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Description
The project "Language Plurality: Nordic and Sámi Languages at the Faculty of Humanities" involves exchanges of teachers and students of bachelor, master and doctoral programmes between the Faculty of Humanities and the University of Bergen, the University of Iceland and the Sámi University. It aims to promote elective teaching of Nordic and small languages at the Faculty of Humanities and to raise students'' awareness of the linguistic and cultural situation in the North.
In the field of teacher mobility, the teaching stays of Norwegian and Icelandic teachers of Norwegian, Sámi, Icelandic and Old Norse languages are included, as well as shadowing of foreign teachers by their Czech colleagues. This will allow development and innovation of teaching practices for the students who do not study philology but who are taught languages in the framework of a wider education in humanities.
Student mobilities in this project are shorter and for different study stages. They will enable highly motivated Czech students to be acquainted with the Norwegian or Icelandic environment and work on their theses on a relevant topic. Visits of Icelandic and Norwegian advanced students in Prague will include language teaching assistance at the Faculty of Humanities, thus enabling them to gain pedagogical experience for further work.
Summary of project results
This project involved an exchange of students, teachers, and staff between the Faculty of Humanities, Charles University (FHS CU), the University of Iceland, the University of Bergen, and the Sámi University of Applied Sciences in Norway, with the aim of promoting non-disciplinary teaching of Nordic languages and raising students'' awareness of the linguistic and cultural situation in the North. The mobility project developed (in the case of the Sámi University) and strengthened (in the case of the Universities of Iceland and Bergen) bilateral relations in the field of language and culture. A total of 22 mobilities were carried out including teaching stays of Norwegian and Icelandic teachers of Norwegian, Sami and Old Norse at the FHS CU, stays for training of the FHS CU teachers in order to shadow teachers at the partner universities, and monthly student mobilities for studies and traineeship at partner universities as well as mobilities of administrative staff from the partner universities of the donor states. The significance of this cooperation was in the field of education and teaching training. The main benefit for the Czech researchers and career teachers was the experience of international mobility consisting of job shadowing in an international environment and developing or acquiring new skills in teaching small languages. That was reinforced by teaching mobilities of the experts from the donor states. Both enabled the FHS CU to innovate teaching methods of Norwegian and Old Norse and to open a new course of Sámi language and culture, thus improving language competencies and skills of students for their better chances in the labour market and better understanding of minorities in society. Shorter student mobilities enabled highly motivated Czech students to get acquainted with the Norwegian or Icelandic environment and work on their theses on a relevant topic. The visit of an Icelandic PhD student enabled the student to gain pedagogical experience for her further studies and work. The project promoted language diversity in the academic environment. It helped to establish the Department of Languages and Literature as a specialized centre on small languages.
Summary of bilateral results
Through the exchanges with the Sámi University, the Czech students and teachers had the opportunity to see a unique example of how a minority has been able to engage in a national society, maintain its language, culture, and tradition, and develop its own education at a university level. It also helped the Sámi University to gain experience with international projects and university environment. A new Institutional Cooperation Project (ICP) has been designed thanks to the mobilities with the University of Iceland.