... in European higher education
Club de la Fondation
Universitaire / Universitaire Stichting
Brussels, 4 December 2009
23rd in
the series “The European Policy Seminars”
of the Academic Cooperation Association
The Theme
Emperor Charles V was quoted as saying “I speak Spanish to God, Italian to women, French to men, and German to my dog.” Today, he would probably have added “and English to academics”. English-medium tuition in European higher education, i.e. courses that are fully or partially imparted in English in countries where English is not the domestic language, is on the rise all over continental Europe. But what are the factors that have shaped and will shape the language policies of European institutions? Is it mainly the race for foreign students? The concept of the internationalisation of higher education might only be part of the answer. Obviously, institutions strive to prepare students for their professional future. But in how far do the linguistic and cultural skills of graduates match labour market needs? And are institutional language policies not bound to clash with EU policies promoting diversity and multilingualism?
Join us in Brussels to discuss these issues with high-level experts. Charles V might not make it, but other prominent speakers from academia and business certainly will.
The Programme
Thursday 3rd of December 2009
19:30 Seminar dinner @ Il Pasticcio
Friday 4th of December 2009
8.45
Registrations and coffee
9.15
Welcome and introduction
Chripa Schneller, Policy Officer, ACA
9.30
Institutional language strategies: a balancing act between the
internationalisation of higher education, national and EU policies,
and labour market expectations?
Wolfgang Mackiewicz, President of the Conseil européen pour les
langues / European Language Council
10.00
English-language programmes in European higher education
Bernd Wächter, Director, ACA
10.30
Coffee break
11.00
Plenary: How do institutions design and implement their language
policies?
Chair: Philippe van Parijs, Professor of Economic and Social
Ethics at the Université catholique de Louvain, K.U. Leuven and
Harvard University
Rolf Tarrach, Rector of the University of Luxembourg
Frans Zwarts, Rector of the University of Groningen
Bernard Coulie, former Rector of the Université catholique de
Louvain
12.45
By way of provisional conclusion:
The linguistic future of European Universities
Philippe van Parijs
13.00
Lunch
14.00
Plenary: Fit for the labour market? What do employers expect?
Chair: Kathryn Board, CILT, the National Centre for Languages, UK
Martin Lammers, Vodafone, The Netherlands
Porsche Human Resources (tbc)
1-2 representatives of medium-sized companies (tbc)
15.45
Coffee break
16.15
What will shape institutional language policies in the future?
David Coyne, previously European Commission, DG Employment
17.00
Wrap-up and good-bye
Chripa Schneller