Construction of ‘first class’ university and subject is the certain choice and essential measure for the construction of powerful country in higher education. It is also the requirement of achieving the task of socialist modernization and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation which was delivered in the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. In 2017, to celebrate the 80th anniversary of Renmin University of China, President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter. It is said in the letter, we should construct the university according to the circumstance of China, and try to construct world-class universities and first-class disciplines. In the same year, the journalism and communication discipline of RUC was chosen into the list of “Double First-Class” discipline project.

2020 is the last year of the first part of ‘Double First-class’ construction. The summary of the process can be regarded as the answers to the tasks from governments and the opportunity to assess the achievements, problems and future arrangements. On September 12th, the 29th seminar was held by School of Journalism and Communication of Renmin University of China. Professors and experts from several schools of journalism and communication attended the seminar. The theme was construction of ‘Double First-class’ and innovation development of journalism and communication discipline.

Professor Hu Baijing

Vice President of Renmin University of China; Executive Dean of School of Journalism and communication

Professor Hu Baijing pointed out, assessment of ‘Double First-class’ discipline construction should have comprehensive structures, frames and specific indexes. Indexes include conformity, achieving rate, display degree and so on. The most important one is the achieving rate. School of Journalism and communication of RUC have completed the tasks of several tens of indexes, and many of them was overfulfilled.

Hu Baijing invited all the attenders to assess the construction of school of journalism and communication of RUC, pointed out the problems, discuss the solutions and explore the limitations in the development of journalism and communication discipline.

Professor Zhou Yong

Deputy Dean of School of Journalism, Renmin University of China; Secretary of Party Committee

The theme of speech from professor Zhou Yong is around several aspects, including talent cultivation, construction of teaching staff, science research, social service, culture inheritance and international communication.

School of journalism and communication of RUC have some achievements in recent years. For talent cultivation, the school have ‘4421’ cultivation system. There are 4 undergraduate cultivation projects, 4 special master cultivation projects, 2 general talent cultivation projects and a resource platform. For construction of teaching staff, achievements about quantity, age transition, culture inheritance and internationalization have been realized. For science research and social service, the school focused on 3 systems (Discipline system, academic system and discourse system of journalism and communication with Chinese characteristics),9 important academic fields and 9 development directions. These activities tried to meet the requirements of the party and the governments actively. For culture inheritance, the school devoted to sort the resource from educational circles and trade union and inherit the discipline's own context.

He said the school had overcome many obstacles in the process of construction, and met satisfied achieving rate. But there were still many existent problems, for instance, how to establish discipline subjectivity and professional identity in the process of discipline integration development? How to cultivate the student community with the expansion of faculty scale? How to build the Chinese school of news communication?

Professor Tang Xujun

Director of the Institute of Journalism and Communication, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences

Professor Tang Xujun delivered his opinions. The construction of ‘Double First-Class discipline’ of school of RUC emphasize the concept of ‘ecotype’. It is a kind of pursue for balance and sustainability. How to maintain the achievements through generations and how to realize new achievements and cultivate talents in new circumstance are the topics that should be considered.

Tang Xujun said that school of journalism and communication of RUC had devoted amount of efforts to the construction of ‘Double First-Class discipline’ and had come up with innovative procedures and achievements. It can be the example for other schools of journalism and communication. For the obstacles in construction of the staff and communication on the background of internalization, he said everyone was in uncertainty after the epidemic. It is limitation but also opportunities, innovation means the alternatives made towards the limitations of the tendency.

Professor Zhang Taofu

Executive Dean, School of Journalism, Fudan University; Secretary of the Party Committee

‘The experience, measures, arrangements of RUC have enlightened us.’ said professor Zhang Taofu. ‘Every step of the arrangements of school of journalism and communication of RUC is clear, and the execution and effect are satisfied.’

Zhang Taofu said, the ecology system of journalism was in transition, and the journalism profession was in the process of system adjustment. On the background, school of journalism and communication have made some progress, especially in the constructions of ecology talent cultivation systems, journalism discipline in Chinese characters, internationalization. Great achievements have been made, and it can be the example and leading role for other schools.

Professor Zhang Mingxin

Dean of School of Journalism and Information Communication, Huazhong University of Science and Technology

Professor Zhang Mingxin delivered his opinions. School of journalism and communication of RUC made an outstanding contribution in the 5-year period of the construction of ‘Double First-Class’. It could be the representative of journalism and communication discipline in Chinese characteristics. It can also represent the determination of Chinese journalism and communication discipline to be international. The achievements also display the efforts, wisdom, responsibility and courage of colleagues from RUC.

He held the opinion that school of journalism and communication of RUC is the instance for transformation and innovation of talent cultivation in journalism filed in China. The school had reveal Chinese characteristics and pursues through the arrangements and achievements in the construction of journalism and communication discipline. The school have also made achievements on internationalization, and it displayed the determination in constructing first-class discipline in the world. From the approach, the ideological and political model of the curriculum and the construction of the journalism and communication subject with Chinese characteristics are particularly worth learning.

Professor Chen Changfeng

Executive Dean of School of Journalism and Communication, Tsinghua University

Professor Chen Changfeng thought the ‘4421’ system of RUC met the requirements of journalism talent cultivation in China. ‘School of journalism and communication of RUC is the top of journalism and communication discipline in China, and it set an example for journalism education and construction of discipline.’

She assessed and analyzed the procedures and achievements from several aspects, including talent cultivation, team construction, teaching and research, and internationalization. She affirmed the achievements that have been made by the school for the construction of ‘Double First-Class’ discipline, and expected the school could promote the development of the journalism and communication discipline in China, and provide more inspiration.

