Ken Wang, joint CIR and MACSS

Ken Wang is a joint Masters in Computational Social Science (MACSS) and Committee on International Relations Masters (CIR) student who considers both Beijing, China and Madison, Wisconsin home. How did he end up a joint MA student? As Wang tells it, “[A]fter my first MA in international affairs, I realized I wanted to explore similar topics in a much more academic setting, so I came to CIR. As I was completing my thesis for CIR, I also realized I am interested in using more quantitative and computational approach [...] The joint degree with MACSS makes the perfect opportunity for me to enhance my computational and quantitative skills.” In the future, Wang hopes to go into academia, and he notes that the joint program’s “academic rigor and emphasis on critical thinking and original research are essential to prepare me for PhD programs.” 

Wang says “My current research topic explores the effects of US presidential speech on European defense spending behavior using machine learning to conduct sentiment analysis. I am also building an original dataset for this project.” Wang notes that his advisor, Professor Paul Poast , has been particularly helpful in providing guidance and general direction for his research. 

Besides his thesis, Wang has enjoyed his coursework so far. “I loved the core seminar on international security taught by Dr. Burcu Pinar Alakoc and the IR theory seminar with Dr. Rochelle Terman and Dr. Austin Carson.” Besides the coursework itself, Wang sees the support he gets as the most important part of his two programs. “My favorite thing about the program is the support from my peers, preceptor, and faculty advisor. Graduate school is hard so having good support system is really important for me. As a graduate student, you are not only learning from faculty, but majority of the time, you are learning from your peers and workshopping on different ideas.” 

Besides his academic life, Wang shares that “Living in Chicago is like playing an open world game; it is quite the adventure. There are so many different neighborhoods to explore. There is always something happening. You are probably going to learn or discover something new about the city frequently.” 

Finally, Wang says that his best advice to incoming students is to “[b]e open to different ideas, and do not be afraid to disagree with anyone! [...] UChicago is truly a marketplace of ideas, and just because your professor may be famous, it does not mean you have to agree with their ideas. That is the essence of the workshop culture on campus.”