The 3rd National High-end Forum on Development of Foreign Language Education in Sci-Tech Colleges and Universities Held at USST
On November 15th, 2020, the 3rd National High-end Forum on Development of Foreign Language Education inSci-Tech Colleges and Universities was successfully held at University of Shanghai for Science and Technology (USST). The forum was organized by the Committee of Science and Technology Universities of China University Alliance for the Development of Foreign Language and Literature Discipline (CUAFLL), with Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press (SFLEP) and the Editorial Department of Journal of University of Shanghai for Science and Technology (Social Science Edition) as the co-organizers and the College of Foreign Languages (CFL) of USST as the host university.
With the theme of Interdisciplinary Integration: New Developments for Foreign Language and Literature Discipline in Sci-Tech Universities in the New Era, the conference discussed the development strategies of the discipline of foreign language and literature of Sci-Tech Colleges and Universities in China against the background of advocating New Engineering Science Disciplines, New Liberal Arts Disciplines, and Great Foreign Language Education, as well as several common issues related to the development of the discipline of foreign language and literature, making a blueprint as to the grand goal of constructing a first-class discipline of foreign language and literature so as to establish a new model of disciplinary innovation, disciplinary construction, and teaching faculty construction of foreign language and literature discipline of sci-tech colleges and universities in the New Era.In response to the need for normalized epidemic prevention and control, USST made full use of modern information technology to support a new meeting mode combining webcast, online meetings, and small-scale offline meetings together.Thus, more than 300 experts, scholars, in-service teachers and related practitioners from universities including Beihang University (BUAA), Fudan University (FDU), Shanghai International Studies University (SISU), Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU), Chongqing University (CQU), Xian Jiaotong University (XJTU) enjoyed a safe and secure conference on the development of the discipline of foreign language and literature of sci-tech colleges and universities in China.
This high-end forum is comprised of four parts, namely the opening ceremony, keynote speeches, online sub-forums, and the offline closing meetings. It brought together many distinguished experts and eminent scholars from CUAFLL, the Committee of Sci-Tech Colleges and Universities in China, and the circles of foreign language, such as Professor Li Weiping, Secretary-General of CUAFLL and Director of SISU Academic Committee of Foreign Languages, Ye Qing, Vice President of Shanghai Foreign language Education Press (SFLEP), and Professor Chang Hui, managing member of the CUAFLL Committee of Sci- Tech Colleges and Universities in China and Executive Vice-Dean of the School of Foreign Languages of SJTU, to name just a few. Meanwhile, Professor Liu Qin, member of the Advisory Committee of Foreign Language Teaching in University, Ministry of Education, P.R. China and Dean of CFL of USST, hosted the opening ceremony.
After the keynote speeches, Professor Zhang Hua, Vice-President of USST, shared his plan on the development of foreign language education in Sci-Tech colleges and universities with other scholars. At the online sub-forums, topics such as Innovation in Foreign Language Education in Sci-Tech Colleges and Universities against the Background of New Engineering Science, Innovation in Education of Foreign Languages in Sci-Tech Colleges and Universities against the Background of New Liberal Arts, Training Programs of High-end International Talents in Sci-Tech Colleges and Universities in the New Era, Construction of First-Class Foreign Language Majors and First-Class Foreign Language Courses in Sci-Tech Colleges and Universities and Future-oriented Content Construction of Foreign Language and Literature Discipline in Sci-Tech Colleges and Universities were discussed actively and heatedly, with lots of in-depth and productive ideas coming into being.
Furthermore, the participants talked freely about the innovative ways of developing the discipline of foreign language and literature in Sci-Tech Colleges and Universities against the background of New Engineering Science and New Liberal Arts (Great Liberal Arts or GreatForeign Language and Literature) and made suggestions on how to strengthen disciplinary integration and cooperation to provide high-quality services for the national strategy of language development in the New Era.
At the same time, the leaders of the foreign language schools of more than a dozen Sci-Tech Colleges and Universities in Shanghai gathered at the Deans Forum on the 14th Five-Year Development Strategy of the Discipline of Foreign Language and Literature in Sci-Tech Colleges and Universities. In view of the practice of disciplinary development, they shared plenty of beneficial experience of their own schools in development planning, disciplinary construction, major development, social services, college cooperation and so on, demonstrating a firm stand in the direction of disciplinary development, disciplinary cooperation, mutual integration, and mutual improvement in line with each schools features, and drawing a blueprint for the 14th Five-Year Development Plan to contribute their ideas to the development of relevant Colleges and Universities in Shanghai.
The annual National High-end Forum on Development of Foreign Language Education inSci-Tech Colleges and Universities has developed into one of the most influential exchange platforms for the discipline of foreign languages and literature in sci-tech colleges and universities in China. The 3rd conference was composed of three major sections: the webcast keynote speeches, the sub-forum online seminars, and the small-scale offline Deans Forum. The abundant and diverse academic activities served as a platform for the participants to share ideas and wisdom with each other, and set the tone for the development of the discipline of foreign language and literature in sci-tech colleges and universities in the New Era. This high-end forum is of great significance to the promotion of the construction of the discipline of foreign language and literature, foreign language majors and foreign language education in Chinas sci-tech colleges and universities to a higher level.
