Ten faculty members from Peking University (Beida) in Beijing will visit Cornell University July 6-8 to refine curriculum and expand ideas behind Cornell's China and Asia-Pacific Studies (CAPS) major.

At the formal meeting, called "For the Future of U.S.-China Relations: An International Symposium on CAPS-Beida Cooperation," faculty from both universities will examine the challenges facing U.S.-China relations and how the CAPS-Beida cooperation may help to answer those challenges.

The Peking delegation from the School of International Studies includes: Wang Jisi, dean; Jia Qingguo, Cornell Ph.D. '88, associate dean; Guan Guihai, associate dean; Niu Jun, professor and deputy chair, diplomacy; Wang Zhengyi, professor and chair, international political economy; Zhu Feng, professor and director of the International Security Program; and Zhang Xiaoming, professor and associate director, Institute of International Relations. Other members of the Peking delegation include: Niu Dayong, professor and chair, history; Xia Hongwei, deputy director, Office of International Cooperation; and Wang Yong, director, Office of International Students.

In concert with the symposium, high school teachers from around the Northeast will attend a workshop, "Teaching About China's Changing Place in the World," at Cornell on July 7-8. Presenters include: Allen Carlson, Cornell associate professor of government; Adam Segal of the Council on Foreign Relations; Taylor Fravel, assistant professor of political science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; and Richard Bush of the Brookings Institution. The workshop is funded by a grant from the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations.

The Cornell CAPS major started last fall. It gives undergraduate students experience both on and off campus, including one semester in Washington, D.C., and one semester in Beijing. In Ithaca, CAPS majors study Chinese history, politics, society and foreign relations -- especially with the United States. They also take Chinese language courses. There are 12 students now enrolled as CAPS majors.