A Comparative Study of English General Education Curriculum System in Chinese and Japanese Universities

Abstract

China and Japan are both East Asian countries with similar historical backgrounds and cultural origins, and they hold identical attitudes towards English language education in colleges and universities, i.e., improving the English language proficiency of the nationals has excellent advantages for individuals and the country, and the English language education in colleges and universities of the two countries is comparable in many aspects and can be borrowed from each other. This paper focuses on the curriculum system of liberal education in Chinese and Japanese universities and takes Peking University and the University of Tokyo as the objects of study. It compares and analyzes the similarities and differences between the liberal English education programs of the two universities regarding curriculum overview, curriculum objectives, curriculum structure, and curriculum evaluation methods. It analyzes and summarizes the characteristics of the two sides to enhance the strengths and avoid the shortcomings, to make up for the drawbacks of English liberal education in Chinese universities, and to harvest the usable experience.