On January 16, 2026, SFS convened a meeting to review the curriculum design of the Joint Undergraduate Program in Language Science with Lancaster University.
Seven experts from both inside and outside the university attended the session. Professor Vaclav Brezina, Head of the Department of Linguistics and English Language at Lancaster University, participated online. Chen Xiangjing, Dean of SFS, Li Ying, Vice Dean, and Peng Fengling, Head of the English Department, attended the meeting on-site together with other SFS faculty representatives.
Chen Xiangjing introduced the joint program with Lancaster University, noting that it will be settled in XJTU's Hannan Campus in Lingshui County. She emphasized that this initiative is a proactive response to the Ministry of Education's call for the construction of "New Liberal Arts". By leveraging the development of the Hainan campus, the program aims to transform traditional foreign language majors into interdisciplinary hubs, cultivating Language Science talents who can thrive in the AI era through the integration of liberal arts with science and engineering.
Chaired by Professor Jiang Yajun, the review session featured detailed reports from Professor Peng Fengling and Professor Vaclav Brezina on the curriculum structure and educational philosophy. An expert panel from prestigious institutions—including Beihang University, Renmin University of China and Northwestern Polytechnical University—unanimously approved the curriculum. They praised the program's paradigm shift in breaking traditional boundaries through the integration of AI and Big Data, addressing the critical need for interdisciplinary development in modern linguistics.
In her closing remarks, Chen Xiangjing expressed gratitude for the high-level and inspiring insights provided by the attending experts. She stated that SFS would fully incorporate these suggestions to build the program into a premier platform for cultivating linguistic professionals who are globally competitive and aligned with national strategies.
