■ English Department

Southwest Jiaotong University is the first key university of science and engineering in Sichuan Province to include in its academies the English Department in 1985. Two years later, the English Department started to offer the bachelor’s degree program of English Language and Literature. In 1997 and 2010, School of Foreign Languages, Southwest Jiaotong University, was authorized to provide, respectively, the master’s degree program of Foreign Linguistics and Applied Linguistics and the master’s degree program of Foreign Language and Literature (including English Language and Literature, Foreign Linguistics and Applied Linguistics, and Translation Theory and Practice). Since 2010, in corporation with the School of Humanities, School of Foreign Languages has enrolled PhD students majoring in Medio-translatology, and Comparative Literature and World Literature. The development in past decades has resulted in a complete system of talent cultivation and discipline support.

At present, the bachelor’s degree program of English Language and Literature ranks top 10% among all the universities and colleges in China. The program aims to cultivate both academic English talents and inter-disciplinary talents. Since 2016, more than 50% of graduates of the program have continued to pursue the master’s degree offered by top universities in China, the UK or the USA. Other graduates work in many fields such as education or foreign trade.

■ Faculties

* Faculties of English Department all hold master’s degrees, 10 of whom are PhDs, including PhD candidates.

■ The Bachelor’s Degree Program

1. Objectives

This program aims to equip its undergraduate students with a good command of English language and literature, and, in particular, the competence in academic English reading, writing, and research. It cultivates both academic English talents and inter-disciplinary talents who have humanistic quality, a high level of competence in English, critical and creative thinking and capacity for further studies.

The graduates of this program should be equipped with proficient skills in English listening, speaking, reading, writing, translating and interpreting, with comprehensive mastery of the knowledge about British and American literature, linguistics, English-speaking nations and regions, and Chinese and western culture, with necessary understanding of basics in natural sciences, and with acquisition of the second foreign language, social adaptability and cross-cultural communication ability.

Academic English graduates of this program are expected to pursue their further studies. They are either involved in English master programs such as language and literature, language education, interpretation, and translation, or in other programs of such humanities and social sciences as law, economy, management and accounting.

Inter-disciplinary English graduates, with proficient language skills both in English and Chinese, are expected to work in China or foreign countries in such fields as business, administration, education, and foreign affairs. Some of them, who receive university-based training of project contracting and management, are capable of handling interpretation, translation, bidding, and file management in high-speed railway and transport agencies.

2. Curriculum Design

The graduate of this program should take all required 150 credits and write a BA thesis with more than 5,000 words in English. The courses of 150 credits consist of public basic courses (36 credits), general education courses (6 credits), discipline and specialty foundational courses (67 credits), specialized courses (26 credits), practice courses (9 credits), diversified courses (4 credits), and innovation and entrepreneurship practice (2 credits).

The following is a brief introduction to two courses: (1) the discipline and specialty foundational courses, and (2) specialized courses.

(1)Discipline and specialty foundational courses (67 credits)

(2) specialized courses (26 credits)

A total credits of 26, including 14 for specialized core courses, 12 for specialized restricted courses.

Specialized Core Courses

Specialized restricted courses contain four areas, namely (1) Area Studies, (2) Literature, (3) Linguistics, and (4) applied English.

Specialized restricted courses