Continuously Strengthen the Targetedness of Ideological and Political Courses

General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out at a symposium for teachers of ideological and political theory courses in schools that “to promote the reform and innovation of ideological and political theory courses, we must continuously strengthen their ideological depth, theoretical grounding, affinity, and targetedness.” [1]1 The “three natures and one force” refers to the ideological depth (思想性), theoretical grounding (理论性), affinity (亲和力), and targetedness (针对性) of ideological and political courses. Viewed from the relationship among the “three natures and one force,” targetedness has always been the most crucial prerequisite for teaching ideological and political courses. Whether it is depth of thought, thoroughness of theory, or affinity of discourse, all ultimately point toward the students themselves, and it is through the enhancement of targetedness that students can be influenced, guided, and won over. At present, the construction of ideological and political courses has entered a stage of connotative development, [2]2 Connotative development (内涵式发展) refers to a stage of development focused on improving quality, depth, and internal coherence rather than expanding scale or quantity. making it all the more necessary to seize this key point of targetedness, to achieve the unity of knowledge, emotion, intention, and action in adapting to students and staying close to reality, and to effectively enhance the educational effectiveness of ideological and political courses in cultivating souls and rooting values.

习近平总书记在学校思想政治理论课教师座谈会上指出，“推动思想政治理论课改革创新，要不断增强思政课的思想性、理论性和亲和力、针对性”。从“三性一力”的关系看，针对性始终是思政课教学最为关键的前提，无论是思想的深刻、理论的彻底，还是话语的亲和，最终都指向学生本身，都要靠针对性的增强来感染学生、引领学生、赢得学生。当前，思政课建设已进入内涵式发展阶段，更加要抓住针对性这一关键点，在适应学生、贴近实际中实现知情意行的统一，切实提升思政课培根铸魂的育人实效。

Enhancing targetedness is an important goal of the reform and innovation of ideological and political courses. Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, [3]3 The 18th National Congress of the CPC was held in 2012, marking the beginning of the New Era under Xi Jinping’s leadership. from “improving the affinity and targetedness of ideological and political education” to “strengthening the ideological depth, theoretical grounding, affinity, and targetedness of ideological and political courses,” and then to “continuously improving the targetedness and appeal of ideological and political courses,” the issue of targetedness has always been a key focus of the reform and innovation of ideological and political courses. So-called targetedness of ideological and political courses is a direct manifestation of the precise alignment between “what is taught” and “what is needed” in the teaching of ideological and political courses. It emphasizes always taking students as the center in educational and teaching activities, precisely grasping the cognitive laws and reception characteristics of different students, dynamically adjusting teaching content and methods, and achieving teaching tailored to students and according to their aptitude. The strength or weakness of the targetedness of ideological and political courses directly affects the quality of the courses and the effectiveness of reforms.

增强针对性是思政课改革创新的重要目标。党的十八大以来，从“提升思想政治教育亲和力和针对性”到“增强思政课的思想性、理论性和亲和力、针对性”，再到“不断提高思政课的针对性和吸引力”，针对性问题始终是思政课改革创新的重要着力点。所谓思政课针对性，是思政课教学“所教”和“所需”之间精准适配的直观体现，强调在教育教学活动中始终以学生为中心，精准把握不同学生的认知规律和接受特点，动态调整教学内容与方式方法，做到因生制宜、因材施教。思政课针对性的强弱，直接关系到思政课的质量高低和改革成效好坏。

