Key Focal Points for Teaching the Course “An Introduction to Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era”

The course “An Introduction to Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era” (hereinafter referred to as the “Introduction” course), as the core curriculum for forging souls and educating people in higher education with Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, is a key focal point for insisting on the synchronous advancement of ideological-political course construction and the armed-theory innovation of the Party, and it shoulders the important mission of implementing the fundamental task of fostering virtue and nurturing people [n]. At the present moment when the strategic overall situation of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and the changes unseen in a century are interwoven and surging, teaching the “Introduction” course well is of great significance for cultivating young people in the New Era who possess both scientific value beliefs and profound theoretical cultivation.

“习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想概论”课（以下简称“‘概论’课”），作为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，是坚持思政课建设与党的创新理论武装同步推进的关键着力点，肩负着落实立德树人根本任务的重要使命。在中华民族伟大复兴战略全局和世界百年未有之大变局交织激荡的当下，讲好“概论”课，对于培养兼具科学价值信仰与深厚理论涵养的新时代青年具有重大意义。

Deeply Cultivate the Foundation of “Using Scholarship to Discuss Politics,” Profoundly Elucidate Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era

厚植“用学术讲政治”功底，深刻阐释习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想

Using scholarship to discuss politics is an essential basic quality for Marxist researchers, and it is even more the key to ideological-political course teaching. Using scholarship to discuss politics in ideological-political courses means focusing on using the Marxist worldview and methodology to provide profound academic support for discussing politics. If the academicized elucidation of scientific thought is neglected, theory will lose its应有的 speculative power, persuasive power, and practical explanatory power. Only by thoroughly explaining the academic support behind politics, and clearly explaining the reasoning, scholarship, philosophy, and principles behind it, can students be guided to truly learn, truly understand, truly believe, and truly apply it.

用学术讲政治，是马克思主义研究者必备的基本素养，更是思政课教学的关键所在。思政课用学术讲政治，就是要注重用马克思主义世界观和方法论为讲政治提供深厚的学理支撑。倘若忽视对科学思想的学理化阐释，理论就会失去其应有的思辨力、说服力和现实解释力。只有把政治背后的学理支撑讲透，讲清其背后的道理、学理、哲理、原理，才能引导学生真学、真懂、真信、真用。

Specifically applied to the “Introduction” course, insisting on using scholarship to discuss politics means presenting the academic nature of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era to students. Academicization is the process of rising from perceptual knowledge to rational knowledge. Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era is rich in content, rigorous in logic, and profound in meaning; its academic nature is prominently embodied in the academic, theoretical, speculative, and abstract character of its theoretical foundation, theoretical system, and discourse expression. On the one hand, it requires us to base ourselves on Chinese practice, refine Chinese experience, scientifically define iconic conceptual categories, and clearly explain the theoretical connotation, core essence, and the worldview and methodology contained in Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. On the other hand, it requires us to clarify the historical logic, theoretical logic, and practical logic of the establishment of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, focusing on explaining the great transformations of the New Era from the perspective of historical development and evolution, and clearly explaining the strategic measures taken by the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, the transformative practices promoted, the breakthrough progress achieved, and the landmark results obtained. Conducting in-depth academic elucidation of these issues can enable students to recognize and experience the logicality and truth inherent in the theory, guiding students to strengthen self-cultivation through deep study and careful comprehension, and to build a foundation of faith, supplement the calcium of spirit, and steady the rudder of thought through ideological tempering [n].

具体到“概论”课，坚持用学术讲政治就是要把习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想的学理性呈现给学生。学理化是从感性认识上升到理性认识的过程。习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想内容丰富、逻辑严密、意蕴深邃，其学理性突出体现为理论基础、理论体系和话语表达的学术性、理论性、思辨性、抽象性。一方面，要求我们立足中国实践，提炼中国经验，科学界定标志性概念范畴，讲清楚习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想的理论内涵、核心要义以及蕴含的世界观和方法论。另一方面，要求我们厘清习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想创立的历史逻辑、理论逻辑和实践逻辑，着重从历史发展演进的角度讲好新时代的伟大变革，讲清楚以习近平同志为核心的党中央采取的战略性举措、推进的变革性实践、实现的突破性进展、取得的标志性成果。对这些问题展开深度的学理阐释，可以使学生认识和体会到理论内蕴的逻辑性和真理性，引导学生在深学细悟中加强自我修养，在思想淬炼中筑牢信仰之基、补足精神之钙、把稳思想之舵。

