Abstract:

This paper reports on the philosophy,measures and initial results of the English curriculum reform that has been going on at Beijing Foreign Studies University over the past few years.The reform is based on reflections over the confusion and survival crisis that English departments have experienced following the rapid development of double subjects such as English and journalism,English and law,English and international relations and English and international business in foreign studies universities and the doubts students have about the emphasis on language skills training.The reform aims at creating a curriculum that reflects the humanistic tradition of English language education,integrates subject studies with the training of language skills,and provides a flexible course selection system to cater for different individual needs.