introduce

College English Department I is one of the largest teaching departments in the College of Foreign Languages. As one of the two College English departments, it is responsible for teaching English to non-major undergraduates. The 19 faculty members include 1 professor, 5 associate professors and 13 lecturers.

Since 2004, the department has gone through various stages of development in the reform of College English teaching called upon by the state’s Ministry of Education and the university, inheriting strengths and improving on weaknesses. This team has systematically planned and has been optimizing the curriculum system, teaching mode, methods and textbooks as well as the testing system, teaching resources and management system. It has formed a complete student-centered teaching system that aims to cultivate students' independent learning ability, language application ability, confidence in Chinese culture and the ability to tell Chinese stories.

In the current curriculum program, the course of College English offers basic language training (English reading, writing and translation, English listening and speaking) as well as a series of extension modules (English and American culture, Chinese culture, Western culture, film and television appreciation, business English, English and American literature, translation, practical English writing and speaking). A new curriculum program will be implemented starting from 2024, featuring level-based teaching, flexible credit system, a combination of formative and summative assessment and modular courses. Courses offered include English reading, writing and translation, English listening and speaking, translation and intercultural communication, and English communication for freshmen, and talking about China in English, English writing for academic purposes, English translation of Chinese classical literature, and Western culture for sophomores.

The department adopts an approach of teaching and research combination. Department members have published many articles in high-level journals; have completed multiple research projects at the Ministry of Education and provincial level; are currently leading national-level
College Students' Innovative Entrepreneurial Training projects, provincial and ministerial level scientific research, educational reform projects, curriculum construction projects, textbook construction projects, as well as school-level independent innovation fund projects; have developed and published a series of textbooks for the curriculum, enrich teaching resources and improve teaching and research. The teaching department has achieved multiple achievements and honors as below.

In 2015, College English Department was awarded the title of Women's Federation Red Banner Collective;

In 2016, the College English Department team was awarded the title of Tianjin Teaching Team of excellence;

In 2018, the team won the second prize of the 8th Tianjin Higher Education Teaching Achievement Award;

In 2021, the course of College English was awarded Tianjin’s Pioneer Course of Curriculum Political Education, with the team members selected as renowned teachers and teaching teams in Tianjin's curriculum ideological and political education.

The department aims at teaching and learning improvement through competitions. Several members from the department have participated in and won first, second and third prizes in competitions including the Tianjin Youth Teacher Teaching Competition, various national college foreign language teaching competitions, and the National Excellent Teaching Case Selection of Curriculum Political Education. The department members guide students to participate in various national College English competitions and their efforts have pulled off dozens of national and provincial awards in the "FLTRP·ETIC Cup" English contests including speaking, writing, reading, and translation, as well as in the SFLEP Cup National College Students’ Intercultural competition Contest.

All the accomplishments in the past are a prelude to a brilliant chapter in the future. The course of College English has been nominated as a national "first-class course"; the department highlights the integration of teaching and cultivation, with the party activity "Integrating Theory with Practice, Party Members Uniting the Masses" being selected as an excellent activity of "the Best Party Day" in the Tianjin education system. College English Department I will continue to develop, fulfill its educational mission, and cultivate talents for the new era.