The first-class discipline of law in Northeast Forestry University, which was approved by the state in 2010 to obtain a master’s degree authorization, is the first among national forestry universities, and is among the province's colleges and universities in the second batch of legal disciplines master degree programs. It has five academic master’s degree authorizations including environment and resources protection law, civil law, criminal law, constitutional law and administrative law, and sociology of law (including legal and non-legal professional degrees). Environment and Resources Protection Law (hereinafter referred to as the subject of environmental law subjects) with the longest history, is the earliest of the environmental law discipline master's degree authorizations. The environmental law program, among the second batch of provincial key disciplines and the key subject sponsored by the State Forestry Administration, is the only program which has continued enrollment in Heilongjiang province.
1. Program Orientation and Objectives
The program direction is characteristic oriented with special services and coordinated development, and has formed the system of discipline by the basis of environmental law with the coordinated development of administrative law, civil and commercial law, criminal law and sociology of law. With regards to student training, we mainly look to serve the country and, at the same time, take into account the needs of local law construction; with regards to scientific research, we mainly focus on the research of national ecological protection and forestry laws while taking into account local laws.
The goal of the discipline is to construct an academic team, to form high level advantage disciplines, and be granted the right to award a Ph.D.We constantly look to improve the level of education, enhance the quality of construction of the discipline, improve the level of discipline, expand the scale of the discipline, and try to obtain a leading position among provincial and national universities of agriculture and Forestry Science.
2. Subject Arrangement
(1) Environmental and resource protection law focus on the study of the legal issues of resource conservation, ecological environment protection, etc.
(2) Civil law focuses on the basic theory of civil and commercial law, and on the forestry property, environmental tort and civil liability.
(3) Constitutional law and administrative law focus on the study of administrative law, administrative acts, and local administrative laws as well as the constitutional protection of natural resources, and administrative laws for the protection of forestry resources.
(4) Criminal law focuses on the study of Chinese criminal law, environmental criminal law, economic criminal law, as well as crimes and punishments related to the destruction of environmental resources.
(5) Sociology of law focuses on the legal system of social governance, social security system, the protection of civil rights and regional natural resources protection, and social problems associated with environmental protection.
3. Discipline Leaders
The leader of the law Discipline is Professor Li Jingyi, Ph.D., a master’s tutor whose teaching and research work is mainly focused on civil and commercial law. He was rated “outstanding young legal expert” in Heilongjiang province.He is the executive member of council in Legal Instrument Research Association in China Law Society, the member of council in Legal Education Research Association in China Law Society, the executive member of council in China Law Society of Heilongjiang Province, the president of Legal Instrument Research Association in China Law Society of Heilongjiang Province, the vice president in Legal Education Research Association of Heilongjiang Province, the executive director of the Arbitration Law of the law society of Heilongjiang Province, and he is the legal expert of the People’s Government in Heilongjiang Province, the expert of legislation of the People’s Government in Heilongjiang Province, the expert of legal consultancy in China Law Society of Heilongjiang Province, the judge of Heilongjiang Province, the expert member in the Judge and Persecutor Selection Committee, the arbitrator of the Harbin Arbitration Commission.
Adhering to the concept of “talent is the first resource” concept, the discipline always comprehensively takes advantage of the overall structure, education structure and the title structure. We have 43 full-time teachers, including 11 professors, 16 associate professors and 16 lecturers. 19 faculty have Ph.D. degrees, while the remaining 22 have Master’s degrees, and 5 people have international study experience. At present, the subject has built a more reasonable structure and higher quality of teachers. We have one Provincial Teaching Expert, one provincial teaching rookie, one provincial education system ethics advanced individual, one won the second-class prize for young teachers' basic teaching skills competition, one won the young teaching basic skills contest best teaching award, and one provincial award for the teaching team.
