Shuai Yihao is a second year master’s student at Sichuan University. He became interested in American studies as an undergraduate at Shandong University of Finance and Economics, where he studied English language.
Following his graduation from Shandong University, Yihao applied to the American studies master’s program at Sichuan University, where he met his current advisor in the field, Professor Qun. Professor Qun is an expert in American politics and Sino-US relations. He is also the director of the American studies program at Sichuan University,
Yihao’s current research examines the social makeup of the American population. Specifically, he studies how racial prejudice is manifested among white populations based on ethnicity and religion. In addition, Yihao studies the development of the “Alt-Right” movement and conservative politics in the US.
Yihao believes American studies’ greatest strength is its scope. Specifically, the program at his university encompasses the study of class, race, intellectual history, and philosophy. The class schedule includes courses entitled Cultural Criticism, Comparative Studies on American and Canadian Cultures, Modern American Poetry, and American Society & Culture.
The American studies program at Sichuan University, Yihao shared, also attracts students with high language fluency. As English fluency is a requirement for acceptance into the program, he explained that the quality of class discussions “is better than [that of] English language programs.”
In the past, Yihao had the opportunity to participate in the ASN Conference at East China Normal University. He was thankful to be able to meet the many “famous professors who came to the symposiums to give speeches.” Yihao hopes that in the future, the conferences will be held in cities all across China.
After graduating, Yihao would like to pursue a PhD degree in American studies. He also wants to conduct research in the US in order to experience American life. “Then I want to come back to China to talk about how things truly are in America,” he explained. “I think it is very important to help Chinese students better understand America.”
American Studies lies at the core of USCET’s organizational mission. This profile is part of a series to highlight various students across China who are majoring in American Studies and who plan to use it in their careers.
————————–
Shuai Yihao现在是研究生二年级，就读于四川大学美国研究中心。他本科开始对美国研究感兴趣，当时他就读于山东财经大学，主修英语。从山东财经大学毕业之后，Yihao申请了四川大学美国研究的项目。他现在的导师Qun是研究美国政治和中美关系的专家，也是四川大学美国研究的主任。
Yihao现在的研究方向是美国人口的社会组成，主要关于不同族裔以及不同信仰对白人怀有的种族偏见产生的影响。Yihao的研究也包括美国极右主义运动的发展以及保守派政治。他认为，美国研究的强项在于它的范围。四川大学的美国研究项目就包括阶级研究，种族研究，思想史，以及哲学。课程设置包括文化批判，美国和加拿大文化比较研究，现代美国诗歌以及美国社会文化。Yihao谈到，四川大学的美国研究吸引了很多语言人才。他解释说，因为项目对英语语言流畅有要求，课堂讨论也比单单英语语言项目的课堂讨论质量要高。
Yihao过去参加过ASN在华东师范大学举办的会议。他十分感谢能与很多知名学者见面的机会。Yihao希望这样的会议能在中国其他城市举行。
毕业之后，Yihao打算攻读美国研究的博士学位。他也希望能够在美国做研究以便体验美国生活。“这之后我想回国告诉大家美国的真实情况，”他解释说，“我觉得让中国学生更好的了解美国十分重要。”
美国研究是中美教育基金的核心使命之一。本篇特稿是USCET对主修美国研究并有意于之后在领域内发展的中国学生的系列采访之一。