Founded in 1923, the Department of English Language and Literature has earned recognition for excellence at both the national and provincial levels. The department boasts one national-level and two provincial-level “premium courses”. In 2008, the teaching staff of the core curriculum courses in the English program were honored as an “Outstanding Teaching Team of Fujian Province”. At present, the department has a full-time faculty of 43:

? 13 professors (six doctoral supervisors)

? 8 associate professors

? 15 assistant professors

? 7 foreign teachers

Two of the faculty members are “Distinguished Teachers of Fujian Province”.

The department’s undergraduate curriculum covers:

? British and American Literature

? Linguistics

? Lexicography

? Translation and Interpreting

The department offers master’s degrees in five areas:

? British and American Literature

? Linguistics

? Bilingual Lexicography

? English Language and Culture

? Chinese Language and Culture

? Translation and Interpreting

In addition, the department offers doctoral degrees in eight areas:

? Functional Linguistics and Discourse Analysis

? Cultural Semantics

? Bilingual Lexicography and Translational Studies

? Critical Linguistics

? Intercultural Communication Studies

? American Literature and Culture

? Interpreting Studies

? American Minority Literature Studies

English Program

The English program at the undergraduate level aims to equip students with a solid language foundation, a wide range of knowledge, an international outlook, and strong adaptability. Students receive rigorous training in listening, speaking, reading, writing, translation and interpreting, as well as in intercultural communications. They also acquire knowledge of the fundamental theories in the English language and literature and become acquainted with the history and culture of English-speaking countries.

The department offers a wide range of undergraduate courses, including

? IntensiveReading

? ExtensiveReading

? Spoken English

? Public Speaking

? English Debate Class

? Listening Comprehension

? Writing

? Grammar

? British Literature

? American Literature

? Selected Short Stories

? Selected English Plays

? Overview ofBritainandAmerica

? Western Cultures

? English-Chinese Translation

? Chinese-English Translation

? Consecutive Interpretation

? Simultaneous Interpretation

? Multimedia Discussions

? English for Journalism

? Stylistics

? Linguistics

? Business English

? An Introduction to Dictionaries

? Second Foreign Languages (French, Japanese and German)

Graduates from the department are highly sought-after in the job market, and nearly 100% of graduates find employment within the first year after graduation. Employers include:

? Ministry of Foreign Affairs

? Municipal offices of foreign affairs

? Publishers

? Television networks

? Editorial offices

? Schools

? Tourism bureaus

? Publicity departments

? Customs offices

? Border inspection services

? Legal institutions

? Translation firms

? Banks

? Transnational corporations