Using scholarship to discuss politics must be supported by profound academic skills. This requires ideological-political course teachers to continuously enhance their scientific research capabilities and strengthen the systematic research and academic elucidation of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. If ideological-political course teachers neglect scientific research, their understanding of theory can only remain at the level of document propaganda or policy interpretation. Over time, ideological-political courses will find it difficult to truly trigger students’ thinking or touch students’ hearts, and will deviate from the tasks and goals of fostering virtue and nurturing people and forging souls and educating people. At the same time, ideological-political course teachers should focus on enhancing their ability to transform document language and textbook language into vivid and lively classroom teaching language. Language enters the ear, and reasoning enters the heart. “The essence of ideological-political courses is to explain reasoning, and attention must be paid to methods and means, to explain the reasoning deeply, thoroughly, and vividly.” The teaching language of ideological-political courses in higher education should not only reflect academic rigor and argumentative logic, achieving reasoned speech and convincing people with reason, but also possess contemporaneity and vitality. By reasonably using “hot words” and skillfully employing rhetorical devices, profound theories can be expressed in language that students find easy to accept and willing to listen to.

用学术讲政治，必须以深厚的学术功底为支撑。这要求思政课教师不断提升科研能力，加强对习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想的体系化研究和学理化阐释。思政课教师如果疏于科研，对理论的理解就只能停留在文件宣传或政策解读层面。长此以往，思政课难以真正引发学生思考、触动学生心灵，将偏离立德树人、铸魂育人的任务和目标。同时，思政课教师要注重提升将文件语言、教材语言转化为生动活泼的课堂教学语言的能力。语言入耳，道理入心。“思政课的本质是讲道理，要注重方式方法，把道理讲深、讲透、讲活。”高校思政课的教学语言，既要体现语言学术性和论证逻辑性，做到言之有理、以理服人，也要兼具时代性和生活性，通过合理使用“热词”、巧妙运用修辞等方式，把深奥的理论用学生易于接受、乐于倾听的语言表达出来。

Adhere to the Teaching Principle of “Content is King,” Improve the Quality of Ideological-Political Course Content Supply

秉持“内容为王”教学原则，提升思政课内容供给质量

In the classrooms of higher education, we always emphasize one sentence: “The class is as important as heaven.” Stepping onto the podium, standing firm on the podium, and standing well on the podium is the duty of every teacher. Teaching one ideological-political course well may not be difficult; what is difficult is teaching every ideological-political course well. In recent years, to stimulate students’ interest in learning and improve the practical effectiveness of ideological-political course teaching, teachers have thought of many methods and put in a lot of effort. The key to improving the quality of course content supply lies in adhering to the teaching principle of “content is king.”

在高校的课堂上，我们总是强调一句话：“课比天大”。站上讲台、站稳讲台、站好讲台，是每一位教师的职责所在。上好一节思政课或许不难，难的是上好每节思政课。近年来，为激发学生的学习兴趣、提高思政课教学实效，老师们在这方面想了很多办法、下了很多功夫。提高课程内容供给质量，关键在于坚持“内容为王”的教学原则。

Adhering to the teaching principle of “content is king” first requires that teachers have “content” in their minds. Students can often adapt to a teacher being strict and rigid, but they cannot accept a teacher being shallow in knowledge. In today’s highly information-based era, to give students a bowl of water, a teacher should have a pool of water, not just a bucket of water. Teaching activities are the unity of scholarship, technique, and art, the unity of “technique,” “learning,” and “the Way.” Only when ideological-political courses possess solid and rich content, a scientific and clear structure, and a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere can they continuously enhance the course’s appeal,感染力, and persuasiveness. The content of the “Introduction” course covers an extremely wide range, involving core fields such as economy, politics, culture, society, ecological civilization, and Party building, encompassing major issues such as governing the Party, the state, and the military, reform, development, and stability, domestic affairs, foreign affairs, and national defense, and taking into account realistic contexts such as world conditions, national conditions, Party conditions, and people’s conditions. This requires teachers to read original works and understand principles, put effort into the transformation from the textbook system to the teaching system, put effort into the transformation from the knowledge system to the value system, and teach the key and difficult issues of the teaching content well.

