Teaching Politics through Scholarship, Seeking Practical Results through Educational Reform

The ideological and political theory course is a key course for carrying out the fundamental task of fostering virtue and nurturing talent. “An Introduction to Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era” (hereinafter referred to as the “Introduction” course) occupies a core and leading position in the curriculum system of ideological and political theory courses in higher education institutions, and is the top priority in the construction of ideological and political theory courses in the New Era. Upholding fundamental principles and breaking new ground to promote the connotative development of this core course is an inherent requirement for simultaneously advancing the construction of ideological and political theory courses and the theoretical innovation of the Party, for persistently using Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era to forge souls and educate people, and for implementing the project of fostering virtue and nurturing talent in the New Era. It is a key measure for cultivating “new generations capable of shouldering the great task of national rejuvenation, who are loyal to the Party, patriotic, and dedicated to serving the country.” [1]1 Qu

思政课是落实立德树人根本任务的关键课程，“习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想概论”（以下简称“概论”）课在高校思政课课程体系中居于核心和引领地位，是新时代高校思政课建设的重中之重。守正创新推动这一核心课程内涵式发展，是坚持思政课建设与党的创新理论武装同步推进，坚持不懈用习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想铸魂育人、实施新时代立德树人工程的内在要求，是培养“让党放心、爱国奉献、担当民族复兴重任的时代新人”的关键举措。

On the new journey of the New Era, we must follow the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important instructions on the construction of ideological and political theory courses and the spirit of the New Era School Ideological and Political Theory Course Construction Promotion Conference. We must accurately grasp the course positioning and overall requirements, precisely understand the ideological dynamics and theoretical needs of the teaching targets, effectively enhance the quality of teaching politics through scholarship, explore the use of case-based teaching, fully leverage the educational and motivational role of the great practices of the New Era, and thereby increase the guiding power, persuasiveness, and appeal of this core course for forging souls and educating people among young students.

新时代新征程，要以习近平总书记对思政课建设作出的重要指示精神及新时代学校思政课建设推进会精神为遵循，准确把握课程定位和总体要求，精准了解教学对象的思想动态和理论需求，切实提升以学术讲政治的素养，探索运用案例教学，充分发挥新时代伟大实践的教育激励作用，以增进这门铸魂育人的核心课程对青年学生的引领力、说服力、感召力。

Accurately Grasp the Course Positioning and Overall Requirements, Consciously Shoulder the Mission of the Times to Teach the Core Course of Forging Souls and Educating People

准确把握课程定位和总体要求，自觉担负起上好铸魂育人之核心课程的时代使命

The “Introduction” course is a core course for higher education institutions to use Xi

“概论”课是高校用习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想铸魂育人的核心课程，旨在系统阐释这一重要思想的时代背景、理论渊源、核心要义、精神实质和实践要求，引导大学生深入理解其作为当代中国马克思主义、二十一世纪马克思主义的历史地位、理论价值和指导意义，让学生真正理解“中国共产党为什么能，中国特色社会主义为什么好，归根到底是马克思主义行，是中国化时代化的马克思主义行”，不断坚定“四个自信”，成为担当民族复兴重任的时代新人。基于这一认识，我与课程中心同仁立足实现新时代学校教育发展目标要求、增强社会主义意识形态凝聚力、阐释传播党的创新理论的站位，从党和国家战略需求、民族复兴需要和学生成长成才诉求相统一的角度，深刻理解这门课程在新时代高校思政课课程体系中的核心定位及战略意义，坚决扛起上好关键课程的关键责任，积极主动地践行思想价值引领、立德树人和教学创新的时代使命。近年来，我在教学实践中努力将党的创新理论成果“转化为清醒的理论自觉、坚定的政治信念、科学的思维方法”，在教学中持续探索务实管用的途径和方法，注重在提升教学针对性和实效性上发挥示范带头作用，力图使这门课更好地成为系统讲授党的创新理论的主渠道、用党的科学理论武装大学生的主阵地，引导大学生从学理性层面夯实思想根基，深度理解并认同社会主义意识形态。我们团队把相关探索实践整合为新时代高校思政课“五融合”教学模式，这一成果获得2022年高等教育（本科）国家级教学成果奖一等奖，这门课程也入选国家级一流本科课程。

Emphasize investigating the ideological dynamics and theoretical needs of the teaching targets, enhancing the targeted nature of course teaching

