Minzu University of China 民族大学简介英文版

Minzu University of China From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Minzu University of China 中央民族大学 Established 1941 Type National Religious affiliation State Ethnic Affairs Commission Admin. staff 2,014 Students 15,046 Location Beijing, Beijing Municipality, People's Republic of China 39°56′54″N 116°19′03″E? / ?39.94833°N 116.3175°E? / 39.94833; 116.3175Coordinates: 39°56′54″N 116°19′03″E? / ?39.94833°N 116.3175°E? / 39.94833; 116.3175 Campus Urban Former names Central University for Nationalities Website www.muc.edu.cn     Minzu University of China (Chinese: 中央民族大学; pinyin: Zhōngyāng Mínzú Dàxúe) is a national-level university located in Beijing, China designated for ethnic minorities in China. Minzu University is the top university in China specially for ethnic minorities and aims to be one of the best universities of its kind in the world. With the strong support of Chinese government, it has developed rapidly over the years. It is currently one of the most prestigious universities in China in fields of ethnology, anthropology, ethnic economies, regional economics, religion studies, History, Dance and fine arts. The university has been selected as one of 38 national key universities to directly receive funding from Project 211 and Project 985, aspiring to build herself into a worldwide known leading university. It is commonly regarded as one of the most respected institute for higher learning in China. It is colloquially known as Míndà in Putonghua. It was formerly known in English as the Central University for Nationalities (CUN). Contents [hide] l 1 Name l 2 Academic programmes l 3 History l 4 Weigongcun l 5 Notable students and faculty l 6 See also l 7 References l 8 Sources l 9 External links   [edit] Name The Chinese name has the meaning "central ethnic university", suggesting a national-level university focused on serving minority ethnic groups. The old English name translated the ethnic term as "nationalities", based on the term used in German and Russian language Marxist texts. On 20 November 2008, the university changed its official English name,[1] apparently citing concerns that "central" might imply a location in the geographical centre of China (as it does in South-Central University for Nationalities), and the old name did not sound good. The name change of Renmin University has been cited as a precedent. The new name obscures the university's ethnic character, although student opinion has focused more on the fact that it makes obsolete the university's nickname, "the village". The Chinese word for village (Chinese: 村; pinyin: cūn) has a Hanyu pinyin spelling similar to the English abbreviation "CUN".[2] In mainland Chinese culture, villages have homely connotations. [edit] Academic programmes The university awards undergraduate-level degrees in 55 academic subjects, usually after four years of study. There are also 64 master's programmes and 25 doctoral programmes. While young people from the majority Han group are the largest single ethnicity amongst the fifteen thousand students, 60% of the students and more than one third of the academic staff are from other nationalities. By far the strongest research areas are anthropology and ethnology, which are the mainstays of its small publishing house and journal. In 2001, the People's Daily described CUN as "China's top academy for ethnic studies." [1] Other respected departments are the dance school and the various minority language and literature departments. Other subjects are often studied from the ethnic minorities' perspective, e.g., biology courses may focus on the flora and fauna found in ethnic minority areas of China. Minzu University also participates actively in social sciences research. Its social science departments predominantly do their research with an ethnic perspective and has achieved leading research results in China in ethnic economies, regional economics, legal studies in ethnic minorities regions, ethnic administration. In particular, its economics, management, law and history departments are growing into be dynamic research institutions with the help of Project 985. The university is the pinnacle of a national network of institutions maintained by the State Ethnic Affairs Commission, although academic standards are also monitored by the State Education Commission, which means some students end up sitting for two sets of exams. In English-speaking countries, Minzu University's main partners are the University of East London, United Kingdom, and the Oregon University System USA. [edit] History The Communist Party of China first established a Nationalities Institute in its Civil War stronghold of Yan'an, in central China, in October 1941. In 1950-1952, this was merged with other ethnolinguistic and sociological departments, including elements of Peking University and Tsinghua University. The result was the Central Institute for Nationalities, which officially opened on 11 June 1952. The Institute was assigned a large area of parkland on the outskirts of Beijing as its campus. Both the Yan'an and Central institutes were intended to train cadres (officials) for ethnic minority areas, as well as providing a liberal arts education for promising students from the minorities. Their research was and is intended to support the policies of the State Ethnic Affairs Commission. In its early years, the Institute was caught up in the sensitive issue of classifying China's vast population into official ethnic groups, until the Cultural Revolution made conventional education almost impossible.