Department of Ideological and Political Education

Department History: The Department of Ideological and Political Education was one of the earliest in Southwest Jiaotong University to offer majors since China’s reform and opening-up period began. Its predecessor was the Marxism-Leninism Instructor Training Class, held by our university in 1978. Owing to its long history at our school, this department has rich experience in cultivating talented and professional undergraduates.

Department Features: Drawing on the profound history of this century-old university and the distinctive features of rail transit, this department aims to create a national first-class ideological and political education major that is held to be exemplary in western China, and that reliably cultivates talented individuals in the ideological and political fields who not only will serve faithfully the twin goals of socialist modernization and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, but also possess firm Marxist beliefs, a solid theoretical foundation, and superlative practical capabilities. 1. The department’s personnel are trained to dedicate themselves to ‘paying equal attention to the three core aspects’: to cultivating students’ firm political position of serving the socialist modernization reconstruction with Chinese characteristics, their professional knowledge with practical applications of Marxist theory, and their broad international vision as well as practical capabilities when it comes to contributing to politics and educating the people. The ‘three needs’ as well as ‘integration across three aspects’ are emphasized in the training scheme of the department’s professional curriculum, which is not only rooted in local characteristics, but also geared toward the needs of modernization, of the world, and of the future. The curriculum and teaching both focus on integrating theory with practical implementation, the world with China, and history with present reality and the future. 2. The department’s personnel offer training using a discipline platform that integrates bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees with bespoke disciplinary advantages: for example, the School of Marxism leverages a long history and rich academic accumulation. In 2019, the undergraduate program of Ideological and Political Education was approved as a national first-class undergraduate program, and was awarded ‘B+’ in the fourth round of discipline evaluation. Furthermore, this major is entitled to confer master’s degrees of the first level in Marxist Theory, and two doctoral degrees of the second level in Marxist Principles as well as Ideological and Political Education. In 2018, the School of Marxism was selected as one of the first key Marxist colleges in Sichuan Province, which not only endorses its strength for both scientific research and academics, but also provides a valuable opportunity and disciplinary platform for students who are willing to further their studies, such as exemptions from postgraduate study, guaranteed postgraduate study, and even bachelor’s and master’s degree via continuous study. 3. Strong faculties: All faculty members of the Department of Ideological and Political Education have doctorate degrees, most of them coming from the top five universities in relevant disciplines. In addition, nearly 50% of faculty members have overseas study experience or exchange experience in famous universities abroad. The faculty consists of an academic team with Chinese feelings and international vision, presenting a guarantee that teaching staff are able to cultivate students into high-quality interdisciplinary talents. 4. Brilliant employment prospects: This major has achieved both a high employment rate and excellent employment quality since its establishment. It has delivered a batch of outstanding talents to the country and to society at large, and the quality of its personnel training has been widely praised. Through interviews, surveys, and questionnaires, employers’ satisfaction with students that graduated from this department was found to rank 14th in China, with the department receiving especially high praise when it came to its graduates’ professionalism, innovation awareness, team spirit, and more.

Teaching and Research Section of Modern History of China

Section History: Right around the time when the People’s Republic of China was first founded, the Marxism-Leninism Teaching and Research Section was set up in our university to offer Marxism-Leninism theory courses. The current course Outline of Modern and Contemporary Chinese History has been developed from such previous courses as On New Democracy, History of the Communist Party of China, History of the Chinese Revolution, and Historical Analysis of the Chinese Revolution (a course piloted by the Ministry of Railways). Since the release of the ‘2005 Program for Ideological and Political Courses’, the course Outline of Modern and Contemporary Chinese History has been awarded titles by the ‘National Teaching Team’ and dubbed an ‘National Excellent Course’ in quick succession. In 2016, it was approved as part of the first batch of ‘National Excellent Online Open Courses’ published by the Chinese Ministry of Education.

Section Features:

First, the department boasts a high academic level. Faculty members in this discipline have presided over 12 national social science funds, including 1 national major project, namely the ‘Marxist theoretical research and construction project’, achieving a “zero breakthrough” by being the first university in Sichuan Province to do so. Five ongoing research projects have received national social science funds, and more than 20 research projects have received funding from the Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China and Sichuan Province. Additionally, the Teaching and Research Section has presided over 16 provincial and ministerial education reform projects, including 10 from the Ministry of Education, and published more than 20 papers on education reform.

Second, the department’s impressive teaching credentials. Of the department’s faculty members, one was enrolled in the One Excellent Lesson of Outline of Modern and Contemporary Chinese History scheme by the Ministry of Education, and two have won first place in the Sichuan Teaching Competition. In addition, one won second place and another third place at the Teaching Achievements Award in Sichuan Province in recent years, and one was granted the title of ‘Sichuan Famous Teacher’.

