“China in Africa: Partner, Competitor, Colonizer?” and “Sino-American Relations”

Speaker: Dr. Zhiqun Zhu Chair of East Asian Politics, Bucknell University

Speaker Info: Dr. Zhiqun Zhu is currently the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Chair in East Asian Politics and an Associate Professor of Political Science and International Relations at Bucknell University in Pennsylvania. He has previously taught at the University of Bridgeport, Connecticut, Hamilton College in New York, University of South Carolina, and Shanghai International Studies University. Dr. Zhu’s teaching and research interests include Chinese politics, East Asian political economy, and international relations theory. He is the author of three books (US-China Relations in the 21st Century: Power Transition and Peace, Understanding East Asia’s Economic “Miracles”, and China’s New Diplomacy: Rationale, Strategies and Significance). His research articles have appeared in various scholarly journals and he has won several research fellowships.

Event Summary: On Tuesday, February 16, 2010, the Asian and Middle Eastern Studies (AMES) program hosted a day of events which totally mirrored our QEP goals in terms of the globalization of both students and faculty from a broad cross section of departments throughout our campus. Dr. Yang and the AMES Team presented two lectures by Dr. Zhiqun Zhu on China in Africa and Chinese-U.S. Relations. This standing room only Kilgore Seminar Hall gathering consisted of faculty from the English, Biology, Business and Economics, Foreign Languages, International Studies, Mathematics, Political Science, and Psychology departments. A large number of Spelman College students were also present.

The events were a huge success as more than 70 faculty and students attended - filling the entire seminar room in Kilgore Hall. The results of this event show very clearly the great interest that Morehouse College has in international affairs. The AMES Project is passionate about and dedicated to educating not only students but also faculty about globalization. Through such activities as its week-long Chinese New Year celebration, AMES and its Chinese Studies initiative continue to plan events that will be fun, exciting, and globally beneficial for both faculty and students of Morehouse College.