Master Multilingualism

Meartalichheid is oeral! Ast mar om dy hinne sjochst en de earen iepen hast. Rinnende troch in strjitte yn in grutte stêd hearst minsken allegear talen praten dy’tst net ferstiest. Behalve al dy oare klanken om dy hinne kinst it ek sjen oan de buorden en advertinsjes fan winkels of oan de graffity op ’e muorren. Wy libje echt yn in wrâld dêr’t meartalichheid de noarm is en ientalichheid de útsûndering. Meartalichheid hat grutte ymplikaasjes foar kommunikaasje, identiteit, sosjale en kulturele yntegraasje, ûnderwiis. Hoe kinne wy omgean mei de útdagingen fan meartalichheid foar it yndividu, foar ynstitúsjes en de maatskippij?

Struktuer fan it programma

Us masterprogramma is unyk yn it kombinearjen fan it teoretysk oanlearen fan allerhanne aspekten omtrint meartalichheid en in op ûndersyk rjochte, praktyske oanpak. It programma wurdt oanbean yn Ljouwert. As haadstêd fan de iennichste offisjeel twatalige provinsje fan Nederlân is dat it ideale plak foar studinten om fuortdaalk tagong te haawen ta in meartalich laboratoarium. Studinten leare hoe’t sy profesjoneel omgean kinne mei deistige útdagingen fan meartalichheid, lykas it helpen fan bedriuwen mei it oerkommen fan taalproblemen, it foarmjaan fan in taalbelied, of it advisearjen fan skoallen hoe’t sy it bêste lesjaan kinne oan bern mei ferskillende talige eftergrûnen. Studinten ûntfange oan ’e ein in mastertitel yn taalkunde fan de Ryksuniversiteit Grins.

De master Multilingualism is opset troch de ôfdieling Fryske Taal en Kultuer en it programma fan Tapaste Taalwittenskippen oan de Ryksuniversiteit Grins yn gearwurking mei de University Campus Fryslân (UCF) en de NHL University of Applied Sciences.

“Praktyske ûnderfining”

Dit masterprogramma draait om it tapassen fan teory yn ’e praktyk. Dat dogge wy troch studinten meartalichheid yn ‘real life’ meimeitsje te litten. Mooglikheden dêrta binne de ekskurzjes nei meartalige ynstitúsjes en omjouwingen. Ien fan ús MA studinten dielt har erfaringen:

“It is hartstikke moai dat it programma sokke ekskurzjes organisearret. Ik seach yn it echt hoe’t minderheidstalen yn ’e maatskippij wurkje en hokfoar útdagingen oft se ús foar stelle; dat sette my oan it tinken hoe’t ik helpe kin om dy swierrichheden op te lossen. It is hiel nijsgjirrich om ferskillende situaasjes fan meartalichheid mei te meitsjen lykas de rol fan in minderheidstaal yn godstsjinst, dat ferraste my.

Oare ekskurzjes, nei de Fryske Akademy en it provinsjehûs yn Ljouwert bringe de útdagingen ta libben dêr’t beliedsmakkers mei te krijen ha. It joech my it gefoel dat ik belutsen bin by aktuele en belangrike problematyk. De útstapkes helpe my om mei oare eagen te sjen nei de minderheidssituaasje yn myn eigen lân.”

Utsjoch op wurk

Meartalichheid bestiet op alle nivo’s yn ’e maatskippij, elk mei har eigen problemen en oplossingen. Hjir yn Nederlân en oeral yn Europa libbet bygelyks de fraach hoe’t wy omgean moatte mei migranteminderheden en har taal yn it ûnderwiis, hoe’t wy meartalichheid it bêste ûntwikkelje kinne op skoalle. Om antwurden op sokke fragen te finen, sil in ekspêr yn meartalichheid fjildûndersyk dwaan en belutsen organisaasjes advisearje. Mei de yngeande kennis fan meartalichheid yn kombinaasje mei har eigen kwaliteiten yn ynteressen binne ús studinten goed tarist om de útdagingen fan in globalisearjende wrâld oan te gean.

Kursussen

The central theme of this course is language change in a multilingual community and the course familiarises the student with key concepts within the field of variationist linguistics. Dr. Nanna Hilton, specialised in language contact, introduces sociolinguistic analysis tools that can be employed during the course of the MA. Students will discuss topics such as regional variation, language contact, social variation and language attitudes as well as language endangerment and code switching. All classes are four hours with discussions and interactive assignments. Students are assessed by weekly assignments. This is a 5 ECTS course.

