Bachelor Minorities & Multilingualism

In het bachelorprogramma Minorities and Multilingualism leren studenten om etnolinguïstische minderheden te vergelijken en te contrasteren, in het bijzonder vanuit het perspectief van meertaligheid, politiek en cultuur. Het programma biedt een veelzijdige combinatie van vakken, zoals taalkunde, politieke en culturele geschiedenis en sociolinguïstiek. Zo krijgen studenten de handvatten aangereikt om allerlei aspecten van minderheden, minderheidscultuur en meertaligheid in een academische setting te bestuderen.

Waarom minderheden?

Een van de grootste uitdagingen van de moderne democratie is het vinden van een stabiele balans tussen eenheid en diversiteit. Hoe kunnen we zo goed mogelijk omgaan met etnische en culturele verschillen? Deze vraag staat centraal in dit programma. Minderheden zijn de kern van deze discussie. Deze discussie kan bijvoorbeeld gaan over de verhouding tussen ‘oude’ etnolinguïstische minderheden die in grotere natiestaten wonen en ‘nieuwe’ minderheidsgroepen. Op dit moment zorgen enkele oude minderheidsgroepen, bijvoorbeeld de Catalanen in Spanje en de Russischtaligen in Oekraïne, voor geopolitieke spanningen door hun streven naar onafhankelijkheid of afscheiding van de centrale staat. Tegelijkertijd creëren migratiestromen over de hele wereld allerlei nieuwe minderheidsgroepen, zoals de Koerden in Duitsland en de Marokkanen in Nederland. Terwijl de oude minderheden allerlei rechten toebedeeld krijgen om hun taal en cultuur te behouden, krijgen de nieuwe minderheden deze rechten niet; zij worden geacht om de meerderheidstaal en –cultuur van het nieuwe thuisland over te nemen en meteen volledig te integreren.

Structuur van het programma Minorities and Multilingualism

Het eerste jaar begint met hoorcolleges over minderheidstalen, taalkunde en politieke en historische aspecten van minderheden en de multiculturele maatschappij in Europa. Studenten doen kennis op over meertaligheid en de maatregelen om het gebruiken van taal te reguleren of te versterken, om zo de sociale status van een taal te veranderen. Een gedeelte van het tweede jaar wordt besteed aan onderzoek. Studenten kiezen één van de vele beschikbare minoren of ze specialiseren zich in een specifieke minderheidstaal, zoals Fries, Catalaans of Turks. Afhankelijk van deze keuze kunnen studenten deze taal leren in Groningen, op een andere universiteit in Nederland of in het buitenland (in het derde jaar). Als alternatief is het ook mogelijk om een andere minor te volgen of stage te lopen in Nederland. Als je ervoor kiest de Friese taal te bestuderen, volg je cursussen in het Friese specialisatietrack. De bachelor wordt afgerond met een scriptie. Talentvolle studenten kunnen het programma uitdagender maken door verbredende en verdiepende vakken van het Honours College te volgen.

Specialisaties en minoren

De opleiding biedt studenten de mogelijkheid om zich te specialiseren in een specifieke minderheidstaal en –cultuur (het ‘minorprogramma’). Ze hebben de mogelijkheid om een gedeelte van het studieprogramma bij een partneruniversiteit in het buitenland door te brengen, om zo kennis van een specifieke minderheidstaal op te doen of een stage te volgen bij een relevante (internationale) organisatie. Studenten kunnen er ook voor kiezen een half jaar in een regio met een minderheidstaal- en cultuur door te brengen, in of buiten Europa. Dichter bij huis kunnen studenten zich verdiepen in de Friese taal en cultuur door binnen de opleiding Minorities and Multilingualism het unieke Friese traject te volgen.

De mening van een student

In het programma lopen veel studenten en docenten rond met verschillende culturele en linguïstische achtergronden. “Doordat je in contact komt met al die talen en culturen, komen de dingen die je in de opleiding leert extra tot leven. Studenten krijgen daardoor ervaringen uit de eerste hand: zij ondervinden minderheden en meertaligheid direct om zich heen.”

