Political Sciences
The Marxism School（School of Political Science) of Sichuan University, merged by the previous Marxist-Leninist Department, the previous Political and Ideological Department of Sichuan University and the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences of West China University of Medical Sciences, was established in 2001. The Marxism Department consists of six teaching units and three research institutes. The six teaching units are six teaching and research divisions in terms of the basic principles of Marxism, Chinese Marxism, ideological and moral cultivation and the legal basis, recent and modern Chinese History, political theory course for graduates and international politics. And the three research institutes are Rural Development Research Center of Sichuan University, Applied Psychology and Mental Health Research Institute of Sichuan University and Institute of International Relations of Sichuan University. In addition, teachers’ training and research centers for the college course of ideological and political theory in Sichuan province and the teacher training bases for the college students’ mental health education in Sichuan province are set up in the Marxism School.
Our department is mainly responsible for the teaching tasks of mental and political theory courses for the whole university’s doctors, graduates and undergraduates, majoring in arts, science, engineering and medical sciences. In terms of the course construction, our department is in charge of the courses of "Ideological and Moral Cultivation and the Legal Basis ", "Basic Principles of Marxism, ""Mao Zedong Thought and Introduction to the Theory of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics", all of which have been selected as the provincial featured courses. Meanwhile, the courses of "Mao Zedong Thought and Introduction to the theory of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics", "Basic Principles of Marxism, " "Morality and Legal Basis ", and "Chinese History" are assessed as the university-level public basic courses.
After years of development, the department has made great academic achievements and has significantly improved the disciplinary system. Until now, the school has established a secondary-level doctorate program for "Study of Marxism in China," 2 first-level master programs for "Marxist Theory" and "Politics", and one undergraduate program for the discipline of “International Politics". The first-level master program for "Marxist Theory" covers 5 secondary-level disciplines, namely, Basic Principles of Marxism, the Development History of Marxist, the Study of Marxism in China, the Study of Marxism abroad, and the Ideological and Political Education. The first-level master program for " Politics’’ encompasses 7 secondary-level master programs, namely, Political Theory, Chinese and Foreign Political Systems, International Relations, International Politics, Diplomacy, the CPC's History, Scientific Socialism and International Communist Movement.
The department possesses a highly proficient teaching and research team forming a reasonable talent structure with a total staff of 87 people, among whom there are 13 professors, 34 associate professors, and a group of domestic and overseas famous experts and scholars hired as honorary professors or visiting professors. Among the present teaching staff, there is one gainer of the State Council’s allowance, one winner of the honor of New Century Excellent Talents awarded by Ministry of Education, and one deputy director of the National Committee of Psychological Consultation, three academic and disciplinary leaders of Sichuan province, one Outstanding Teacher of Sichuan province, three candidates for academic and disciplinary leaders of Sichuan province, and three Outstanding Teachers of Sichuan University.
The department attaches great importance to scientific research. Since its establishment in 2001, the department has gained the approvals for over 100 subjects of longitudinal or horizontal level, including over 50 longitudinal subjects of national, provincial levels with total funds of more than 3 million RMB; the department has published over 680 academic papers including over 200 core journals’ articles and over 40 reprinted ones; it has also published over 30 monographs and educational materials; meanwhile, it has won over 30 national or provincial incentives.
The department’s reference room is now in possession of 5 million volumes, including more than 170 academic journals and more than 10 newspapers; it has completed the '523 'construction projects of Sichuan University——Center for Ideological and Political Education of Sichuan University——to provide modern supporting conditions for the ideological and political education of the whole university and for the professional study of the students from the department.
The Marxism Department (Department of Political Science) of Sichuan University has become a significant base for teaching and research for the Marxist theory and politics in the universities from South West China.