Enhancing the targetedness of ideological and political courses is the key to improving the practical effectiveness of their teaching. The essence of ideological and political courses is to explain principles. To explain principles deeply and thoroughly requires targetedness, and to explain them vividly requires it even more. The principles, theories, and philosophies contained in various ideological and political courses in universities are not all the same and have different emphases. Some focus on explaining to students the “principles” of the basic tenets of Marxism and the Party’s innovative theories; others emphasize enabling students to gain insight into the “history” of the Party, the country, and national conditions; still others aim to guide students to comprehend the “sentiments” of the Marxist outlook on life, values, morality, and rule of law. If the differences among these courses are ignored, and they are taught according to a standard of “one book for all, one face for all,” resulting in “uniformity” and “homogenization,” the persuasiveness and appeal of the principles will be greatly diminished. Only by grasping the key points, identifying the priorities, and carrying out targeted and refined teaching with a clear aim can the sense of freshness and acceptance of ideological and political courses among students be effectively enhanced, truly opening up the “last mile” for principles to enter the mind and heart and be put into practice.

增强思政课针对性是提升思政课教学实效的关键所在。思政课的本质是讲道理，把道理讲深讲透需要针对性，讲活更需要针对性。高校各门思政课所蕴含的道理学理哲理不尽相同、各有侧重，有的注重向学生讲好马克思主义基本原理和党的创新理论之“理”，有的强调让学生洞悉党史、国史、国情之“史”，有的在于引导学生感悟马克思主义人生观、价值观、道德观、法治观之“情”。如果忽视了各门课程的差异性，按照“千书一面、千人一面”的标准讲成“一般齐”“同质化”，道理的说服力和感染力就会大打折扣。只有抓住关键、找准重点，有的放矢开展精准化、精细化教学，才能切实提升学生对思政课的新鲜感和接受度，真正打通道理入心入行的“最后一公里”。

Enhancing the targetedness of ideological and political courses is an inevitable requirement for meeting the needs and expectations of students’ growth and development. The Chinese youth of the New Era are more confident and self-reliant, full of a spirit of critical thinking, but they will inevitably encounter ideological confusion in areas such as ideals versus reality, doctrines versus problems, egoism versus altruism, the small self versus the greater self, and the nation versus the world. If they are not carefully guided and cultivated, students may develop doubts or even go astray, thereby falling into difficulties in growth and development. Students’ doubts are the key points that ideological and political courses must clarify, and targetedness means centering on students, caring for students, serving students, and resolving their doubts. By precisely profiling and diagnosing students, and through drip-feed education [4]4 Drip-feed education (滴灌式教育) is a metaphor for precise, individualized, and gradual educational methods, as opposed to flood irrigation. that directly confronts students’ questions and addresses their concerns, students can be targeted and guided to correctly view, dialectically understand, and rationally analyze practical issues such as “involution,” “lying flat,” and “Kong Yiji’s long gown,” [5]5 “Involution” (内卷) refers to intense, counterproductive competition; “lying flat” (躺平) describes a withdrawal from societal pressures; “Kong Yiji’s long gown” (孔乙己长衫) is a recent internet meme based on a Lu Xun story, symbolizing the dilemma of educated youth unable to find suitable employment. so that “what ideological and political courses teach” and “what students learn” become the compass and booster for young people on the path to growth and success.

增强思政课针对性是满足学生成长发展需求和期待的必然要求。新时代的中国青年，更加自信自强、富有思辨精神，但也不可避免会在理想和现实、主义和问题、利己和利他、小我和大我、民族和世界等方面遇到思想困惑。如果不能精心引导和栽培，就会使学生产生怀疑甚至跑偏，进而陷入成长发展困境。学生的疑惑是思政课要讲清楚的重点，而针对性就是围绕学生、关照学生、服务学生，向学生释疑解惑。通过对学生精准画像、精准把脉，在滴灌式教育中直面学生追问、解答学生关切，能够有针对性地引导学生正确看待、辩证认识、理性分析“内卷”“躺平”“孔乙己长衫”等现实问题，让思政课“所教的”、学生“所学的”成为青年成长成才道路上的指南针和助推器。

