The School of Foreign Languages of Henan University, originally founded from 1912’s Preparatory School for Further Study in Europe and America, boasts one of the century-long schools at Henan University, with three subjects set up at the beginning: English, French and German.

Going through a century’s vicissitudes, the School of Foreign Languages, with generations of scholars’ dedication, has developed into a school of teaching and research integrated with full professional categories and subject echelon, enjoying a high reputation both at home and abroad.

Currently, it offers six undergraduate majors, including English, Russian, Japanese, German, French and Translation & Interpretation, possessing master’s programs, doctoral programs and a postdoctoral research station of Foreign Languages and Literature in the primary disciplines, and master’s programs of MTI and MED. Among these majors, Foreign Language and Literature is in the rank of key discipline of first-level in Henan province ( English Language and Literature the first-level key build discipline in Henan), English major constitutes the national specialty and the comprehensive reform pilot of national majors. Besides, a State-level Teaching Team is crowned to English Language and Literature teaching team, and a National Top Course and National Quality Resource Sharing Courses are granted toAdvanced English course.

The School of Foreign Languages holds an impressive faculty of 111 formal members with profound knowledge. Among them are 19 professors, 35 associate professors, 13 doctoral supervisors, 48 master’s supervisors, 6 experts with special government subsidies, 2 excellent expert in Henan province, 7 young and middle-aged backbone teachers in Henan province, 3 trans-century academic and professional leaders in Henan province, 2 specially appointed professors in Henan province, 2 specially appointed professors at Henan University and 1 national model teacher.

Currently, the School has a total of 933 undergraduates, 366 postgraduate students, 18 doctoral students, and more than 10 postdoctoral staff. It also possesses well-equipped teaching and research environment with abundant books and reference materials, offering central control room, satellite receiving system, multi-media classrooms, simultaneous interpretation laboratories, CAT laboratories, digital reading rooms, sound labs and multi-functional lecture halls.

Over the years, the School of Foreign Language has always been adhering to the school-running philosophy of “integrating the Western and the Orient and putting quality at the top”, emphasizing the cultivation of talents and the promotion of academic research. And in academic research, the major research orientation lies in the featured Linguistics, Translation Theory and Trans-culture Studies, English and American Literature, Contrastive Linguistics, Russian Literature, Russian Linguistics, Japanese Literature and Japanese Linguistics.

And the School of Foreign Languages possesses the English Language and Literature Research Center, the Institutes of Foreign Linguistics and Applied Linguistics, Translation Theory,the Institutes of Study of British and American Literature--the key research base of social science in Henan Province. And it also serves as the sponsor of the journal of Foreign Studies，a quarterly academic journal.

In the recent five years, the faculties of Foreign Languages has published over 360 articles and completed more than 50 textbooks and works, successively conducting 9 national social sciences projects, 16 provincial projects and 24 projects of Henan Education Department and winning 24 teaching and academic awards above provincial level.

The school enjoys profound influence at home and abroad on Cognitive Linguistics, Shakespeare Studies and Pragmatics, and has pioneered in the national research on the Functional Linguistics, Stylistics, Contrast between English and Chinese, Translation Theory, and Russian Literature.English major has been on the top list as a first-class major in China for consecutive years, ranking fourth on the national list of 524 equivalent majors in 2012.

Acting upon the university motto of “illuminating virtues is to renew minds for self-improvement”, the School of Foreign Languages has been persistently dedicated to cultivating talents through teaching, scientific research, service and management, making tireless efforts to build the high ground of English talents based on native and faced the whole world.The school takes the sustainable development as the first priority and the integral improvement of the school-running level and gradation as the breakthrough, sticking to the school motto of “inclusiveness and excellence” to pioneer for innovation and progress. It carries forward the tradition of seeking truth in practice with the school ethos of “diligence, plain, preciseness and truth-pursuing”. Meanwhile, it puts into practice the style of teaching “setting high moral values, cultivating talents, and advocating the unity of knowledge and action”. While putting forward the construction of Teaching Morality, it expedites the construction of the disciplines and majors and further optimize the team of the teaching and research staff for higher education and scientific research. Now based on the doctorial programs of the English Language and Literature, Foreign Linguistics and Applied Linguistics, Translation, Russian Language and Literature and Intercultural Communication as the second-level disciplines, we are going to apply for the doctorial programs of the Japanese Language and Literature, with an aim to construct the School of Foreign Languages into a first-class school of teaching and research in China.

