6.1. Models of multilingual university

Week 6 Part 1 will help you:

• to have an understanding of multilingual university models, their reasons for using multiple languages as well as their main principles related to the use of or requirements for languages.

To reach these goals you are expected to:

• watch the introductory video that shows, who universities present themselves;
• read about four examples of multilingual universities in Europe;
• check your knowledge and understanding with a drag-and-drop activity.

Video

Check how the multilingual universities present themselves in public media.

Now, read about some examples of multiingual universities from Europe.

 Reading

Some models of multilingual universities in Europe

Multilingual universities with more than one language of instruction and with the increasing Englishisation focus on effective language policy. The language policies are pre-conditioned by the historical, socio-structural, cultural and social-psychological factors as discussed in the video. In the reading below you will learn about four different multilingual universities in Europe that implement a coherent multilingual language policies.

The model of the University of Fribourg (Switzerland) is pre-conditioned by its location in a bilingual French and German speaking area, which makes it the only European university which offers a full range of courses in two languages, French and German. Future students are required to have a full command of one of the languages (at the level of “independent user (B2)” at least), and they can choose their full study programme in German or French. Next to only German or only French the bilingual curriculum is also an option. Additionally they have adjunct studies of languages and are given language courses (general or for specific purposes) at the Language Centre. Language support is also provided by means of the students’ language tandem and by a wide participation in various student mobility programmes.

The basic principles of the University of Fribourg model as summarised by Langner and Imbach (2000, p. 467) are:
“sensitivity to the cultural and linguistic situation of the region to ensure the balance between languages, and the development of the concept of multilingualism, which includes the use of all languages in daily academic life, administration, self-learning, and students’ support”.

The requirements of internationalism and bilingualism at the University of Helsinki (Finland) are defined in its Language policy document of 2007. The university takes it as its special responsibility to preserve and support national languages (Finnish and Swedish). However, the dominant role of English in some research areas and publications is accepted as one of the factors of the internationalisation of Finnish tertiary education. The model of university studies can be described as trilingual as special attention is paid to the improvement of communication skills in all three languages, which presupposes that “all academic staff members are fluent in all three languages and can provide adequate language support within the range of the disciplines in which they taught” (Fortanet-Gómez, 2013, pp. 87).

The University of Helsinki is bilingual by law: bilingual degrees are offered in a variety of subjects. Bilingualism is supported institutionally by managerial actions and initiatives of Vice-Rector for Bilingual Affairs, Deans for Bilingual Affairs (at each Faculty), and Bilingual Affairs Committee of Students. Students studying subjects with no Swedish teaching and with Swedish as their first language “are entitled to write degree papers and examinations in Swedish, though teaching is in Finnish” (Bilingual University, 2014, para. 2). Support of multilingualism is maintained at the level of academic studies, research, societal interaction, university services, the day-to-day visibility with a high standard of the language used at all university activities and materials (University of Helsinki Language Policy, 2007). Language studies receive appropriate scaffolding in the University’s Language Centre in a similar way to the University of Fribourg: by general language courses and language courses for specific purposes.

A similar language support is also provided by the Centre for Language Studies of the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano. The Free University of Bozen-Bolzano is a multilingual university where different subjects are taught in three languages (German, Italian, Ladin) and English as lingua franca. The Mission Statement (2014) underlines the importance of the region’s context in the definition of the university’s aims to provide a multilingual, international education. The contact between languages and cultures in the area is supported by the university’s curricula and extra-curricular activities.

The model of multilingual studies of the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano has three important components:

1. language requirements for enrolment with a particular study programme;
2. a flexible proportion of courses in various languages;
3. presence of monolingual, bi-, multilingual courses in university’s curricula (Veronezi, 2005).

The language requirements for admission to studies presuppose a one language mastery for most of the first year students, but starting from the second and third years of studies mastery of other languages of instruction is mandatory to reach functional trilingualism at the end of students’ university studies. The proportion of teaching in German, Italian and English is defined by university faculties to meet specifics of the specialties they teach, for example, a German medium instruction at Bachelor’s level with university’s three faculties (School of Economics and Management, Faculty of Design and Art, Faculty of Computer Science) varies from 25% to 40% and 5% percent correspondingly (Veronesi, 2005). At the Master’s level the volume of German media teaching remains at 25% with the School of Economics and Management but it is completely substituted by English with the Faculty of Computer Science, where the dominating language is English (100%). However, with the Faculty of Education there are three modes of teaching – monolingual (in German or Italian), bi-lingual (German and Italian), trilingual (German, Italia, Ladin). Great attention is paid to extra-curricular activities and cooperation with communities and the labour market to enhance multilingualism outside the classroom.

A multilingual community and the advantages of the location in the country bordered by three countries in the very heart of Europe create unique opportunities for multilingual education at the University of Luxembourg, which has its characteristic trilingual educational model. This model follows a number of rules. First of all, all university courses are to be bilingual with the second language being present in the volume of at least 25%. At least 20% of all courses should be taught in the three languages of instruction (French, English, and German). Language mastery requirements are defined separately for students (competence in the language of instruction should be sufficient for studies they are enrolled in); for academic staff (competence in two or, ideally, three university languages – French, English, and German), and for administrative staff (at least three and, ideally, four languages – French, English, German, and Luxembourgish) (University of Luxembourg: Multilingualism, 2014). Thus, functional usage of all university/community languages is declared to be an important component of the multilingual model of the University of Luxembourg.

All above described models of multilingual universities have several features in common. First of all, they are all located in areas where both historical and socio-cultural create pre-requisites for successful integration of all community languages as languages of instruction. They all provide degree education in three languages, with English being present in all models. The languages of instruction are languages of local communities and, at the same time, they include languages with the status of a national language.

What differentiates these universities from others where English has become just an additional language of instruction is the following:

a) there are clearly defined language requirements to admission and completion of studies and

b) language support is provided systematically in the variety of forms: from general language courses to language for specific purposes classes and content and language integrated learning.

In reality, the degree to which a university might be considered multilingual can be defined on the basis of a number of criteria characterising the role and place of languages in various areas. The language context is shaped by students’ mother tongues, languages of instruction, languages of administration, languages of environment, the language of the labour market, languages of communication and institutional interaction and the language of research (Leeuwen, 2004).

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Activity

Now, check your understanding about models of multilingual university with this ‘drag-and-drop’ task.

Part 1:

Part 2:

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