Selected Master's Theses in Sociology from Peking University, Tsinghua University, and Renmin University of China

Author: Zheng Yefu, Shen Yuan, Pan Suiming / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-11-01
Features: This collection is a continuation of the published last year by Shandong People's Publishing House. Last year's collection was selected from the years 2002 and 2003. This year's selection is from one year. Last year's 8 papers were chosen from approximately 100 master's theses from three departments. This year, although from one year, the enrollment has expanded, and upon careful count, it was selected from 101 theses. Among them, Renmin University has 53, Peking University has 41, and Tsinghua University has 7. The editorial committee has undergone significant changes. I have moved from Renmin University to Peking University, so I took over the work at Peking University without troubling others. The work at Renmin University has been handed over to Mr. Pan Suiming, whom I greatly admire among my colleagues at Renmin University. Mr. Sun Liping has retired, and Mr. Shen Yuan, who has always been concerned about and supported this work, has taken his place. Liping and I are old friends, and we once had a pleasant collaboration in publishing a journal many years ago. Liping's reason for retiring is his disappointment in the current attitude of students and his lack of confidence in maintaining the quality of the collection. I largely agree with this fact. This year, I read more than 30 theses from the three universities, and the quality of all of them was at the upper level. Most of them still met expectations. Fortunately, the 8 selected seem acceptable. It's not accurate to say "this year's flowers surpass last year's," but they are not inferior to last year's. In fact, it is the widespread "low quality" of the theses (not a "decline," as we have never had a "peak") that made us want to "set a benchmark." Therefore, it can be said that the reason Sun did not do it is the very reason I am doing it. We are old friends with many common understandings. Whether we do this or not in this matter is purely a matter of personal inclination. The selection process this year remains the same. Shen Yuan, Pan Suiming, and I each selected some from our respective departments: Tsinghua 3, Renmin University 6, and Peking University 5. The three of us discussed together and determined the final 8 from these 14. The initial selection from each department was not democratic but based on personality, with the three of us guaranteeing the integrity of the process. The final selection also did not follow a quota principle, as we had no intention of enforcing egalitarianism. If Tsinghua's proportion is high (2 out of 7 papers were selected), it is not due to a pre-set quota but a result of comparison. If the proportion of the three departments in last year's and this year's collections is relatively balanced, it is not deliberate. Our work will continue, and future collections will prove this.
After the publication of last year's collection, it received high praise from scholars both domestically and internationally. Professor Yan Yunxiang, an anthropologist at the University of California, Los Angeles, said: "This is a rare gem in recent years. Its greatest strength lies in its lack of the empty, clichéd, and obscure rhetoric that is currently fashionable in academia, as well as the secondhand talk that has been repeated countless times elsewhere. Almost every page contains new information." Mr. Wang Yan, executive editor of "Sociological Tea," said: "During the Ming Dynasty, academic trends were often superficial and unfocused. The great scholar Gu Yanwu once sharply criticized this by saying that ancient people extracted copper from mountains to mint coins. 'Today, people buy old coins, call them scrap copper, and use them to mint coins.' These young scholars, under the careful guidance of their mentors, have independently created a solid academic path of 'minting their own coins.' It is particularly noteworthy that most of them strive to avoid the defects of sociological theoretical research being overly speculative and abstract, as well as empirical research being confined to practice without theoretical reflection, and instead work to reconcile both. In my view, this captures the essence of sociology." Professor Wang Hansheng of Peking University said: "I look forward to the annual 《》 becoming a masterpiece and a window for the growth and development of sociology." This makes us relieved: the goal of "setting a benchmark" has been preliminarily achieved, and what matters is to continue. To be honest, amid the widespread corruption and external temptations, Chinese academia is at a low point. Most scholars no longer pursue research. But just as the average height of Chinese people is not particularly tall, yet there is a, it is due to the large population base. China now has 51 sociology departments and 124 social work departments, with at least 5,000 or more graduate students enrolled. This base should be able to nurture a "" in sociology. Peking University, Tsinghua University, and Renmin University are at the top of China's universities. We have the best student pool in China, and thus we bear an inescapable responsibility: to identify and promote a "" to the Chinese academic community, inspiring future generations of students. We know that this book will not be a bestseller. Its target audience is sociological colleagues and enthusiasts, as well as faculty and students in related disciplines in higher education. The publication and sales of this book are currently in a state of hard struggle. But this is the second year. We believe that as long as we can survive the third year, we will almost certainly continue. A foolish person's thousands of worries must have one gain. We are not "Yugong," nor do we have the fortune of "moving the heavens—the masses." We only hope to win a "niche" for this book, create a small atmosphere, and promote the gradual progress of a small discipline. Thank you to every reader who purchased this book.