









































Communication, Society and Media 
ISSN 2576-5388 (Print) ISSN 2576-5396 (Online) 

Vol. 6, No. 4, 2023 
www.scholink.org/ojs/index.php/csm 

29 
 

Original Paper 

Cultivation of Core Competences of English Major Students 

under the Inter-discinplinary Guidance 

A Case Study of “The Survey of British and American Culture” 

Course 
Hanyu JIN1, Dongxue HU1, Liping YIN2, Yi LI3*, & Dan CUI4* 

1 Postgraduate student of the School of English, Jilin International Studies University, Changchun, 

China 
2 Master of Education Management, Southwest University, Chongqing, China; Senior Teacher, 

Zhongshan Experimental Middle School, Zhongshan, Guangdong, China 
3 School of Foreign Languages, Shenzhen Institute of Information Technology, Shenzhen, China 
4 Doc Supervisor of Yanbian University, Yanji, Jilin, China; Doc of Literature, Professor, Dean of 

Institute of International Languages and Cultures, Dean of Romanticism Studies Center, Jilin 

International Studies University, Changchun, Jilin, China; Postdoc of Literature of School of English, 

Beijing Foreign Studies University, Beijing, China 
* Dan CUI, Corresponding Author, summerelephant@126.com 
* Yi LI, Corresponding Author, 172790118@qq.com 

 

Received: October 11, 2023    Accepted: October 28, 2023    Online Published: November 20, 2023 

doi:10.22158/csm.v6n4p29                       URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.22158/csm.v6n4p29 

 

Abstract 

The newly issued National Standards by the Ministry of National Education for the Quality of Foreign 

Language and Literature Teaching (hereinafter referred to as the “National Standards”) clearly points 

out that the curriculum system of foreign language majors should emphasize the cultivation of 

competences and the construction of professional knowledge, especially the cultivation of 

cross-cultural, critical, and innovative abilities. Therefore, in order to enhance college students’ 

autonomous study ability and cross-cultural skills, this study, based on the concepts of content and 

language integration, aims to explore the way to combine Willis’ outline of procedure for task-based 

learning with the five principles of intercultural teaching, and utilize task-based teaching method, and 

rely on the course—“British and American Culture: A Course to Develop Critical Thinking from a 



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cross-cultural perspective” to respectively consider the design of autonomous study worksheets for 

English majors before, during, and after class, so as to improve their autonomous learning ability, 

cultural critical thinking and intercultural communication skills. It will be helpful for the 

implementation of similar courses. 

Keywords 

content and language integration, autonomous study worksheets, cultural discernment 

 

1. Introduction 

Under the impetus of “National Standards”, foreign language teaching in China’s universities and 

colleges is undergoing a transformative revolution from a didactic culture focusing on knowledge 

inculcation and transmission and a test training culture to a discursive culture aiming at cultivating 

multiple competencies. The “Teaching Guidelines for Undergraduate English Majors in Ordinary 

Higher Education Institutions” requires the improvement and development of students’ autonomous 

study and critical thinking abilities. The textbook “British and American Culture: A Course to Develop 

Critical Thinking” composed by Zhu Zhenwu, belongs to the type of parallel teaching of culture and 

language knowledge, which is in line with the CLI education concept, that is, the teaching of language, 

knowledge, and culture is no longer separated. This course is designed for undergraduate English 

majors, who, unlike primary and secondary school students, are at a higher education level without the 

pressure of further education and in a more active classroom environment and academic atmosphere; 

they are already adults and have a high potential for independent learning and a more mature level of 

thinking. On the basis of combining previous theories, Sun Youzhong summarized the five principles of 

intercultural teaching, abbreviated as CREED, in 2016, including critiquing, reflecting, exploring, 

emphasizing, and doing, which are very helpful for improving the cross-cultural communication ability, 

cultural thinking ability, autonomous learning and exploration ability of foreign language professionals. 