坚持“内容为王”的教学原则，首先要求教师的头脑中“有内容”。学生往往可以适应教师严厉刻板，但不能接受教师学识浅薄。在高度信息化的今天，要给学生一碗水，教师应有一潭水而不仅仅是一桶水。教学活动是学术、技术与艺术的统一，是“术”“学”“道”的统一。思政课唯有具备扎实丰富的内容、科学清晰的结构与轻松愉悦的氛围，方能持续提升课程的吸引力、感染力和说服力。“概论”课内容覆盖极广，关涉经济、政治、文化、社会、生态文明与党的建设等核心领域，囊括治党治国治军、改革发展稳定、内政外交国防等重大议题，兼顾世情、国情、党情、民情等现实语境。这就要求教师读原著悟原理，在教材体系向教学体系的转化上下功夫，在知识体系向价值体系的转化上下功夫，讲好教学内容的重点、难点问题。

Adhering to the teaching principle of “content is king” also requires close connection with the actual thoughts of university students. Where does the targeted nature and appeal of ideological-political courses come from? One important point is that ideological-political courses must face students’ ideological confusions head-on and teach in response to students’ questions. As General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “We must adhere to a problem-oriented approach. The issues students are concerned about and have doubts about are actually just a few major categories. These issues must be broken down, thoroughly studied and answered, and the facts and reasoning must be clearly explained one by one.” Many ideological-political course teachers have already recognized this and are trying to make breakthroughs in this regard through methods such as problem-based introduction and problem-chain teaching. However, ideological-political course teachers must pay special attention to ensuring that the problems set are not “self-entertainment.” The “problems” must be issues that students truly care about, issues that students can raise, and issues that are representative among the student body. Teachers must not fall into the misunderstanding of “imagining student confusion,” but must truly grasp what students think, ponder, and are confused about through practical investigations such as questionnaire surveys and face-to-face interviews. In the process of investigation, we often find that students, due to low interest, insufficient reserve of relevant basic knowledge, or insufficient personal experience and ideological awareness, find it difficult to raise valuable questions related to the course. In such cases, teachers should consciously place themselves in the students’ perspective, use professional theoretical knowledge to analyze the daily life and social hot issues that students encounter, gradually cultivate students’ critical thinking and problem-analysis abilities, and guide students to apply Marxist theoretical viewpoints and thinking methods to the analysis of practical problems. It can be seen that adhering to a problem-oriented approach and facing student confusion head-on requires teachers to guide with care and put in sufficient effort. Only by achieving a precise match between what teachers “teach” and what students “are confused about” can the targeted nature and appeal of ideological-political courses be effectively enhanced.

坚持“内容为王”的教学原则，还要紧密联系大学生的思想实际。思政课的针对性和吸引力从何而来？其中重要的一点，就是要求思政课直面学生的思想困惑，迎着学生的问题讲。正如习近平总书记所指出的：“要坚持问题导向，学生关注的、有疑惑的问题其实也就几大类，要把这些问题掰开了、揉碎了，深入研究解答，把事实和道理一条条讲清楚。”很多思政课教师已经认识到这一点，通过问题式导入、问题链教学等方法，力图在这方面有所突破。但是，思政课教师要特别注意，设置问题不能“自娱自乐”。“问题”必须是学生真正关心的问题，是学生能提得出来的问题，是在学生群体中具有代表性的问题。教师不能陷入“想象学生困惑”的误区，而是要通过问卷调查、面对面访谈等实际调研，真正掌握学生的所思所想所惑。在调研过程中，我们常常发现学生或因兴趣度不高，或因相关基础知识储备不足，或因自身阅历和思想觉悟不够，难以提出与课程相关且有价值的问题。这种情况下，教师应当有意识地置身学生视角，以专业的理论知识剖析学生接触到的日常生活和社会热点问题，逐步培养学生的批判性思维和分析问题的能力，引导学生将马克思主义的理论观点和思想方法运用到分析实际问题中去。可见，坚持问题导向、直面学生困惑，需要教师用心引导、下足功夫。只有实现教师“所教”和学生“所惑”精准匹配，才能切实提升思政课的针对性和吸引力。

