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The School of Applied English

The School of Applied English (which is designated as a key discipline by the Liaoning provincial government) was established in 2003 to meet the needs of national economic construction and social development. It currently offers three undergraduate programs: English Language and Literature, Business English, and Foreign Affairs and International Relations. The English Language and Literature program consists of two secondary programs: International Economics and Trade and International Law. Besides assisting students in developing an excellent command of English, the programs aim at cultivating students’ international perspectives as well as ensuring that they are versatile, practical, and have the requisite skills and knowledge to engage in any work related to international trade, finance, marketing, international law and multinational corporations. The Business English curriculum is designed to cultivate students who are highly proficient at English as well as versatile, practical, and knowledgeable about international business. They should possess the character, the skills, and the global vision to be successful at intercultural communication and to promote cooperation. Foreign Affairs and International Relations is for students who need to combine an advanced command of English with the fundamentals of China’s foreign policies and international relations, and the basic skills required for working in foreign affairs, in order to pursue a career in related fields.

The School of Applied English also offers the degrees of Master of Translation and Interpreting (MTI) and Master of Comparative Literature and World Literature. To address the requirements of the MTI program, the Translation Center of Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press and DUFL has been set up to train MA candidates in translation and interpreting, literary translation and the translation of documents concerning science, technology, business, law and international politics. Comparative Literature and World Literature offers study orientations such as Literary Criticism, Western Drama and Comparative Study of Chinese and Japanese Literature. These programs aim at enriching students’ knowledge of major Chinese and Western literary theorists as well as the literary theories of classical writers, familiarizing them with Chinese and Western literary histories and the history of aesthetics, and enabling them to understand major literary theories and research methodologies in such fields.

The School boasts an accomplished faculty of six professors, twenty-one associate professors and eighteen lecturers (including master’s degree holders, PhDs or PhD candidates) who specialize in a considerably wide range of disciplinary majors and fields, such as economics, management, legal science, politics and English language and literature. A number of the faculty members are recipients of university, municipal and provincial awards and commendations for outstanding teaching as well as for excellent work on certain high-profile projects. All of the teachers draw on rich teaching experience and are dedicated to meticulous scholarship and innovative pedagogy. Many have also studied and worked abroad. In order to create the best atmosphere for the learning of the language and to broaden students’ knowledge of global English cultures, the school employs many foreign teachers and experts from English-speaking countries such as Britain, the USA, Canada, Australia and South Africa.

Students’ extra-curricular activities are diverse and enriching, emphasizing their holistic development, and they have carried these strengths into various municipal, provincial and national competitions where they have excelled.

The school has been actively developing international exchanges and enhancing cooperation through establishing partnerships with many universities in countries including the USA, Britain, Australia, Japan and South Korea. These entail joint programs in which students can complete a year or more of their studies in another country, and still obtain their degrees from DUFL or from both DUFL and the foreign university.

The school attaches great importance to the all-round development of students’ skills, creativity, and critical thinking. While the acquisition of language skills is crucial, exposing students to specialized knowledge and developing their expertise in other fields in order to provide them with marketable and usable skills after graduation is also central to the school’s mission.

In the recent years, the School of Applied English has noted the relatively high first-time employment rate of graduates with satisfaction. Many continue with further studies to enhance their career prospects, and most of them are recruited to universities in Europe and the USA, or to prestigious universities in China where they specialize in such fields as legal science, economics, accounting, finance, and business administration. The reputation of the School is such that graduates are very often sought after for positions in government offices, foreign affair departments, foreign trade departments or joint-venture enterprises.

Website for the School of Applied English