Enhancing the targetedness of ideological and political courses is an inherent part of the fundamental plan to ensure successors for the cause. From the educational policy of cultivating builders and successors for socialism to the positioning of ideological and political courses as the key course for implementing the fundamental task of fostering virtue through education, [6]6 Fostering virtue through education (立德树人) is a core educational principle emphasizing moral cultivation as the foundation of talent development. the connotative development of ideological and political courses ultimately boils down to answering the fundamental question of what kind of people to cultivate, and enhancing targetedness is precisely where their vitality lies. Contemporary young university students are a key force and important new contingent in the process of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Whether these new-era talents can be well cultivated concerns the passing on of the cause of the Party and the people from generation to generation and its comprehensive development. Therefore, ideological and political courses must certainly consolidate the foundation, clear away the turbid and promote the clear, [7]7 “Clear away the turbid and promote the clear” (激浊扬清) is a four-character idiom meaning to eliminate the bad and encourage the good. and systematically and targetedly explain “the great affairs of the state,” [8]8 “The great affairs of the state” (国之大者) is a term used by Xi Jinping to refer to the most fundamental and overarching concerns of the Party and the nation. thoroughly elucidate “the great trends of the world,” and clearly clarify “the great path of action,” educating and guiding students to consciously integrate their love for the country, their ambition to strengthen the country, and their actions to serve the country into the struggle to uphold and develop the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics, build a modern socialist country, and realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, becoming pioneers and trailblazers of the cause who stand at the forefront of the times.

增强思政课针对性是抓好后继有人这个根本大计的题中之义。从培养社会主义建设者和接班人的教育方针，到落实立德树人根本任务的关键课程定位，思政课内涵式发展，归根结底就是要回答好培养什么人的根本问题，而增强针对性恰是其生命力之所在。当代的青年大学生是中华民族伟大复兴进程中的关键力量与重要生力军，能否培养好这些时代新人，事关党和人民事业薪火相传、全面发展。所以思政课一定要培基固本、激浊扬清，有针对性、系统性地讲清“国之大者”、讲透“世之大势”、讲明“行之大道”，教育引导学生把爱国情、强国志、报国行自觉融入坚持和发展中国特色社会主义事业、建设社会主义现代化国家、实现中华民族伟大复兴的奋斗之中，成为走在时代前列的开路先锋和事业闯将。

At present, the construction of ideological and political courses urgently needs to improve targetedness. The “learning” needs of students must be accurately grasped. Only by understanding what students think and desire, and grasping what they need and expect, can we deliver a “high-scoring paper” in ideological and political education. Unlike general courses, ideological and political courses are aimed at all students. Differences in students’ professional backgrounds, learning experiences, and cognitive abilities lead to varying levels of attention to and mastery of specific knowledge, forming diverse knowledge maps. Coupled with the dual impact of the information technology revolution and the wave of globalization, while young students’ horizons are increasingly broadened and their ways of thinking become more diverse, their individual consciousness also grows stronger, and their understanding of issues varies in perspective and opinion. In this context, scientifically and effectively analyzing the learning situation and precisely grasping it becomes particularly important. If we cannot gain insight into students’ ideological dynamics and identify the points of value convergence and emotional connection with them, it will be difficult to “hit the nail on the head” with principles and speak to their hearts, thus making it hard to achieve the educational goal of shaping souls, shaping lives, and shaping new people.

当前思政课建设亟待提升针对性。学生“学”的需求要把准。了解学生所思所想、把握学生所需所盼，才能答好思政育人“高分卷”。不同于一般课程，思政课面向的是全体学生，学生专业背景、学习经历、认知能力的差异，导致其对特定知识的关注度和掌握情况不尽相同，形成了多样的知识图谱。加之受到信息技术革命和全球化浪潮的双重影响，青年学生视野日益开阔、思维方式更趋多样的同时，个体意识也更加强烈，对于问题的理解也是角度各异、观点百花齐放。在这种背景下，科学有效分析学情、精准把握学情，就显得尤为重要。如果不能洞悉学生思想动态，找准同学生的价值融通点和情感交接点，就很难把“理”说到点子上、说进心坎里，进而难以实现塑造灵魂、塑造生命、塑造新人的教育目标。

