On July 4,the defense meeting of doctoral dissertation for doctors majoring in Chinese Legal Culture and Rule of Law Development was successfully held.We invited Professor Gong Pixiang,the dean of Chinese Institute of Modernization of the Rule of Law,Professor Gong Peixiang,the doctoral supervisor of Nanjing Normal University,and Professor Xia Jinwen,the secretary of the Party Committee andthe dean and doctoral supervisor of Jiangsu Academy of Social Sciences,to serve as thechairmenof the defense committee.Professor Jiao Fumin,the dean and the doctoral supervisor of Huaiyin Normal University,Professor Wang Yongping and Professor Wu Shanzhong,the doctoral supervisors of the School of Social Development of Yangzhou University,and Professor CaiBaogang,the dean and the doctoral supervisor of School of Law ofYangzhou University,served as the members of the defense committee.Professor QuShengxia,the vice deanof School of Law ofYangzhou University,two doctorsmajoring in Chinese Legal Culture and Rule of Law Development and some teachers participated in the defense meeting.The teacher,GuLongtao,served as the secretary of the defense committee.

　　In the defense meeting,the doctoral supervisors first introduced the training situation and related achievements of the doctoral candidates under the guidance of them.Then thedoctoral candidatesmade personal statements about their doctoral dissertations,including reporting their research background,research framework,research methods,main conclusions,innovations and shortcomings and future research prospects.The chairmen and members of the defense committee respectively evaluated the scientificity,theoretical significance and practical application value of the topic of the dissertation,and conducted a comprehensive and in-depth evaluation and questioning of the thesis.Xu Gang and Chen Kaijian,two doctorsmajoring in Chinese Legal Culture and Rule of Law Development,gave serious answers to the questions raised by experts of the defense committee,and stated that they would continue to revise and improve the thesis based on the valuable opinions and suggestions put forward by the experts.After the deliberations by the defense committee and the secret ballot,Chairman Gong Pixiang and Chairman Xia Jinwen read out the resolutions of the defense committee and announced that the two doctors passed the defense of doctoral dissertation.

　　The doctoral program of Chinese Legal Lulture and Rule of Law Development is a second-leveldiscipline independently set up under the first-level discipline of Chinese History.It is an interdisciplinary subject of law and history.It is mainly dedicated to cultivatehigh-level legal talents for researchingculture of Chinese traditional legal andmodernizationand establishmentof Chinese legal system.Doctors of this major have been enrolled since 2013.There are currently 12 doctoral candidates.The successful defense of this doctoral dissertation marked a new level of discipline construction and postgraduate training in our school.