Program Overview

Introduction to the Foreign Language and Literature Program

The Foreign Language and Literature program at Beijing University of Technology was established in 2003, with the approval of the "Foreign Language and Applied Linguistics" secondary discipline point. The program began recruiting master's students in 2004 and was approved as a master's degree point in Foreign Language and Literature in 2010.

Program Overview

The program adheres to the training guidelines of "learning and research go hand in hand, knowledge and action are combined, and internal and external repairs are carried out." It insists on the principles of "controlling scale, refining courses, emphasizing process, and strict quality." The program focuses on the fundamental task of establishing virtue and cultivating talent, using teaching and research results to assist in the foreign language teaching practice of over 20,000 students at the university, and actively serving the school's international talent cultivation and the construction of Beijing as a "four-center" city.

Faculty Team

The program has established a professional, international, young, and potent faculty team. There are 35 teaching staff members (English, Japanese, French), 15 of whom have doctoral degrees, and 22 are master's supervisors. All 22 master's supervisors have senior titles. The faculty team covers two languages, English and Japanese, with a rich academic background and internationalization. Many teachers have graduated from overseas and domestic well-known universities, and there are three foreign teachers. Fifteen teachers serve as executive directors or directors of national first- or second-level associations. Seven teachers have been awarded the title of "Beijing University of Technology Teaching Master," two have been awarded the title of "Course Ideological and Political Teaching Master," 14 have been awarded the title of "School-level Young Main Lecturer," and three have been awarded the title of "School-level International Young Tutor."

Research Directions and Characteristics

The program has four training directions: Linguistics and Applied Linguistics, English and American Literature, Translation and Cross-Cultural Research, and Japanese Culture.

• Linguistics and Applied Linguistics: This direction mainly researches international communication, foreign language education, academic writing, discourse analysis, and corpus linguistics. The program offers courses such as "Theoretical Linguistics," "Second Language Acquisition," "Discourse Analysis," "Academic Training and Academic Writing," "Corpus Linguistics," and "Applied Linguistics Research Methods."
• English and American Literature: This direction mainly researches English and American contemporary literature, with a focus on the research of contemporary English and American poetry and novels, and the literature of writers and folk literature in the comparative vision of Chinese and Western literature. The program offers courses such as "Western Literary Theory," "Modern British Literature," "Modern American Literature," and "English and American Women's Literature Research."
• Translation and Cross-Cultural Research: This direction mainly conducts research on translation theory and practice, as well as cross-cultural communication and practice. The program offers courses such as "Translation Theory," "Culture and Translation," and "Cross-Cultural Communication."
• Japanese Culture: This direction focuses on the research of Japanese and East Asian regional culture and thought interaction, setting up courses such as "Cultural Research and Japanese Cultural Theory," "East Asian Cultural Theory," "Cultural Dynamics: East Asian Regional Research Methods," and "Cultural Dynamics: China-Japan Social and Cultural Structure Special Topic Research."

Talent Cultivation Quality

The program emphasizes "knowledge and action are combined, and learning is used." It combines foreign language teaching research, foreign translation, and international exchange work, and combines one-line practice cases with academic research. Four courses, including "Western Literary Theory," "American Culture," "Translation Theory," and "Theoretical Linguistics," have been awarded the title of "Course Ideological and Political Demonstration Course" and "Course Ideological and Political Demonstration Course Cultivation Project." The program adheres to "cultural identity," respects cultural differences, and cultivates students' self-consciousness in using foreign languages to promote and spread excellent traditional Chinese culture.

International Exchange

The program implements internationalized talent cultivation and academic exchange through overseas joint training, overseas student training, and domestic and foreign two-way cooperation between teachers. The program has rich international exchange projects and sufficient school scholarship resources. It has long-term employment of professional foreign teachers from countries such as the United Kingdom, Japan, Ireland, and New Zealand, and invites professors from universities such as Victoria University of Wellington, Shinshu University, and Ferris University to participate in research student training through cooperative teaching and participation in degree guidance.

Employment Situation

The program takes the class instructor as the promoter of student employment, and from the aspects of academic, career planning, strengthening industry awareness, employment guidance services, and providing recruitment information, it promotes student employment work in daily work. With the tutor as the backing, it strengthens the in-depth exchange and guidance of students' employment situation, and regularly holds seminars and employment sharing meetings to understand students' job intentions, inviting excellent graduate alumni to share job-seeking experiences. The program establishes a smooth employment information release channel, and all staff members participate in the collection of employment information, sending group and point-to-point employment information to students with different job intentions, helping students understand employment information in a timely manner. It encourages graduating students to share employment information, and establishes a mutual assistance relationship. In recent years, the employment rate of graduates has remained stable at 90% to 100%, and the employed industries include universities and secondary education institutions, national well-known publishers, and other units, mainly engaged in foreign language education, scientific research, and cultural communication. The program fully reflects the research ability and foreign language practical application ability of graduates. Most graduates have become business backbone or unit leaders, and the feedback from employers shows that they have good comprehensive quality, work attitude, and work ability.