Research on the Cultivation of College Students’ Subjective Consciousness in the New Era: From the Perspective of the Comparative Study of the Ideological and Political Education Between China and the United States

Abstract

Ideological and political education, as its name implies, has distinctive political and ideological character. It is a process in which governors spread the political concepts and ideologies of a particular society to members of society to maintain the ruling orders of the society. China and the United States, though in different polities and national conditions, use ideological and political education as a tool of political socialization. The contents of American ideological and political education are basically embodied in the connotation and denotation of civic education. Therefore, this article equates the ideological and political education in the United States with American civic education. Based on the history and development of the ideological and political education in China and United States, by analyzing their differences in terms of contents, approaches, and students’ subject status, this article focuses on highlighting the difference in cultivating the subjective consciousness of college students between the two modes of education.
In addition to possessing the scientific knowledge and technological abilities necessary for the development of China, the talents serving the socialist modernization construction should also be equipped with the qualities of modern citizens. As the important institution for cultivating modern talents，apart from undertaking the responsibility of imparting professional knowledge, universities should also play the role of modern civic education and integrate modern civic education into the ideological and political education of college students. The modern civic education in universities and the cultivation of university students’ subjective consciousness are mutual cause and effect, promoting each other, and developing together. Therefore, in order to promote the construction and perfection of students’ subjective consciousness and the development of modern civic education in universities, by drawing lessons from the relevant experience in cultivating the subject consciousness of college students in the United States, this article puts forward the three approaches of “reforming the educational pattern by respecting students’ subjective value”, “broadening the educational channels by integrating students’ surroundings” and “enhancing the effectiveness of education by mobilizing the subjective initiative of students” to cultivate students to become socialist modernization builders who are not only knowledgeable and competent, but also independent and socially responsible, embracing both individualistic and collectivist values.