Sichuan International Studies University
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Introduction to Sichuan International Studies University
Sichuan International Studies University (四川外国语大学, website), located in Shapingba District, Chongqing, is a full-time general undergraduate foreign language college with a glorious tradition of “loyal to the people and serving the country”.
The university has 43 undergraduate majors, including 20 foreign language majors (18 foreign languages). It recruits undergraduates from 29 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities across the country, and currently has 15,000 full-time students. Undergraduate and graduate employment rates have remained above 90%.
Sichuan International Studies University focuses on foreign language and literature disciplines. There are 1266 faculty members and 780 full-time teachers, of which professors and associate professors account for 48.72% of the total number of teachers.
Sichuan International Studies University has established inter-university cooperation and exchange relationships with 77 universities in 22 countries or regions, and has carried out 94 exchange projects. Every year more than 400 students are sent to study and exchange abroad, and more than 400 foreign students come to study in the school. The school is an official member of the Association of French-speaking Universities (AUF); the school cooperates with foreign governments and educational institutions to establish the French-speaking Union, the Goethe Language Center, the Cervantes Language Center, the Italian Center, the Russian Center, and the French University of Toulouse in China Offices and other foreign-related education and cultural exchange institutions; Confucius Institutes were jointly organized with the German Language University of Nizhny Novgorod and the Lomé University of Togo; and a double diploma program of Chinese-foreign cooperation in running business English with the University of Newcastle, Australia.
The university covers an area of 71 hectares and has complete teaching facilities. It has the most comprehensive multimedia classroom for foreign language teaching in the Southwest, a speech laboratory, a simultaneous interpretation laboratory, a translation laboratory, a business simulation laboratory, a comprehensive communication skills laboratory, and an intermediary corpus Laboratories, Chongqing Foreign Affairs Experimental Center. The school library holds 1.17 million original paper books, humanities and social sciences, economic management and other paper books, 2.38 million electronic books, 929 Chinese and foreign paper newspapers and magazines, and 41,354 electronic journals.
School of English Studies
Owing its origin to the Department of English (DOE) established in 1959, the School of English Studies (SES) in SISU was founded in 2009 when DOE merged with the former Third Department of English (which was established in 1984). Currently, SES offers a four-year program in English leading to BA degrees in three sub-areas, viz., Translation & Oral Interpreting, English Literature & Linguistics, and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). Due to the program’s educational and academic excellence in English it has been accredited as an A-Class State Program and a Priority Program of Chongqing Municipality. Prompted by the pioneering spirit of its predecessors and supported by more than five decades of innovative perseverance, SES is proud to be recognized as the most dynamic and creative force in SW China. It is therefore one of the leaders across the entire country in providing high quality English education.
The faculty of SES is composed of 75 full-time teachers, of which, 13 are full professors, 40 are tenured associate professors. 20 have attained their Ph.D. degrees, and 98% have earned M.A. degrees, specializing in Anglo-American literature, comparative literature, linguistics & applied linguistics, cultural studies, TESOL, and other related fields. 95% of the faculty have had international experiences. All faculty members take a genuine interest in classroom instruction, while dedicating themselves to academic research. In addition to this, there are qualified and experienced teachers from English-speaking countries affiliated with SES. They not only bring passion to the learning environment and lend an international vision into the classroom, but also contribute considerably to making SES a multicultural academic community.
SES’s primary teaching goals are to equip students with fundamental English competence, provide a well-rounded knowledge of Sino-Western humanities, advance a broad international vision, develop the faculties of creative and critical thinking, and emphasize personal traits of honesty, modesty, and integrity. In support of these goals, SES offers a wide spectrum of modules covering its three primary coursework areas: foundation courses, communication courses, and electives. Foundation courses are designed to equip students with a basic knowledge of English. Communication courses aim to strengthen students’ ability to express themselves in English, think critically, speak fluently, and hone their writing skills in ways that will be important in their future lives and careers. Elective courses focus on specialized studies in Anglo-American literature, Chinese literature (in English), comparative literature, literary theory, linguistics and applied linguistics, theories of translation, cultural studies, TESOL, etc. The three main coursework areas complement one another, enabling graduates to achieve high standards of excellence. Complementing these study programs is a range of extracurricular activities (supported by a number of extracurricular platforms, e.g., the Creative Writing Studio, the Neo-Akademia Forum, and the Envision Drama Club), social services, and internships.
Graduates from SES are highly sought after by prestigious graduate schools and employers in diverse fields, such as English teaching, public service, international trade, diplomatic affairs, tourism, banking, finance, media, etc. Graduates from SES work tirelessly in these areas, fully utilizing their knowledge of English in their particular areas of calling.
In addition to teaching, academic research is another prominent aspect of SES. In recent years, the scholarly output created by SES’s faculty members has been rising steadily in both quantity and quality. Five research centers operate under SES: The Center for Anglo-American Literature Studies, The Center for Linguistics & Applied Linguistics Studies, The Center for Translation Studies, and The Center for Comparative Literature. SES also publishes an annual scholarly journal, A Review of International EL&L, reviewing and reporting on the latest academic achievements by foreign scholars in English studies.
With the advent of the new millennium, SES will redouble its efforts to further enhance its teaching, academic research and international collaboration, accomplishing the mission distilled in its motto: Connecting the World, Striving for Excellence!
Teaching Program
ISAC University Teaching Program
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