I. Overview

The Center for Human Rights Research and Education at Jilin University, is based on the Human Rights Institute of the Theoretical Law Research Center at Jilin University. It brings together teachers and researchers who specialize in constitutional law, administrative law, criminal law, civil and commercial law, procedural law, labor and social security law, environmental law and international law. With a geographical focus on the three northeastern provinces, the center invites human rights experts to construct a teaching and research platform that combines theoretical research, personnel training, social service and cultural exchange.

Prof. He Zhipeng is director of the center. Associate Prof. Liu Hongzhen and Associate Prof. Liu Xuebin are both vice directors.

1. Organization

According to administrative rules, the center has set up an academic committee, consultative committee and executive office.

Prof. Zhang Wenxian chairs the academic committee, and Prof. Yao Jianzong and Prof. Huang Wenyi are its vice chairs. The academic committee considers, appraises and decides on major matters involving the center.

The center has a research office, which comprises the human rights theoretical research desk; the economic, social and cultural rights research desk; the civil and political rights research desk; and the special groups’ rights research desk; the general office; the education and training office; the editorial office; and the reference room.

The executive office is the organ that performs the daily work of the center. It implements guidelines set by the consultative committee and plans and implements various activities of the center.

2. Major Disciplines and Bases

The center has four key national-level disciplines: legal theory, criminal law, Marxist philosophy, and political theory.

The center has three key research bases: the Theoretical Law Research Center; the Research Center for Fundamental Philosophical Theory, and the Northeast Asia Research Center.

The center also is home to the Coordinated Innovation Center for Judicial Civilization, which is part of Project 2011.[page]

II. Human Rights Research and Education Teams at Jilin University

The center’s key staff members come from the Jilin University Law School and the Theoretical Law Research Center at Jilin University. Supported by Jilin University and other institutions of higher-learning and research institutions in Changchun, the capital of Jilin Province, as well as teaching and research organizations and government offices, the center has cultivated an academic team that has a rational structure, a strong cooperative spirit and strong research capability.

1. Overview

The center has 26 researchers. They include a lead expert for the Central Marxist Research and Construction Project; a convener of the law division of the social sciences committee of the Ministry of Education; a young expert who has received a national excellence citation; an expert who has received special support under the Ten Thousand Experts Program; two distinguished professors and Cheung Kong scholars; two national-level excellent teachers; a national top 10 young legal scholar; four lead scientists for key projects funded by the National Social Science Foundation; two lead scientists for key projects funded by the Ministry of Education; three national-level experts supported by the national New Century Talent Program; and seven experts supported by the Ministry of Education’s New Century Talent Program.
 

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2. Structure and Size of Team

The center’s main research strength is in law, with 18 experts (68 percent) in this field; two (8 percent) in philosophy; two (8 percent) in political science; two (8 percent) in economics; and two (8 percent) in sociology. This distribution shows not only the importance of law as the backbone of the center, but also shows the center’s diversified expertise in research. The multidisciplinary structure of the center benefits coordinated innovation in social scientific research related to human rights research and education.

III. Orientation and Characteristics

1. Orientation

Based on legal theory, international law, constitutional law and administrative law, criminal law, procedural law, economic law and social law, the center has integrated research forces from the Research Center for Social Justice and Governance and the Research Center for the Development of the Disabled, etc. to form the following basic research orientation: human rights and rights theories, international human rights and humanitarian law, human rights and international criminal law, constitution and human rights protection, administrative law and human rights protection, justice and human rights, social justice and equal rights protection, commerce and human rights, environment and human rights, science and technology and human rights, rights protection for the disabled, rights protection for women, rights protection for children and rights protection for the elderly.