 

2. Key Concepts 

2.1 Content and Language Integration (CLI) 

Content-based Instruction (CBI), as an innovative language teaching methodology, was defined by 

Brinton, Snow, and Wesche (1989), as “the concurrent study of language and subject matter, with the 

form and sequence of language presentation dictated by content material”. Its creation enables the 

integration of content and language. However, the limitation of CBI lies in the lack of explicit 

instruction and corrective feedback. One solution that has been agreed in the academic field is to 

combine content with language learning, and so with this comes out the very hot pedagogy in Europe, 

CLIL, that is Content and Language Integrated Learning. 

 



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Content and Language Integration (CLI) as a theoretical achievement based on CBI and CLIL, is 

localized in China, and proposed by a group of experts including Chang Junyue, former Dean of the 

School of English at Dalian University of Foreign Studies, together with other pertinent experts. “CLI 

is an educational philosophy or approach in which a target language is expected to be used as much as 

possible and as appropriate as possible for the teaching and learning of both content and language in 

integrated ways for multiple educational purposes” (Chang & Zhao, 2020) . The core of CLI is the 

organic integration of content and language in education and teaching, without artificially separating 

the two. Traditional language learning emphasizes listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills 

training, with emphasis on listening, expressiveness, and memorization. CLI emphasizes not the 

language itself, but the learning of subject matter content, which is suitable for using language 

functions in content-dependent authentic contexts. There also exists a difference between CLI and 

CLIL. This reform of the curriculum at Dalian University of Foreign Languages does not focuses on 

teaching in English, but also on the mother tongue as an important medium of communication between 

teachers and students (Chang et al., 2020, p. 14). Furthermore, this reform does not stop at instruction, 

but goes beyond mere language teaching to a holistic education of knowledge, competence and quality. 

CLI relies on the methodological flexibility of content-dependent teaching, which mobilizes students to 

take the initiative to learn through problem-driven and output-driven methods, and organically 

combines effective activities and tools such as heuristics, tasks, discussions, pair work, group activities, 

classroom presentations, multimedia tools, etc. with the teaching of subject content to improve 

students’ language skills, stimulate their interest, cultivate their independence and creativity, and 

enhance their intercultural competence (Chang et al., 2010). 

2.2 The Textbook: British and American Culture: A Course to Develop Critical Thinking from a 

Cross-cultural Perspective 

It’s a textbook of the “English for Intercultural Communication Course Series” launched by Foreign 

Studies. As an extension course of English for university students, this course requires a certain level of 

English foundation and is usually taken by second-year undergraduates in English. It consists of six 

units: Nature and Mankind, Education and Growth, Popularity and Mass, Crisis and Reflection, 

Separation and Integration, and Technology and Life. Like other intercultural courses, the goal of the 

course is to enable students to understand the politics, economy, culture, and history of British and 

American countries, and to further improve students’ intercultural awareness, intercultural 

communication skills, English thinking skills, and overall English usage skills.  

However, British and American Culture: A Course to Develop Critical Thinking From a Cross-cultural 

Perspective has two distinctive features, which makes it one of the best choices as the target book for 

this study: first, the themes of the book are oriented to the whole mankind, which are various problems 

that the whole world is bound to face in the process of development and exploration, and when students 



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understand, study and discuss the various themes, they will certainly help them to reflect on the 

problems from the perspective of the community of destiny and build the society. The second feature 

lies in its unique teaching mode, which adopts the principle of the order of learning as defined in the 

ancient Chinese Confucian classic The Golden Mean of the Confucian, that is, “study extensively, 

inquire accurately, reflect carefully, discriminate clearly and practice earnestly”. This principle leads 

students to study widely, ask relevant questions, learn to think thoroughly, develop clear judgment, and 

finally use the knowledge and ideas gained to guide their practice. Similarly, the teaching model of “Ge 

Wu Zhi Zhi”, which means to study the phenomena of nature in order to acquire knowledge, is based 

on the Confucian classic The Great Learning. This principle requires students to inquire into the 

principles of things in order to gain knowledge.  

