The community is made up of a group of experts from leading universities across Europe, bringing interdisciplinary learning to explore key issues of Multilingualism and Diversity. We are building a community of students and academics alike, who are passionate about Multilingualism and want to explore the local relevance of global problems. Our goals are to champion diversity and cross-university collaboration, transform the learning experience, and contribute to building a new academic model.
We provide an inspiring and supportive learning environment to help students develop their skills and confidence with innovative pedagogies. Our community aims to bring students from different levels together to give them the chance to collaborate on projects and make global connections. We want to empower students and provide them with the opportunity to be more involved in their own learning experiences. This is why we have launched several pioneering activities, such as the possibility for students to design their module in Multilingualism. We have an exciting programme of activities ranging from courses and workshops to a student-led conference, so join us to be part of a dynamic and global community that is at the forefront of research in Multilingualism and Diversity!
Learning Community Activities
Upcoming Events
2024-2025 Programme of Activities
Applications for our 2024-2025 programme of activities are now open! You can follow short online courses at one of our partner institutions or help organise our annual student conference. For more details on the activities we are offering and how to register, please download our booklet below: 2024-2025 Multilingualism CLC Programme
An information session will be organised for interested students on 5 November at 10:30 CET. Please see the booklet to register.
Autumn School: 'Multilingualism in Brussels' (12-16 November, VUB campus)
What?
The Autumn School, designed within the EUTOPIA Network, aims to equip students with intercultural and international skills. It is a Research Seminar focused on Multilingualism in Brussels, as well as other multilingual and multicultural contexts. Lectures will build on four key pillars: Multilingual Policy, Multilingual Practice, Multilingual Perspectives, and the interactive seminar Multilingual Dialogue. Through a combination of lectures, group discussions, and a group assignment, the Autumn School encourages students to explore research in the field of multilingualism and to collaborate with their peers from universities within the EUTOPIA Network, broadening their horizons while enhancing their ability to work and thrive in an international context. See the provisional programme HERE.
When?
The EUTOPIA Autumn School will take place from Tuesday Nov. 12 until Saturday Nov. 16.
Where?
The EUTOPIA Autumn School is an in-person event that will take place at the Vrije Universiteit Brussels. The EUTOPIA team is happy to assist in arranging your travel and accommodation. Reach out to your home institution to inquire into financial compensation.
Registration
The Autumn School is open to all students from EUTOPIA partners. Students from Vrije Universiteit Brussels and Warwick University can take it for (micro)credits within the EUTOPIA Minor.Registration is required. Please ensure to apply by Nov. 6th 2024 through THIS LINK.
Questions? Please send your questions to the EUTOPIA mailbox: eutopia.minor.lw@otrs.vub.be.
Past Events
2024 STUDENT CONFERENCE
The third edition of our student conference on Multilingualism and Diversity took place online on 10 July 2024. The topic was 'Multilingualism & Society' and the conference featured 8 student presentations from EUTOPIA and beyond, as well as a keynote by Prof. Dr. Jacopo Torregrossa (Goethe-Universität Frankfurt). For more information, please see the programme HERE.
This year, 7 EUTOPIA instutions participated in Languages Week: UPF, UL, CY, VUB, UNIVE, UW, and our global partner Stellenbosch University. The programme was packed with events, both online and in person, related to languages, translation and culture.
2023 STUDENT CONFERENCE
The second EUTOPIA Multilingualism and Diversity Student Conference took place online on 12 July 2023. Organised by a team of students from the Multilingualism and Diversity Learning Community, it gathered around 30 students from the EUTOPIA Alliance and beyond. Dr Sheena Kalayil (University of Manchester) delivered a truly fascinating keynote about migration and linguistic repertoires, and nine students from our alliance and beyond presented their research on topics such as multilingualism and identity, communication in the professional world, and languages choices in intercultural contexts. You can view the full programme here.
EUTOPIA LANGUAGES WEEK (6-10 March 2023)
The inaugural EUTOPIA Languages Week took place from 6 to 10 March 2023. Throughout the week, EUTOPIA students and members participated in over 40 online and in-person activities which covered an exciting range: from academic talks, roundtables and language cafés to film nights, a translation slam, a multilingual games night, a story slam, and many more across the participating institutions (VUB, UL, UPF, UW, CY, TUD, and Ca’ Foscari)! You can view the full programme HERE. We hope that the EUTOPIA Languages Week will become an annual point of reference and festival of ideas celebrating the diversity of languages and cultures of our Alliance.
2022-2023 PROGRAMME OF ACTIVITIES
It includes short online courses and a student conference. You can browse the different activities we offer in this booklet. By participating in our programme you can earn a EUTOPIA micro-credential. This is added to your transcript or HEAR statement but does not affect your degree credits or credit-bearing options. See more details on our call for expressions of interest. Please note that this programme is only open to students from institutions that are part of the EUTOPIA Alliance.
