大夏书院成立于2017年，以华东师范大学的前身之一“大夏大学”（1924年）命名，秉承大夏大学“自强不息”与“师生合作”的传统，旨在培养品德高尚、视野开阔，具有厚重人文精神、敢于担当的栋梁之材。
书院由中国语言文学系、历史学系、哲学系、政治与国际关系学院、马克思主义学院、法学院、社会发展学院、外语学院和传播学院的本科生组成。书院注重与专业院系的合力育人，侧重于学生的养成教育，助力学生综合素质提高。
书院实行导师制度，聘请专业教师、知名校友、社会贤达作为书院导师，以小规模的师生比开展学业指导和生涯导航，教师高频率高质量的参与给书院学生的发展提供了全方位的关注和指导。书院积极推行“学生自我管理”制度，鼓励学子将书院作为实践社会教育的场所，积极参与书院建设工作，在管理、服务书院中，实现精神和能力的成长。书院同时聘请一批专职辅导员，以“专门的工作任务、专心的工作态度和专业的工作质量”为目标，为书院学子提供高质量的成长指导和日常事务管理。
大夏书院现由沐涛任院长，韩春红任院党委书记，栗蕊蕊任院党委副书记，董镕任挂职副院长。
大夏书院将传承与创新相结合，不断探索现代书院建设和人才培养的新模式、新方法，为华东师范大学“双一流”建设与一流本科人才培养贡献力量。
In 2017, Daxia or ‘Great China’ College was established as a facility of ECNU. It is named after one of ECNU’s predecessors--‘Great China University’--founded in 1924. The new college aims to uphold the principles of “Ceaseless self-strengthening” and “Teacher-student collaboration”.
Moreover, the collegee’s purpose strives to cultivate the country’s most excellent students who oblige to demonstrate their merits, broad vision, tough spirit and bravery to take on social tasks and responsibilities.
Members of the college comprise of undergraduate students from an eclectic group of departments and schools: Department of Chinese-languages and Literature, Department of History, Department of Philosophy, Department of Politics, School of Law, School of Social Development, School of Foreign Languages and School of Communication.
Daxia emphasizes an educational format that links faculty objectives and complementary lesson plans to supplement formal classroom teaching; strengthening organic integration into each classroom environment. The college also strives to form cultivation-based education by taking charge of external classroom affairs and managing daily activities of students.
Daxia College carries out a tutorial system with low student-teacher ratio. Under this system, the new college employs professional instructors, popular alumni and prominent public figures whose high-aptitude to instruct students on the right course also provides comprehensive guidance and care.
It advocates a self-management system for students, which encourages them to engage in management services of the college, actively participate in the school’s foundational developments and serve as a place to practise social education. Furthermore, full-time professional academic counselors are on-duty to assist the students’ growth and supervise daily affairs.
The academy’s leadership includes Mu Tao, head college leader; Han Chunhong, party chief; Li Ruirui, deputy party chief; and vice-head, Dong Rong.
In accordance with the traditions and spirits of ‘Great China’ University, which was once dubbed as the ‘Oriental Columbia University’, Daxia College vows to blaze a new trail for the construction of modern-established academies with new methodical practices and modes of talent cultivation.
ECNU’s goal to become a ‘double first-rate’ university refers to the combination of a ‘world-class university’ with ‘world-class discipline’ to train competent individuals on how to adapt to contemporary social demands and facilitate the power of their contributions via high-quality training and talent.
