A Comparative Study On Curriculum Design For English Major Between China And Japan

Curriculum coexists with education, although the thought of curriculum enjoys a long history, it is from the beginning of the 20th century that the study of curriculum became independent from the field of education( Zhang Hua, 2000:1). Study of curriculum thrived in western developed countries, while it is a relatively new field in China, let alone the cross-cultural comparative study, which is the theme of this paper. Due to international and national changes, the new century sees the English Major facing serious challenges and curriculum reform of English Major has swept China nationwide. How to implement an effective curriculum reform is pivotal problem experts and scholars should solve.Japan shares many similarities with China in terms of English Education, for example, both Chinese and Japanese governments attach great importance to English education, and the language settings for English learning are similar. How about the curriculum design for English Major in Japan? The research is an attempt to analyze the curricula in China and Japan. Conclusions are drawn from the analysis, such as the strengths and weakness of each curriculum between China and Japan, to provide a valuable reference for our English Major curriculum reform.The study attempts to address the following questions:(1) How is the English major curriculum designed in China and what is the underlying principle or theory? What are the goals, implementation procedures, course distributions and evaluations of its CDEM?(2) How is the English major curriculum designed in Japan? What is the underlying principle or theory? What are the goal, implementation procedures, course distributions and evaluations of its CDEM?(3) What are the strengths and weaknesses of the two CDEMs in China and Japan respectively?(4) How does the English major curriculum design in China differ from that in Japan? How can we improve our English major curriculum design from its counterpart of Japan?Guided by the Posner's framework of curriculum analysis, the study analyses the curriculum for English Major in terms of the underlying principles, the developing goals, implementation and evaluation for both Chinese model and Japanese model.The study shows that the main advantages of curriculum design for English Major in Japan lie in its flexibility and its emphasis on learner-centered approach. Curriculum design for English Major, however, should not only encompass perspectives of education, language, and language learning, but also suits the need of economic and social development. China, in this aspect, has done a better job in its English major curriculum design.