Freshmen of the University of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences attend the national flag-raising ritual, part of the unveiling ceremony, on Sept. 12 in Beijing.

---

The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) recently unveiled its affiliated university on Sept. 12 in Beijing, proclaiming that the premier think tank in China is committed to further advancing philosophy and social sciences with Chinese characteristics.

The Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee tasked CASS with establishing the University of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. Preparation work commenced in 2016, and the Ministry of Education granted approval on May 10 this year.

The university’s first batch of students is composed of 392 undergraduates, who will study seven majors in four schools. Students at the university’s school of Marxism will specialize in politics and administration as well as ideological and political education. The humanities school will focus on Chinese language and literature. The economics school features programs in economics, financial management, and international economics and trade. The school of international relations features an English major with tracks in either international economics or international politics.

The university was founded with the combined resources of the CASS Graduate School and the China Youth University of Political Studies. It will cultivate talent according to a mentorship model, with each mentor supervising two to five students. Ongoing academic projects are in place for some basic and key disciplines that will allow students to undertake undergraduate, graduate and doctoral studies.

The university has also partnered with foreign universities to provide students the opportunity to pursue degrees overseas. In addition, the integration of teaching and academic research is encouraged, so undergraduates are entitled to participate in research activities at the school or under the instruction of their supervisors.

The new students are distributed into 14 classes, with one full-time counselor allocated to every two classes.

The timing of the university’s establishment is significant because 2017 is not only the 40th anniversary of CASS but also the year of the 19th CPC National Congress, which is slated to open on Oct. 18.

The founding of the University of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences is a response to Chinese President Xi Jinping’s call for building the disciplines of philosophy and social sciences with Chinese characteristics, said CASS President Wang Weiguang, who is also president of the university, at the unveiling ceremony.

Nurturing high-quality professionals is vital if Chinese academics is to prosper, Wang said, adding that talent will accelerate the construction of philosophy and social sciences with Chinese characteristics, and the university will consolidate the role CASS plays in Chinese academia.

The unveiling ceremony also aimed to welcome new students of the CASS Graduate School and Marxism School.

 

 

 

PAN YUEFEI, DENG ZHIMEI, ZHU GAOLEI and ZHAO LU are reporters at the Chinese Social Sciences Today.