Abstract: Integrating British and American literature into College English teaching can stimulate the students’ interest in learning English, enhance their intrinsic motivation in study, make classroom teaching more interesting, raise teaching efficiency, open a window to both western culture and literature before the students, and improve their cross-cultural communication ability. In addition, the students will grow empathetic with the healthy behaviors and emotions advocated in the literary works and even consequently develop positive values, such as humanistic spirit and benevolent character. In this way, the ideological and political functions of College English will be demonstrated. It is, therefore, necessary to integrate British and American literature into College English teaching, more as an effective way to implement ideological and political education in College English than as a mere way to show the humanist nature of the course.

Key words: British and American literature, College English teaching, ideological and political education in College English