Major Introduction

Undergraduate majors

Undergraduate courses are four-year programs for both liberal arts and science students. Our school focuses on cultivation of highly compound talents characterized by moral, intellectual and physical development. On this very note, the School of Foreign Languages lays stress on the school features and advantages, breaking the traditional single-disciplinary teaching mode to nurture talents with solid basic language and skills, excellent ability of language application, rich knowledge in social science and culture as well as strong sense of responsibility and enterprise to be competent in job markets. Meanwhile, they can serve as the distinguished language reserve forces for the development of innovative.

1. English

English major consistently ranks as A++ in China and serves as the national characteristic discipline and national-level trail for comprehensive reform. It enrolls students in normal and non-normal orientations. The major mainly offers a variety of basic theories and knowledge in English language, literature, history, politics, economy, diplomacy and social culture to enable students to command systematic knowledge of English language, certain professional knowledge and relevant expertise, as well as humanistic, scientific and technological knowledge. It requires students to master a foreign languagewith excellent listening, speaking, reading, writing and translating competence and basic ability to gain and update knowledge and to stay creative. Students have a strong ability to work in the areas of teaching, research, translation, management, etc, and a certain ability to analyze and solve problems, along with lifelong learning. They are expected to learn the latest achievements and potential prospects. Furnished with simple principle and application of general computer, they could possess the retrieval ability of books, materials and information.They are also qualified with some knowledge of Chinese culture and artistic appreciation.

2. Translation and Interpreting

The Translation and Interpreting major enrolls students in non-normalorientation. The Major is dedicated to nurturing translation learners with good language proficiency and an international vision in general fields. Aside from the acquisition of basic working languages skills and translation theories, Graduates are expected to possess logical thinking abilities, a wide range of knowledge, strong trans-cultural communication skills, better professional ethics, a good understanding of Chinese and foreign social culture as well as strong capacity for independent thinking, working and communication and coordination. Meanwhile, they must be well versed in areas of translation and interpreting, the use of translation tools, and have to learn the operating process of translation and related industries. After four years learning, the students will be qualified as translators and interpreters in foreign affairs, business and trade, education, culture, science and technology, military and other fields, and also could be engaged in trans-cultural communication.

3. Russian

The Russian Program is a provincial key major. It enrolls students in non-normalorientation. Through the training of applied practice and theory courses in Russian, students are capable of working in the foreign affairs, business and trade, culture, press and publication, tourism and others as specialized talents oftranslation, scientific research and management, with their solid basic knowledge of Russian language, basic skills, proficient Russian language competence. This major has been dedicated to building a crack team of teachers and it also invites renowned foreign experts and scholars to give various lectures. Given the advantage of the long-term friendly collaborations with some universities in Russian and Belarusian, we regularly send students on exchange programs with Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia and Belarusian State University to broaden their international horizons and cultivate high-quality talents.

4. Japanese

The Japanese Program enrolls students in non-normal orientation. The Major aims to pursue targeted teaching methods based on the characteristics of students so as to develop talents with high-quality, rich knowledge and strong ability to cater to the demand for social development, that also means compound foreign language talents with better comprehensive quality, solid Japanese proficiency and relevant expertise. we have widely established long-term friendly relationships with various universities in Japan such as “2+2” dual degrees programs with Kogakkan University, one-year exchange program with Taisho University.

5. German

The German Program enrolls students in non-normal orientation. Our education lays emphasis on the integrated skills of listening, speaking, reading, writing and translating. Students are trained to acquire not only essential abilities on German language and literature, but some knowledge on history, culture and geography of German-speaking countries, which helps to the cultivation of the international and knowing-all-type talents with profound language proficiency, a wide range of humanities and social science knowledge as well as excellent learning, critical thinking, creative and cooperative capacities. In addition, the advantage that all the faculties have overseas study experiences makes it possible to create a strong Germanic cultural atmosphere in the daily teaching.

6. French

The French Program enrolls students in non-normal orientation. With a focus on training students’ moral, intellectual and physical development, this major also attaches great importance to enhancement of their capacities of independent analysis, solving practical problems and scientific research. Our education aims at producing innovative advanced talents thatcould work in French translation, teaching, research, management for foreign trade, education, culture and press with a solid French foundation, extensive knowledge of humanities and social sciences as well as international vision and competitiveness.

Majors for Master's Degree

1.English Language and Literature

The English Language and Literature in Henan University, as one of the first majors entitled by the State Council Academic Degree Committee to recruit postgraduates, is a first-class key constructive discipline in the province. It had been authorized to confer Doctoral degree in 1998 then Master’s in 2001 and was allowed to establish a post-doctoral research station in 2002. Afterwards, it had launched a First-level Discipline Master’s Programme in 2005 and a First-level Disciple Doctor’s Programme in 2011.

