A Study of the Development Path of “Area Studies”: Taking the Construction of the Heidelberg Center for Transcultural Studies in Germany as an Example

Abstract

Through the analysis of the construction of the Heidelberg Center for Transcultural Studies of Heidelberg University, this paper investigates how this innovative collaborative research institute assembles different faculties as well as international scholars and students from different disciplines and promotes interdisciplinary cooperation and further development of “interdisciplinary clusters” within universities on the micro-level, the experience of HCTS was introduced in terms of diversified international enrollment models, scholar teams of diversified academic backgrounds and multi/interdisciplinary course structures, the creation of interdisciplinary “academic communities”, overseas research and the construction of its funding guarantee system and digital research platform. This paper aims to provide a reference for the development path of “Country and Areas Studies” in China.