2022 STUDENT CONFERENCE
On Wednesday 13 July 2022, we ran the first EUTOPIA Multilingualism and Diversity Student Conference, exploring the themes of Identity, Policy, and Representation, as well as Multilingualism in Education and the Media. The conference featured papers by students across our EUTOPIA alliance and a keynote by Nora Michaelis (University of Warwick). You can view the programme here.
STUDENT CONFERENCE ORGANISATION
The conference was organised by students from our learning community, supervised by the Learning Community Assistant, Dr Mélina Delmas. Together, they created a call for papers, selected papers, created the conference programme, advertised the conference, chaired panels, as well as helped run the conference on the day: https://eutopia-university.eu/multilingualism-and-diversity-students-lead-the-way.
SHORT ONLINE COURSES
Students participated in 3-4 weeks of a course related to Multilingualism taught at one of the universities in the alliance.
MODULE DESIGN ACTIVITY
Cross-university teams of students worked on designing their ideal module in Multilingualism. They decided on the topics which should be included and how students would be assessed. They also created a reading list, a module description, and learning outcomes.
Watch Tea's testimony (University of Warwick) below! She shares her experience of sitting on the organising committee of the 2023 Multilingualism and Diversity Student Conference:
What our students said about the EUTOPIA experience:
"EUTOPIA allowed me to connect with professors and students at universities across the EU, and for this I am grateful. I was able to expand my knowledge by taking courses on communication ethics and international business, both of which are not focuses for my home university’s curriculum. Sharing space with the professors and student through remote learning was a wonderful opportunity that I’m happy to have been afforded through EUTOPIA and the VUB! I can confidently say taking these classes enriched my knowledge and I will take these lessons forward with me in my program and beyond."
(Madeleine Corley, VUB)
"I really enjoy the EUTOPIA experience! I've found it a wonderful way to bring in more nuance to my personal curriculum at my home university's coursework"
(Anonymous)
"The EUTOPIA course was a pleasant experience - I was able to learn new concepts which can be potential research topics in the future. [...] even though EUTOPIA was not the main reason why I studied in the UK, it has been one of the most memorable experiences I have had there."
(Khoa Do, University of Warwick)
"Lots of fun! I met some great new people and learned skills that have always intimidated me."
(Anonymous)
"It was definitely an unforgettable journey for me to participate in this EUTOPIA programme. I greatly benefited from all the lectures and the whole research process. Besides, it was very fortunate for me to meet these erudite and helpful professors as well as my considerate and diligent teammates. I will cherish this memory for all time."
(Beibei Song, VUB)
How to get involved?
Students: If you wish to get involved, please contact the Learning Community Assistant, Dr Mélina Delmas: Melina.Delmas@warwick.ac.uk
Educators: If you wish to get involved, please contact the Learning Community Lead, Prof Jo Angouri: j.angouri@warwick.ac.uk.
Learning Community Members
Lead: Jo Angouri (UW). Email: J.Angouri@warwick.ac.uk
Jo Angouri Professor Jo Angouri is the Academic Director for Education and Internationalisation at the University of Warwick. Her research expertise is in sociolinguistics, pragmatics and discourse analysis. Jo has published extensively on language and identity, teamwork and leadership in professional settings and migration, mobility and multilingualism. Jo is the author of Culture, Discourse, and the Workplace (Routledge) and has co-edited Negotiating Boundaries at Work (EUP). She has been a visiting scholar in institutions in New Zealand, Australia and Europe and she is currently a Visiting Distinguished Professor at Aalto University, School of Business, Finland. Jo is the Subject Chair for Linguistics, Language, Communication and Media on the Scopus board. She is also a National Teaching Fellow (UK) and fully committed to pedagogic innovation and education for global citizenship. Jo is working on EUTOPIA’s learning model alongside Rosette S’Jegers. She is leading the development and Curriculum Design of EUTOPIA’s Learning Communities with Karen Triquet and she is the lead for one Learning Unit on Multilingualism with Chantal Wright.
EU Partner: Vicent Climent-Ferrando (UPF). Email: vicent.climent@upf.edu
Vicent Climent-Ferrando Vicent Climent-Ferrando is the Research Coordinator of the UNESCO Chair on Language Policies for Multilingualism at Universitat Pompeu Fabra-Barcelona (UPF) since 2019. He was a post-doctoral researcher at the European Research Consortium MIME (Mobility and Inclusion in a Multilingual Europe, at the University of Augsburg, Germany).
EU Partner: Ann Peeters (VUB). Email: Ann.Peeters@vub.be
Ann Peeters Ann Peeters (1981) holds a joint PhD degree in Italian Literature awarded by Vrije Universiteit Brussel and Università di Pisa. At present, she is the programme director of the Multilingual Master of Arts in Linguistics and Literary Studies and the Vice President of the International Board of Vrije Universiteit Brussel. Her current research interests include interculturalism, multilingual literature and intermediality.
EU Partner: Alex Housen (VUB). Email: Alex.Housen@vub.be
Alex Housen Alex Housen is a professor of English and Second Language Acquisition, and currently Dean of the Faculty of Humanities & Languages at the VUB. His research interests include second language acquisition and teaching, multilingualism and multilingual education.
