A case study of the role of English in a Chinese university

Abstract

Globalisation seems to be an irresistible trend that every nation is involved. China is not an exception, keen in ‘getting on the international track’ (?????), with its higher education becoming a sector to which globalisation offers both opportunities and challenges. English as an important feature of globalisation (Blommaert 2010) has motivated a growing scholarly interest in its role as a lingua franca in higher education (e.g. Jenkins 2014). In this context, this study focuses on one Chinese university and inspects the role of English in its reaction to globalisation. Through document analysis, classroom observations and interviews with teachers and students on English Medium Instruction programmes, this study illuminates a gap between policy and practice in the inspected university in terms of the role of English. On the one hand, the language policy is found that Chinese is highlighted, while English is marginalised. Further look into the ideology behind this policy reveals limited awareness of ELF and linguistic multilingualism. On the other hand, English as a lingua franca is used on the courses provided to international students, which form part of the university’s approach to globalisation. A close examination of how English is used and how the use is perceived suggests that student needs and teacher needs should be better addressed by the university. This presentation thus presents the linguistic landscape of the university, discusses the said gap and some issues arising with this gap before possible solutions are proposed

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