The Department of English (EN) of CityU’s College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences celebrated its 30th anniversary with two insightful seminars and a gala in September and October 2019.

EN was founded at the then City Polytechnic in 1989, five years before the university title was granted. Since its inception, not only has the Department established itself as a global leader in English applied linguistics, it has also provided excellence in areas such as English for specific purposes, literary studies and intercultural communication. According to Professor Diane PECORARI, Head of EN, having a broad teaching and research agenda allows the Department to offer students a full English studies curriculum. This has borne fruit. “Our graduates are highly employable, and are increasingly using the bachelor of arts as a stepping stone to postgraduate studies,” she says.

What could be more wonderful than having former faculty members who are renowned scholars return to campus for the anniversary? On 16 September 2019, Professor Vijay BHATIA, a long-serving faculty of EN until his retirement, was invited to speak at the first of the Gold Leaf Seminar Series. As the title “Fake News’ as Interdiscursive Illusion: A Challenge to Law, Social Media, and Free Speech” implies, he brought the key challenges to law and free speech in today’s digitally mediated world to the audience’s attention. Then on 21 October 2019, Professor Jack RICHARDS, the founding Department Head, hosted the second seminar of the series and discussed aspects of language teachers’ skills and expertise.

Other former faculty members, current staff and students, and some alumni joined the celebration on 25 October 2019, when the anniversary gala was held. Apart from a time for members of the family to reunite, it was a valuable opportunity for the Department to show gratitude to its supporters and community partners, and draw attention to its strengths. The evening started with a piano performance by acclaimed pianists Tony LEE and ZHANG Lixin, followed by a cosy reception. Professor Pecorari, Professor Richards and Professor Bhatia also gave speeches and toasted the future of the Department.

Moving into its fourth decade, the Department is putting its focus on responding with agility to the changing needs of the students, notably helping them acquire important transferable skills. “The professional communication skills we cultivate in our students, the creativity, the invaluable research and critical thinking skills they gain from their education all equip them for the flexible working practices of the future,” Professor Pecorari believes.