Philosophy and Religion Department

The Department of Philosophy and Religion of Central University for Nationalities (DPRCUN) is the only one who devotes himself into the teaching and study of philosophy and religion among all universities and colleges for nationalities in China. DPRCUN comes from the Philosophy Specialty, founded in 1956, of Politics Department of the Central College for Nationalities. In 1986, it is upgraded into department. In 1988, it firstly founds the Institute of Religion Study among domestic colleges and Universities. At present, DPRCUN has 2 undergraduate courses. They are Philosophy and Religion. Moreover, DPRCUN has 4 master-degree conferring rights for Marxism Philosophy, Religion, Chinese Philosophy and Ethnics, and a doctor-degree conferring rights for Religion. There are 18 full-time teachers in DPRCUN. Among them, there are 8 professors, 7 associate professors and 12 doctors. Many of them enjoy governmental special allowance. Some of them are honored “National Excellent Teacher”, “Beijing Excellent Teacher” or “Baogang Excellent Teacher”.

With the open idea of running school, in the prolonged progress of its construction, DPRCUN absorbs academic power from all over China. DPRCUN builds a fine academic structure by absorbing new members with doctoral degrees which are conferred in Peking University, Renmin University of China, Beijing Normal University, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, or other famous Colleges, Universities and Institutes. Moreover, DPRCUN uses different resources to retain native or foreign experts, especially the experts on national religion, and to appoint them to the positions of part-time professors. By periodical or aperiodical courses or academic lectures, the part-time professors make DPRCUN know and keep up with the world latest relevant studies.

With 20 years development, DPRCUN has formed a multilevel and multispecial teaching and study entity, and has formed a character of study both the philosophy of Chinese, westerners, minorities, and the religion for World people and nationalities. The academic team, with the center of Professor Mou Zhongjian, Professor Zhao Shilin, Professor Banbanduojie and other professors, gains a high social fame in the field of Nationality Philosophy Study, Nationality Religion Study and Religion Study. “Center of contemporary big religious problem for nationalities” is a subject to the “Innovative Base of Philosophical and Social Science for the Strategic study of China’s Contemporary Problem of Nationalities” of CUN’s national “985 Project”. The Teaching and Study of Religion for Nationalities of DPRCUN is the key subject of national “211 Project” and the State Ethnic Affairs Commission.

Since the department is founded, DPRCUN’s teachers has accomplished many items of scientific research of “7th Five-Year Plan”, “8th Five-Year Plan”, “9th Five-Year Plan”, “10th Five-Year Plan”, has published about 120 books (contained coauthors), about 10 translated books, 26 compiled books, about 600 academic paper, about 30 translated paper and many research reports. Many books and papers are awarded by the nation, ministry or commission. Chinese Religious Encyclopedia, written by Mou Zhongjian and Zhang Jian, is awarded the first-class academic achievements in social science of religious kind of the Ministry of Education. Furthermore, DPRCUN has run Religion and Nation, an annual publication, for 4 years, and gains a good social response.