Henan University is among the best in the list of this disciple. Besides, the teaching faculties are highly qualified: 16 professors, 14 PHD supervisors and 40 Master’s supervisors. Among them, four are government special allowance owners, one Famous Teacher of Henan Province and two Academic Excellency Award winner, six Teaching Excellency Award champions, four Trans-century Academic and Technology Pioneer titleholders, two provincial level distinguished Professors and two University level distinguished Professors. In addition, a series of high-quality published monographs and papers has won a good reputation for the school.

2.Russian Language and Literature

The discipline of Russian Language and Literature, as one of the first established majors in Henan University, was set up in 1956, and it had been entitled by the State Council Academic Degree Committee to confer master’s degree in 1990. Now, as one of the key constructive disciplines in Henan province, its teaching staffs of the faculty are highly qualified: three professors、two associate professors and seven teachers with PHD. Main research directions include: Russian linguistics、Russian Literature、Translatology and Russian Society and Culture, etc. Among these directions, the researches about poetical linguistics、language culturology and Russian ecological literature take the leading position in educational circle.

3.Japanese Language and Literature

The discipline of Japanese Language and Literature was established in 1985. There are 6 professors and associate professors as instructors in this discipline.The postgraduates’ directions mainly include Japanese Linguistics, Japanese Literature and Japanese Culture. This discipline has certain advantages in the following research fields, for instance, “Sino-Japanese Textual Contrast”, “OEKenzaburo”, “Japanese Culture”, “Sino-Japanese Comparative Philology” and “Japanese Aboriginal Culture”. The instructor group has presided over three planning projects of National Program of Philosophy and Social Sciences, two planning projects of Humanities and Social Sciences of Ministry of Education and many scientific and research programs at school level in succession this year. They published a series of high-quality monographs and papers concerning the discipline as well.

4.ForeignLinguisticsandAppliedLinguistics

The discipline ofForeignLinguisticsandAppliedLinguisticsin Henan University was authorized to confer master’s degree in 2001.The supervisors are highly qualified: eight professors, seven associate professors, seven Ph.D. supervisors and fifteen master’s degree supervisors. Among them, three are government special allowance owners, one Academic Excellency Award winner, three Teaching Excellency Award champions, three Trans-century Academic and Technology Pioneer titleholders and two provincial level distinguished Professors. There are four directions for postgraduates’ research: cognitive pragmatics、functional linguistics、applied linguistics and translation theory and practice.

5.Master of Translation and Interpreting

MTI, short for Master ofTranslationandInterpreting, was found by the State Council Academic Degree Committee to confer master’s degree in 2007. It’s difficult to say which is better between professional degree education and traditional academic education, their only difference is the cultivation standard. This discipline aims at cultivating high-level professional translators and interpreters who have well developed in morality、intelligence and aesthetic, besides, they are required to be adapted to global economical integration and the improvement of China’s international competitiveness so that be helpful to national economy、culture and social construction. Henan University has been approved as a training unit of MTI by the State Council Academic Degree Committee since 2009.

This discipline, which includes translation and interpreting in English、Russian and Japanese, aims at cultivating the high-level professional talents with well-trained language applied ability、translating skills and a broad scope of knowledge.

6.Master of Education Degree

The discipline of Education Master was found by the State Council Academic Degree Committee in April 1996 and began enrolling students next year in some places. It is a new way for primary and secondary teachers to obtain the master degree. Through the systematical learning of the courses in education degree period, teachers can know the academic foreland and be well-cultivated in education research ability.

Henan University has been approved as a training unit of Ed by the State Council Academic Degree Committee since 2009. The direction of this discipline is subject teaching (English), which contains a series of lessons related with linguistics、language learning theory、teaching approaches as well as professional knowledge and skills of English teaching. This discipline aims at cultivating key English teachers and education workers who are able to teach and make studies of teaching.

PhD

Foreign Language and Literature has became a First-level Discipline Doctor’s Programme in 2011. Besides, there are five second-class disciplines: English Language and Literature、ForeignLinguisticsandAppliedLinguistics、Translatology、Russian Language and Literature and Intercultural Communication.

Center for Post-Doctoral Studies

Foreign Language and Literature is one of the first disciplines in Henan University, Post-doctoral study center of this discipline was approved by the State Personnel Board in 2003. In this research station, there are some second-class disciplines: English Language and Literature、Foreign Linguistics and Applied Linguistics、Russian Language and Literature . The nine cooperation supervisors are studying about British and American literature、English poetry、stylistics、pragmatics、cognitive linguistics、functional linguistics、contrast between English and Chinese、theoretic study of translation and teaching method.