Therefore, the use of this book to conduct the cultural analysis is a good way to bridge the gap between 

the traditional language teaching, culture teaching and discernment teaching, and is suitable and helpful 

to cultivate foreign language professionals’ logical ability, critical thinking ability, comprehensive 

literacy and cultural confidence. 

2.3 Intercultural Competence 

The specific categorization of intercultural competence also varies, but scholars have more generally 

accepted the goal-based categorization proposed by the American educator Bloom to build a model 

framework of intercultural competence along three dimensions: knowledge, attitudes, and skills. For 

example, Byram (1997) classifies intercultural competence into cultural awareness and insight, positive 

attitudes toward different cultures, and the ability to behave appropriately in cultural situations. 

Hamilton (1998), on the other hand, provides a more detailed division on top of the trichotomy, which 

includes awareness of one’s own cultural orientation and the similarities and differences between 

cultures, understanding the meaning of cultural oppression and the impact of cultural differences on 

communication (knowledge competence); valuing one’s own group and heterocultural groups, 

opposing cultural discrimination and ethnocentrism, and preferring to improve one’s life through 

intercultural communication (attitudinal competence); and having the ability to (attitudinal 

competence); the ability to identify cultural similarities and differences and to reflect on them, the 

ability to adopt multiple perspectives to understand situational differences, the ability to challenge 

discrimination and to communicate across cultures etc. (skill competence). Some domestic scholars 

have made a comprehensive overview and summary of the components of intercultural competence, as 

shown in Table 1. 

 

 

 

 



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Table 1. A Comprehensive Overview and Summary of Intercultural Competence 

 General Capabilities Specific Capabilities 

Cognitive 

Dimension 

1. Understand the definition and 

characteristics of culture and the 

influence of culture on human 

perceptions and behaviors. 

2. Understand the current situation 

regarding other peoples, cultures, 

and social groups. 

3. Understands the causes of cultural 

barriers and how to overcome them. 

1.Understand one’s own social, cultural,and 

historical background. 

2.Understand the social, cultural, and historical 

backgrounds of other regions and around the 

world. 

3.Understand how social and cultural 

backgrounds influence individuals. 

4.Understand the physical and social needs of 

different cultural groups 

5.Understand how other social groups deal with 

the above needs 

Attitude 

Dimension 

1.Maintain a tolerant, respectful, and 

open mindset towards different 

cultures and lifestyles. 

2.Hold a positive attitude towards 

learning cultural differences. 

1.Respect the various behaviors of other social 

and cultural patterns. 

2.Actively regulate disputes arising from cultural 

differences. 

3.Actively fight against all forms of cultural 

discrimination and cultural prejudice. 

4.Respect the equal rights of all individuals and 

groups. 

Skill 

Dimension 

1. Able to interpret, relate, evaluate, 

learn, and adapt to culture. 

2. Able to engage in cross-cultural 

communication and contact with 

others. 

1.Identify, analyze, and criticize various 

behaviors of different cultural patterns 

2.Make contributions to harmonious coexistence 

among different social and cultural backgrounds 

in modern society 

3.Face up to narrow xenophobia and oppose 

discrimination and racism 

4.Conduct constructive dialogue and cooperation 

to calmly resolve disputes 

(Huang & Wei, 2007; Jiang, 2013) 

 

2.4 Five Basic Principles of Intercultural Teaching: CREED 

Professor Sun Youzhong of Beijing Foreign Studies University (2016) proposes 5 basic principles of 

intercultural teaching, namely Critiquing, Reflecting, Exploring, Empathizing and Doing, the initial 



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letters of these 5 concepts exactly form the English word CREED, which we may understand as The 5 

tenets of intercultural teaching and learning. 

Principle 1: Critiquing. Intercultural teaching should train students to use cognitive skills to solve 

intercultural problems. Critiquing is a professionally trained thinking process in which people actively 

and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing and/or evaluating information or 

communication as a guide to belief and action (Scriven & Paul, 1987). 

