Area and Country Studies: Program Overview
The Institute of International Studies at Fudan University offers postgraduate study in Area and Country Studies, a first-level discipline in China’s academic classification system. The program comprises four research areas: Theory and Methods of Area and Country Studies; Comprehensive Studies of the United States; Comparative Area and Country Studies; and Global and Regional Governance. The principal research areas and their particular strengths are outlined below.
Theory and Methods of Area and Country Studies
Theoretical and methodological research seeks to develop scholarly theories, research methods and practical approaches that combine general principles with attention to specific contexts. The aim is to establish frameworks for theory, methodology and practice that support the development of Area and Country Studies as a discipline. Research is guided by major theoretical and practical questions and grounded in the realities of the countries under study. Theory informs practice, while practical inquiry informs further theoretical development.
Key areas of inquiry include the history of Area and Country Studies as a discipline, its development in China, its fundamental theories and methods, and the development of disciplinary, academic and discursive frameworks with Chinese characteristics. A pluralistic approach to theory and methodology is encouraged, with an emphasis on integrating methods from the social sciences and humanities, qualitative and quantitative research, and textual analysis and fieldwork.
Comprehensive Studies of the United States
Research on the United States adopts a multidimensional and interdisciplinary approach, encompassing philosophy, politics, economics, military affairs, foreign policy, science and technology, history, culture, society, ethnicity, religion, media and geography. The aim is to develop a comprehensive body of knowledge about the United States through the integration of these fields.
Through theoretical and paradigmatic innovation, research seeks to move beyond the dominant discourses of the United States and the wider West and to develop independent frameworks of knowledge and discourse for American Studies with Chinese characteristics.
Comparative Area and Country Studies
Comparative research examines major powers and middle powers across multiple fields against the background of the relative decline of the Global North and the collective rise of the Global South.
The first line of inquiry compares established and emerging major powers—including Russia, the United Kingdom, France, Japan, Germany, India and Brazil—with respect to their governance models, development paths, patterns of rise and decline, and international strategies. The second compares modernization, foreign policy, domestic governance, and scientific and technological innovation among leading middle powers, including Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Indonesia, Egypt, Türkiye, Vietnam, South Korea, Australia, Canada and Argentina.
Global and Regional Governance
Research on global and regional governance focuses on the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, the Global Civilization Initiative and the Global Governance Initiative, with the aim of developing Chinese proposals for global governance.
Security-related topics include maritime affairs, nuclear security, refugees, illicit drugs and disputes over transboundary rivers. Research also examines new frontiers of global governance in cyberspace, the polar regions, outer space, and the deep ocean and distant seas. Attention is given to the implications of emerging technologies, particularly artificial intelligence, for global governance.
In the context of profound changes in the international order, research explores new approaches to integrated regional governance in Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, Central Asia, the Middle East, Europe and Latin America.