2. Strength and Advantages

(1) Human rights research with deep tradition but keeping pace with the times

Jilin University is the cradle of the “rights standard theory” and has a tradition of studying human rights and other rights. In the 1980s when the class struggle theory was still valid and the human rights concept had yet to achieve official legitimacy, Prof. Zhang Wenxian and Prof. Zheng Chengliang initiated a reconstruction of the theoretical system for Chinese law within the basic categories of rights and obligations, advocating the rights standard theory in law, which complied with modern trends and unveiled a transformation in Chinese law and legal paradigms. Using the rights standard theory, the idea that “rights and obligations are the basic categories of jurisprudence” developed into the concept that “rights are the fundamental category of jurisprudence” and then developed into the legal and philosophical paradigm of the rights standard theory. Research on human rights and other rights is a special characteristic, a professional strength and an academic tradition of Jilin University Law School.[page]

Besides improving the rights standard theory, Jilin University has also kept pace with the times in institutional construction and practical implementation. Led by Prof. Zhang Wenxian, Prof. Yang Jianzong, Prof. Huang Wenyi, Prof. Du Yanlin and Prof. He Zhipeng, the university has focused on frontier trends in the transformation of Chinese society and legal development, conducting research on emerging rights, protecting the rights of the disadvantaged, rights and politics, judicial protection for human rights, protection for people’s livelihood, and globalization and human rights. It has made remarkable progress.

(2) Systematically mature and innovative human rights education

Jilin University Law School and the Jilin University Center of Theoretical Law attach great importance to the teaching of human rights theories and human rights law. The law school was one of the earliest law schools to offer courses on human rights theories and institutions, international human rights and humanitarian law. The law school offers human rights courses to undergraduates and to master’s and doctoral students. In addition, the law school provides human rights training to college teachers and legal professionals. In 2001, the law school and the center organized the first Sino-Scandinavian human rights law training program for young college teachers. In 2006, the law school and the center organized a symposium on human rights law education and research at Chinese universities in the era of globalization. In 2013, the Coordinated Innovation Center for Judicial Civilization trained legal professionals as part of Project 2011, with a focus on human rights theories and human rights law education. The law school and the center have developed much experience in textbooks, course set-up and teaching methodologies.

(3) Inclusive and innovative teaching and research platforms

The Human rights Research and Education Center combines theory and practice, various disciplines, various facets and various fields.[page]
 

Campus of Jilin University

(i) Coordination within the school

The research on the theory and philosophy of law is the strength of Jilin University Law School. Researchers at the school have long noticed that human rights, as the spirit of modern law, is an intrinsic part of the legal system and human rights construction requires coordinated research on theories and institutions. Based on this recognition, the university established the Human Rights Theory and Human Rights Law Research Center, which combines academic resources related to constitutional and administrative law, criminal law, international law and philosophy, sociology and human resources.

Under the theme of human rights and using various modes, the school organizes cross-specialty undergraduate educational activities. The school has also introduced reform on educating candidates for the master of law degree, setting up human rights and public interest curricula and other courses with human rights at the core, which are quite innovative in human rights education among Chinese universities. The school has also actively organized students to participate in international moot court competitions cosponsored by the International Committee of the Red Cross and Chinese universities, and international criminal moot court competitions cosponsored by the International Criminal Court and the China University of Political Science and Law. Such participation has helped students enhance their ability to employ international human rights law and humanitarian law.[page]

(ii) Coordination at the university

The center actively pushes forward interdisciplinary cooperation between the law school, the philosophy and social sciences school, the business school, the Research Center for the Development of the Disabled and the Research Center for Population and Aging and Socioeconomic Development. From concept to institution to practice, human rights research requires interaction among the social sciences. The center has also cooperated with the School of Public Diplomacy to popularize socialist human rights theories with Chinese characteristics and great achievements made by China in human rights development.

(iii) Coordination with other universities

In Northeast China, Jilin University has cooperated with the Jilin Academy of Social Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun Polytechnic University, Yanbian University, Northeast Finance and Economics University and Inner Mongolia University. Besides Jilin University, other higher-learning institutions and research institutes have academic strength in human rights research, particularly in fields with local characteristics. Therefore, the center actively promotes such interactions between Jilin University and other institutions.

(iv) Coordination among universities, research institutes and government and social entities

Universities and research institutes have cooperated with courts, procuratorates, police departments, justice departments, lawyer associations, trade unions, women’s federations, communist youth league departments and disabled persons’ federations. Government employees and social workers from these organizations usually work on the front lines of human rights protection, with a deeper understanding of human rights and giving a real boost to human rights development in China. The center has not only invited experts from government offices and social organizations to give lectures at the university but also offered training so they can improve their human rights concept and awareness of institutions.[page]

(v) Organic combination of theory and practice

The center has two ways of offering service to the government and the society.