Carrièreperspectieven

Na het afronden van de bachelor Minorities and Multilingualism kunnen studenten interculturele problemen tussen minderheids- en meerderheidsgroepen analyseren – en oplossen! Het programma heeft als doel om de student op te leiden voor een carrière op lokaal, nationaal of internationaal niveau, op het vlak waar verschillende talen en culturen elkaar ontmoeten. Als experts op het gebied van sociale diversiteit kunnen onze studenten werk vinden in allerlei sectoren. Multinationals hebben goede taalbeleidsadviseurs nodig die effectief kunnen omgaan met culturele verschillen tussen haar werknemers. Met een bachelorgraad Minorities and Multilingualism kun je ook kiezen om verder te gaan in de journalistiek, bijvoorbeeld om verslag te doen in conflictgebieden waar internationale communicatie, identiteit, groepsvorming en meertaligheid een belangrijke rol spelen.

Studenten die het Friese traject hebben gevolgd, zijn extra interessant voor de gemeentelijke en provinciale overheid in Friesland, voor instituten die zich met Friese taal en cultuur bezighouden, of voor taalbeleidsmakers in Den Haag die werken aan regionaal taalbeleid.

Meer weten over je carrièremogelijkheden na Minorities and Multilingualism? Kijk op de pagina ‘After your studies‘ of lees de ervaringen van onze alumni.
Master: Leeuwarden

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Courses

Thousands of languages are spoken on this planet, but scientists predict that only a few hundred of these will survive in the long run. Why do smaller languages die? Can smaller languages be saved? Or would it just be for the best if we all just started to speak English? In this course, you are taught about the general typological traits of minority languages and their speech communities. The course helps students understand which social and political factors prevent a language from dying, and how you can make sound predictions about the vitality of a language. Through a number of case studies from Europe and beyond, interactive classes are taught which focus on developing a broad theoretical foundation combined with teaching them practical skills about language revitalisation. This is a 2 x 5 ECTS course.

This course lays the foundation for the cultural-historical part of the BA-programme, introducing students to theories and concepts on minorities, identity formation and nationalism. The course examines how nationalism and state formation have resulted in the emergence of many subnational minorities in modern Europe. Sketching their cultural history, particular attention is paid to the way in which these minorities deal with origin, tradition, and history: how they construct their identity in relation to the dominant majority. In addition, students learn how new minorities have emerged as a consequence of migration. Taking a comparative perspective, this course analyses similarities and differences between these localised and migrant minorities. In the seminars, students collect and present data on one or more specific minorities. The course’s final assessment (2 x 5 ECTS) is a written exam.

This course introduces you to linguistics, the study of language. The course addresses questions such as, what is specific about human language as opposed to the communication systems employed by animals? What can we learn about how we create personal and social relationships, through the study of language? This introduction to linguistics furthermore offers students insight into the various subfields of linguistics: phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics, as well as linguistic ecologies, language contact and change, and writing systems. By conducting their own linguistic analyses, students learn to apply their knowledge in topical case studies. This is a 2 x 5 ECTS course.

The consequences of multilingualism for individuals and society are at the core of this course. Students learn about language acquisition, the cognitive effects of knowing and using more than one language, and approaches to multilingualism in the family context and in education.

Issues of language policies and language planning at formal and informal levels are also addressed, and how this influences individuals and communities. Students acquire background knowledge and skills that are invaluable for educators, policy makers, language professionals, language scientists, and even forensic investigators. The course is also assessed through a final exam. This is a 2 x 5 ECTS course.

Post 1989 developments of globalisation and migration have an enormous impact on the lives of localised and immigrant minorities, especially in Europe, but also elsewhere in the world. This course offers a political and sociological top-down-approach to this process in the first half of the course, and has an anthropological bottom-up-perspective in the second. Students learn how European and other countries have dealt with problems of immigration and integration, while at the same time celebrating cultural and linguistic diversity. They are invited to think critically about identity construction and the political management of cultural differences in an era of globalisation. The final assessments of this 2 x 5 ECTS course are a written exam and a position paper.

This course considers general scientific methods and techniques that are relevant in multidisciplinary research within the field of minorities and multilingualism. In the first, qualitative block, students are instructed on critical concepts and methods they need to successfully complete the research component of the programme. The focus in this block is on a key concept in qualitative research, which is participant observation.

The second part of the course will concern itself with (socio)linguistic research. Students learn to apply quantitative methods, including what to keep in mind when designing a quantitative study and how to analyze the data using basic statistics such as t-tests and correlations. Next to a final exam, students are assessed by weekly assignments, a presentation, and a research project they work on in a group. This is a 2x5ECTS course (280 hours of study).

