Language in multilingual contexts

3 ECTS credits
75 h study time

Offer 2 with catalog number 1023795ANR for all students in the 1st semester at a (A) Bachelor - preliminary level.

Semester

1st semester

Enrollment based on exam contract

Impossible

Grading method

Grading (scale from 0 to 20)

Can retake in second session

Yes

Taught in

English

Faculty

Faculty of Languages & Humanities

Department

Linguistics and Literary Studies

Educational team

Alexis Housen
Wim Vandenbussche (course titular)
Rik Vosters
Mathieu Declerck
Ruben Vanden Berghe

Activities and contact hours

26 contact hours Lecture
12 contact hours Independent or External Form of Study

Course Content

This course provides students with the basis for all further lectures in which multilingualism is discussed. After an introduction to some basic principles of the study of multilingualism, four intensive block sessions follow on the social aspects of multilingualism (including code switching/translanguaging and multilingual communication), the internal linguistic consequences of language contact (including transfer and borrowing) the way in which these social and linguistic aspects of multilingualism are present in the Brussels learning and living environment (Brussels as a 'living lab' for multilingualism research), and the challenges of a multilingualism policy in Brussels and beyond (including language planning and language policy, minority languages, 'heritage languages', language shift and language maintenance).

Course material

Digital course material (Required) : Digitaal studiemateriaal, Canvas

Additional info

This course is taught by a team of professors, each focussing on their area of linguistic expertise.

This course is taught in English; examples may be given from all languages offered in the Linguistcs and Literary Studies programme.

Digital course material will be made available via the digital learning platform.

Learning Outcomes

General Competences

Students will have a clear understanding of the basic concepts of multilingualism research and will be able to apply them to concrete case studies.

Students also have insight into the social and internal linguistic consequences of language contact. They can link that knowledge to the multilingual environment in which they study and live in Brussels. Finally, they will also have a basic understanding of the policy challenges that characterise multilingual communities and regions.

Grading

The final grade is composed based on the following categories:
Written Exam determines 100% of the final mark.

Within the Written Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:

Written exam with a relative weight of 100 which comprises 100% of the final mark.

Note: Discussion of the subject matter and discussion of case studies.
Er *kan* een taak opgegeven worden tijdens het academiejaar.

Additional info regarding evaluation

The written examination is a multiple choice exam.

The multiple-choice exam will be graded by positive scoring with Higher Cesura. So no points will be deducted for a wrong answer. On the other hand, gaining points by guessing will be factored into the final score by increasing the pass mark (= caesura). The caesura for the exam and the exact conversion table will be communicated in good time on Canvas and in the exam instructions. This method makes the exam strategy simple: do your best on the whole exam, questions you don't know or partially know, guess to the best of your ability, without worrying about possible point deductions.’

Allowed unsatisfactory mark

The supplementary Teaching and Examination Regulations of your faculty stipulate whether an allowed unsatisfactory mark for this programme unit is permitted.

Academic context