Foreign Languages Department was built in 2002, currently including the teaching and research divisions of college English I and II, major English, Russo-Japanese, language audio-visual center, and department office. There are one set of modern wireless voice broadcast system covering whole campus, 11 modern multimedia language rooms (nearly 800 seats), and one professional library reference room to meet various needs of teaching.
After several years’ effort, Foreign Languages Department gradually formed a faculty with high academic level, abundant teaching experience, and strong professional dedication. Department now has 64 working staff (54 women and 10 men), including 60 full-time teachers and 4 administrative staff, , among which there are 2 professors, 20 associate professors, 36 lecturers, 4 assistants, one with doctor degree, and 50 with master degree. There is one “Distinguished Teacher of Liaoning Province”, one “Excellent Teacher of Liaoning Province”, two teachers among “The High Level Talents Project of Liaoning Province”, 9 person-times “Distinguished Teacher of Basic Education of University”, 71 person-times “Distinguished Teacher of Basic Curriculum of University.” In addition, the Department also pays great attention to international academic exchange. Eight teachers have been sent to Oxford University, University of Luton, and Japanese International Center of Japan respectively to study. These teachers brought back advanced teaching ideas and management methods.
Foreign Languages Department adheres to the principle of “teaching and scientific research combined, professional development and discipline construction combined”, to promote teaching through scientific research, to aid teaching by scientific research. In recent five years, teachers of Foreign Languages Department presided over eight projects of provincial education department, 25 other provincial projects, and 14 teaching reform projects of the university, published more than 40 monographs, translations, professional textbooks, and more than 100 academic papers. Besides, “College English” was selected as “Quality Resource Sharing Course of Liaoning Province”, “Basic Comprehensive English” was chosen as “Quality Curriculum of University”, and “College English III” was rated as “Excellent Course of University”.
In 2002, Foreign Languages Department enrolled the first English majors. The main direction of the profession development is to cultivate compound English talents. The design of curriculum system is scientific and reasonable. Over these years, Band Four and Eight grades of English major have been among the best of province, and the highest grade is above the national average level nearly 30 percentage points. English major gives full play to the polytechnic advantages, and takes advantage of other professional teaching resources, under the premise of laying a solid foundation in English, to form a complement with other majors to strengthen professional synthesis and adaptability. Meanwhile, department carries out “3 + 1” cooperative education with New Zealand Institute of Technology, to broaden students’ international perspectives, optimize students’ language advantage, as far as possible to widen the field of employment of graduates.
The learning environment of Foreign Languages Department is beautiful, and experienced foreign teachers are employed perennially. Students are strictly managed, teaching style and study style is upright, and teaching quality is high. Students can practice what they have learned and enhance professional skills through rich cultural life after school such as English speech contest, English corner, English party, English competition, and English song contest and so on. In recent years, the employment rate of graduates of the Foreign Languages Department has reached nearly 100%. They are distributed in Large enterprises and institutions, such as universities, customs, group companies, banks, import and export companies, etc. The enterprises and institutions where graduate students worked have given a high degree of evaluation of students as steadfast, excellent professional skills.
In 2012, the department added International Trade (Russian) major. With favorable adjoining geographical position between Russia and Liaoning Province as well as the historical strengths of cooperative education between our university and Russian Universities, Foreign Language Department aims to cultivate outward application type, complex business operation and decision-making talents with international perspectives, grasping the theory of international trade, the ability of international economic and trade work, familiar with business rules and practices of Sino-Russian trade, fluent Russian business communicative competence, a certain degree of proficiency in English, a good cross-cultural communication ability, a certain innovative and entrepreneurial spirit and good professionalism. Curriculum settings reflect on “bilingual advantage + professional advantages + cultural superiority”. Department carried out “2 + 2” cooperative education with Vladivostok State University of Economics Service of Russia, and signed a contract with Hokuriku University of Japan to carry out “2.5 + 2” cooperative education. Basic Russian and business Russian teaching as the main body, English teaching as flank, students’ language foundation is reinforce by setting a series of basic language capacity building programs. Professional economic and trade theory courses and practice teaching as the core, at the same time of strengthening the basic theoretical foundation and expanding the knowledge of students, through many practice courses and internship platforms on campus and domestic and foreign training bases, students’ ability to operate foreign trade business is strengthened, role conversion time between graduation and employment is shortened, and social needed, high-quality, and professional foreign trade talents are fostered.
Currently, on the basis of original, the Department of Foreign Languages is continuously strengthening the construction of teaching staff and disciplines, through first-class academic and working environment, a good academic atmosphere and harmonious interpersonal relationships, cultivating and attracting foreign language talents, contributing to the revitalization of Liaoning and Northeast old industrial base and construction of foreign language disciplines.