Professor Li Benqian

Dean of School of Media and Communication, Shanghai Jiao Tong University

Professor Li Benqian said that the school of journalism and communication of RUC had a long history. In recent years, the school explored new measures in the discipline and made great achievements. It is impressive. The school of journalism and communication of RUC can be the example of talent cultivation, construction of staff, teaching and research and other fields.

Talent cultivation is a systemic project. It is easy to make progress on some concrete aspects, but it is difficult to establish a complete talent cultivation in short time. The school of journalism and communication of RUC has established the system and put forward the concept of ecological development. For the construction of teaching staff, even the quantity of teachers is limited, but the quality is guaranteed. For teaching and research, the school put attention on series research, this is an important point for us to learn in the future.

Professor Qiang Yuexin

Dean of School of Journalism and Communication, Wuhan University

Professor Qiang Yuexin congratulated the achievements that have been made by the school of journalism and communication of RUC for the construction of ‘Double First-Class’ discipline. He thought there are 3 aspects could be promoted. The first is the clear arrangements of discipline construction. The second is the execution of discipline construction. The third is innovation, for instance, the digital memory of red culture.

Qiang Yuexin also shared his expectation. The school could improve the position of journalism and communication discipline comprehensively. The idea of discipline construction could be systemized.

Professor Zhi Tingrong

Dean of School of Journalism and Communication, Jinan University

Professor Zhi Tingrong delivered the opinion that the school of journalism and communication of RUC has overcome age problems and challenges in the process of the construction of ‘Double First-Class’ discipline.

Firstly, overcoming the theoretical challenges of the current era. In the current age, the circumstance of China and the world and the environment of journalism and communication are in great uncertainty. The school of journalism and communication of RUC have realized large amount of theoretical achievements, and these could be regarded as the theoretical preparation and answers for the age problems and challenges.

Secondly, deciphering the challenges posed by communication technology to journalism. In the field of new media, artificial intelligence and so on, the school of journalism and communication of RUC have lots of accumulation. At the same time, there are series of new issues joining in. We got lots of inspiration from the work of the school.

Thirdly, deciphering the challenge that social governance brings to journalism and communication discipline. This part includes the establishment of new institutes, and achievements on social service. Large amount of experience for the development of the journalism and communication discipline has been accumulated.

Professor Lu Shaoyang

‘The school of journalism and communication of RUC has long tradition, in support of the university, and great leader team, it is considerable of the achievements that have been made.’ Professor Lu Shaoyang pointed out, the responsibility of journalism should be considered in the process of discipline construction and talent cultivation. The main target of the discipline is to help the world become better.

The school of journalism and communication of RUC puts forward some ideas of ecotype news dissemination subject development and corresponding path is fit the characteristics and requirements of the development of the discipline, how to build a sustainable development of ecological environment, and how to create a relaxed academic environment, make more original results, it is particularly important in a new round of discipline evaluation.

Professor Zhang Hongjun

Dean of School of Journalism and Communication, Nanjing University

Dean of School of Journalism and Communication, Peking University

Professor Zhang Hongjun put forward his thoughts. The school of journalism and communication of RUC could held this seminar at this point, and it is contributive for the whole journalism and communication discipline. He analyzed 2 specific tendency of the development of the discipline. The one is the new technology drives the media reform to bring about the increasing enrichment and deepening of journalism research. The other is the new demand of media society promotes new growth of the discipline.

He briefly introduced the construction and development of the School of Journalism and Communication of Nanjing University, hoping to learn advanced experience from the construction practice of the School of Journalism of Renmin University, and contribute to the improvement of the whole discipline.

Professor Wei Lu

Dean of School of Media and International Culture, Zhejiang University

Professor Wei Lu congratulated for the achievements and shared the thoughts and advice.

The thoughts were consisted of 2 parts. The one is the school of journalism and communication of RUC is the power to define the main stream for the construction of the discipline. The other is the school are leading the direction of the reformation of the discipline, and explored many bold procedures of leading significance.

The advice was consisted of 5 pieces. Firstly, the school could give ‘ world first-class’ discipline a definition. Secondly, how to optimize talent echelon needs detailed arrangements. Thirdly, the topic that the discipline will cultivate which kind of talents is worth discussing. Fourthly, the Chinese brand of journalism and communication discipline need more support. Fifthly, the international cooperation practice is important for the internationalization.

Hostess Wang Runze

Vice Dean of School of Journalism and Communication, Renmin University of China; President of Chinese Journalism History Society

Professor Zhang Huifeng and Professor Zhao Yunze, vice deans of the School of Journalism of Renmin University of China, associate professors Han Xiaoming and Sun Quan, deputy party secretaries, and teachers of the School of Journalism Professor Li Biao, associate professors Zhang Di, associate professors Yan Yan, lecturer Zhao Xiaoman and lecturer Yang Qiguang also attended the conference.

News dissemination of academic discourse system is innovation of deep research of the Renmin University of China of journalism and communication discipline construction of "Double First-Class " scientific research project. One of the aims is to focus on key issues in the development of journalism and communication education and academics, to carry forward the "nail" the spirit of scientific research, focus on areas of authoritative expert collective wisdom, and the crucial breakthrough, expect that discussing each concrete problem of a teaching and research in the field could help innovate. Since 2018, the School of Journalism of Renmin University of China has continuously launched a series of small in-depth seminars, each focusing on a topic and inviting experts and scholars to conduct in-depth discussions.

Text, Li Yuhao Wu Yixiang

Photo, Zou Meiyu Wu Yixiang

Meeting Summary, Yang Qiguang Li Xingbo He Tianping

Attenders Arrangement, Rong Anqi

Editor, Zou Meiyu

Faculty Adviser, Sun Quan Li Biao