Date: November 13-15, 2025
Venue: Duke Kunshan University, Kunshan, Jiangsu, China
Email: aalau2025@dukekunshan.edu.cn
Duke Kunshan University is delighted to invite you to participate in the 2025 Presidents’ Forum of the Asian Alliance of Liberal Arts Universities, which will take place on the campus of Duke Kunshan University (Kunshan, Jiangsu) from November 13-15, 2025.
The Forum’s overarching theme, “Interdisciplinarity Innovation in the Liberal Arts University,” will guide our discussions. Examples of successful strategies employed by liberal arts universities to promote interdisciplinarity in courses, curricula, teaching and learning, research, and industry collaboration, paying particular attention to the liberal arts university context and to our situation in Asia will be shared during the forum.
1700 AB Ballroom | Opening Ceremony and Welcome Remarks James Miller, Associate Dean for Interdisciplinary Initiatives, DKU Scott MacEachern, Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, DKU John Quelch, Executive Vice Chancellor, DKU |
1730 AB Ballroom | Keynote Address Nellie Chu, Moderator Thinking Versus Doing in the Digital Era: Cultivating Actionable Intelligence to Transcend Boundaries Jiawen Han, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University |
1830 Executive Dining | Buffet Dinner |
2000 AB Ballroom | Friend or Foe: Best Practice Surrounding the use of ChatGPT or DeepSeek in Interdisciplinary Learning and Assessment An open discussion moderated by Bradley R. Barnes, Lingnan University |
0900 AB Ballroom | Opening Remarks from AALAU University Representatives Scott MacEachern, Moderator Bradley R. Barnes, Lingnan University Sittithep Eaksittipong, Chiang Mai University Jeanne Fu, The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong Jeng Liu, Tunghai University Junshen Liu, East China Normal University Shweta Sinha Deshpande, Symbiosis International University |
1015 | Tea Break |
1045 | AB Ballroom 1A Interdisciplinary Learning through Practice: The ARC102 Experience and Beyond Zach Fredman, Moderator Marc Aurel Schnabel, XJTLU Juan Carlos Dall’Asta, XJTLU Ying Zeng, China Academy of Art (Hangzhou) Sandro Rolla, XJTLU | AB 2103 1B Beyond Boundaries: Innovating Curriculum Design for Transdisciplinary Learning Yi-Lung Kuo, HKUST Guangzhou, Moderator Xudong Wang, HKUST Guangzhou
| AB 2107 1C1 Quantifying Interdisciplinarity via Course Tagging: A Way to Measure ID at the Course, Faculty, Major, and Institutional Levels Jason Todd, DKU Jingduo Bi, DKU 1C2 Designing the Undisciplined University: Lessons From Daoist Philosophy James Miller, DKU 1C3 Liberal Arts Education in Chinese Societies: Historical Development in Former Christian Universities, Cultural Integration in Contemporary Institutions, and New Opportunities and Challenges Leping Mou, University of Glasgow |
1200 | Lunch in the Community Center (CCT) Cafeterias | ||
AB Ballroom | AB2103 | |
1300 | 2A Embodied Learning in the Asian Liberal Arts Nellie Chu, Moderator Ziying Cui, DKU Kim Hunter Gordon, DKU Ian McNally, DKU Hui Yao, DKU | 2B Mind, Morals, and Machines: Integrating Humanities and Sciences in Research and Teaching Gergely Horvath, Moderator Shan Wang, DKU Sze Chai Kwok, DKU Wen Zhou, DKU Yucheng Jin, DKU |
1415 | Short Break |
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1430 | 3A Voice Matters: Integrating Humanities and Sciences in Transdisciplinary Learning Yi-Lung Kuo, HKUST Guangzhou, Moderator Huaxiong Huang, DKU, Moderator Theresa Kwong, Hong Kong Baptist University Wenbo Zhang, HKUST Guangzhou Ruimeng Zhou, DKU | 3B Designing an Asian Liberal Arts Experience: The Chinese Arts of Education Lab at DKU James Miller, Moderator Kim Hunter Gordon, DKU Wenting Ji, DKU Lianyun Pang, DKU Ben Van Overmeire, DKU Yisu Zhou, DKU |
1545 | Tea Break |
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1615 | 4A Interdisciplinarity in the Humanities and Social Sciences: Insights from Teaching, Research, and Intellectual Exchange at Sino-Foreign Universities Nellie Chu, Moderator Hyun Jeong Ha, DKU Qian Zhu, DKU Shuang Wen, NYU Shanghai Jesse Olsavsky, DKU | 4B Bridging Boundaries: Interdisciplinary STEM Teaching and Research in the Asian Liberal Arts University Gergely Horvath, Moderator Hanbing Lin, DKU Weiwei Shi, DKU Xiaoqian Xu, DKU Renee Richer, DKU Paul Stanley, DKU |
1730 AB Ballroom | Keynote Address James Miller, Moderator In Knowledge and in Deeds Unto the Whole Person: A 20-Year Journey in Liberal Arts Education at BNBU Haipeng Guo, Beijing Normal-Hong Kong Baptist University |
1830 Executive Dining | Buffet Dinner |
| AB Ballroom | AB2103 |
0900 | 5A Beyond Boundaries: Transdisciplinary Learning with Society and Industry Zach Fredman, Moderator Albert Ko, Lingnan University Liangliang Zhang, NYU Shanghai Yuchen Han, CUHK Shenzhen Liqi Ren, DKU | 5B Making Interdisciplinarity Concrete Gergely Horvath, Moderator Yeshim Iqbal, DKU Xin Jin, DKU Lu Liu, DKU Yucheng Jin, DKU Rui Liu, DKU |
1015 | Tea Break |
|
1045 | 6A SociTech Futures: Interdisciplinary Liberal Arts Cultivating Student Leadership in Advancing Technology for Society Nellie Chu, Moderator Paula Ganga, DKU Fan Liang, DKU Dongping Liu, Amazon Web Services Luyao Zhang, DKU | 6B Cultures in Practice: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Intercultural Learning in Language Education James Miller, Moderator Kevin Sprague, DKU Liying Feng, DKU Joseph Davies, DKU Tong Zhang, DKU Wenting Ji, DKU Junyi Li, DKU Layla Shelmerdine, DKU |
1200-1230 AB Ballroom | Concluding Plenary Discussion and Closing Ceremony James Miller, DKU Jiawen Han, XJTLU Haipeng Guo, BNBU Nellie Chu, DKU |
The conference will adopt a mixed format of keynote lectures, panels, and workshop activities. The conference will be practical in nature, aimed at uncovering best practices, common themes and challenges. Each session of the conference will take place as a 75-minute block, followed by a 15-minute break. We invite proposals for whole 75-minute blocks, which could take the format of panel discussions, workshops, thematic paper presentations, or other formats.
Speakers will arrange their own transportation. Duke Kunshan University is located between Shanghai and Suzhou and has plentiful high speed rail connections throughout China via the Kunshan South or Yangchenghu stations. The nearest airport is Shanghai Hongqiao (SHA) approximately 45 minutes from the campus. Many international flights arrive at Shanghai Pudong (PVG), approximately 2 hours from the campus. Accommodation and meals for all accepted presenters will be provided by Duke Kunshan University in its well-appointed conference center. There is no registration fee.
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