注重调研教学对象的思想动态和理论需求，增强课程教学的针对性

Accurately grasping the characteristics of the teaching targets is an important prerequisite for enhancing the targeted nature of ideological and political theory course teaching. Therefore, it is particularly necessary to conduct continuous investigation and detailed study of the learning situation, so as to ensure that ideological and political theory course teaching precisely aligns with the ideological dynamics and theoretical needs of university students. Since 2015, I have deeply participated in a series of investigation efforts, conducting analyses based on large-sample surveys of the value orientations, political identification, ideological dynamics, learning characteristics, and generational traits of young university students in the New Era. This has enhanced my overall understanding of the ideological and political conditions, development trends, and influencing factors of university students from the "post-95s" to the "post-00s" and "post-05s." [1]1 Qu At the same time, by leveraging our university's self-developed Chinese University Student Research Data Platform, "Sxiangluojia," [2]2 "Sxiangluojia" (思享珞珈) is a data platform developed by Wuhan University for researching Chinese university students' ideological and political conditions, combining the characters for "thought" (思) and "enjoyment" (享) with "Luojia" (珞珈), a poetic name for the university's campus. I have comprehensively and accurately grasped the actual ideological conditions of students. To solidly conduct learning situation analysis, before each semester's teaching, I conduct an overall survey of the professional backgrounds, theoretical foundations, focal points of interest, and learning preferences of the enrolled students, identifying the learning difficulties, points of interest, and points of confusion for each teaching topic in this course. Together with the course teaching assistants, I carry out discussion-based investigations targeting the typical issues revealed in the surveys, pinpointing the students' ideological focal points, theoretical needs, emotional triggers, teaching entry points, and points of ideological resonance, in order to bridge any potential generational cognitive differences between teachers and students. General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out: "Ideological and political theory course teaching cannot do without the guidance of the teacher, and at the same time, it must adhere to a student-centered approach, increasing research on students' cognitive laws and reception characteristics." [3]3 This quotation is from Xi Jinping's speech at the symposium for teachers of ideological and political theory courses in schools, held on March 18, 2019. Learning situation analysis is the starting point for teaching this course well; its logical prerequisite is to highly focus on established teaching objectives, reasonably position the content of learning situation analysis, collect information on students' theoretical needs through multiple channels, accurately diagnose students' ideological dynamics, and then refine the teaching plan in a targeted manner for specific teaching audiences. This achieves a precise alignment and integration of student needs and teacher supply, thereby enhancing the targeted nature and practical effectiveness of course teaching, and improving the fit and satisfaction of course teaching.

精准把握教学对象的特点，是增强思政课教学针对性的重要前提。所以，通过持续调研细研学情，推动思政课教学切准大学生思想动态和理论需求，就尤显必要。2015年以来，我深度参与了一系列调研工作，对新时代高校青年学生的价值取向、政治认同、思想动态、学习特点及代际特征等问题域进行基于大样本调研的分析，增强了对从“95后”到“00后”“05后”大学生思想政治状况、发展趋势及其影响因素的整体认知。同时，借助我校自主研发的中国大学生研究数据平台“思享珞珈”，全面准确把握学生思想实际。为扎实做好学情分析，我在每学期授课之前，对选课学生的专业背景、理论基础、关注热点、学习爱好等进行整体调查，摸清学生对于本课程各教学专题的学习难点、兴趣点和疑惑点，与课程助教一道针对调查中反映出的典型问题开展讨论式调查，找准学生思想关注点、理论需求点、情感激发点、教学切入点和思想共鸣点，以弥合师生之间可能存在的代际认知差异。习近平总书记指出：“思政课教学离不开教师的主导，同时要坚持以学生为中心，加大对学生的认知规律和接受特点的研究。”学情分析是上好这门课程的起点，其逻辑前提是高度聚焦既定教学目标、合理定位学情分析内容、多维途径收集学生理论需求信息、精准把脉学生思想动态，继而面向特定授课对象有针对性地细化教学方案，实现学生需求与教师供给的精准衔接融合，从而增强课程教学的针对性和实效性，提升课程教学的契合度与满意度。

Emphasize deeply researching the Party's innovative theory, enriching the supply of ideological and theoretical resources for ideological and political theory course teaching, and enhancing the academic rationality of course teaching

