Shanghai International Studies University

Shanghai International Studies University
上海外国语大学
Motto	格高志远 学贯中外
Motto in English	Integrity, Vision and Academic Excellence
Established	18th December, 1949
Type	National
President	Cao Deming (曹德明)
Academic staff	1,314
Students	16,744
Undergraduates	6,121
Postgraduates	1,694
Location	Shanghai, People's Republic of China
Campus	Urban 74.7 hectares
Colors	SISU Blue
Nickname	SISU, or ShàngWài
Website	www.shisu.edu.cn

Shanghai International Studies University (SISU) (simplified Chinese: 上海外国语大学; traditional Chinese: 上海外國語大學; pinyin: Shànghǎi Wàiguóyǔ Dàxué) is a research, teaching, and multidisciplinary university based in Shanghai, People's Republic of China. Founded in December 1949 as the former Shanghai Russian School, SISU is one of the top two universities that specialise in studying foreign languages in China. As a key university and a member of Project 211 in China, it is committed to cultivating foreign language elites and scholars in global affairs and serving the community in cross-cultural understanding around the world.

History

After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the East China office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (中共中央华东局) and the government of the Shanghai Municipality decided to establish an institute for higher education in Russian studies to cultivate qualified diplomats and translators for international affairs. With the support of Chen Yi (陈毅), the mayor of Shanghai, the Shanghai Russian School (上海俄文学校) was officially established on December 1949. Jiang Chunfang (姜椿芳), one of the most famous Russian translators in China and the first chief editor of the Encyclopedia of China (《中国大百科全书》), was appointed as the school's first president.

In 1950, the department of English was established and the college was incorporated as the foreign language school affiliated to the East China People's Revolution University (华东人民革命大学). The department of oriental language and literature was founded in April, 1951 and languages as Burmese, Vietnamese, Indonesian had respectively been introduced to teaching.

Later in 1952, a nationwide restructuring of institutes of higher education began in China, and the department of oriental language and literature was incorporated into Peking University. The college was renamed as Shanghai Russian College that specialise in teaching Russian language. The university was used to be widely known as Shanghai Foreign Language Institute (上海外国语学院) since its expansion in 1956 and became a national key university approved by the State Council in 1963 with the department of Russian, English (re-established), French, German, Japanese, Arabic and Spanish.

Since 1978, the university has strengthened its teaching and research in foreign languages and started to launch multidisciplinary programmes, which are categorised into three types, namely comprehensive programs (language + specialty), bilingual programs (English + another foreign language) and professional programs (English + a profession).

Approved by the Ministry of Education in 1994, it was officially renamed as Shanghai International Studies University (上海外国语大学). In the same year, it was listed as one of the first colleges and universities jointly supervised by the national Ministry of Education and the Municipality of Shanghai. In 1996, SISU passed the evaluation process of Project 211 directed by the Ministry of Education, and became one of the nation’s “100 key universities for the 21st Century.”

Organisation

Colleges and Departments

College of English Language and Literature (CELL) Department of English Department of Translation and Interpreting Class of International Civil Servant College of Japanese Culture and Economy Department of Japanese College of Oriental Studies Department of Korean Department of Arabic Department of Persian Department of Vietnamese Department of Indonesian Department of Thai Department of Hebrew Department of Turkish College of Western Studies Department of Spanish Department of Portuguese Department of Italian Department of Greek Department of Dutch Department of Russian Department of Russian Department of Ukrainian Department of French Department of French Department of German Department of German Department of Swedish

The Law School Department of Law Department of International Politics College of International Finance and Trade Department of International Economics and Trade Department of Finance Department of Accounting College of International Business (CIB) Department of Business Administration Department of Public Relations Department of Information Management and Information System Department of MBA College of Journalism Department of Journalism College of Media and Communication Department of Radio and Television News Department of Advertising Department of Educational Technology College of International Education Department of Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language Department of English Education Department of Business English College of International Cultural Exchange Department of Chinese Department of MTCSOL Graduate Institute of Interpretation and Translation (GIIT) Department of Conference Interpreting Department of MTI Department of Translation Studies

The Graduate School

There are 30 master's programmes: (26 research programmes) English language and literature, Russian language and literature, French language and literature, German language and literature, Japanese language and literature, Spanish language and literature, Arabic language and literature,European language and literature, Asian and African language and literature, modern and contemporary Chinese literature, foreign linguistics and applied linguistics, comparative literature and world literature, international relations, international trade, business management, educational technology, journalism, linguistics and applied linguistics, diplomacy, translation studies, communication, international politics, ideological and political education, financing, comparative politics, Chinese studies, ancient Chinese literature, curriculum and teaching studies, continuing education studies, economic technology and management; (3 taught programmes) Master of Translation and Interpreting (MTI), Master of Business Administration (MBA), Master of Teaching Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages (MTCSOL).

There are 12 Ph.D. programmes: English Language and Literature, Russian Language and Literature, French Language and Literature, German Language and Literature, Japanese Language and Literature, Arabic Language and Literature, Asian and African Language and Literature, Translation Studies, International Relations, Foreign Linguistics and Applied Linguistics, International Politics, Diplomacy.

Confucius Institutes

• Japan: 大阪産業大学 (Osaka Sangyo University)
• Italy: Università degli Studi di Napoli "L'Orientale" (Naples Eastern University)
• Peru: Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú (Pontifical Catholic University of Peru)

The Songjiang Campus of Shanghai International Studies University

Campus

SISU has two campuses, one in Hongkou District and one in Songjiang District.

Hongkou Campus

The Hongkou campus is located in the center of Shanghai, covering 16.9 hectares.

Songjiang Campus

The Songjiang campus is in Shanghai's Songjiang New District, covering an area of 53.3 hectares.

Notable Alumni

• Yao Ming - basketball player
• Yang Jiechi - Foreign Minister of the People's Republic of China
• Fengbo Zhang - Chinese economist
• Joan Chen - actress and director
• Wang Yeping - former first lady of China (wife of Jiang Zemin)

Further reading

• The Compilation Committee (1989). A Concise History of Shanghai Foreign Language Insitute:1949-1989. Shanghai: Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press. ISBN 7-81009-403-3. 
• The Compilation Committee (1996). A History of Shanghai International Studies University. Shanghai: Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press. ISBN 7-81046-094-3. 

External links

• Shanghai International Studies University
• The Map of Shanghai International Studies University