Abstract: “The Decline of the English Department” in American universities is an old topic that deserves a revisit because the phenomena like “theory craze” and “political correctness” that triggered the decline of the English Department have not yet disappeared, but still have been spreading instead. If we take the “decline of the English Department” in American universities as a starting point in tracing the rise and fall of English Studiesas a discipline, we will be able to reflect on the similar issues in the current teaching and research of foreign literature in China. At present, the teaching and research of foreign literature in China ought to return to the origin of the discipline and restore the initial intention of literary education and its humanistic mission. The teaching of foreign literature, which should be based on the literary canon, is supposed to guide students to shape up their moral sentiment and enhance their aesthetic judgment through intensive reading of literary classics. It should be noted that literature is a means of civic education that spontaneously nurtures the readers' mind in an effective way to help them cultivate a sound personality and a good sense of citizenship. Foreign literature studies should focus on the study of literary work itself, explore literature as literature, and reveal the moral and aesthetic attributes of literature per se. The education of foreign literature is, in essence, a liberal education.

Key words: the decline of the English Department, English Studies, literary education, moral and aesthetic judgment, humanistic mission