The “teaching” ability of teachers must be strengthened. Teaching ideological and political courses well is not easy, because the requirements for these courses are high, and the demands on the comprehensive quality of teachers are even higher. In the current era, domestic and international situations and the Party and state’s work tasks change and develop relatively quickly, the Party’s innovative theories continue to deepen, and new hot spots, focal points, and key points emerge in ideological and political courses accordingly. In these courses, students often raise sharp and sensitive questions. Explaining these deep-seated theoretical and practical issues clearly and thoroughly is not easy, often requiring teachers to possess more profound “internal cultivation” and “core skills.” At the same time, from a practical perspective, many teachers still go “from the school gate to the school gate”; although they have received systematic academic training, they lack practical experience, and although they are familiar with the frontiers of academic research, they lack understanding of national conditions and social conditions. This makes it difficult for teachers to keep up with the times, effectively integrate social reality, and connect with students’ actual situations, and to refine laws and sublimate experiences based on vivid materials, thereby making it hard to enlighten students to seek truth, comprehend principles, and understand reasoning from the complex realities of social life.

教师“教”的能力要强化。讲好思政课不容易，因为这个课要求高，对教师综合素质要求更高。当今时代，国内外形势、党和国家工作任务发展变化较快，党的创新理论持续深化，思政课随之出现新的热点、焦点、重点，在思政课上学生也常提出一些尖锐敏感的问题。把这些深层次理论和实践问题讲清楚、讲透彻并不容易，往往需要教师具备更为深厚的“内功修养”与“看家本领”。同时，从现实看，不少教师仍是从“学校门”到“学校门”，虽受过系统学术训练但缺少实践锻炼，虽熟悉学术前沿动态但对国情社情缺乏了解。这使得教师不能紧跟时代、有效融通社会现实、联系学生实际，不能基于鲜活的素材提炼规律、升华经验，进而难以点化学生从纷繁的现实社会生活中求真理、悟道理、明事理。

The “new” requirements for teaching methods must be kept up with. Wherever students are, the focus of ideological and political courses should be placed. The internet has broken through the traditional boundaries of classrooms, universities, and knowledge acquisition, and its impact on students is growing. Only by deeply integrating the traditional strengths of ideological and political courses with new technologies and innovating methods and approaches can we attract students and get close to them. For a long time, although we have made efforts to explore teaching models such as AI experimental teaching and VR immersive classrooms, many teachers still face problems such as “technological vertigo” and “capability panic,” or simply superimpose technology onto teaching, resulting in a “two-skin” phenomenon. [9]9 “Two-skin” phenomenon (两张皮现象) is a Chinese expression describing a situation where two related things remain disconnected and fail to integrate properly. There is an urgent need to truly use digital and intelligent technologies in actual teaching, rather than merely going through the motions. At the same time, as the online discourse widely used by students continues to evolve, to keep up with the rhythm of students’ language and avoid “language gaps” hindering the transmission of values, it is even more necessary to identify the “melting point” between “internet slang” and teaching content, and transform the language of textbooks into teaching language that is easy for students to accept.

教法“新”的要求要跟上。学生在哪里，思政课重心就要放在哪里。互联网突破了课堂、高校、求知的传统边界，对学生的影响越来越大。唯有将思政课传统优势同新技术高度融合，创新方式方法，才能吸引学生、贴近学生。长期以来，我们虽在探索AI实验教学、VR沉浸课堂等教学模式方面做出了努力，但很多教师依然存在“技术眩晕”“本领恐慌”等问题，或只是将技术同教学简单叠加而出现“两张皮”现象，亟须在实际教学中做到真用数智技术，而非流于形式。与此同时，随着当下学生广泛使用的网络话语等不断流变，要跟上学生语言节奏，避免“语言代沟”阻碍价值传递，就更需要找准“网言网语”与教学内容的“熔点”，把教材语言转化为便于学生接受的教学语言。