EU Partner: Tamara Pavasovic Trost (UL). Email: tamara.trost@ef.uni-lj.si
Tamara Pavasovic Tamara Trošt is an associate professor of Sociology at the School of Economics and Business, University of Ljubljana. She works on issues of identity, youth values, class, history teaching, and memory politics.
EU Partner: Andreja Retelj (UL). Email: andreja.retelj@ff.uni-lj.si
Andreja Retelj Andreja Retelj is an Assistant Professor at the Department of German Languages, Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia, where she teaches future teachers of German. Her research focuses on language teaching methodology, ICT in foreign language teaching, materials development and testing.
EU Partner: Claire Huguet (CY). Email: claire.huguet@cyu.fr
Claire Carles-Huguet Claire Huguet holds an Agrégation in English. She teaches American Literature and History. She is in charge of International Relations at CY Tech. She holds a Master’s degree from New York University and is completing a PhD in Nostalgia and Trauma in the works of Ernest Hemingway at Sorbonne University.
EU Partner: Joanna Nowicki (CY). Email: joa.nowicki@gmail.com
Joanna Nowicki Joanna Nowicki is a professor of Information & Communication Sciences, at CY Cergy Paris University. She is head of the Master’s program in Publishing and Communication Engineering (Master IEC http://www.masteriec.fr).
EU Partner: Marcella Menegale (UNIVE). Email: menegale@unive.it
Marcella Menegale Marcella Menegale is a researcher in Educational Linguistics at Ca' Foscari University of Venice. She holds a PhD in Language Sciences and is the director of the university's Laboratory of foreign language teaching, LADILS. Her research interests include plurilingual approaches (e.g., CLIL, intercomprehension) and psychological aspects related to language learning and teaching.
EU Partner: Fabiana Fazzi (UNIVE). Email: fabiana.fazzi@unive.it
Fabiana Fazzi Fabiana Fazzi is a Postdoc Research Fellow in Educational Linguistics at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice. Her research interests include language learning beyond the classroom, multiliteracies (e.g. digital storytelling, digital social reading), plurilingual education (e.g. CLIL, Translanguaging Pedagogy), and teacher/museum professional development. In 2020, she co-founded the MILE (Museums and Innovation in Language Education) research group, aimed at researching and promoting language learning and teaching across the classroom and the museum, also through the means of digital participatory approaches.
Global Partner: Kim Wallmach (SU). Email: kimwallmach@sun.ac.za
Details coming soon.
Global Partner: Anass Moussa (UIR). Email: anass.moussa@uir.ac.ma
Details coming soon.
Global Partner: Beatriz Peña (UNIANDES). Email: bpena@uniandes.edu.co
Dr. Beatriz Peña Dix is an Associate Professor of Languages and Culture at the Universidad de los Andes, Faculty of Social Sciences, in Bogotá, Colombia, specializing in the Pedagogy of Languages. Her research and publications span a diverse range of topics, including bilingualism and bilingual education, intercultural education, intercultural language teaching, and critical intercultural pedagogies. She has a particular focus on intercultural agency, teacher training, and the curricular 'interculturalization' process. Her scholarly work further investigates intercultural English language teaching, social justice, third spaces, and intercultural dialogue within language education. Dr. Peña Dix is deeply committed to developing innovative teaching methodologies that promote inclusive learning environments and is actively involved in efforts to challenge traditional frameworks in language education, fostering more equitable and culturally responsive approaches. She advocates for global citizenship through critical intercultural pedagogy, aligning her research with the creation of more just and inclusive educational practices.
Mélina Delmas Mélina Delmas holds a PhD in Translation Studies from the University of Birmingham (UK). Since 2021, she works as a Research Assistant at the University of Warwick where she collaborates closely with Professor Jo Angouri on various projects relating to multilingualism, linguistic landscapes, and pedagogy. Mélina assists two EUTOPIA Learning Communities: Multilingualism & Diversity and Global Connections. Since 2023, Mélina is also the EUTOPIA Local Facilitator for Warwick.
Dr. Beatriz Peña Dix is an Associate Professor of Languages and Culture at the Universidad de los Andes, Faculty of Social Sciences, in Bogotá, Colombia, specializing in the Pedagogy of Languages. Her research and publications span a diverse range of topics, including bilingualism and bilingual education, intercultural education, intercultural language teaching, and critical intercultural pedagogies. She has a particular focus on intercultural agency, teacher training, and the curricular 'interculturalization' process. Her scholarly work further investigates intercultural English language teaching, social justice, third spaces, and intercultural dialogue within language education. Dr. Peña Dix is deeply committed to developing innovative teaching methodologies that promote inclusive learning environments and is actively involved in efforts to challenge traditional frameworks in language education, fostering more equitable and culturally responsive approaches. She advocates for global citizenship through critical intercultural pedagogy, aligning her research with the creation of more just and inclusive educational practices.