This course surveys how the disadvantaged position minorities find themselves in are reflected in literature, film and other art forms. Students look at minority representation, as well as the possibilities for self-representation by minority authors, filmmakers and artists. Key concepts are identity formation, recognition and inclusion. Students will study and come to understand how these notions are connected with language, canonization and nationalism. This course maps and analyses these concepts through a combination of theory from literary, cultural, gender and postcolonial studies and case studies. The course is assessed through various written and oral assignments. The final assignment asks of the students to translate their ideas to a wider, non-academic audience and engage in their own minority representation by way of a photo essay. This is a 2 x 5 ECTS course (280 hours of study).

Cultural heritage often has been used to impose a dominant culture on minority groups, but has increasingly become a means for minorities to present, safeguard and sometimes even strengthen their traditions and identity as well. The course consists of a theoretical approach to the field of heritage studies with a focus on national heritage, heritage and minorities, different forms of heritage, the powers that shape our understanding of cultural legacy and heritage tourism. The northern parts of the Netherlands function as a local laboratory, as the students visit some cultural heritage sites to discuss the theoretical notions. Finally, the students apply their research skills and theoretical knowledge by conducting fieldwork based on one of the themes discussed in the theoretical part or related to one of the sites visited.

Into the Local Laboratory offers a practical lecture-seminar learning environment in which students will be introduced to the study of language in multilingual situations as encountered in the Northern provinces in the Netherlands. The lecture portion of this module will introduce students to the practice of socio- and psycholinguistic research and methodological debates within the field. The seminars will constitute of intensive methods workshops in which students apply their knowledge in the field. Students will also be given the possibility to visit and study language labs, multilingual schools, nursery homes, and the multilingual streets of the North of the Netherlands. During this course, the knowledge acquired from Research Methodology (LHF034B05) will be put into practice. Students will draw up a research design and examine and use methods and techniques in the field to critically and systematically evaluate beliefs, ideas, and data related to issues in multilingualism. The main aim of this course is to provide students with practical experience in applied research methods and skills that are transferable across a wide range of (research) careers.

This course offers students 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 and minority languages and immigrant languages. The course consists of two blocks in semester II. In addition to the final research paper, students do exercises, give presentations and complete a course paper in this 2 x 5 ECTS course (280 hours of study).

This course introduces third year students in the M&M programme to the concept and associated techniques of intercultural communication. Following the theme of the programme, this course’s focus is on language as well as culture but, especially, on the interplay of both in intercultural communication. Throughout the course, we explore in what domains of contemporary intercultural interactions various different forms of communication may be fortuitously deployed. This includes the workplace, international classroom situations, group and intersubjective relations, legal aspects, socio-economic considerations, or relations of power.

In this course you are introduced to the fields of gender and sexuality studies, with a particular focus on LGBTQ+ minorities. You learn about theories of gender and sexuality, and about the histories of LGBTQ+ minorities in different parts of the world. Because these are much debated topics in society at large, we regularly relate our findings to contemporary news and media. Your knowledge of theories on gender and sexuality is tested through a written exam. Throughout the course you work on a portfolio, by way of which you also train research, writing, and presentation skills.

At the end of the BA-programme, students have to prove that they are capable of working with the concepts, theories and methodologies taught in the past three years by writing a bachelor thesis. Supervised and encouraged by one of our staff members, students think of a challenging and valuable research question, draft a thesis plan, conduct their qualitative and/or quantitative research, analyse the results and write a bachelor thesis. They are invited to do comparative research of different minority groups and to focus on a (socio)linguistic, historical or anthropological perspective.

In order to get the best out of your academic studies, students are encouraged to do an internship in the Netherlands or abroad, for example at a company, an institution, or a (governmental) organisation that is concerned with minority languages and/or culture. Both abroad and in the Netherlands, internships give you the opportunity to develop your network, to experience a work environment and to prepare yourself for the labour market. If you are enthusiastic about a certain place and a certain internship, staff members are always willing to help you to get you there. Alternative for doing an internship is taking one of the optional courses ‘Multilingual Education’ and ‘Intercultural Communication’.

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Locatie

Bachelor: Groningen
Master: Leeuwarden