With a history that dates back to the Department of English of the Foreign Languages School of the Central Military Commission （1944）, the School of English and International Studies (SEIS) is the first Chinese institution of higher learning authorized to run a PhD program and the State-Level Priority Program for English Language and Literature. Its achievements in teaching and research have made it the “flagship” department of the University and a national leader in study of English language and literature.
The first dean of the School (then English Department) was Pu Huaren and, during his time, many famous figures such as Huang Hua, Chen Jiakang, Ke Bainian, and Ma Haide were among the faculty members. Over the past half century, many well-known scholars, such as Wang Zuoliang, Xu Guozhang, Zhou Yueliang, Liu Shimu, Wei Dongya, Hu Wenzhong and Chen Lin, worked in this school. Since then, it has developed a faculty of high-level academics with rich teaching experiences and strong devotion to their work. Currently, the School has 26 professors, 31 associate professors, and 26 lecturers. Some of them are nationally renowned professors of English studies.
The School has two departments: Department of English Language and Literature and the Department of Translation and Interpreting. But it offers degrees in four subjects: 1) English and American Literature, 2) Linguistics and Applied Linguistics, 3) English Countries and Areas Studies, and 4) Translation and Interpretation. It has eleven research centers: Center for English and American Literature, Center for Linguistics and Applied Linguistics, Center for Translation Studies, American Studies Center, British Studies Center, Australian Studies Center, Canadian Studies Center, Irish Studies Center, Center for Chinese American Literature, and Inter-Cultural Studies Center.
The School is devoted to training students according to the highest standards, building all the disciplines into what can be rated as nationally best and internationally renowned. It aims to equip its students with a good command of the English language, a broad range of knowledge, leadership, international vision and the abilities to learn, think critically, create and cooperate.
The SEIS undergraduates have proved to be competitive in careers that range from foreign affairs, international trade, cultural exchange and international communication, and teaching of English as a second language. They are also qualified for further studies not only in English, but also in all other related humanities and social science disciplines.
The SEIS graduate students also have an excellent English proficiency and a specialized training in research methodology, in humanities, and in independent research capabilities. Many of them have become elites in organizations of foreign affairs, international communication, cross-cultural exchange, international trade and commerce, and the fields of teaching and research in higher education institutions.
For the past 70 years, the School has educated nearly 10,000 qualified English speaking professionals, many of whom have become major figures in such professions as diplomacy, foreign trade, journalism, translation, education and research. Among them are the former ambassador to America and current Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing; the former director of the Hongkong branch of the Xinhua News Agency Zhou Nan; the former deputy president of the Bank of China Ling Zhi; the vice minister of the former Ministry of Foreign Trade and the chief representative of China at the WTO Sun Zhenyu; the former vice Foreign Minister Wang Yingfan; the former spokesman of the Foreign Ministry and China’s ambassador to Afghanistan Sun Yuxi; the famous TV hostesses Yang Lan and Xu Gehui; and the well-known academics Hu Wenzhong, Qian Qing, Zhang Zhongzai, and Mei Renyi.
As the country’s key institution in English Language and Literature, the School has undertaken many important research projects. In the recent 10 years, the Department staff has published over 150 books, including academic books, translated works, textbooks, dictionaries and reference books. And over 20 of them won awards at ministry level or above.
The School has established relations of strategic partnerships with a dozen internationally renowned universities in English-speaking countries, through which it has developed Study Abroad programs for SEIS students at BA, MA and PhD levels and International Students programs and the “Chinese Culture Studies” summer program for foreign students.
