exchanges between the United States and China affect the bilateral relationship? To what extent do the thousands of foreign exchange students bring our nations closer together?

We cordially welcome paper proposals in English from scholars of various disciplines on topics such as:

1. The Boxer Indemnity Scholarships: A Magnanimous Gift or Imperialist Obligation?

2. The Fulbright Program and US-China Relations

3. American Studies in China: History, Impact, and Challenges

4. US-China Education Exchange: Quantifying Impact

5. Innovative Practices in International Exchange Around the World

6. Overcoming Language and Cultural Barriers in US-China Education Exchange

The above list is meant only to suggest a possible range of topics. You are encouraged to submit proposals on other topics related to the overarching theme of the conference. Interdisciplinary perspectives are particularly welcome since the topics themselves stretch across several disciplines.

The Graduate Student Forum

Sponsored by Beijing Foreign Studies University

Made possible with the Support of the LUCE Foundation

Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU) is the sponsor of the Graduate Student Forum at the 15^thASN Conference.Graduate student participants who have submitted a complete paper beforeJuly15, 2018are eligible to be considered for the Graduate Presentation Awards, in accordance with the decision of a Panel of Judges. Please include the abstract with the complete paper submission. (Abstract must be between 300-500 words and full text must not exceed 5000 words, not including references). There are no separate deadlines for abstracts and completed conference papers for this competition. Onlyfull paperswill be eligible for consideration. The winners of the competition will be announced on September 1st, 2018.

The Graduate Student Forum will be held at a special session during the conference.The authors of the two top papers will win an opportunity to join the USCET ASN 15^thAnniversary Delegation attending the 2018 American Studies Association (ASA) annual conference in Atlanta, Georgia, to be held November 8-11.

Please submit your papers toasc@bfsu.edu.cnno later than July 15, 2018. 

General Guidelines for Paper Submission

You are welcome to submit a proposal byAugust 13, 2018, using the attached Paper Proposal, which should contain your contact information, title, keywords, and an abstract of 300-500 words. The Organizing Committee will evaluate the proposal on the basis of relevance to the conference theme and notify you of its acceptance no later thanAugust 31, 2018. If you are notified that your proposal was accepted, please send the full text of your paper (no more than 5,000 words in English, excluding references) toasn2018@163.com.Even if your submission is not accepted, you are still welcome to participate in the conference without presenting.

Please use the Chicago style for documentation and editing. The specific format this conference follows are short footnotes plus bibliography. In case you need further information on the style, please consult theChicago Manual of Style(16^thed.), or visit the Chicago Style Online website:www.chicagomanualofstyle.org

Registration Fee

The registration fee covers meals, conference program, and admission to all conference sessions. 

Dates: November 2^nd(arrival) to 4^th, 2018

Venue: East China Normal University, Shanghai. Conference lodging information will be available soon.

Contact

Hengshan Jin PhD 金衡山

Professor of English & American Studies DeputyDirector, Center for American Studies East China Normal University Shanghai, China

Your participation is warmly welcome!

East China Normal University     |     US-China Education Trust

附件：ASN 2018 Call for Papers FINAL