Graduating Senior Receives the Fulbright Grant

Sarah Tynen, B.A. International Affairs, 2011
Received a 2011-2012 Fulbright award to China and Critical Language Enhancement Award for the study of Chinese at the Middlebury school in Kunming.

Sarah Tynen is a graduating senior in The George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs, majoring in International Affairs with a concentration in Asian Studies and a minor in Chinese Language and Literature. During her time at GW, Sarah has interned for the Office of the Secretary of Defense, GWU Institute for International Economic Policy, and Hudson Institute. From 2009-2010, she studied abroad in Nanjing, China for a year, where she lived with a host family, studied Chinese, and taught English. Upon her return, she was elected Vice President of the GWU Organization of Asian Studies. After learning about Chinese-Middle Eastern and Chinese-Central Asian affairs, she was inspired to write her senior honors thesis on the role of the international Uyghur movement in the ethno-diplomacy of Chinese-Turkish relations. In March 2011, she attended a conference in Sydney, Australia to present her paper, which will be published by the Elliott School this summer. She will be returning to China in August 2011 on a Fulbright award.

The Grant
The Fulbright grant requires a total of 14 months in China: 4 months of language study and 10 months of research. Sarah will first study Chinese for four months at the CV-Starr Middlebury school in Kunming, Yunnan for the Critical Language Enhancement Award of the Fulbright scholarship. Upon completion, she will begin her 10-month Fulbright grant in Nanjing.
For her Fulbright research, Sarah plans to examine the impact of urban renewal on the preservation of tradition and cultural identity, To do so, she will conduct a case study in Old Nanjing, home to some of Nanjing's oldest housing structures and poorest residents. This will focus on the influence of urban redevelopment on the preservation of Nanjing cultural identity and tradition. Under the mentorship of Professor Chen Yunqian of Nanjing University, this study will serve as a tool for both Chinese and Westerners in creating urban development policies.