Third, the older generation of professors in the department are particularly influential in China. Professor Zhu Ling is the winner of the National Outstanding Teaching Achievement Special Prize and was named one of the ‘National Top 100 Excellent Teachers of Marxist Theory Course and Ideological and Political Education Course in Regular Universities’. Professor Xian Yuhao is a national expert on Marxist theory research and construction, and a member of the compilation team of the national unified textbook Outline of Modern and Contemporary Chinese History. Professor He Yun’an is a national-level senior expert in ‘Research and Construction Engineering for Marxist Theory’, a member of the Course Teaching Steering Committee for the Ministry of Education’s Outline of Modern and Contemporary Chinese History, an individual named ‘influentiuan Famous Teacher’, the president of Sichuan’s Provincial ‘Outline of Modern and Contemporary Chinese History’ Teaching Research Association, and a member of the Steering Committee of Ideological and Political Theory Teaching in Sichuan Universities. In addition, several young and middle-aged faculty members have also grown to help form the backbone of the team: Professor Tian Yongxiu has been named a ‘New Century Talent’ by the Ministry of Education, has been the recipient of funding for outstanding young and middle-aged ideological and political theory teachers in national regular universities, has served as the secretary general of the Teaching Research Association of Outline of Chinese Modern and Contemporary History in Sichuan Province, and has been a candidate for academic and technical leaders in Sichuan Province. Professor Hu Zixiang has been selected as a trainee in the ‘Support Plan for Young and Middle-aged Outstanding Talents in Ideological and Political Education’, and also a backup candidate for Sichuan provincial academic and technical leaders.

Fourth, the structure of faculty members is a combination of ‘old, middle-aged, and young’, fully enabling the concept of ‘each generation imparting, helping, and leading the next’, so that this high-level teaching and research team can realize continuous sustainable development. The teaching team is formed of professors from each successive generation starting with those born in the 1960s, leveraging the wealth of experience of older professors to its utmost ability. The team continuously establishes and follows systems for internal use, such as its course leader system, supervision system, teaching observation and collective lesson preparation system, and teaching tutor system. By adhering to collective learning and lesson preparation principles in the long term, the spirit of the Central Committee is integrated into class in a timely manner to promote teaching through scientific research, enabling a high overall teaching level and richly diverse teaching style. The team maintains its fine traditions, and gives play to every one of its advantages to help young teachers grow rapidly, enabling teaching research to develop sustainably, and improving teaching quality in an efficient manner.

Teaching and Research Section of Ideological and Moral Cultivation and Basic Law

Section History: Southwest Jiaotong University set up the Ideological and Moral Teaching and Research Section under the Student Affairs Office in 1987 in accordance with national requirements. After several development stages including an independent Ideological and Political Education Research Section, Moral Education Department, and Ideological and Political Department, the Teaching and Research Section of Ideological and Moral Cultivation and Basic Law was established in 2005 according to the stipulations of the ‘2005 Program for Ideological and Political Courses’ released by the central government. It mainly undertakes teaching and research tasks for courses such as Ideological and Moral Cultivation and Basic Law.

Section Features: 1. It always places talent cultivation and cultural inheritance as its highest priorities, always strives to be ‘people-oriented’ and ‘cultivating virtues’, and makes sure to pay close attention to ‘what kind of people need to be cultivated and how to cultivate them’ in order to work to promote students’ all-round development. 2. It always carries out teaching and scientific research work while staying close to reality, close to life, and close to students; conducts a rich variety of colorful teaching activities; and has won first and second place for teaching achievements at the university and provincial level many times over. 3. It always progresses its work in accordance with the principle of combining theory and practice; closely combines theoretical teaching, practical teaching, and online teaching; persists in carrying out reading, research, and practical activities for students in the long term; and publishes numerous books closely related to practical teaching. By doing all of the above, the department is able to effectively promote the integration of the four dimensions of ‘value building, personality cultivation, ability cultivation, and knowledge exploration’, while striving to make Ideological and Moral Cultivation and Basic Law a course that has lifelong benefits for students. 4. It always pays attention to teachers’ growth and development. At present, there is one professor, nine associate professors, and one lecturer among the 11 members of the Teaching and Research Section, five of whom are doctors or doctoral students; most of them graduated from famous universities such as Fudan University, China University of Science and Technology, Sichuan University, Jilin University, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, and Southwest Jiaotong University. With reasonable title and source structure, this is an academic team with native land emotion, humanistic feelings, and social responsibilities, and one that is dedicated to cultivating students into high-quality talents.

