About ChinaRains

PURPOSE & ACTIVITY

ChinaRains Club, established in 1996 at Stanford's Rains Houses, is a discussion group aiming to encourage academic communications and social connections among Chinese students and scholars of social sciences within Stanford community. Its initiation lies on the beliefs that China urgently calls for a new generation of social scientists, and that academic enterprises, especially those of social sciences, require a thought-stimulating atmosphere and an intellectual group. The club serves 1) to promote interdisciplinary exchange and mutual encouragement; 2) to establish a strong network and ideally long-term partnerships among Chinese social sciences students and scholars. The main activity of ChinaRains Club is to hold regular academic seminars to discuss any topic related to social sciences or Chinese society.

ORIENTATION

ChinaRains Club is highly academic-oriented. Pragmatic tendency, political prejudice, and ideological preference should be avoided in any club meeting.

MEMBERSHIP

General Membership: General members will be informed of and welcome to any club activity. Any Chinese student and scholar who is studying, teaching, or doing research on social sciences and humanity at Stanford University is automatically granted a general club membership. Non-social science students and scholars as well as non-Stanford people are also welcome.

Regular Membership: Regular members have the right to share any club information and to participate in group development. To become a regular member, one must 1) follow club orientation; 2) be actively involved in and dedicated to club activities.

ORGANIZATION

Coordinators: The club has two coordinators who are responsible for maintaining the functioning of the organization, both internally and externally.

Division Representatives: The club is mainly consisted of nine divisions based on academic disciplines: Economics, Sociology, Political Science, Anthropology, Business & Law, Education, Humanity, Regional Studies, and sciences & technology. Each division has one representative whose principal duties are to recruit new members and to collect discussion topics.

Election and Tenure: Club coordinators and division representatives are elected annually by regular club members.