Adhere to the Combination of the “Small Classroom” of Ideological-Political Education with the “Big Classroom” of Society, Grasp the Skill of Making Good Use of the “Big Ideological-Political Course”

坚持思政“小课堂”与社会“大课堂”相结合，把握“大思政课”善用之道

General Secretary Xi Jinping once said, “Do not underestimate Liangjiahe; this is a place with great learning,” and emphasized, “We must make good use of the ‘big ideological-political course,’ and it must be combined with reality.” [n] When theory and reality are combined, “great learning” can emerge. As is well known, Comrade Mao Zedong had many expositions on the “big school.” He successively proposed that “the whole of society is in fact a permanent big school,” “turn the entire Party into a big school,” “the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea is a big school,” and so on. [n] The essential meanings of big school, great learning, and the big ideological-political course are interconnected. Regardless of the expression, they all indicate that the shaping and cultivation of a great personality requires not only reading books with words but, even more, reading the book without words.

习近平总书记曾说“不要小看梁家河，这是有大学问的地方”，并强调“‘大思政课’我们要善用之，一定要跟现实结合起来”。理论和现实结合起来，就能产生“大学问”。众所周知，毛泽东同志有很多关于“大学校”的论述，他先后提出“社会之全体实为永久之大学校”“把全党变成一个大学校”“抗美援朝战争是个大学校”等。大学校、大学问、大思政课其要义旨向是相通的，无论何种表述都说明大人格的塑造养成，既要读有字之书，更要读无字之书。

Combining the “small classroom” of ideological-political education with the “big classroom” of society requires teachers of ideological-political courses to enhance their own ability to educate and cultivate people within society’s “big classroom.” Against the backdrop of a rapidly changing era, teachers of ideological-political courses face many challenges, such as knowledge updates and conceptual iteration. Society’s “big classroom” provides ample space to help these teachers overcome “competence panic,” enabling the “true scripture” of thought to be better transformed into practical ability and forward-moving motivation. Teachers of ideological-political courses should uphold the concept of lifelong learning, learning by doing and doing by learning, and, in the alignment of social experience with book knowledge, continuously cultivate their own capacity for teaching and nurturing people.

坚持思政“小课堂”和社会“大课堂”相结合，要求思政课教师在社会“大课堂”中提升自身教书育人的能力。在日新月异的时代背景下，思政课教师面临着知识更新、理念迭代等诸多挑战，而社会“大课堂”为帮助思政课教师克服“本领恐慌”提供了广阔空间，使思想上的“真经”能够更好地转化为实践中的能力、前行中的动力。思政课教师要秉持终身学习理念，在干中学、在学中干，在社会经验与书本知识的对标中，不断涵养自己教书育人的本领。

Combining the “small classroom” of ideological-political education with the “big classroom” of society requires teachers of ideological-political courses to integrate resources from social life into classroom teaching. General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out: “Ideological-political courses should not only be taught in the classroom but should also be taught in social life.” The world-renowned achievements of socialism with Chinese characteristics are the most vivid, most lively, and most persuasive teaching material for ideological-political courses. Teachers of ideological-political courses should take the historic achievements and historic transformations of the New Era as their content support, and be adept at transforming facts, cases, and stories that students can perceive and know into teaching materials and teaching resources. Telling the stories of China in the New Era well can guide students to strengthen their political convictions and enhance their political confidence, inspire students to “make even more arduous and even more strenuous efforts” to realize national rejuvenation, consciously devote themselves to the tide of the times in realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, and write a youthful chapter of shouldering responsibility for Chinese-path modernization.

