This major aims at producing   high-level and innovative English language talents with development in an   all-around way. The detailed requirements for students’ professional   qualification include: comprehensively understanding the basic theories in   English Language and Literature and other related disciplines, systematically   and intensively mastering the expertise in this major and accurately grasping   current research condition and development trends; a precise and factualistic   attitude towards study and the ability to work independently; a good   proficiency in the learning language by which the students are capable to   read the specialized publications and in the computer and Internet technology   for research; the innovative and insightful views that accord with the   academic standards in the dissertation.

Research Directions

1. Applied Linguistics and Foreign   Language Education
  2. Cognitive linguistics

3．Second Language Acquisition   and Foreign Language Education

Education Methods

The methods of   PhD education, which emphasizes PhD candidates’ capacities for knowledge   acquisition, scientific research, academic innovation, academic   identification and academic communication, include the individual tuition by   advisor or the charge by advisor combined with the tuition by the instructor   group. In the process of PhD education, in order to improve the quality,   various aspects, such as the courses, scientific research and academic   communication, will be arranged properly in flexible and effective methods   and the domestic and foreign experience in the first-class disciplines will   be drawn on.

Duration of Schooling

The duration of   schooling for full-time PhD candidates is 4 years. Candidates meeting the   graduation requirements may graduate one year in advance.

Total Credits and Curriculum Design

Total credits: 22

1. Compulsory credits: 13
  The 13 credits in compulsory courses(Degree courses) include:3 credits in Chinese, 2 credits in An   Introduction to China, 5 credits in Degree courses, 5 credits in Lectures on   Frontiers of the Discipline, 1 credit in Seminar

2. Optional Credits: 9

The optional course Western Philosophy   (3 credits) is a course that crosses the primary disciplines and that must be   chosen by candidates in all research directions.

Segments of the   Education

  Lectures on Frontiers of the Discipline (5   credits)
  1) Purpose,   Scope and Forms

The major   academic subjects and leading edge subjects in the field of linguistics and   linguistic-related research directions, together with hot topics that are   capable to be further studied, shall be mainly discussed in these lectures in   order to make sure that all the students exactly understand the development   trend of this major and actively participate in the researches about the   leading edge subjects and major subjects in this field. This course takes the   forms of lecturing and group discussing. The lectures may be delivered by   advisors, teachers, famous scholars in China or PhD candidates, after which   comes the group discussion.

2) Patterns   and Times

The amount of   lectures delivered by experts (including advisors, teachers and famous   scholars) shall be no less than 15. Students are supposed to complete a   subject thesis after the lecture.

The amount of   lectures delivered by PhD candidates shall be at least 5. Students are   supposed to complete a subject report and prepare for taking questions.

3) Assessment

After a lecture,   students who attended as spectators should write a 1500-word article on their   understandings and views, hand it to the advisor for reviewing and sign on   the assessment table for the lecture; the student who attended as speaker   should complete the required contents of the assessment table, on which the   assessor will lately fill in the scores of the speaker and sign for   confirmation. Students who do not attend or deliver lectures for enough times   will be regarded as failures in the assessment.

Seminar (1 credit)

The   fortnightly-session seminar attended by the advisors in this major, in which   all the members are grouped according to their research directions or   subjects, will keep being held since the second session of the semester. The   subject under discussion (involving the research subjects selected by PhD   candidates, reading materials, up-to-date domestic and foreign papers, etc.)   should be formulated in advance by advisors or PhD candidates and fully   discussed at the sessions. The advisors will make comments on the subject   after the discussion and the person in charge will keep records during the   seminar, according to which students’ final scores will be decided. Students   who pass this course will obtain 1 credit.

  Intermediate Assessment

Intermediate   assessment is applied in PhD education. The intermediate assessment will be   held in the third semester, before which an assessment committee that   consists of 5 or more professors or experts (doctoral instructors will   account for more than 50%) in this major or other related majors will be   organized. Doctoral advisors may register in the intermediate assessment   committee but may not perform as the chairperson.

In the   assessment, PhD candidates need to summarize their achievements at first. Then   the assessment committee will fully consider and comprehensively assess their   performance in thought, course learning, scientific research, dissertation   preparation and physical and mental health.

