The Department of Humanities and General Education is an academic and research unit at the CAD to advance the construction of the New Liberal Arts Initiative and foster interdisciplinary integration. It is responsible for delivering core general education and public foundational courses for undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral students. The faculty currently comprises 3 professors, 8 associate professors, and 5 lecturers.

The curriculum for core general education emphasizes interdisciplinary integration and holistic student development, blending practicality with humanistic values. Courses include foundational art history and theory such as History of Chinese Traditional Theatre (Xiqu), History of Chinese Modern Drama, and History of Foreign Theatre, as well as Introduction to Arts. Additionally, the department collaborates with the Faculty Affairs Office to organize the ‘Lecture Series on Humanities’, among projects designed to enhance students’ cultural literacy.

The public foundational English courses are tailored to students’ academic levels. At undergraduate level, the focuses are on foundational language skills while cultivating humanistic literacy and intercultural communication competence. At postgraduate level, integration of English with arts disciplines is highlighted in order to strengthen the interpretation and application of specialized texts in literature, acting, and visual arts, alongside academic English proficiency. At doctoral level, the priorities are on advanced professional literacy in reading, writing, translation, listening, and speaking, fostering critical thinking, academic expression, and disciplinary innovation.

The curriculum for physical education is designed to preserve traditional Chinese physical culture while adapting to the fitness needs of art students. It balances competitiveness, cultural significance, and practical application. Mandatory skill-based courses are supplemented with electives such as football, badminton, swimming, table tennis, basketball, yoga, Tai Chi, and aerobics. Through the National Student Physical Fitness and Health Standards Test and the development of college training teams (e.g., basketball, football, volleyball), the curriculum aims to enhance both physical fitness and teamwork.

The Department of Humanities and General Education upholds the fundamental task of cultivating well-rounded individuals with strong moral integrity, promoting Socialist Core Values, and advancing students’ humanistic literacy and comprehensive competencies. By integrating academic rigor, practical relevance, and cultural depth, it strives to build a transformative liberal arts education platform aligned with the New Liberal Arts paradigm.