The Government of PRC has shown a strong political will to develop social work as a new academic profession in rapidly changing Chinese society. The Chinese universities are in the need of support for meeting this challenge in an appropriate way. There is a special need to develop practice education in social work training. This project (BUIBRI) aims to help the Chinese universities to strengthen relationship with working life and prepare students for effective professional practice in collaboration with stakeholders including governmental organizations. The project brings expertise in practice education by training practice trainers. In addition it provides pedagogical materials and methods for development of practice education as well as contributes to development of social work as academic discipline in terms of an integrated system of research, education and practice. It promotes social work's capacity to become such a field of research, education and practice which meets Government's expectations. The long-term impact concerns social work faculties and practice organizations and their pedagogical relationship nationwide.

Objective The objective of the Global Studies - A European Perspective Master Programme is to qualify students to deal responsibly and on an advanced scientific level with phenomena of globalisation and its accompanying processes in countries of the North and the South on the basis of findings, theories and methods from the Humanities and Social Science, History and Cultural Science.Course duration Two years (120 ECTS)Brief DescriptionDuring the last two decades of the 20th century transnational intertwining increased as the significance of global problems rapidly gained importance. This process is commonly termed 'globalisation'. As a result of an increasing lack of balance with regard to the prospects of independent action, social, political and cultural strategies altered dramatically. These strategies have given rise to a discussion concerning the most suitable paradigms with which to analyse global processes. The M.A. in Global Studies is not restricted to a single method of interpretation but is designed to equip highly-qualified students with the ability to contribute to this forward-looking debate, an essential qualification for enhancing one's prospects in the contemporary labour market. The programme, despite its various approaches their necessary combinations, takes global connections as a starting point for the understanding of globalisation. It views globalisation as follows: 1. Globalisation is not only a phenomenon of past centuries but requires a greater historical perspective. 2. It cannot be merely reduced to economic processes and social consequences but must also investigate the approval and disapproval of political and cultural developments. 3. It cannot only be analysed as a global process of homogenisation but also from the perspective of Regional and Area Studies. 4. It is also subject to interpretation, perspective and intellectual environment. Depending on the individual mobility track it is possible to specialise in particular areas of globalisation research e.g. historical as well as comparative analysis of global entanglements, methods of global history, economic and social history of globalisation, global political economy, global governance, analysis of transformation processes in Central and Eastern Europe and development studies.An international experienceA number of EU-funded scholarships are offered to the best qualified candidates.Career prospectsUpon successful completion of this researched based Master’s course, students qualify for PhD studies and for a variety of job opportunities in practice e.g. in cross- national and supranational agencies, non-governmental organizations, as intercultural mediator or in the field of development cooperation, economy and management. DiplomaSuccessful students of the European Master 'Global Studies' will receive a Master of Arts in Global Studies. Depending on their mobility track a double degree (in case it contains Roskilde and/or London School of Economics) or joint degree (in all other cases) will be issued. The degree will be accompanied by a diploma supplement, which contains further information about the educational university systems used in the Consortium, the qualifications gained by the student during the participation in the programme and her/his mobility track.Website: www.globalstudies-masters.info

Chinese history was co-constructed by Han (Chinese) people, transmitters of farming language and culture, and non-Han people, typically transmitters of nomadic language and culture in North and Northwest China. Governance by non-Han steppe rulers lasted for almost ten centuries (half of the history of imperial China since the First Emperor of Qin) and the Gansu-Qinghai area was the most important migration corridor between Central and East Asia. These languages and populations have competed, mixed and merged for ages. Surprisingly, a cross-linguistically comprehensive portrait of this region is missing in spite of individual language descriptions. The present Project will study language mixture and language replacement patterns in the Gansu-Qinghai area, which geographically constitutes a natural demarcation between nomadic herders and farmers. In this intense contact area, home to nomadic languages and populations, Sinitic (Han) languages started to resemble non-Han languages, adopting similar syntactic means, while Yugur languages (Western Yugur belongs to Turkic language group and Eastern Yugur belongs to Mongolic language group), spoken by typical nomadic populations, kept their syntax relatively intact. The mixing degree of languages and populations in this area remains unclear, and in-depth research with an interdisciplinary approach is necessary. The Project will determine the linguistic situation in this anthropological corridor by targeting two nomadic languages (Western and Eastern Yugur) and a variety of Sinitic languages. The analysis of language mixing and language replacement processes will be based on quantified data modeling, part of which will come from molecular anthropology and other fields such as history and archeology. This interdisciplinary approach will offer a global vision of language and population mixing in the Gansu-Qinghai area and a living sample of language preservation or loss due to different lifestyles and cultures.

Urban systems globally experience significant and interlinked societal challenges including pressures on public health and well-being and growing inequalities and social disruption. At the same time, urban systems are particularly vulnerable to impacts of climate change and suffer from degraded or lack of natural ecosystems to help alleviate these impacts. A promising approach to deal with these challenges is to work with nature’s capacity and qualities in a sustainability perspective. Working with nature in urban settings has advantages over other approaches: multi-functionality, multi-benefits and cost-effectiveness. Nature Based Solutions (NBS) are interventions that seek to restore, improve, enhance or conserve natural capital and biodiversity in terms of habitats or ecosystems. Subsequently, these ecosystems provide enhanced multiple ecosystem services that contribute to social and economic benefits, reducing the urban societal challenges. They can help build climate resilience in cities, improve liveability, and in collaboration with other urban priorities contribute to building inclusive communities, closing social equality gaps, while promoting innovative businesses and jobs. The aim of Regreen is to generate evidence for how Nature-based solutions (NBS) underpinned by improved urban governance, and public and private participation can systematically integrate ecosystem services and biodiversity and advocate their benefits and values in urban planning to meet societal challenges including climate change resilience, public health and well-being, and social inclusion. Co-creation with urban planners, citizens and business in urban living labs and educational programs for children ensure long-term sustainability of solutions, and support to business development assist further realization. This to accelerate the crucial transition toward smart, green and healthy cities in Europe and China.