In order to enhance the academic atmosphere of integrity and innovation, and cultivate students who have the expertise in foreign languages with academic specialty and humane character, Professor Ma Hongqi, deputy dean of the College of Foreign Languages, delivered a report of scientific research integrity entitled “The Random Talk on the Cultivation of Qualified Graduate Students” to the new master and doctoral students in the small auditorium of the 7th teaching building.
Initially, Professor Ma began his speech from two aspects, the criteria and the cultivation guidance of qualified postgraduate students. He made an official definition of qualified postgraduate students and distinguished different requirements to undergraduate and postgraduate students. According to that and the idea of talent cultivation where “students should be fostered to be expertise in foreign languages, possess humanistic quality with international view, Chinese sensibility and Nankai characteristic”, Professor Ma made basic requests to new postgraduate students, that they should “possess extensive professional knowledge, solid theoretical foundation, broad theoretical horizon, keen academic insight, rigorous scholarly standard, emotional stability and a strong healthy physique.”
Then, Professor Ma offered specific guidance on how to be a qualified postgraduate student. Firstly, students are supposed to read a large number of books and know how to read in order to acquire extensive professional knowledge. He stressed the importance of wide reading and constant exploration for research through quoting Fu Sinian’s word, “seeking for evidence of our studies from the sky to the bottom of the earth” and sayings from the Russian-American writer Vladimir Nabokov. Secondly, students should form a relatively systematic and comprehensive theoretical framework of knowledge. Professor Ma compared theories to stars which helped students find their way in the wilderness of academic research. And in order to make theories a beacon light in the dark night, students need to make efforts to equip themselves with solid academic theoretical foundation and intellectual accomplishment. Thirdly, students should train themselves to form keen academic insight by means of finding problems and focusing on hot research topics. At the same time, students should have a good understanding of the concrete rules, system specification, and scholarly norms in academic research; they should adhere to academic integrity and abide by academic ethics, so as to prevent plagiarism and uphold academic dignity. Fourthly, students are supposed to keep emotional stability and have strong healthy physiques. As Joseph Addison puts it, “reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.” Professor Ma emphasized that “taking exercise sufficiently is a significant task during the stage of postgraduate study.” At the same time, he hoped that students could, on the one hand, actively communicate and establish a harmonious relationship with their supervisors and, on the other hand, form a habit of active and self-regulated learning and diligently complete their learning tasks assigned by their supervisors.
Finally, Professor Ma conveyed his best wishes to new graduate students: “as people specialized in foreign languages, we should not only constantly increase personal academic accumulation but also strengthen our confidence in our own subjects and knowledge. The process of scholarly accumulation is like constructing high-rise buildings, where low foundations can guarantee their standing still for a century. So, as long as you have a solid academic foundation, you will certainly make a difference on the road of scientific research.”
After this seminar, students felt greatly heartened with deepened understanding and clear directions, which would encourage them work hard and courageously go forward in the new journey.
