In order to promote the construction of an independent knowledge system of foreign language education and a new pattern of foreign language talent training, and realize the high-quality development of foreign language education of NENU, the School of Foreign Languages held the “High-end Forum on the Layout of Foreign Languages and Literatures and the Construction of Academic Discourse System” on December 4th. Present at the meeting were Wang Yan, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of NENU, Zhou Lin, Director of the Development of Planning and Department, and Bai Bing, Director of the Social Science Department. Wang Yan and Dean Zhou Guijun of the School of Foreign Languages delivered speeches at this high-end forum. The opening ceremony was presided over by Professor Shang Yingmei, Secretary of the Party Committee of the School of Foreign Languages of NENU. This high-end forum invited eight members of the discipline review team of the Academic Degree Committee of the State Council from Shanghai Overseas Chinese University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Nanjing University, Renmin University of China, Heilongjiang University, Information Engineering University, Yanbian University and our university to give keynote speeches.
In response to the topic of “what should be done” in the layout of disciplines and the construction of the discourse system, Professor Zhan Jian of Shanghai Overseas Chinese University proposed that the urgent task of the foreign language discipline at present is to plan the present from the perspective of the future with a forward-looking vision and problem awareness, and establish and improve the discipline system, academic system and knowledge system. Professor Peng Qinglong of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, looking at the current challenges of higher foreign language education and taking country and regional studies as examples, emphasized that the development of foreign language disciplines should seize the opportunity of high-quality development in the new era and explore a new pattern of discipline development and talent training. Professor Guo Yingjian of Renmin University of China discussed the elements of the discourse system of foreign language disciplines, highlighting that the discourse system of foreign language disciplines should focus on building international communication capacity, and form a new disciplinary support by complementing journalism and communication studies. Professor Sun Shufang of Heilongjiang University reckoned that the discipline connotation of foreign language discipline brings together comprehensive elements such as academia, talents and mechanisms, and it is necessary to form a foreign language discipline construction and guarantee mechanism that is contributive to innovation, intersection, openness and sharing.
In view of the topic of “how to get things done” in the layout of disciplines and the construction of discourse system, Professor Zhong Zhixiang of Information Engineering University put forward the goal of cultivating international communication talents in foreign language disciplines, and believed that in the process of talent training, special attention should be paid to adhering to the combination of global vision and Chinese position, and cultivating students’ foreign language international communication ability and communication innovation ability. Professor Yang Jincai of Nanjing University proposed that the study of foreign literature should be based on China, face the world, pay attention to Chinese writing and its cultural representation, break through the encirclement of foreign theories, focus on ourselves, base on the careful reading of texts, and highlight the cross-cultural care of foreign literature research from the outside to the inside.
Regarding the topic of “what has been done” in the layout of disciplines and the construction of the discourse system, Professor Jin Zhejun of Yanbian University introduced the overall construction achievements, development experience and future construction tasks of Yanbian University based on the first round of construction of first-class disciplines of foreign languages and literatures of Yanbian University. Professor Chen Xiuwu of NENU shared his thoughts on the construction of disciplines based on the layout of foreign language disciplines and the construction of academic discourse system, and believed that only by carrying out the reasonable layout of foreign language disciplines, achieving intersection within disciplines and interdisciplinary interdiscourse and building a unified academic discourse system can the vitality of the discipline be unleashed.
This forum is an active exploration of the development and professional construction of foreign language disciplines in the context of new era, new development and new pattern, which is a positive response to the improvement of the discipline system, academic system and discourse system, and will further guide us to think deeply about “what will be done”, which is of great significance for exploring the new pattern of discipline development and talent training, and also points out the direction for the future development and construction of the School of Foreign Languages.
(From News Center, translated by Wei Jia, revised by Liu Lixin)