Graduate English, one of the most important basic courses in graduate education as well as a compulsory public course for non-English majors, plays an irreplaceable role in talent training program.

The graduate English course has three characteristics: humanism, instrumentality and professionalism. Humanism is the basic feature of all foreign language education, including graduate English courses. With the intrinsic function of educating and awakening postgraduates ideologically and politically, the course integrates the core socialist values, reflects the fundamental requirement of fostering virtue through education, expands the global vision of graduate students, cultivates the feelings for family and country, strengthens the cross-cultural awareness, and improves the ability in scientific research and academic communication. The instrumentality and professionalism of graduate English courses are interrelated. On the basis of the undergraduate English, the graduate students should first consolidate and improve their English listening, speaking, reading, writing and translating skills, and then carry on for the ability to conduct scientific research and academic exchanges in English. Humanism, instrumentality and professionalism of graduate English courses are complementary and dialectical.

The objective of graduate English teaching is to consolidate and improve students’ comprehensive language ability, cultivate students’ ability in English for special purpose (ESP), especially in academic English, strengthen students’ autonomous learning and scientific research abilities, all with a view to enabling them to use English effectively in their study, life and work.

Considering the newcomer graduate students’ English proficiency in our university, the teaching objectives of the English course are divided into two stages: development and improvement. English teaching in development stage (first semester) aims to help consolidate and improve students’ English listening, speaking, reading, writing and translating skills, and strengthen the English vocabulary, grammar, discourse and pragmatic knowledge, which can be generalized as guidance to English for special purpose through general English which is, in turn, consolidated by ESP so as to raise the students’ comprehensive English ability. In improvement stage (second semester), the focus of teaching and learning is on English for special purpose, which aims to cultivate and strengthen students’ abilities to use English for professional study, academic research, thesis writing, international cooperation and academic exchange.