注重深研党的创新理论，丰富思政课教学思想性、理论性资源供给，增强课程教学的学理性

In my teaching, I consciously follow the principle of “teaching raises questions, research produces articles, and results enter the classroom,” regarding teaching as the source and living water of research. Students’ perplexities, the collision of ideas, theoretical difficulties, and social hotspots are all the most direct and vivid sources of research topics. An outstanding teacher of ideological and political theory courses should be a keen “classroom problem catcher,” adept at transforming the key, difficult, and hot issues in ideological and political theory teaching into topics worthy of deep investigation. Research should be regarded as the deep support for teaching. Teaching without research support easily becomes superficial, lacking scholarly depth and persuasiveness. Deep and focused research enables teachers of ideological and political theory courses to understand the Party’s innovative theories more thoroughly, grasp reality more accurately, and handle teaching more freely, truly achieving “teaching politics through scholarship.” I actively participate in “organized research” projects, emphasizing the integration of disciplinary research directions with the teaching of this course. Guided by the major and key projects of the National Social Science Fund that I have undertaken, I continuously deepen existing research in areas such as the academic and intellectual history background of adapting Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of the times, and the principled achievements and original contributions of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. Since the 20th National Congress of the CPC, I have worked together with teachers from Marxist theory and related disciplines to collaboratively tackle challenges, immersing myself in the research and compilation of the “Explanation of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era” book series. On the basis of striving to fully grasp and accurately understand the scientific theoretical system of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, we aim to start from General Secretary Xi Jinping’s most representative and original textual pieces and important theses, focusing on the integration of academic foundations, practical orientation, international perspectives, and historical dimensions. We seek to explain the principles, theories, and philosophies contained therein, exploring new ideas, new genres, and new styles for the research and interpretation of the Party’s innovative theories. General Secretary Xi Jinping points out that ideological and political theory courses should “respond to students with thorough scholarly analysis, convince students with complete ideological theory, and guide students with the powerful force of truth.” [1]1 Qu For university teachers of ideological and political theory courses to achieve the integration of “technique, learning, and principle,” and to possess “complete ideological theory” and “methods of persuasion,” they must deeply study the Party’s innovative theories, effectively improve their theoretical literacy and academic level, cultivate solid skills of having a firm theoretical foundation, strong professionalism, innovative thinking, and a delight in facing questions, and become rare teachers of character who are “firm in faith, erudite in knowledge, and profound in theoretical foundation.” [2]2 "Sxiangluojia" (思享珞珈) is a data platform developed by Wuhan University for researching Chinese university students' ideological and political conditions, combining the characters for "thought" (思) and "enjoyment" (享) with "Luojia" (珞珈), a poetic name for the university's campus. With deep and broad academic foundations, they should profoundly analyze, respond to, and resolve university students’ deep-seated ideological and cognitive issues, deepening students’ scholarly understanding and rational identification with the course content, thereby making ideological and political theory teaching more targeted, attractive, and persuasive.

在教学中，我自觉遵循“教学出题目，科研做文章，成果进课堂”的理念，视教学为科研的源头活水。学生的困惑、思想的碰撞、理论的难点、社会的热点，都是科研选题最直接、最鲜活的来源。一个优秀的思政课教师，应该是一位敏锐的“课堂问题捕捉者”，善于把思政课教学中的重难点和热点问题，转化成可资深究的课题。要把科研作为教学的深度支撑。没有科研支撑的教学，易流于表面，缺乏学理深度和说服力。深入而聚焦的科研，能让思政课教师对党的创新理论的理解更为透彻、对现实的把握更为精准、对教学的驾驭更为自如，真正做到“以学术讲政治”。我积极参与“有组织的科研”项目，注重学科研究方向与本门课程教学的融通，以承担的国家社科基金重大项目、重点项目为牵引，在马克思主义中国化时代化的学术史和思想史背景、习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想的原理性成果和原创性贡献等论域持续深化已有研究。党的二十大以来，我与马克思主义理论及相关学科的教师们一道协同攻关，沉潜于“习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想解说”书系的研究和编撰，力图在完整把握、准确理解习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想科学理论体系的基础上，从习近平总书记最具代表性、原创性的文本篇目、重要论断切入，着眼于学术基础、实践导向、国际视野、历史维度的融会贯通，阐释其所蕴含的道理学理哲理，探索党的创新理论研究阐释的新思路、新体裁、新风格。习近平总书记指出，思政课要“以透彻的学理分析回应学生，以彻底的思想理论说服学生，用真理的强大力量引导学生”。高校思政课教师要实现“术、学、道”贯通，具备“彻底的思想理论”和“说服人的方法”，就要深研党的创新理论，切实提高理论素养和学术水平，练就理论扎实、专业性强、思维要新、见问则喜的过硬本领，成为“信仰坚定、学识渊博、理论功底深厚”的难得人师，以深广的学术底蕴深刻分析、回应和解决大学生深层次的思想认识问题，深化学生对课程内容的学理认知和理性认同，从而使思政课教学更加具有针对性、吸引力和说服力。

Focus on strengthening content support, actively explore case-based teaching, and fully leverage the educational and motivational role of the great practices of the New Era.