First, the center offers consultation reports, such as those to the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and the central government on the rule of law in China, governance under the rule of law and international law; those to the armed forces and provincial governments on human rights and security issues in Northeast China, particularly triggered by Korean Peninsula issues; as well as those to the central and provincial governments on human rights development, self-determination and other human rights theoretical issues in international law.

Second, the center offers legal aid and conducts law popularization in the society. In December 2011, the Jilin Provincial Legal Aid Center set up a legal aid station at Jilin University Law School, with more than 10 teachers at the school guiding a team of legal aid volunteers comprising undergraduates and graduate students at the school. The legal aid station supplies free legal advice to disadvantaged groups via the Internet, through call-in services, and through letters and visits. Their help includes writing legal complaints, arbitration and lawsuit representation, law popularization and personnel training. Since its establishment, the legal aid station has achieved a lot in providing legal aid and law popularization.

Finally, the center sticks to its principle of combining theory and practice. With the academic strength of standardized theoretical construction, the center, against the backdrop of globalization, informatization, urbanization and economic improvement and social transformation, pays close attention to human rights and other rights concepts in China as well as rights institution and rights practices, introducing logical analysis, empirical analysis and other methodologies.

(4) Chinese expression of human rights discourse

The center has a strong research force of experts in international human rights and humanitarian law. Most of the researchers at the center have experience studying abroad. The center organizes courses taught by American and European professors, contributing to the global mindset and perspective of the center. At the same time, the research and educational work of the center focuses on Chinese issues and Chinese positions, with strong regional features of Northeast China. The center discovers answers to real questions. Prof. He Zhipeng lectures on international relations and international law to international students, showing China’s stand on human rights and practices. The course has been chosen to be among the first group of excellent courses for international students at Chinese universities.[page]

IV. Goal, Plan, Logistics

1. Goal

Implementing requirements of the National Human Rights Action Plan (2012-2015), the center should be based in Northeast China, serve the whole country, be open to the world and strive to become a key base for national-level human rights education and research. Under the guidance of the China Society for Human Rights Studies, the center, based in Northeast China, should further cooperate with other human rights education and research institutions and push forward work in the following four areas.

(1) Think tank for human rights theory

The center should push forward a series of human rights theory research projects, which should integrate the fruits of human civilization and promote the evolution and development of human rights theory with Chinese characteristics.

(2) Human rights education and training base

The center should push forward improved teaching and discussion of human rights law among undergraduate and graduate students, expanding their human rights vision, improving their awareness and increasing their knowledge.

Under the guidance of the China Society for Human Rights Studies, the center should further cooperate with concerned institutions to carry out human rights training for different social groups in Northeast China and other regions.

(3) Human rights information center

The center should build an open and communal human rights information center, including books and periodicals, legal documents and online databases. This would promote the sharing of human rights information and documents.

(4) Human rights experience-sharing platform

The center should cooperate with the School of Public Diplomacy to offer courses to international students on human rights in China, which would help foreign students know more about the progress of human rights development in China and Chinese human rights concepts.

The center should also organize international and domestic academic symposiums to spread human rights theoretical exploration and practical experience, enhance the general level of human rights awareness in Northeast China and other regions, build China’s image of promoting human rights and combining human rights ideas with law, diplomacy and public diplomacy.[page]

2. Measures

(1) Promotion of human rights theory research and education

The center will further expand its platform for human rights research, cooperate with the Research Center for the Development of the Disabled at Jilin University and the Women’s Research Center at Northeast Normal University, and promote development of human rights research at Jilin University.

The center will also apply to become an organizational entity in social sciences at Jilin University, becoming a key research base of philosophy and social sciences at Jilin University.

(2) Cultivation of human rights research and education

The center will invite senior researchers or professors from the School of Humanities, the School of Administration and the School of Marxism to push forward coordinated innovation at the university.

The center will also invite human rights experts from around the nation, particularly from Northeast China, to push forward coordinated innovation among universities.

In addition, the center will invite international human rights experts to push forward coordinated innovation among countries.

(3) Promotion of human rights research

The center will establish special topics for human rights research and publication funds as well as promote the academic fruits of human rights research, particularly in socialist human rights theories with Chinese characteristics, socialist human rights paths with Chinese characteristics and socialist human rights discourse with Chinese characteristics.[page]

(4) Human rights course reform

The center will integrate existing human rights courses for undergraduate students, and break the boundaries between legal theory, constitutional and administrative law, and international law. The center will systematically offer human rights law courses.