Principle 2: Reflecting. Reflection helps students to better understand their strengths and weaknesses, 

identify and question their underlying values and beliefs, challenge the assumptions behind their 

perceptions, feelings and behaviors, find hidden biases, acknowledge their fears and identify 

weaknesses and areas for improvement (Rogerson, Monash University, 2016). 

Principle 3: Exploring. Intercultural teaching should focus on the process of exploring intercultural 

issues, so that learning activities are drawn by questions and become a search for new knowledge and 

new understanding, in which teachers are facilitators of learning activities and students actively and 

autonomously explore and take increasing responsibility for learning activities and competence 

development (Spronken Smith, 2016).  

Principle 4: Empathizing. In the context of intercultural communication, the American scholar 

Calloway Thomas (2015) defines empathy as “the ability to enter and prticipate in the world of the 

cultural other through imagination at the cognitive, emotional and behavioral levels”.  

Principle 5: Doing. Learning by doing, also known as experiential learning, has become a widely 

accepted and effective teaching philosophy in all disciplines of education. Kolb’s experiential learning 

cycle is perhaps the most scholarly influential and cited model regarding experiential learning theory. 

(Morris, 2020). According to the theoretical model proposed by Kolb (1984), experiential learning is a 

linearly related four-stage cyclical process that includes four steps: concrete experience abilities (CE), 

reflective observation abilities (RO), abstract conceptualization abilities (AC), and active 

experimentation (AE) abilities. 

In accordance with these principles, intercultural teaching and learning should not be dominated by 

knowledge instillation and lecturing, but rather by active thinking, which means that students should 

first master the methods of thinking and carefully design diverse cross-cultural tasks that require them 

to use thinking to complete. 

 

3. The Design of Autonomous Study Worksheets in the Course British and American Culture: A 

Course to Develop Critical Thinking 

CLI advocates giving full play to the role of the teacher as well as the role of the student (Chang, 

2020).Contemporary Language Learning theories emphasize the decisive role of learners in the 

learning process and learner autonomy. A large number of researches show that the most important 



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factor in language teaching is the learner rather than the teacher, and the teaching should be 

student-centered, with the student as the main body of teaching (Gao, & Zhang,). Therefore, English 

teaching should be a skill-constructing course to cultivate students’ learning ability instead of a 

knowledge-learning course to instill knowledge into students. 

Autonomous study worksheet is one of the effective ways to enhance students’ independent learning 

ability and highlight students’ main position in teaching. After incorporating the definitions of 

autonomous study worksheets from several scholars, “Autonomous study worksheet is a form that 

teachers develop for students in the smart classroom environment to guide their independent learning 

based on a combination of curriculum standards, materials and students’ realities, and matched with 

independent learning resources” (Gao et al., 2020). 

Guided by the CLI concept, this paper combines the five principles of intercultural teaching proposed 

by Sun Youzhong with the autonomous study worksheets to enhance students’ critical thinking and 

intercultural communication skills. The autonomous study worksheets should serve the whole teaching 

process, which include a preview worksheet before class, a learning worksheet during class and a task 

worksheet after class. The details are shown in the following chart: 

 
Figure 1. The Autonomous Study Worksheet 

 



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3.1 Preview Worksheet: Clarity of Purpose and Gradual Deepening 

Advance organizer is a concept introduced by Ausubel in the early 1960s. According to Ausubel’s 

classic explanation, an organizer is a guide with a high level of abstraction and generalization that is 

presented before the learning material is presented. The organizer is the connection between new 

knowledge and old knowledge, providing a “conceptual anchor point” for learning new ideas and 

enabling the smooth integration of new knowledge into existing cognitive structures. A typical advance 

organizer can be a guiding case, a preview sheet, etc. In this article, a preview worksheet is used to 

allow students to do independent learning before class with the help of an advance organizer. 

