| This study strives to assess the historical developments that have taken place in the curricular changes of China's English-major program during the post-1949 periods, with the focus being on the changes since the Cultural Revolution. At its center is an exploration of the relationship between curricular and overall socioeconomic change. The analysis focuses especially on the impact made by the educational policies of the Chinese government and the Chinese Communist Party on English-major programs and their curricula.;The three major curriculum related areas that have been examined in this study are: (1) English-major program objectives; (2) course offerings; and (3) textbooks. In the study's attempt to arrive at an understanding both broad and deep of the forces driving China's educational reform, the methods of triangulation were employed in the analysis that include documentation analysis, interviews, textbook content analysis, and case studies.;Between 1949 and 1976 China's English-major programs and their curricula were shaped more than anything else by a belief that foreign language study should serve political ends, and even to the point of being used as a weapon. Since 1977, by contrast, China's economic development and modernization effort has been the major shaper of educational policy. Through its close examination of program requirements, course offerings and textbook content during all the different eras that fall within the 1949--1996, this study is able to clearly reflect China's shifting national priorities.;Throughout all the periods the Chinese government and the Chinese Communist Party have played a major role in the development of China's English-major programs. In the years since the end of the Cultural Revolution, however, and especially as a result of the China economic reform and the Open Door policy, they have been joined by another important player: business corporations such as foreign or joint enterprises. Together they have been demanding that the educational system including the English-major programs begin to respond more effectively to China's newly created needs. That has meant, above all, the establishment of a practical, market-oriented approach. |