The grades of PhD   candidates, which include “excellent”, “qualified”, “unqualified” and “terminated”,   will be decided through the intermediate assessment. The intermediate   assessment is held once a year and all the PhD candidates must take their   first intermediate assessment. Candidate who fails to take the first   intermediate assessment shall be judged as “unqualified”. In this case the   candidate may take only once more intermediate assessment in the next 4 years   and the PhD education of this candidate shall be terminated if the grade this   time is still “unqualified”.

After the intermediate   assessment, the candidates who are qualified both in political thought and   professional skill are approved to prepare the dissertation for PhD degree according   to the plan. (Please refer to Intermediate   Assessment Regulations for PhD Candidates of Shandong University).

PhD candidates   should actively participate and complete a reasonable quantity of work on   research assisting or teaching assisting.

Scientific Research and Doctoral   Dissertation

PhD candidates in   this major are required to keep in touch with the academic frontier, actively   explore the new fields and unknown fields and develop multilevel and   comprehensive researches on the issues in English Language and Literature   combining the traditional academic research methods with the modern ones. The   doctoral dissertation is required to carry the innovation, the academic value   and the social value. This academic dissertation, being guided by the advisor   and independently performed by the candidate, should research on some   professional field or subject completely and systematically. Generally, the   length of dissertation writing should be no less than 2 years for   guaranteeing its quality. The PhD candidates are also required to publish at   least 2 academic papers in journals which have great influence in academic   fields at home or abroad related to the doctoral dissertation and with   standard ISSN or ISBN. (Note 1. In these academic papers, the candidate   should be the first author and School of Translation Studies at Shandong   University, Weihai should be the first author affiliation; Note 2: The   required academic papers are exclusive of review papers, the supplements,   translations and abstracts.
 
  The following items are priorities for guaranteeing the dissertation quality   and improving the dissertation level:
  1. The selection and opening of the dissertation topic.

The selection of   the doctoral dissertation topic directly influences the quality, level and value   of the dissertation. PhD candidates are required to decide the title together   with the advisor and complete the dissertation proposal independently on the   basis of wide investigation, fully reading of the literatures and a good   grasp of the newest breakthroughs and dynamic information about the research   direction. The process of opening the dissertation topic shall be public,   during which PhD candidates should hand in a literature review that is no   less than 10,000 words. Candidates who successfully open the topic shall   start writing the dissertation formally.
  2. Regular inspection of the progress and quality of the dissertation   writing.

To promote the   process of dissertation writing, PhD candidates are supposed to report the progress   of dissertation writing to the advisor or the related experts every 3-5   months. The advisor shall help analyze the difficulties in writing and   instruct the candidates to resolve the problems.
  3. The comprehensive review of the doctoral dissertation.

PhD candidates   should comprehensively report the progress and findings of the doctoral   dissertation to the advisor or the related experts in the last 3-5 months   before the application of the dissertation defense and organize a pre-defense   in the last 3 months before the formal defense, widely soliciting the   professional views for further improvement of the dissertation.
  4. Strictly executing of the rules and regulations to guarantee the quality   of the degree conferring.

In order to guarantee the quality of   the degree conferring, after the PhD candidates’ completing of the doctoral   dissertation the advisors, the instructing group, the chairperson of the   branch of Academic Degrees Evaluation Committee and the dean in charge shall   seriously organize the review and the defense according to Master’s and Doctoral Degree Conferring   Instructions of Shandong University

5. The doctoral dissertation should be written in   English with a Chinese abstract of no less than 3000 characters.

Graduation and   Degree Conferring

The doctoral diploma can be conferred only upon   completion of the required coursework, lectures on frontiers, seminars and   successful writing and defense of doctoral dissertation. A certificate of the   doctoral degree shall be conferred upon approval by the Academic Degrees   Evaluation Committee of Shandong University. To get the certificate of the   doctoral degree, candidates’ Chinese ability should be higher than HSK Level   3.

Notes

Chinese

Compulsory

3

An Introduction to China

Compulsory

2

1

Ideological and Political Education

Selective

1

1

2

2

Second Foreign Language

Selective

1 and 2

2

3

3

Theories and Methods   in Linguistics

Compulsory

1 and 2

2

3

4

Frontier Topics in   Applied Linguistics

Compulsory

1 and 2

2

3

5

Writing Research   Papers for Publication

Compulsory

1

1

2

6

Cognitive Linguistics

Compulsory

1

1

2

7

Western Rhetoric

Selective

2

1

2

8

Psycholinguistics

Selective

1

1

2