The role of the preview worksheet: (1) introduce the theme of the unit, inspire students to think and 

understand the connotation of the theme; (2) mobilize students’ visual perception and stimulate interest 

in learning and exploration (3) demonstrate the learning objectives and activity tasks to understand the 

whole picture of the unit (4) encourage students to participate in discussions around the topic with their 

own background knowledge, experiences and experiences (Brinkerhoffetal., 1983). 

Structure of the preview worksheet: (1) Theme. At the top of the worksheet, write down the theme of 

the unit with corresponding pictures, so as to fully engage students’ senses and prepare them for 

following study. (2) Teaching objectives. The first step in learning a subject, a unit or an article is to 

clarify the learning goals, which is the most important. When the College English Teaching Guide 

(Version 2020) mentions the dual nature of college English courses as instrumentality and humanity, it 

emphasizes that its instrumental nature is mainly expressed in listening, speaking, reading, writing, 

translating and English for special purposes, while its humanistic nature is mainly reflected in 

familiarizing with foreign societies and cultures, enhancing awareness and understanding of the 

differences and similarities of different cultures, and developing intercultural communication skills. 

Therefore, the teaching objectives of the preview worksheets can be refined into the structure shown 

below: 

 

Figure 2. The Teaching Objectives of the Preview Worksheets 

 



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(3) Tasks. Based on the theme of the opening page, the preview tasks are designed according to Sun 

Youzhong’s five basic principles of intercultural teaching (2016), so that students can complete the 

preview tasks on their own under the guidance of the worksheet and enter the classroom with their 

personalized ideas or achievements, and further communicate with their classmates and teachers to 

strengthen their correct understanding or correct their wrong ideas. For example, in the knowledge 

input session, the teacher can break down the information covered in the chapter into several 

knowledge points before class, and have students first study on their own before class with video 

materials and MOOC to grasp the main points of the topic. The teacher divides the class into 

cooperative learning groups, and lets the group work together to review the information, sort out the 

knowledge points, form a written report, and then share the explanation with the class in the class 

discussion session. 

(4) Autonomous study feedback. 

This part is about students’ reflection and review of the learning process after learning, which can 

further deepen their understanding and thinking about their new knowledge and summarize their 

learning process, and finally they can enter the class with their “doubts” and “gains”. Many educators 

praise feedback for promoting students’ autonomous learning and influencing their outcomes in the 

process of professionally oriented English communication (Dmitrenko & Budas, 2021).  
For example, the structure of the preview worksheet for Lesson 1“Fog and Haze” in Unit 1“Humans 

and Nature” can be designed as follows as an example: 

 

Preview Worksheet 

Ⅰ. Theme: Human and Nature 

 

Ⅱ. Teaching Objectives 

 

 

 

1. Humanistic literacy 

(1) Humanistic knowledge: able to compare and contrast London’s urban 

environment and air quality in the 19th century with that of today. 

Experience the London scene in the author Dickens’ time. 

(2) Humanistic spirit: able to advocate the scientific relationship between 

man and nature, and respect the laws of nature. 

(3) Humanistic thought: able to understand that humans should deal with 

the relationship between man and nature and not destroy the 

environment uncontrollably for the sake of man’s own development, 

and make rules accordingly. 



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2. Intercultural 

communication 

competence 

(1) Intercultural knowledge competence: able to compare the attitudes of 

Chinese and Western cultures towards fog and find out the similarities. 

Consider how human beings should find a balance between development 

and environmental protection. 

(2) Intercultural awareness competence: able to understand the cultural 

environment in which China and the West live and to have an 

understanding and tolerance of the cultural differences between them. 

(3) Intercultural communication strategies: able to seek harmony and 

avoid conflict when communicating with peers, teachers and foreign 

professors, and use language and expressions that are understandable to 

the others to present your views. 

 

Ⅲ. Tasks 

1. Critiquing: read the opening page and complete the following table: 
 
 

The relationship between man and nature 

Religious and Psychological 

Perspectives 

Ancient Greek culture Nature exists to serve the interests 

of man. 

Christian Thought Placing human beings above all 

natural things. 

