Abstract:

With the continuous renewal of vocational education concepts and the changes of students'quality，it is imperative to reform the basic quality curriculum in higher vocational colleges.  In view of the difficulties and problems in the process of setting up college English as the compulsory course in higher vocational colleges，this paper puts forward that it is necessary to set up elective courses as supplement and extension and explains that the elective courses could be solutions to students' poor learning autonomy and different English proficiency.  Meanwhile，it demonstrates the feasibility of setting up an elective course with western etiquette culture as contents.

Key words: higher vocational colleges, college English, elective courses, western etiquette culture