The practical pathway to further enhance the targetedness of ideological and political theory courses. Strengthen teachers’ capacity for “precise drip-irrigation.” The key to running ideological and political theory courses well lies in the teachers, and the key to enhancing their targetedness lies even more so in the teachers. On the one hand, improve the ability to grasp the learning situation. Adhere to a “user mindset,” conduct face-to-face, zero-distance research and exchanges, promptly obtain “first-hand materials” on students’ ideological dynamics and theoretical concerns, and on this basis, combine the learning status and cognitive characteristics of students from different majors to carry out differentiated, menu-based, and customized course teaching, truly achieving “one key opens one lock.” [10]10 “One key opens one lock” (一把钥匙开一把锁) is a Chinese idiom meaning that different problems require different solutions. On the other hand, enhance the ability to transform and sublimate. Step out of the “ivory tower” and leave the “peach blossom spring,” [11]11 “Peach blossom spring” (桃花源) is a classical Chinese literary allusion to a utopian, secluded paradise, from Tao Yuanming’s “Record of the Peach Blossom Spring.” excavate new materials, propose new viewpoints, and summarize new laws in step with the practice of China’s reform and development, and in the intersection and convergence with social reality and actual life, break apart and crush students’ points of ideological confusion and spiritual bewilderment, achieving the effect of pinpointing the crux and thoroughly explaining the essence, so that ideological and political theory courses have substance, evidence, and reason in their words.

进一步提升思政课针对性的实践进路。增强教师“精准滴灌”能力。办好思政课关键在教师，提升思政课针对性关键更在教师。一方面，加强学情把握能力。秉持“用户思维”，开展面对面、零距离调研交流，及时获得学生思想动态和理论关切的“第一手资料”，并在此基础上结合不同专业学生的学习现状与认知特点，进行分众式、菜单式、定制式课程教学，真正做到“一把钥匙开一把锁”。另一方面，提高转化升华能力。跳出“象牙塔”、走出“桃花源”，在与我国改革发展实践同行中挖掘新材料、提出新观点、总结新规律，在同社会现实、生活实际的对接交汇中把学生的思想困惑点、精神迷茫点掰开、揉碎，做到点明要害、讲透本质，让思政课言之有物、言之有据、言之有理。

Advance teaching methods to “adapt measures to circumstances.” Scientific methods and approaches are the “bridge” and “boat” for ideological and political theory courses to reach students’ hearts. On the one hand, strengthen digital empowerment, comprehensively utilize cutting-edge technologies such as big data, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence, create “digital integrated courses,” and achieve the close integration of scene-value narratives, social-emotional narratives, and teacher-reason narratives. On the other hand, promote discourse to “break the circle.” [12]12 “Break the circle” (破圈) is a contemporary Chinese internet term meaning to transcend one’s original niche audience or field and gain broader recognition. Skillfully use “youth language and youth words” to guide step by step, using natural and approachable expression, incisive and accurate analysis, and precise and appropriate guidance, to transform academic discourse, policy discourse, and textbook discourse into “everyday language” that students want to hear and love to hear.

推进教学方法“因事为制”。科学的方式方法是思政课抵达学生内心的“桥”与“船”。一方面，要强化数字赋能，综合运用大数据、云计算、人工智能等前沿技术，打造“数字融课”，实现场景价值叙事、社会情感叙事、教师道理叙事紧密结合。另一方面，要推动话语“破圈”。善用“青言青语”循循善诱，以表述上的自然亲和、分析上的精辟到位、点拨上的准确恰当，让学术话语、政策话语、教材话语变成学生想听爱听的“家常话”。

(The author is Dean and Professor of the School of Marxism at Northeastern University)

（作者系东北大学马克思主义学院院长、教授）

Online editor: Tongxin

网络编辑：同心