Romantic and Philosophical 

Perspectives 

 

Romantics 

Enjoying the natural beauty and the 

tacit relationship between man and 

nature. 

 

 

Transcendentalists 

It is believed that by stepping into 

the true beauty represented by all 

things natural, each person has the 

potential to perfect his or her 

divinity. 

Ecological Ethics Human beings must respect not only the other members of the living 

union, but also the living union itself. 

 

2. Reflecting: In your opinion, what are the decisive factors that undermine the harmonious relationship 

between man and nature? 

3. Exploring: What is the natural environment like in London today? What methods have the British 

government tried to use to manage the environment throughout history? 



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4. Emphasizing: Go to the internet and collect pictures of urban haze in China and compare them with 

pictures of London haze in Dickens’ time. Analyse whether there are similarities between mid-19th 

century Britain and China. When was the last time you experienced the haze and describe your 

experience at that time. 

5. Doing: Find information to summarize what are the dangers of haze? And what causes an imbalance 

in the harmonious relationship between man and nature? What do you think such relationship should be 

like? Explain your views through presentation. (You are adviced go online to find resources related to 

environmental change or protection, such as pictures, articles, videos, etc. to testify your point of view). 

 

Ⅳ. Autonomous Study Feedback  

My gains  

My doubts  
 

 

3.2 In-class Worksheet: Cultural Comparisons and Critical Thinking 

Students’ independent learning skills are developed and enhanced through the implementation of a 

series of activities, which mainly using task-based teaching methods. The focus of the course British 

and American Culture: A Course to Develop Critical Thinking is on the comparison and discernment of 

Chinese and Western cultures. The concept of task is quite vague. Tasks can be real-world focused or 

instructional (Nunan, 2012); they can be listing, order ing and sorting, matching, comparing, problem 

solving, as well as doing projects and sharing personal experiences (Willis, 2007); they can be closed, 

semi-closed/open and open (Willis, 1996) and they can be input-providing and output-prompting (Ellis, 

2009).In this study, the author used the outline of procedure for task-based learning proposed by Willis 

in 1996. 

 

Pre-task 

 

Exposure 

 

 

Introduction to topic and task 

 

 

Instruction 

Task Cycle 

 

Exposure 

 

Task 

 

Use (spontaneous) 



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Exposure 

 

 

Exposure(planned) 

 

 

Exposure 

 

 

Planning 

 

 

Report 

 

 

Student hear task recording or 

read a text 

 

 

 

Instruction (as needed) 

 

 

Use (planned) 

Language Focus 

 

Exposure 

 

 

Exposure 

 

 

Analysis and practice 

 

 

Review and repeat task 

 

Instruction/ Use (restricted) 

 

 

Use (spontaneous) 

 

For example, in lesson 17 (Literature and Consumption), the in-class learning worksheet is supposed to 

be designed as follows: 

 

In-class Learning Worksheet 

Lesson 17 Literature and Consumption 

Ⅰ. Tasks 

Pre-task 

Discussion: “Pop Art” and “Mass Media” 

Learn about the origins and development of “Pop Art” and “Mass 

Media”. Then discuss the topics of most popular movies, pop songs, and 

reality shows in recent years and reflect how these pop cultures have 

influenced our lives. 



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Ⅱ. 

Autonomous Study Feedback 

My gains  

My doubts  
 

Task Cycle 

Ⅰ. Critiquing and Reflecting: Experience the different feelings brought 

by the original and the movie. 

ⅰ. Read an excerpt from the original Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s 

Stone. 

ⅱ. Watch a movie clip corresponding to the original excerpt. 

Ⅱ. Exploring: After reading the text Is There a Text in This Advertising 

Campaign?: Literature, Marketing and Harry Potter, discuss in groups of 

five: 

ⅰ. How do you understand Harry Potter as both a marketing and a 

literary phenomenon? 

ⅱ. J. K. Rowling wants to separate Harry Potter from marketing, was she 

able to make that happen? 

