These days continue the course held at the University of Saarland in 2014 and are a place where members of the International University Network of Catalan Studies can network, discuss and exchange experiences with teachers of other languages at both Berlin Universities.

Since 2010, IRL has organised 17 training days and courses alongside universities in Canada (Quebec), the Czech Republic, England, France, Hungary, Italy and Spain. Last Februrary’s edition for professors from the UK and Ireland was held at the University of Liverpool.

This time, the course is being held at the Humboldt University of Berlin and will be attended by 25 professors from 17 universities across Austria, Germany and Switzerland, as well as IRL staff. Sessions on 16 November are open to the University’s entire academic community.

On 15 November, Ignasi Massaguer, the Language and Universities Programme Coordinator at IRL and Dr Katharina Wieland, who chairs the academic programme for romance languages at the Humboldt University of Berlin will welcome participants. They will be followed by a workshop on “Wikipedians in the Classroom” led by Irene Klein, who has lectured on Catalan at the Universities of Mannheim and Heidelberg. 

The programme includes nine lectures and two workshops on the various aspects related to teaching in multilingual contexts and on teaching Catalan literature and culture as part of foreign language teaching. The first day includes time for debates and reflections on Catalan studies at international universities. It will discuss issues like the situation of Catalan studies, student profiles, interests, motivations, ways of learning and learning expectations, and opportunities for inter-university collaborations.

Please see the attached programme for more detailed information about the subjects addressed.

The International University Network of Catalan Studies 

The Institut Ramon Llull (IRL) supports over 150 centres that teach Catalan around the world and signs agreements to promote the study of Catalan language and culture at international universities.  In the framework of the continuous professional development programme for teachers belonging to the International University Network of Catalan Studies, IRL organises courses, seminars and training days on methodologies, strategies and teaching resources for studying Catalan as a foreign language.

The International University Network of Catalan Studies generates significant value for all of those involved: students, teachers, international universities, the university system and Catalan speaking societies.