注重强化内容支撑，积极探索案例教学，充分发挥新时代伟大实践教育激励作用

The key to teaching the “Introduction” course well lies in enriching and strengthening the content support of the course teaching. I applied for and completed the university-level key teaching reform project “Development and Application of Case Teaching Resources for Ideological and Political Theory Courses,” focusing on making good use of the vivid teaching materials of Chinese-path modernization in the New Era, and introducing the vivid practices of reform and development in the New Era into the ideological and political classroom through case-based teaching. In teaching design, I focus on the vivid practices of promoting Chinese-path modernization in the New Era, concentrating on the experience and practices with highlights and effective results in implementing Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, connecting with typical cases mentioned by General Secretary Xi Jinping at important meetings and during inspection tours, using “small entry points” to lead to “big principles,” and “small stories” to reflect the “great era,” guiding students to perceive the practical power of the Party’s innovative theories. In the construction of this course, we propose to explore and establish case teaching standards, clarify the case teaching process of “phenomenon description—contradiction analysis—theoretical explanation—value sublimation,” build a “time slice” case library that keeps pace with the times, and form interdisciplinary teams to decode the ideological and political elements of current political hot events. In recent years, the course center for the “Introduction” course at our university has insisted on open teaching, collaboratively creating the “Walking ‘Introduction’ Course,” the “‘Introduction’ Course in the University History Museum,” the “‘Introduction’ Course in the Wanlin Art Museum,” the “‘Introduction’ Course in the Aiping Concert Hall,” the “‘Introduction’ Course in the Old Library on Cherry Blossom Peak,” and so on. [3]3 This quotation is from Xi Jinping's speech at the symposium for teachers of ideological and political theory courses in schools, held on March 18, 2019. It has jointly built “Grand Ideological and Political Course” practical teaching bases with more than 70 units inside and outside the university, constructed a digital map of “Grand Ideological and Political Course” practical teaching, and guided students to better understand principles, increase confidence, respect virtue, and practice in the effective connection between the “small classroom” of ideological and political education and the “big classroom” of society. With the theme “The Power of a Beam of Light,” we organized students to visit three technology enterprises in Wuhan’s Optics Valley that General Secretary Xi Jinping had inspected, conducting field research and study on the Optics Valley experience of rejuvenating the country through science and education and innovation-driven development, guiding students to deeply grasp the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important expositions on scientific and technological self-reliance and self-strengthening as well as technological innovation. Through diverse and three-dimensional social practices, we promote the integration of students’ knowledge, faith, and action, enhancing their sense of reality, intimacy, and gain in course learning.

上好“概论”课的关键，是丰富和强化课程教学的内容支撑。我申报并完成“思政课案例教学资源的开发与运用”的校级重点教改项目，注重用好新时代中国式现代化建设的鲜活教材，通过案例教学将新时代改革发展生动实践引入思政课堂。在教学设计中，我注重围绕新时代推进中国式现代化的生动实践，聚焦贯彻落实习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想实践中有亮点、有成效的经验做法，联系习近平总书记在重要会议和考察调研中提及的典型案例，以“小切口”引出“大道理”，以“小故事”反映“大时代”，引导学生感悟党的创新理论的实践伟力。在本门课程建设中，我们提出要探索建构案例教学标准，明确“现象描述—矛盾分析—理论阐释—价值升华”案例教学流程，与时俱进地建设“时代切片”案例库，组建跨学科团队对时政热点事件进行思政元素解码。近年来，我校“概论”课程中心坚持开门教学，协力打造“行走的‘概论’课”“校史馆里的‘概论’课”“万林艺术博物馆里的‘概论’课”“爱平音乐厅里的‘概论’课”“樱顶老图书馆里的‘概论’课”等，联合校内外70余家单位共建“大思政课”实践教学基地，构建“大思政课”实践教学数字地图，在思政“小课堂”与社会“大课堂”的有效对接中引导学生更好明理增信、崇德力行。我们以“一束光的力量”为主题，组织学生参观习近平总书记曾到武汉光谷考察过的三家科技企业，实地调研学习科教兴国、创新驱动的光谷经验，引导学生深入把握习近平总书记关于科技自立自强以及科技创新相关重要论述的精神。以多样立体社会实践促进学生知信行合一，提升学生课程学习的现实感、亲切感、获得感。

On the new journey, to teach a high-quality “Introduction” course, we must remember the earnest instruction that “the key to running ideological and political theory courses well lies in the teachers,” improve our own quality according to the “Six Requirements” standard, follow the “Eight Unifications” to raise teaching standards, and strive to become ideological and political theory course teachers with a lofty sense of responsibility, a deep foundation in books, a broad range of knowledge, true skills unafraid of being questioned, solid strength in citing extensively, and new concepts of teaching reform. We must shoulder the glorious mission and demonstrate practical responsibility for forging the souls and rooting the foundations of the new generation of the era.

新征程上，我们要讲出高质量的“概论”课，就要牢记“办好思想政治理论课关键在教师”的殷殷嘱托，以“六要”标准提升自身素养，以“八个相统一”为遵循提高教学水平，努力成为有崇高的责任感、有深厚的书底子、有广博的知识面、有不怕追问的真本领、有旁征博引的硬实力、有教改新理念的思政课教师，为时代新人培根铸魂扛起光荣使命、展现实干担当。

(Author: Luo Yongkuan, Dean and Professor of the School of Marxism, Wuhan University)

（作者：罗永宽，系武汉大学马克思主义学院院长、教授）