In 2021, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the University of Connecticut (UConn) partnered with East China Normal University (ECNU) to launch a virtual three-week summer workshop for 50 ECNU students in the humanities and social sciences. The program featured distinguished UConn faculty leading interactive sessions on critical thinking, global competence, and cross-cultural understanding. The students responded enthusiastically, and the success of the inaugural workshop laid the foundation for what has become an annual tradition.
Since 2023, the UConn–ECNU Summer Workshop has been conducted in person, offering ECNU students the opportunity to engage directly with UConn faculty, campus life, and the surrounding Connecticut community.
The 2024 program, titled How the Past Helps Us Understand the Present and Future, invited students to explore how history shapes our understanding of contemporary issues. Sessions were curated by UConn faculty experts in culture and history, complemented by field trips highlighting U.S. culture, literature, and heritage.
Building on that momentum, the 2025 program, Exploring the Humanities and Social Sciences in the Age of AI, examines how Artificial Intelligence and emerging technologies are transforming the ways we live, learn, and interact across cultures. UConn faculty from multiple disciplines will lead sessions connecting AI to the humanities and social sciences, offering participants a forward-looking perspective on innovation and human experience in the digital age.
You can find ECNU`s link here - East China Normal University and the University of Connecticut held the 5th "Global Humanities and Social Sciences Elite" exchange program - East China Normal University