Teaching and Research Section of Situation and Policy

The School of Marxism’s Teaching and Research Section of Situation and Policy at Southwest Jiaotong University was established in August 2017. There are four main teachers in the Teaching and Research Section, with a professional title structure of two associate professors and two lecturers, an education background structure of three doctors and one master, as well as an age structure of two teachers between 50 and 55 years old, and two teachers under 40 years old. Three of them have visited and studied abroad in the United States, Japan, or Russia. Teachers in this Teaching and Research Section hail from three different professional backgrounds: history, law, and political science.
The Teaching and Research Section undertakes the heavy tasks of teaching content planning, teaching assessment, and academic evaluation of the Situation and Policy courses’ tens of thousands of students every semester, including undergraduates and postgraduates, as well as handling teaching schedules, daily teaching management, collective lesson preparation, and teaching exchange for hundreds of teachers. Guided by Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, and the Theoretical System of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics, and based on Southwest Jiaotong University’s student training objectives, the Teaching and Research Section always strives for the highest level of teaching, a rigorous academic attitude, a solid professional theoretical foundation, and a strong sense of responsibility and mission suited to the times. Additionally, the section’s constant efforts are extended to enhance the attractiveness and appeal of Situation and Policy courses at the university, to improve the curriculum’s contributions and influence in talent training and student development, and to guide students to follow up and further study the latest topical issues that are significant with regards to the nation’s social, economic, and political development. These courses thereby help students to fully understand major domestic and foreign policies issued by the Party and the government and to correctly understand international and domestic situations faced by the Party and nation as well as the historical tasks they shoulder. Moreover, the courses enhance young students’ consciousness and sense of responsibility in implementing major lines, guidelines, and policies of the Party and the government, as well as reinforce their confidence and conviction in following the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

The Teaching and Research Section of Situation and Policy has become a team with high political quality, commendable professional competence, full of vitality, and development potential.

Teaching and Research Section of Basic Principles of Marxism

Section History: The predecessor of this Teaching and Research Section was the Marxist Philosophy Teaching and Research Section of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. In accordance with the spirit of the 2004 No.16 document issued by the Central Committee of the CPC, the Basic Principles of Marxism is a relatively new course that combines the original Principles of Marxist Philosophy and Principles of Marxist Political Economy, and further adds the Principles of Scientific Socialism. The faculty members working in the Teaching and Research Section have a long teaching history, with strong undergraduate ideological and political teaching ability.

Section Features: The Teaching and Research Section helps students to establish a correct outlook on the world, outlook on life, and core values, as well as aiding them in learning to recognize and handle various practical problems using scientific thinking methods and working methods. Furthermore, courses taught by the faculty enable students to strengthen their socialist beliefs and to commit more strongly to pursuing a lofty communist ideal. 1. Training Objectives: The courses integrate the basic contents of three components of Marxism, namely Marxist philosophy, political economy, and scientific socialism, while playing a significant role in cultivating the humanistic qualities of the students and improving their theoretical analysis literacy and ability. 2. Emphasis on the reform of teaching methods, together with paying attention to the combination of classroom and practical teaching: The Teaching and Research Section is keenly focused on the reform of its teaching methods, and has carried out a variety of explorations in this space, such as using the image and question research teaching methods. At the same time, according to the relevant documents from the Ministry of Education on practical teaching in 2012, the Teaching and Research Section utilized methods of ‘Marxist classical reading’ and ‘social research’ to guide students to combine theory and practice. 3. Strong faculties: There are three doctors in this Teaching and Research Section, accounting for 30% of the faculty; as well as two people with overseas study experience or exchange experience at prestigious universities.

Teaching and Research Section of Mao Zedong Thought and Theoretical System of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics

Section History: Introduction to Mao Zedong Thought and the Theoretical System of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics (hereinafter referred to as ‘Introduction’) is a compulsory ideological and political theory course for undergraduate students in Chinese universities. The curriculum has developed through the historical evolution of previous courses such as Socialism Construction with Chinese Characteristics, Introduction to Mao Zedong Thought, Introduction to Deng Xiaoping Theory, Introduction to Deng Xiaoping Theory and the Important Thought of ‘Three Represents’, and Introduction to Mao Zedong Thought and the Theoretical System of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics. The predecessor of this section is our university’s Marxism-Leninism Teaching and Research Section, which has a long history and glorious tradition, and is now mainly responsible for the teaching and research of the ‘Introduction’ courses for all undergraduates in the university.

Section Features:The section’s ‘Introduction’ course, as the core of the university’s ideological and political theory courses, is characterized by strong policy and political content, close connections between theory and practice, and a wide range of knowledge points. The course teaching highlights the ‘12345’ teaching system; that is, the course being based around 1 teaching theme (Chinese Marxism), to clarify 2 major theoretical achievements (Mao Zedong Thought and Socialist Theories with Chinese Characteristics), to clarify 3 characteristic roads (the road of new democratic revolution with Chinese characteristics, the road of socialist transformation, and the road of socialist modernization), to build 4 teaching platforms (on theoretical teaching, practical teaching, online teaching, as well as post-course tutorials and Q&A teaching), and to highlight the content of 5 major teaching materials (General Theory, Theory of New Democratic Revolution and Socialist Transformation, Basic Theory of Socialist Construction with Chinese Characteristics, General Layout of Socialist Construction with Chinese Characteristics, and Environment and Guarantee for Socialist Construction with Chinese Characteristics).

