The School of Marxism is a key national institution for cultivating professionals in Marxist theory, conducting teaching and research, advancing theoretical innovation, and promoting the inheritance and development of Marxism in China. It traces its origin directly to the Department of Marxism-Leninism Studies of the Graduate School of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, founded in 1978, and the School of Marxism of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, established in 2014. The School is headed by Xin Xiangyang, who also serves as Director of the Institute of Marxism of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS). In September 2019, the School was reestablished as a new institution combining undergraduate and postgraduate education with research, through in-depth integration of the Institute of Marxism of CASS and the School of Marxism of UCASS. In February 2024, the School was designated a National Key School of Marxism.
The School currently has 12 full-time faculty members, 17 adjunct instructors, 37 master’s supervisors and 52 doctoral supervisors. Among them, there is 1 member of the Marxist Theory Discipline Appraisal Group under the State Council, 7 chief experts of the Marxist Theory Research and Construction Project, and more than 30 high-level talents selected under programs such as the National High-Level Talent Special Support Program. Fourteen faculty members serve as editor-in-chief or associate editor-in-chief of authoritative domestic and international academic journals. More than 30 hold the positions of president or vice president of national first-class academic associations. Over 10 faculty members have delivered lectures for the collective study sessions of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee. The School hosts two teams recognized as Ministry of Education Demonstration Schools and Excellent Teaching & Research Team, and one as Beijing Excellent Undergraduate Education Team. Two faculty members have been awarded the CASS Distinguished Teacher Award (including Young Teacher Award), and two others have received the Beijing Municipal Distinguished Teacher Award (including Young Teacher Award). In addition, five faculty members have been selected for provincial and ministerial-level young talent support programs such as the CASS Young Top Talent and Young Talent programs.
Over the past five years, the School has undertaken 32 major national research projects including key projects of the National Social Science Fund of China, 45 other national-level projects such as general projects of the National Social Science Fund of China, and more than 120 provincial and ministerial-level projects supported by Beijing Municipality, CASS and the Ministry of Education. Faculty members have published more than 500 representative papers in top-tier, prestigious and major journals in the Marxism discipline, and more than 120 influential monographs, including a book series focusing on core concepts of contemporary theories in the new era. Faculty members have received more than 70 important awards, including the Higher Education Outstanding Scientific Research Achievement Award (Humanities and Social Sciences) and the CASS Outstanding Research Achievement Award. More than 20 research achievements of the school have received important instructions from top leadership. Over 30 research outcomes have been conferred the Special Prize of the CASS Excellent Policy Information Award.
By further implementing the strategy of integrating academic research with education, the School has developed a first-class talent development system in China that integrates undergraduate and graduate education, with undergraduates as the foundation and graduate students as the main focus. The School provides doctoral programs covering two first-level disciplines: Marxist Theory and History and Construction of the Communist Party of China. Under the first-level discipline of Marxist Theory, there are seven second-level doctoral disciplines: Basic Principles of Marxism, History of Marxism, Sinicization of Marxism, Foreign Marxist Studies, Ideological and Political Education, China Studies, and Studies on Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. Under the first-level discipline of History and Construction of the Communist Party of China, it offers three second-level doctoral disciplines: Theory of Party History and Party Building, History of the Communist Party of China, and Studies on Party Leadership and Party Building. In addition, the School provides master’s programs in two independent second-level disciplines: Scientific Socialism and the International Communist Movement, and Literary Hermeneutics. At the undergraduate level, the School offers two bachelor’s majors: Ideological and Political Education and Marxist Theory. The Marxist Theory discipline has been selected for the CASS “Peak-Climbing Strategy” Top Discipline Program and recognized as a Beijing Advanced Discipline. With the support of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee and the Central Spiritual Civilization Steering Committee, the School has established the nation’s first second-level discipline of Spiritual Civilization Studies, and founded the Institute of China’s New Era Spiritual Civilization Studies, addressing key voids in related domestic research areas. The School enrolls doctoral candidates under the “Marxist Theory Backbone Talents Program” sponsored by the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee. Both undergraduate programs have been selected for the Ministry of Education’s Double Ten-Thousand Plan for first-class undergraduate majors. The quality of postgraduate training has consistently been among the best in the country. The School currently has 679 students, including 172 undergraduates, 86 master’s students, 56 doctoral students, and 365 doctoral candidates in the Marxist Theory Backbone Talents Program.
To serve the endeavor of building a modern socialist country with Chinese characteristics and achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, the School will continue to deepen the integration of research and education, strengthen its distinctive strengths, adhere to the principles of talent development and education, and fulfill the fundamental task of fostering virtue through education. It will continue remaining committed to nurturing reserve talents dedicated to the research, dissemination, and interpretation of Marxist theory, cultivating outstanding builders and reliable successors for the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics.
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