The School of Law of Minjiang University was formerly the Department of Political and Education of Fuzhou Teachers College established in 1958. The Major of Law was first established by Minjiang Vocational University in 1985. In September 2001, the Fuzhou Teachers College and Fujian Normal University cooperated to train undergraduates majoring in political education (normal). In 2002, Minjiang University was established to offer full-time undergraduate programs under the approval of the Ministry of Education. In September of the same year, Minjiang University established the Department of Political Science and Sociology, and later in 2004 the Major of Political Science and Administration (Non-Normal). In May 2005, the Department of Political Science and Sociology was renamed the Department of Law based on the needs of social development and the development plan of Minjiang University. The Major of Law (undergraduate) was established in 2006. In June 2009, the Teaching and Research Office of Ideological and Political Theories was separated from the Department of Law in accordance with the spirit of the Ministry of Education. In April 2017, the Department of Law was upgraded to School of Law (hereinafter referred to as the School).
The School is currently composed of the Department of Law and the Department of Social Work, with three goal-oriented undergraduate majors in law, social work, politics and administration. It has set up research institutes or social service institutions such as the Institute of International Commercial Law, Institute of Civil and Commercial Law, Institute of Legal and Social Work, and Minjiang University Branch of Fuzhou Legal Aid Center. The School is provided with advanced teaching and scientific research facilities, such as a moot court, the Experimental Teaching Center of International Commercial Law, and the TPR Training Center for Major of Social Work, covering an area of about 1,200 square meters. The School currently has 37 faculty members and 672 students, comprising 378 in Major of Law, 79 in Major of Politics and Administration, and 181 in Major of Social Work.
The School boasts a faculty team with young and middle-aged teachers as the majority and senior titles accounting for 45.9%. It has 1 provincial academic leader, 2 provincial candidates for the New Century National Hundred, Thousand and Ten Thousand Talent Project, 2 candidates for Program for New Century Excellent Talents in Fujian Province, 4 outstanding talents such as distinguished Mindu Scholar professors, 4 master tutors, and nearly 50% of double-position teachers. Many teachers have experience of studying abroad. The School attaches great importance to teaching and scientific research activities. The teachers have actively participated in research projects initiated by the National Social Science Fund, the Ministry of Education, and the Fujian Provincial Social Science Fund, including hosting 2 National Social Science Fund projects and 9 provincial and ministerial scientific research projects; published books and participated in compilation of teaching materials for more than 30 times; opened 1 provincial-level excellent resource-sharing course (innovation & entrepreneurship); school-land cooperation with government departments at all levels; carried out with government authorities at all levels, and had more than 10 consulting reports adopted by provincial and municipal governments.
Besides, the School also attaches great importance to the cultivation of application-oriented talents. With a focus on industry-education integration and serving the local development and based on the economic and social development needs of Fujian Province and Fuzhou, the School relies on professional resources to actively carry out external exchanges and cooperation as well as social services. The School has established a number of practical teaching bases at all levels of courts, procuratorates and other judicial institutions and law firms, social organizations, etc. The Fujian Provincial Labor and Personnel Arbitration Court and the Fuzhou Labor and Personnel Arbitration Court have set up circuit arbitration tribunals in the School of Law. The School is proactively providing human and intellectual support for local economic development, and cooperate with the Fuzhou Civil Affairs Bureau to train talents for social work; taking a solid step in promoting exchanges and cooperation with Fu Jen Catholic University in Taiwan, Renmin University of China, China Youth University of Political Studies and other universities at home and abroad.
Recent years have witnessed excellent results the School has achieved in innovation & entrepreneurship, and discipline competition. Since 2017, the School has won the approval of 1 national training project under college students’ innovation and entrepreneurship plan; 1 third prize at the National Social Work Forum for College Students and 1 second prize at the National Social Work Picture Story Contest; 1 first prize and 2 second prizes at the “Challenge Cup” National College Students’ Extracurricular Academic Science and Technology Contest; 1 bronze prize at the Fujian College Students’ Entrepreneurship Competition; 1 second prize at the third “Study and Speak Constitution” Speech Contest in Fujian. The School built a team to participate in the 17th CIETAC Cup International Commercial Arbitration Moot Court Competition for the first time in 2019.
Furthermore, the School attaches great importance to party building and ideological and political educational work. The Party Committee of the School of Law now consists of 1 faculty Party branch and 2 student Party branches. Significant achievements have been made in party building and ideological and political educational work in recent years. The Party Committee has been awarded the honorary title of “Provincial Advanced Grassroots Party Organization” by the CPC Fujian Provincial Committee, and the scientific research team of ecological civilization construction won the title of Fuzhou “May 1st Pioneer Post”. Since 2015, the social practice team of volunteer teaching has been awarded the title of National Outstanding Team in Social Practice, the Outstanding Social Practice Award for the Summer Volunteer Activities for the Country People by the National College and Secondary School Student Volunteers, and many other awards; reported by media such as www.Youth.cn, www.12371.cn, www.people.com.cn for more than 40 times and achieved good social response.
In the future, the School of Law will adhere to Xi Jinping’s theory on the socialist rule of law with Chinese characteristics in the new era and center on the goal of building a socialist country under the rule of law in fostering integrity and promoting rounded development of people with both morality and law considered, and ensuring unity of Knowing and Doing, thereby training talents for the socialist rule of law with Chinese characteristics in the new era and modernizing China’s system and capacity for governance.
