毕业生 | 赵天一：研究中国 理解世界

赵天一：研究中国  理解世界

四年前，怀着探索的勇气和一份不确定，2017届学生赵天一来到上海纽约大学。现在，还有两周就要毕业，这位来自北京的女生说，很高兴自己当初做了这样的决定。这位世界史专业（全球中国研究方向）的学生，毕业后将继续探索国际政治与国际商务领域。

Q: 为什么当时选择世界史专业（全球中国研究方向）？

这门由上海纽约大学设立的专业，对我很有吸引力，它让我从旁观者的角度研究自己的文化。我们接触并学习西方历史学家、哲学家、艺术的精典著作，灵活的课程设置为我提供了在全球范围进行海外学习和跨学科修课的机会。

Q: 你学到了什么？

世界史专业（全球中国研究方向）不仅让我在不同国家游历、学习，也教导我虚心欣赏、理解其他文化。我曾在纽约大学的特拉维夫海外学习中心学习，加深了对中东的理解，学习到了原本对我来说遥远神秘的文化。在之前的学习研究中，我了解了大量北美和欧洲的历史文化知识，但很少有机会了解中东文化。

我最喜欢的一门课是陈兼教授的“中国走向全球化”，我们了解了中国在国际舞台上的崛起。陈兼教授熟稔中西方文化，对中国历史有独特见解。他的课程阅读材料提供了中英双语版本，可以让学生充分了解字里行间的含义。

专业学习之外，我还学习了计算机编程导论等其他学科的课程。我不想被限制在某一领域，希望拓宽自己的视野。

Q: 四年的大学生活里，最让人难忘的一刻是什么？

今年四月，我作为学生代表参加了杜克-北卡中国领导力峰会，会议聚集了致力于加深中美关系及推动两国互相理解的本科生代表们。

会上，我们讨论了在中美关系框架下，中国在多个议题及国际治理方面作为利益攸关者的责任。此次大会是一个绝佳平台，能让上海纽约大学的学生分享观点，与演讲者建立联系，并结识来自中国和美国的学生。

Q: 在上海纽约大学的最大收获是什么？

上海纽约大学给我游历全球的机会，我用三个学期的时间在纽约、柏林和特拉维夫进行海外学习。大一的时候，我参加了在雅典的纽约大学夏季课程，深入学习希腊语言和文学史，了解到希腊历史与经典如何在当下叙事中被转译。

过去四年来，我结识了来自世界各地的朋友。上海纽约大学规模不大，为认识彼此、了解对方的文化提供了绝好机会，这也是我们学校的特色与优势。首届学生一起经历了困难与挑战，让我们的友谊更加坚固。

Q: 毕业后有什么打算？

上海纽约大学的多元文化与多元视野，激发了我对国际关系领域的研究兴趣。未来，我计划深入学习国际政治与商业，充分利用在上海纽约大学学习的知识，在国际机构开启自己的职业生涯。

Zhao Tianyi: Sharing an International View

Four years ago, Zhao Tianyi ‘17 arrived at NYU Shanghai in full adventurous spirit and a sense of uncertainty. Now two weeks before graduation, the Beijing native said she is glad she made the decision. The Global China Studies major will keep exploring international politics and international business after graduation.

Q: Why did you choose Global China Studies as your major?

The major, initiated and developed by NYU Shanghai, appealed to me because it allowed me to examine my own culture from perspectives of outsiders. We were exposed to literary classics by historians, philosophers and artists from the East and the West. The flexible curriculum also gave me opportunities to study away globally and take cross-disciplinary courses.

Q: What did you learn?

Global China Studies has not only motivated me to travel and learn in different countries, but also coached me to appreciate and understand other cultures with humility. I chose to study at NYU Tel Aviv to deepen my understanding of the Middle East, a once distant and mysterious culture to me. I had been exposed in my previous studies, to a wealth of history and culture about North America and Europe, but I rarely had the chance to learn about Middle Eastern culture before.

One of my favorite courses was China Goes Global taught by Professor of History Chen Jian, where we learned about China’s rise on the international stage. Professor Chen has unique insights about Chinese history, influenced by both Eastern and Western cultures. He has also made all the reading materials bilingual to help students fully understand the implication and rationale in between the reading.

Outside my major, I also took courses from other areas such as Introduction to Computer Programming, because I did not want to be confined to a particular field and I wanted to broaden my perspectives.

Q: What was the most memorable moment in your college life?

In April, I was selected as one of the student delegates to the Duke-UNC China Leadership Summit, a conference bringing together undergraduates interested in deepening China-US relations and a mutual understanding of the two countries.

At the conference, we discussed China as a responsible stakeholder in multiple issues within the framework of Sino-US relations, as well as in international governance. I think the conference turned out to be a great platform for NYU Shanghai students to exchange perspectives, connect with speakers, and network with students from around China and the US.

Q: What’s been your biggest gain from NYU Shanghai?

I spent three semesters studying separately in New York City, Berlin and Tel Aviv. In my freshman year, I also joined an NYU Summer course in Athens, where we delved into the history of Greek language and literature, and gleaned an understanding of how Greek history and classics have been translated into modern narratives.

In the past four years, I have also made great friends with people from all over the world. NYU Shanghai, as a small-scale university, provided a perfect setting to getting to know more people and their cultures, which make up the very character of the school.The inaugural class has come together as allies who have weathered difficulties and challenges together, which makes our friendship even stronger.

Q: What are your plans after graduation?

The cultural diversity and multinational perspective of NYU Shanghai have sparked my interest in the field of international relations. Looking into the future, I plan to study international politics and business, and take advantage of what I’ve learned from NYU Shanghai in landing a career at international organizations.