| With its history dating back to the English Department of Huazhong University established in 1924, the Department of English Language and Literature (the “English Department” for short) stands out in terms of its teaching facilities, discipline construction, curriculum design, faculty composition, teaching quality, research output, and teaching management. Thanks to the endeavors of the past half century and the meritocracy-oriented recruitment policy, the 21st century has witnessed enhanced academic exchanges and a heightened tempo of disciplinary development in the Department. The English Language and Literature program has been the boast of the Department. The program was approved as a provincial key discipline of Hubei in 2003, and again, in 2008. In 2006, the program became the first of its kind in Hubei Province to enroll PhD students. At present, the program is sponsored by the Key Undergraduate Programs Construction Scheme of Hubei (granted 2006) and the Ministry of Education Tertiary Programs with Distinguished Characteristics (granted 2007). Due to its academic strengths, the program has been authorized to expand — offering MTI (Master of Translation and Interpreting) program (2010) and administering a new undergraduate degree program in Translation (2011). Currently, the program features two streams: English for Teacher Training, and Translation, the former of which is the most esteemed in Hubei Province and enjoys great reputation throughout central southern China. The Department has a strong faculty. Among its 52 members, more than 40 are associate professors and professors. Foreign Linguistics and Applied Linguistics of the Department is recognized as a CCNU key discipline. The Department offers BA courses in English for Teacher Training as well as BA, MA, and PhD courses in English Language and Literature. The research entities in the Department include: Research Center of English Literature, Institute of Foreign Linguistics and Applied Linguistics, Translation Studies Center, and Research Center of Language Teacher Education. In order to facilitate teaching and teaching-based research, faculty members are also divided into four teaching and research groups according to the year of the courses they teach. The Department has good teaching and research facilities, including a Foreign Languages Reference Center and a Multi-media Teaching Center, to accommodate modern teaching with advanced IT technology. Great importance has been attached to academic exchanges at national and international levels. Long-term exchange programs and academic collaborations with universities and institutes in the United States, the Great Britain, Australia and New Zealand have been established. The Department publishes, with national circulation, Foreign Literature Studies (quarterly, the first A&HCI periodical in China, in collaboration with the School of Chinese Language and Literature of CCNU), Foreign Language and Literature Research (bimonthly), and English Journal for Middle School Students (one issue every ten days). |