The center will integrate existing human rights courses for graduate students, and break the boundaries between legal theory, constitutional and administrative law, criminal law, and international law. The center will systematically offer human rights law seminars.

The center will integrate elective human rights courses for undergraduate students, breaking boundaries between the School of Law, the School of Administration, the School of Marxism and the School of Public Health. The center will systematically expand the content and scope of human rights courses offered to undergraduate students at the university.

In building an excellent professional training and education base in the field of law, the center will systematically offer human rights courses to students who study at the base.

(5) Cultivation of human rights talent

The center will encourage students to carry out human rights research projects, with a one-on-one advisor-student mechanism. In innovation and social work projects, the center encourages graduate students to apply for human rights projects and it offers professional guidance to such applicants. Some students have received support in the form of national awards and grants for human rights research.

The center encourages students to choose thesis topics on human rights and offers awards to excellent theses in the field.

The center encourages students to carry out human rights activities, such as holding reading groups and human rights discussions, which would be organized and led by researchers at the center.[page]

(6) Social service in the field of human rights

The center offers consultation to CPC and government departments and serves as a think tank to Jilin Province and Northeast China regarding the revitalization of China’s “rust belt.”

The center provides human rights training to CPC and provincial departments, including administrative enforcement organs, courts and procuratorates.

The center carries out human rights popularization activities on World Human Rights Day and World Disabled Day, spreading information about human rights development and international human rights laws and conventions among the Chinese.

(7) International exchange and cooperation in human rights

Based on existing human rights education and training at Jilin University, the center will organize training and meetings related to human rights teaching and research in Northeast China, expanding regional human rights academic exchange and cooperation.

The center will actively bid for the national experience-sharing meeting for human rights research institutions, organize domestic meetings concerning judicial protection for human rights, and help deepen domestic academic exchange and cooperation involving human rights.

The center will visit the Human Rights Research and Education Center at Guangzhou University, the Human Rights Research Center at Nankai University and the School of Human Rights at the China University of Political Science and Law, signing cooperation agreements with them.

The center will conduct dialogues with the Scandinavian Human Rights Research Center, expanding exchange and cooperation with foreign human rights institutions.[page]

3. Logistics

(1) Logistics at the university

(i) Jilin University has drafted an action plan to enrich and develop social sciences at Jilin University (2011-2020), supporting interdisciplinary research and platforms. This plan provides policy and institutional protection for construction and development of the center.

(ii) Jilin University Law School will fully support the center, providing research facilities to the center, equipping the center with full-time researchers, administrative staff and documents maintenance staff. It will also provide offices, references rooms and office facilities. The journal Modern Law, which is edited by the law school, will publish research papers from the center.

(iii) The Theoretical Law Research Center at Jilin University will fully support the center, providing library, editing staff and Internet facilities to the center. The journal Legal Systems and Social Development, which is edited by the Theoretical Law Research Center, will publish research papers from the center. The Theoretical Law Research Center annually organizes a forum for doctoral candidates and a symposium that can be used for professional discussions.

(iv) The excellent legal professional training and education base at Jilin University will help the center reform its courses and training methods for students.

(v) The School of International Education and the School of Public Diplomacy will actively support the center, popularizing China’s human rights concepts among international students.

(2) Support from within the province

(i) The Jilin Provincial Academy of Social Sciences and the Jilin Police Academy will support the center.

(ii) Project 2011, the Coordinated Innovation Center for Judicial Civilization at Jilin University, in accordance with the framework agreement with the center, will help the center train law professionals at the Jilin Provincial High People’s Court, the Jilin Provincial People’s Procuratorate, the Jilin Public Security Department and the Changchun City Middle People’s Court.

(iii) The Jilin Provincial Legal Aid Center supports the center, providing some funds for the legal aid station at Jilin University Law School.

(3) National Support

In accordance with the cooperation agreements between Project 2011, the Coordinated Innovation Center for Judicial Civilization, with the Supreme People’s Court, ministries and other governmental institutions, the center will be able to use the treasured resources of the above-mentioned organs. Similar cooperation agreements also ensures that the center receive support from other departments and organizations across the country.