As the first new-type regular university established by the Communist Party of China, Renmin University of China (RUC) has a long history and profound accumulation in the field of global and area studies, tracing its origins back to Japan studies during the Yan'an period in the late 1930s and formally beginning with the founding of the Department of International Politics and the Institute of Soviet and Eastern European Studies in the early 1960s. Over more than six decades of relentless innovation and the dedicated efforts of several generations of scholars, RUC has established over 20 region- and country-specific research centers, institutes, and schools under its secondary units, including the School of International Studies, School of Foreign Languages, Law School, School of Economics, and National Academy of Development and Strategy, achieving broad coverage of key countries and regions worldwide.
In June 2023, taking the establishment of global and area studies as a first-level discipline as an opportunity, RUC upgraded and renamed its "Institute of Country Studies" to the "School of Global and Area Studies" (SGAS). Flexibly integrating existing teaching, research, and institutional platforms in global and area studies, SGAS comprehensively advances the discipline's development at RUC. As one of RUC's first university-level "Innovation Hubs," SGAS undertakes responsibilities spanning discipline development, talent cultivation, academic research, think-tank platforms, international exchange, and continuing education, with its establishment led by Professor Zhai Dongsheng.
Guided by the philosophy of interdisciplinary integration, SGAS seeks to merge multiple disciplines—including political science, Marxist theory, applied economics, sociology, world history, law, foreign languages and literature, and journalism and communication—while incorporating research methods, perspectives, and approaches from social sciences, humanities, and natural sciences. This integration aims to comprehensively, holistically, and multi-dimensionally explore regional and country-specific issues, capturing the full picture of a region or country's history, culture, domestic and foreign affairs, economic structure, and social development. By doing so, SGAS provides timely, theoretically grounded, evidence-based, and actionable research outcomes and policy recommendations for policymakers and the academic community. Its work will focus on key areas such as theories and methods of global and area studies, European studies, Eurasian studies, Asia-Pacific studies, France and Francophone countries studies, and global politics and economics.
SGAS aims to build a theoretical and methodological system for global and area studies with "RUC's distinctive style, Chinese characteristics, and world-class standards," leveraging knowledge from international political economy, comparative political economy, development economics, artificial intelligence, and other disciplines. Committed to an international development strategy, SGAS will actively pursue academic collaborations with world-renowned universities, research institutions, and international organizations to enhance its research capabilities and global influence. Meanwhile, it is actively applying for master's and doctoral programs in global and area studies to provide a broad development platform for students dedicated to advancing this field.
The School of Global and Area Studies at Renmin University of China, guided by its mission to aggregate, empower, organize, and serve, distinguishes itself through interdisciplinary approaches, in-depth research, unique theories, and a global perspective. It is committed to cultivating outstanding talents and contributing RUC's expertise to building "a community with a shared future for mankind" and advancing the discipline of global and area studies.