Language focus 

Ⅲ. Emphasizing: Read a Chinese article: literature cannot be an 

“industrial product”, and compare the two articles: 

ⅰ. What are the same points and different points in the Chinese and 

English articles? 

ⅱ. What “star writers” and literary figures do you know? Which of their 

works have you read? How do you feel about them? 

ⅲ. Discuss with group members: how to improve the reading interest and 

aesthetic level of the public? 

Ⅵ. Doing: as seen in after-class worksheet. 

 
3.3 After-class Worksheet: Practical Activities and Cultural Exchange 

Empathy lab activity is thoughtfully designed and sequenced to promote student engagement with 

difference and employ reflection to deepen student learning and to connect the exercise to the 

curriculum (Brookfield & Preskill, 2012). 

 



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Doing：Empathy Lab 

Topic: Performing, experiencing, commenting, communicating 

Form: performing excerpts of classic Chinese and foreign literature 

Participants: Chinese sophomore English major students; international exchange students 

Activity requirements: 

ⅰ. Chinese students and international exchange students are divided into groups of 4-6 within their 

respective groups. 

 

ⅱ. For Chinese students: each group selects any excerpt from a foreign classic and performs it; for 

foreign students: each group selects an excerpt from any Chinese classic and performs it. 

 

ⅲ. Finally, three outstanding works will be selected in the conference room of the International 

Exchange Building, and certificates will be issued and uploaded to the school’s official website. The 

international exchange students will score and select the works of the Chinese students; the Chinese 

students will score and select the works of the international exchange students. The top three with the 

highest scores are considered outstanding works. 

 
When students watch the results, they are able to perceive the performance work with their personal, 

national cultural experience, and in the process achieve cultural empathy. At the same time, the students 

may encounter cultural clashes and exchanges between China and foreign countries in the process of 

selecting excellent works, which helps to cultivate students’ cross-cultural personality. 

 
4. Conclusion 

In the context of global cultural integration and collision of values, the basic British and American 

culture courses have less class time, but they are responsible for cultivating students’ cultural thinking 

and discernment skills as well as improving students' overall quality and cultivating moral character. 

Therefore, it is particularly important to actively explore the autonomous study teaching mode of 

British and American culture discernment courses, and to combine ideological and political thinking 

with critiquing ability. In the future, the world cultural competition will be more intense, and the 

cultivation of talents is the core of the competition. We should insist on cultivating a young generation 

with international vision, cultural discernment and cultural confidence. 

 
 
 
 



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Note(s) 

Note 1. This paper is the periodical research result of Project on “A Study on Cultivation Mechanism of 

Foreign Language High-quality Students Based on Inter-discipline Crossover and Integration Under 

Value Guiding” sponsored by Jilin Education and Science Leading Office (WT22143); of Project on 

Research on the Mechanism of Independent Cultivation of Outstanding Innovative Talents in Foreign 

Languages in the Context of Strengthening Higher Education in Provinces(JISU20240901); of Project 

on “The Establishment and Practice of Vista Mode of Development and Transformation of 

English-major Teaching Faculty’s Proficiency under New Arts Prospect” sponsored by Chinese Private 

Higher Education Association(CANFZG22417); of Project on “The Construction and Practice of Mode 

of Development and Transformation of Foreign Language Teaching Faculty’s Proficiency in 

International Studies of Universities under Multiple-Discipline Background” sponsored by Jilin Higher 

Education Association(No: JGJX2022D316); of Project on “Research on the Design of Autonomous 

Study Worksheets and the Cultivation of Cultural Discernment for English Majors under the Concept of 

Content and Language Integration Teaching—Taking the Course British and American Culture: A 

Course to Develop Critical Thinking as an Example” sponsored by Jilin International Studies 

University (JWXSKY2023A045); of Project on “A Study of the Way to Integrate Global Village 

Cultural Symbols into Cultivating English Major Students’ Foreign Language Competence with Vision 

of a Global Community of Shared Future” sponsored by Jilin Higher Education Association 

(No:JGJX2023D442). 


