What does spring break mean to you?
At Duke Kunshan, it means a break from the norm.
The university’s spring mini term, which falls between sessions three and four of the spring semester in March, offers a packed program of fun, intensive courses that encourage undergraduates to explore outside their comfort zone.
Most courses have no prerequisites ‘ and there are no grades, so students can simply enjoy the experience of learning without the pressure of passing an exam.
‘Courses in DKU’s undergraduate program usually run seven weeks, but this modular one-week format lets faculty move quickly to provide creative, engaging learning opportunities for students looking to either dip their toe into a new subject or dive deeper into their area of study,’ says Noah Pickus, dean of undergraduate curricular affairs and faculty development.
Mini-term courses break away from traditional topics and formats, keeping with the spirit of Duke Kunshan’s distinct liberal arts education.
Duke Kunshan’s spring mini-term program includes dozens of interdisciplinary courses separated in two categories: Exploratory courses and Signature Work courses.
Exploratory courses aim to broaden a student’s experience and knowledge base in ways that are intellectually refreshing. Free from prerequisites, they serve as high-impact, low-risk opportunities for discovery for those looking to explore interests outside of their major field of study.
Signature Work courses, some of which have prerequisites, serve as incubators in which students can focus on developing their Signature Work projects. Presented as four-day seminars, they enable students to better understand a specific topic or field, as well as learn strategies for narrowing their focus and carrying out advanced work.
Both types of course provide faculty with further opportunities to bring entrepreneurs, artists, government or NGO representatives, fellow scholars and other experts into the orbit of Duke Kunshan students.
‘I’ve already taken many AI-related courses and a philosophy class at DKU,’ said data science major Saad Lahrichi ’23, who enrolled in the course Moral Machines: How Can AI Make Moral Decisions? in spring 2021. ‘Being able to merge both into a one-week, non-credit, non-graded, seminar-style course is something that’s unique about DKU and truly amazing.’
Media and arts major Rudy Lu ’22, who enrolled in the Signature Work course What Could/Should Curating Do? in spring 2021, added, ‘It’s great to be able to take a break from the hectic nature of the semester and truly enjoy the pleasure of learning.’
Courses provide further opportunities to connect undergraduates with entrepreneurs, scholars and other experts, on and off campus. Above: A local historian leads a tour of old Shanghai. Below: Students interview Alain Visser, CEO of Lynk & Co.
Capturing the zeitgeist
To keep the spring mini term current, Duke Kunshan faculty members propose courses based on the demands and needs of undergraduates. This means courses can be adapted, dropped or added annually depending on the faculty response, input from students, or even emerging global issues.
Mengqi Wang, assistant professor of anthropology, designed the exploratory course The Anthropologists on Wall Street, to give students a look at banking and finance through social sciences. To understand the root cause of events such as the 2008 global financial crash or the GameStop stock surge of 2021, it’s essential to understand what part human behaviors play, she said.
‘This course is for everyone and offers a sociological and historical look at finance rather than what is conventionally offered in college ‘ microeconomics, statistics, and classes with a heavy emphasis on numbers,’ said Wang. ‘I want students to see finance as something that touches everyday life and has a heavy influence on the things we do ‘ buying a property, going to college, or saving for some other investment.’
The course concludes with a field trip to Shanghai’s vibrant financial district.
In building the mini-term program, faculty are also encouraged to break away from traditional topics and formats, to add distinct value to Duke Kunshan’s nontraditional liberal arts curriculum.
Telling Ghost (Hi)stories, for example, looks at the covert politics and history of Asian horror movies and other scary tales. Bryce Beemer, assistant professor of history, who designed the exploratory course, said in addition to being a fun subject, ghost stories are told in a kind of spectral time, when historical events invade modern life, as ghouls and spirits often represent an unresolved issue from the past that’s inflicting pain or terror on present-day society.
‘A ghost in a horror film is saying the same thing a historian’s saying ‘ that you can’t forget the past, that the past is always with us one way or another,’ Beemer said. ‘The ghost is just saying it in a much spookier voice.’
Signature Work courses work allow students to focus on developing knowledge in a specific topic that can inform their capstone project.
Physics professor Kai Huang’s main research focus is granular materials. However, in his mini-term course ‘ From Lecture Halls to Opera Theatres: How Do They Sound? ‘ he introduces another subject he’s fascinated with: Room acoustics. After learning the basics, students head out in groups to measure the acoustics in various spaces around campus and Kunshan, and then analyze their findings based on the internationally recognized standards.
Meanwhile, Invitation to Space-time, a Signature Work course open to freshmen, sophomores and juniors, provides insight into the latest breakthroughs in astrophysics, such as the observation of a black hole shadow and gravitational waves. Course designer Marcus Werner, associate professor of mathematics, encourages students to consider the mathematical structure of Einstein’s gravitational theory and ways to test it.
Whatever course students choose for spring break, Pickus is confident they will take more from the experience than expected.
‘The purpose of these courses is not to hold a boot camp to teach a specific set of skills, but to offer a deep intellectual experience coupled with personal exploration,’ he said.
Duke Kunshan’s spring mini-term 2021 runs March 15 to 18. See the full course catalogue.