坚持思政“小课堂”和社会“大课堂”相结合，要求思政课教师将社会生活资源融入课堂教学。习近平总书记指出：“思政课不仅应该在课堂上讲，也应该在社会生活中来讲。”中国特色社会主义取得的举世瞩目成就是思政课最生动、最鲜活、最有说服力的教材。思政课教师要以新时代的历史性成就、历史性变革为内容支撑，善于将学生们可感可知的事实、案例、故事转化为教学素材和教学资源。讲好新时代中国故事，可以引导学生坚定政治信念、增强政治自信，激励学生为实现民族复兴“付出更为艰巨、更为艰苦的努力”，自觉投身实现中华民族伟大复兴的时代洪流，书写为中国式现代化挺膺担当的青春篇章。

Combining the “small classroom” of ideological-political education with the “big classroom” of society requires teachers of ideological-political courses to take practical teaching as a starting point, broaden the teaching field, and truly let ideological-political courses step out of the “ivory tower” of the campus and integrate into the “big classroom” of society. It is necessary not only to let students learn theoretical content in the traditional “small classroom” of the classroom but also to guide students to feel the guiding role of theory in practice in society’s “big classroom.” Teachers of ideological-political courses can, in light of regional characteristics and the features of their institutions, tap into local cultural resources, build “grand ideological-political course” education and teaching bases, and design targeted practical teaching themes. For example, when teaching “people-centered,” students can be organized to conduct research in their hometowns, or go deep into the fields and villages to experience China’s poverty alleviation practice, or enter grassroots communities to truly feel the temperature of people’s livelihood and the pulse of social development; when teaching “Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization,” students can be led to visit local ecological civilization protection areas, using comparisons between past and present to feel the achievements of ecological and environmental protection in the New Era; when teaching “making China a scientific and technological power,” students can be led to visit science and technology museums, high-tech industrial parks, or the production lines of local science and innovation enterprises, guiding students to understand the institutional advantages and future development of China’s scientific and technological innovation.

坚持思政“小课堂”和社会“大课堂”相结合，要求思政课教师以实践教学为抓手，拓宽教学场域，让思政课真正走出校园的“象牙塔”，融入社会的“大课堂”。既要让学生在传统的教室“小课堂”中学习理论内涵，也要引导学生在社会“大课堂”中感受理论在实践中发挥的指导作用。思政课教师可以结合区域特色和院校特点，挖掘地方文化资源，建设“大思政课”教育教学基地，设计有针对性的实践教学主题。例如，讲授“坚持以人民为中心”时，可组织学生回乡调研，或深入田间地头感受中国脱贫实践，或走进基层社区真切感受民生温度与社会发展脉搏；讲授“习近平生态文明思想”时，可带领学生参观当地生态文明保护区，以今昔对比感受新时代生态环境保护成就；讲授“科技强国”时，可带领学生参观科技场馆、高新技术产业园区或当地科创企业生产线，引导学生理解中国科技创新所具备的制度优势及未来发展。

In May 2024, General Secretary Xi Jinping affirmed the achievements in the construction of ideological-political courses in schools since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, pointing out that “the development environment and overall ecology of ideological-political courses have undergone an overall and fundamental transformation.” This is the result of the joint efforts of all teachers of ideological-political courses and the vast number of young students, under the strong leadership of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, and through the solid advancement of schools at all levels and of all types. But as General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized, “on the new journey of the New Era, the construction of ideological-political courses faces new situations and new tasks, and must have a new look and new achievements.” As teachers of ideological-political courses in higher education, we will always bear in mind General Secretary Xi Jinping’s earnest entrustment, consolidate the course foundation with

2024年5月，习近平总书记肯定了党的十八大以来学校思政课建设取得的成就，指出“思政课发展环境和整体生态发生全局性、根本性转变”。这是在以习近平同志为核心的党中央的坚强领导下，在各级各类学校的扎实推进中，全体思政课教师和广大青年学生共同努力的结果。但正如习近平总书记强调的，“新时代新征程上，思政课建设面临新形势新任务，必须有新气象新作为”。作为高校思政课教师，我们将始终牢记习近平总书记的殷切嘱托，以真理的力量筑牢课堂根基，以创新的方法激活课堂生命力，让思政课成为学生真心喜爱、终身受益的课程，努力培养更多让党放心、爱国奉献、担当民族复兴重任的时代新人，为推动新时代思政课展现新气象、实现新作为贡献自身力量。

(Author: Liu Hongsen, specially appointed researcher of the Beijing Research Center for Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and professor at the School of Marxism, Beijing Normal University)

（作者：刘洪森，系北京市习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想研究中心特约研究员、北京师范大学马克思主义学院教授）