The section has made remarkable achievements in teaching, scientific research, bolstering the Party, and other aspects:

1. Teaching: In recent years, one professor has been nominated for the title of ‘Influential Person of the Year’ among the National College Ideological and Political Theory Teachers, one has won the title of ‘Excellent Worker of Ideological and Political Work in Sichuan Universities’, one has won third place in the Sichuan Provincial College Ideological and Political Course Teaching Competition, one has won the Tang Lixin Excellent Teacher Award, and the teaching team as a whole has won first place in the School-level Teaching Achievements awards and second place in the Provincial-level Teaching Achievements awards. Moreover, two teachers have been named to Southwest Jiaotong University’s list of ‘Top Ten Most Popular Undergraduate Teachers’. The ‘Introduction’ course was successively rated as a national-level excellent course, a national-level excellent resource sharing course (under construction), and an excellent online open course in Sichuan Province.

2. Scientific Research: In recent years, the section has presided over a total of four national social science fund projects, two humanities and social science projects funded by the Ministry of Education, and more than five provincial and department level scientific research projects. Teachers in this Teaching and Research Section have published dozens of teaching and scientific research papers on CSSCI Index Source Journals, Chinese Core Journals, and Party and government newspapers and magazines, one of which was reprinted by Xinhua News Digest in full. Also, a number of high-quality monographs and anthologies have been published by faculty members as well. Three individuals have won the Outstanding Achievement Award of Philosophy and Social Sciences in Sichuan Province, and one member has won the Tang Lixin Excellent Scholar Award.

3. Bolstering the Party: In recent years, the Party branch of the Teaching and Research Section has twice been named to the university's list of ‘Top Ten Branches’ and four members have been awarded the titles of ‘Excellent Communist Party Member’, ‘Excellent Party Worker’, and ‘Excellent Individual for ‘studies on the theoretical and practical issues of party building’’. 100% of the branch are Party members, and more than 80% of branch members have received doctoral degrees from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Renmin University of China, Wuhan University, Sichuan University, and other nationally renowned universities or research institutes.

Teaching and Research Section of Ideological and Political Education for Postgraduates

Section History: The Teaching and Research Section of Ideological and Political Education for Postgraduates was established in 2011.

Section Features: There are 7 teachers in this Teaching and Research Section, mainly responsible for ideological and political theory courses for all graduate students in the university with a total of 8 credits, including Marxism in China and Contemporary and Selected Reading in Marxism Classics for doctoral students, Theory and Practice of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics, An Introduction to Dialectics of Nature, and Marxism and Social Science Methodology for master students, as well as Contemporary China for international students. Section features are as follows:

First, a cross integration among disciplines and strong research power. The professional background of faculty members in the Teaching and Research Section includes different disciplinary backgrounds of philosophy, political science, and ideological and political theoretical education, which has helped to fully realize the communication between disciplines. In recent years, faculty members in the Teaching and Research Section have undertaken two projects for the National Social Science Foundation, four Ministry of Education projects, four provincial- and ministerial-level projects, four provincial- and departmental-level projects, and more than 10 university-level projects, and have published multiple papers in high-level journals.

Second, the teaching methods are diversified and the teaching reform has proven truly fruitful. In pursuit of ‘deepening’ and ‘elevating’ its postgraduate ideological and political theory courses, the Teaching and Research Section has carried out a series of teaching reforms and explorations, and has been awarded three teaching method promotion projects or merit-based projects by the Ministry of Education, namely, ‘Dialogue and Reflection’ teaching, ‘Natural Dialectics Chinese Discourse Transformation’, and ‘Integration of Labor Values into Postgraduate Ideological and Political Theory Courses’. The Teaching and Research Section has also won several provincial- and university-level teaching competitions. During the evaluation of teaching achievements that takes place every four years, the Teaching and Research Section won third place for provincial teaching achievements and first place for university teaching achievements in 2016, as well as second place for university teaching achievements in 2012.

Third, faculty members work together in harmony to forge ahead. The Teaching and Research Section, together with other teachers inside and outside the School of Marxism, has been working on the front line of the teaching of university’s postgraduate ideological and political theory courses, promoting teaching and researching simultaneously, making sure to foster virtues, and forming a warm atmosphere of mutual help, friendship, collaboration, and progress through teamwork in teaching, competitions, and scientific research project applications.