International Journal of Education

Curriculum-integrated ideological and political education (CIIPE) is a key approach to implementing Chinas educational policies and achieving the fundamental goal of moral education. The 2020 Guidelines for Ideological and Political Education in Higher Education Curricula emphasize the integration of ideological content throughout teaching. As a core component of foreign language instruction, college German courses are not only responsible for teaching linguistic competence and facilitating Sino-German cultural exchange, but also for fostering cultural confidence and promoting traditional Chinese values. Given the close connection between cultural confidence and ideological education, this study identifies cultural confidence as a strategic entry point for enriching curriculum content and enhancing educational impact. Using New Generation College German as a case study, it proposes a theoretical framework—the “Language–Culture Double Helix Path”—which integrates language acquisition with cultural transmission. The goal is to promote the coordinated development of language proficiency, cultural identity, and value resonance, thereby strengthening students cultural confidence and their ability to effectively communicate Chinese stories in German.

Cultural confidence; College German teaching; Curriculum-based ideological and political education; Double helix path; New Generation College German（Deutsche）