Year of China

In the twenty-first century we face an increasingly interconnected world. To prepare the UK community—faculty, students, staff, and alumni—to meet the challenges and opportunities of globalization, the College of Arts & Sciences has prepared a new academic initiative, Envision 2020: Passport to the World. The goal of Passport to the World is to promote an understanding of international issues and to encourage an ability to see local issues in their global context. In order to educate the next generation of world citizens, the University of Kentucky needs to cultivate an understanding of both contemporary issues and their historical and cultural contexts. To this end, the University of Kentucky will focus on China in 2011-2012. As an emerging regional and world power, China has caught the attention of the American public; questions of foreign policy, economics, domestic politics, and environment tend to dominate the news media. By designating a Year of China, we seek to explore these issues and more, and to situate multiple topics in a complex and nuanced understanding of a country with a long historical and cultural tradition. By inviting guest speakers, organizing educational events, and promoting the study of China past and present, we aim to stimulate dialogue and curiosity. In bringing China to Kentucky, it is our hope that through a multidisciplinary, year-long engagement, our students and wider community will be better prepared for the future.

International Programs in the University of Kentucky Libraries has created a research guide about China.