Zoek in de site...

Multilingualism in Europe

Key question:
What are the opportunities and challenges presented by a multilingual society?

Coordinator:
Dr. Gerrit Jan Kootstra (g.kootstra@let.ru.nl)

General information
The Netherlands is a multilingual hotspot! Time and time again, the Dutch come out on top when it comes to speaking a foreign language, and English is rapidly becoming a second language used in both public and private life. But being multilingual is much more than being able to speak English. As in many other countries in Europe, many citizens in the Netherlands grow up with more than one mother tongue, and many more use a second language – not only English – to communicate at work. In this minor, we’ll investigate what it means to be bilingual, in education and at work, at both the level of the individual and community. You will discover the added value of multilingualism for our knowledge economy and our daily lives, and learn how to utilise the wealth of knowledge possessed by those who speak other languages. After completing this minor, you will be able to perform independent social and linguistic research and develop multilingual policies for companies, schools, governments and other institutions.

The minor consists of the following fixed components (mandatory; only accessible to Faculty of Arts students and PTRS students (Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies)):

Code

Course

Period

Number of EC

LET-LETMI-TH11

Theme course: Multilingualism in Europe

1

5

LET-LETMI-RF11

Multilingualism in Europe: Academia and Society

2

5

LET-LETMI-DT11

Think tank: Multilingualism in Europe

3-4

10

More information about (the concept of) a think tank can be found here.

Electives (20 EC)

In addition to the fixed components, you'll also enroll in courses for a total 20 EC. You can choose between two options:

  1. You can choose a disciplinary package. In this package you can choose courses of one degree programme for a total of 20 EC. More information on the disciplinary packages can be found here.
  2. You can choose courses from the interdisciplinary packageof the minorMultilingualism in Europe for a total of 20 EC. In this package you will find courses from the Faculty of Arts that allow you to focus on specific aspects of multilingualism.

Code

Course

Period

Number of EC

LET-CIWB152-IBC

Intercultural Communication

1 / 3

5

LET-NTCB139

Moedertaalverwerving

1&2

5

LET-CIWB204-IBC

Crosscultural online Communication

1&2

5

LET-ETCENB211

English as a world language

1&2

5

LET-ETCENB100

English linguistics: theory and practice​

1&2

5

LET-LET200

De Academicus voor de klas

1&2

5

LET-RTCBS206

Lengua, Cultura y Sociedad

1&2

5

LET-TWB128

Gebarentaal en dovencultuur

2

5

LET-CIWB268-IBC

Foreign Languages in Advertising

2

5

LET-CIWB266-IBC

Language and thought

3&4

5

LET-ETCENB212

Second language acquisition

3&4

5

LET-ETCENB215

Language Change

3&4

5

LET-TWB228

Het leren en onderwijzen van Nederlands als tweede taal

3&4

5

LET-RTCBF209

Acquisition et apprentissage LUISTERTAAL

3&4

5

LET-RTCBS114

Variedades del español LUISTERTAAL

3&4

5

The courses marked with LUISTERTAAL are also open to Lingua Receptiva students (“luistertaal”). Lingua Receptiva means that students who have sufficient receptive knowledge of French/Spanish to be able to read texts and follow lectures, but whose speaking and writing skills in French/Spanish might not be good enough, are given the opportunity to do the assignments, presentations, (oral) exams and assignments in Dutch or English. So for example, in case of an exam the questions are in French/Spanish but you may answer them in Dutch or English. If you are interested and think you have sufficient receptive skills, please contact the coordinator of the course. Click here for a receptive skills test French and here for a receptive skills test Spanish.

Please note: It is not possible to account for each student’s timetable when scheduling the courses for the disciplinary and interdisciplinary packages. This means you will only be able to take a course if your timetable permits. If you encounter any difficulties planning which minor courses to take, please consult you study advisor.