4. The Advantages and Characteristics of the Discipline
NEFU, to which our discipline belongs, takes responsibility directly from the Ministry of education, was built by both Ministry of education and the State Forestry Administration, and is one of the universities working on “211 Project” and “985” engineering project platforms,provides good external conditions for the development of discipline construction. At the same time, the State Forestry Administration is focused on to cultivating our discipline, and is also the only first-class Law discipline among national forestry universities. The development of forestry construction demands the rule of law, which is the internal driving force of the development of the discipline. Over the years, subjects in the field of environmental law research have had a greater impact, formed to serve the national ecological protection and the rule of law in the construction of the rule of law as the focus of scientific research.
Subject to the discipline of environmental law for the advantage of national ecology and forestry law research, driven by multi-disciplinary coordinated development, highlighting the advantages of national ecological protection and forestry resources protection law research, the second-class subjects are developing and focusing on different fields. Each has its good points to serve the local resources, ecological protection, and construction of the legal system as the basis in order to serve the country, and focus on the legal needs of ecological construction and forestry construction.
5. Personnel Training Objectives
The discipline is committed to the cultivation of personnel with an ideal and firm faith, professional theory, professional integrity, and practical ability. We require students to “be loyal to the party, to the country, to the people, to the law”, and to regard the law as a profession of faith. We cultivate students’ ability to solve practical problems, and guide the students focusing on researchto pay more attention to solve major problems in the practice, which can meet the needs of scientific research and teaching work, and can adapt to the needs of the judicial practice, such as the work of a lawyer. As of December 2015, our discipline has awarded 123 master’s degrees. Training a large number of qualified talents for the society, our discipline has become a force in the field of law education.
6. Scientific Research and Achievement
Since the last 3 years, the discipline has taken 1 national social science fund project, 5 humanities and social sciences research projects sponsored by Ministry of education; 9 projects sponsored by the State Forestry Administration; more than 20 other provincial projects and a total research funding reaching 300 million Yuan. We have published eleven books and published more than 100 academic papers, including more than 80% core Chinese, and we have been awarded 10 prizes on the provincial or ministerial level for scientific research.
7. The Impact of Domestic and Overseas and the Situation of Social Services
The NEFU Law discipline is the directing unit of the National Environmental Law Research Association, and 4 people from it are executive directors or directors. At the same time, it is the directing unit of the China Association of legal education, the law society of Heilongjiang province, environmental and Resources Law Research Association, the law society, and school cooperation of Harbin as well. It has hosted several high-level conferences such as the National Conference on environmental resources law, and created textbooks on environmental law for the preparation of the demonstration meeting. The local municipal people’s Congress has hired 4 people from the discipline as legislative experts, and 4 are a member of the administrative reconsideration committee, and 3 people have been hired by the arbitrator of Harbin Arbitration Commission. There are 13 of the faculty who work in law associations, and the two of them are vice president and Secretary general. In order to encourage teachers towards foreign exchange, Professor Li Aiqin has been to the University of London School of Oriental and African Studies as a visiting scholar, and associate professor Wang Hongwei made a keynote speech at the Moscow State University all Russian legal practice academic conference. For further study, teacher Ding Liang went to University of Aberdeen, and XueWenlongwent to Taiwan Catholic University. Professor Zhou Yuhuahas attended the international academic conference sponsored by City University of Hong Kong, the international academic conference held at the University of France, the Academic Conference on agricultural environmental protection, and the general assembly to speak. Both Associate professor Yan Shipeng and associate professor Wang Hongweihave been hired as certified instructosr at the World Conservation Union Institute of environmental law.
Upholding the concept of basing on the local and facing the industry, our discipline gives full attention to the role of academic expertise by providing various special services for the society, including participation in forest law, modify the demonstration method and Nature Reserve Law of wild animal protection. In wetland protection regulations, Natural Forest Protection Ordinance and in legislative demonstration, forest regulation hearing, we have made an important contribution for the national forest resources protection legislation. As a key research base of College of Humanities and social sciences, the discipline actively participates in the legislative work of Heilongjiang province wetland protection regulations, forest fire prevention regulations, key state-owned forest protection regulations, the Harbin municipal mudflat Protection Ordinance in Heilongjiang province, local laws and government regulations clean-up work, and the Heilongjiang province government power list demonstration, making a contribution for the local construction of the rule of law.