The central theme in this module is the practice of social and behavioural research. Regularly, results of scientific research are presented in multi-language discussions. This course introduces students to the methods and techniques used in linguistics and trains them to use basic statistical analyses. The starting points of behavioural research will be taught on the basis of examples and cases and teaching practice will be based on do-it –your-self and self-experience.

Experts in (socio)linguistics present students with theoretical and methodological aspects of language planning and policy (LPP) and focus on topics such as intelligibility, language shift and language death with ideology and philosophy behind LPP. The course also deals with the role of context for the survival or maintenance of minority (indigenous as well as recently introduced) languages in a multilingual community. Topics such as the role of English in higher education and activism & language change are covered in class. The module consists of weekly theoretical lectures with following discussion. In this 5 ECTS course, students are assessed by two final essays.

This course presents Friesland as a laboratory for studying multilingualism in action. Students are offered first-hand knowledge of language use in Friesland, as well as lectures on a selection of topics particularly applicable to Frisian. Classes will consist of visits to Frisian cultural and government institutions as well as to institutions where interesting sociolinguistic situations can be observed. Experts from a number of different fields will introduce topics of theoretical relevance that students will get a chance to test empirically themselves

The central theme of this module is how multiple languages are acquired, how they develop and how they are represented in the brain. It looks at how the processing of the languages in a multilingual takes place at phonological, grammatical, lexical and pragmatic levels. Topics dealt with include early and late acquisition of additional languages, processes of production and perception, language attrition, cognitive consequences of multilingualism and the multilingual brain.

Joana Duarte PhD, specialised in multilingualism and educational linguistics, presents bi- and multilingual education as a laboratory for pupils, students and teachers in action. Students are offered first-hand knowledge of bi- and multilingual education at various levels and with respect to a range of target languages: dominant or majority languages, traditional and new foreign languages as well as regional & minority and immigrant languages. Classes will consist of lectures, group work, guest input and visits to schools in Fryslân as well as to guidance institutions supporting bi- and trilingual education. Experts will introduce education topics of theoretical relevance and with regard to their applicability in practice. Students are assessed by means of five weekly assignments and a final essay. This is a 5 ECTS course.

In this module the students will learn about the theoretical aspects of language testing and evaluation, such as validity and reliability, and basic statistic procedures for testing. The second important topic concerns the use and development of tests (standardized and non-standardized), the grades, the student’s portfolios, and other classrooms assessments pertaining to multi-language learning. The third topic, Dr. Hilde Hacquebord discusses,  concerns the development of language surveys in multilingual settings. Students are assessed on the basis of several papers, a portfolio, and an essay. This is a 10 ECTS course.

By means of a discourse and conceptual analysis of key texts on nationalism and minority thinking, the close relationship between language and political power is dealt with from a global, historical as well as anthropological point of view. In particular, the connections between language, state and nation(s) will be topics of discussion. Prof. Goffe Jensma will introduce the importance of language for the formation of a civic national or an ethnolinguistic minority identity as well as the role ideas on language can play to include or exclude population groups will also be discussed. Professor Jensma is specialised in social cultural history or minorities. For this course the students will be assessed on the basis of several papers, a portfolio, and an essay. This is a 10 ECTS course.

The student can do an internship at an institution that offers the possibility for the student to work with issues that are particularly prevalent in multilingual communities. The internship can be carried out in Leeuwarden, elsewhere in the Netherlands, or with an organisation abroad. The student carries out his or her own small research project, or actively participates in a larger project carried out by the local project group. Students doing an internship will work with a supervisor at the internship and a mentor at the university specialised in the subject.

In order to prove their expertise Students write a Master’s Thesis (of approximately 17,000 words, excluding bibliography and appendices). There will be several seminars to help the students to formulate a problem definition, choose suitable theoretical, and methodological framework for research. This task is supervised on an individual basis by a teacher specialised in the subject chosen by the student. The student will conduct research which they will present in writing. The students will be assessed on basis of their thesis and present their work to an audience. This is a 20 ECTS course.

Dosinten

Tiid

Moandei, woansdei en freed tusken 9:00 oant 17:00

Lokaasje

Ljouwert

Wannear

Moandei 4 september 2017 – Freed 6 july 2018