International Coimbra Group Summer School on European Multilingualism
Faculty of Arts and Humanities, University of Coimbra, 23 – 27 June 2025
The Coimbra Group and the Faculty of Arts and Humanities of the University of Coimbra (Portugal) are delighted to invite you to take part at the International Summer School on European Multilingualism that will take place at the University of Coimbra (Portugal) from 23 to 27 June 2025.
With the support of the CG universities as well as the Erasmus+ KA131 program, the teachers from University of Coimbra (Portugal), University of Graz (Austria), University of Würzburg (Germany), University of Salamanca (Spain), University of Pavia (Italy), University of Poitiers (France), Friedrich Schiller University Jena (Germany), Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi (Romania) and University of Turku (Finland), all Coimbra Group members, will propose, in collaboration with the teachers from the University of Nis (Serbia), an intensive short program (BIP) on European Multilingualism and Cultural Mediation Studies with the aim of sharing innovative approaches to teaching and learning languages.
The intensive short program offers courses in translation and language application in several small tandem groups:
- English
- German
- French
- Portuguese
- Spanish
The Summer School teaching programme proposes also the Language Discovering Workshop permitting all participants to learn about the Less Widely Used and Lesser Taught languages (LWULT) and their important role in keeping language diversity and the world’s multilingual heritage. The intensive short program offers two LWULT Workshops:
- Kurdish
- Romani
- Serbo-Croatian
- Portuguese
The International Summer School on European Multilingualism that will take place at the University of Coimbra (Portugal) from 22 to 28 June 2025 is a great opportunity to discover the very dynamic and attractive city of Coimbra and its cultural assets. Situated on a hill overlooking the city, the University of Coimbra with its colleges grew and evolved over more than seven centuries within the old town. Notable university buildings include the 12th century Cathedral of Santa Cruz and a number of 16th century colleges, the Royal Palace of Alcáçova, which has housed the University since 1537, the Joanine Library with its rich baroque decor, the 18th century Botanical Garden and University Press, as well as the large “University City” created during the 1940s. Its cultural heritage has become an attractive place to start intercultural dialogue and to share the history and values from this part of Europe.
The University of Coimbra is a public institution of higher education, with centuries of experience in teaching, training and research, internationally recognized. Founded in 1290, it was the first and only Portuguese-speaking university until the beginning of the 20th century, having asserted its position with a unique presence that brings together tradition, modernity and innovation, which resulted in its classification as a world heritage site by UNESCO in 2013.
Beautifully embraced by the Mondego River, Coimbra was once the capital of the Portuguese kingdom and continues to be a deeply fascinating city, owner of a glorious History, magnificent monuments and historical landmarks. Coimbra has that magical spell of an historical city with eyes on the future! This spell lasts forever.
The visit to Idanha-a-Velha and Roman Heritage with a showcooking workshop is put forward as cultural program of the International Summer School on European Multilingualism.
The International Summer School will be awarded 3 ECTS.
Who can apply?
– Students from universities that are organizing a BIP, students from Coimbra Group Universities as well as all students interested in the CGSS program.
What are the student’s levels?
– Students from three cycles Bachelor, Master and PhD having a minimum level B1 in English, as well as one of the proposed European languages (French, Italian, German and Spanish).
Which are the fields of studies?
– Languages, Cultural studies, Humanities
How to apply?
Registration form to be filled out and to be sent to the University of Coimbra to dri.cooperacao@uc.pt, from 21 April to 16 May 2025.
Registration contact: Márcia Rodrigues dri.cooperacao@uc.pt
Tuition Fees:
No fees.
Practical Information
Accommodation: to be arranged by the participants themselves.
List of suggested hotels, hostels and guest houses:
Hotels:
Hotel Botânico de Coimbra
Hotel Ibn-Arrik
NJOY Coimbra
Hotel Ibis Centro
Stay Hotel Coimbra Centro
Hotel Oslo
Hotel Mondego
Hotel D. Luís
NH Coimbra Dona Inês
Hotel Coimbra Aeminium
Tivoli Coimbra Hotel
Hostels:
Serenata Hotel & Hostel
HI Coimbra – Pousada de Juventude
Penedo da Saudade Suites & Hostel
Change the World Hostels – Coimbra – Almedina
Guest Houses:
Seminário Maior (Religious Seminar which has also accommodation for external guests)
Casa de São Bento
Casa da Praça
Casa da Sé
São Bento na Alta
Luggage
Riversuites
Casa da Portagem
Casa da Baixa
Cultural program:
Idanha-a-Velha and Roman heritage: https://aldeiashistoricasdeportugal.com/en/aldeia/idanha-a-velha/
Monsanto: https://aldeiashistoricasdeportugal.com/en/monsanto/
Showcooking with Chef Maria Caldeira de Sousa
Coimbra Portuguese Guitar
Useful information:
Tourist Organization of Coimbra: https://www.centerofportugal.com/destination/coimbra
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Winter School “Intangible Cultural Heritage: Methodological Challenges and Opportunities”
Heritage Working Group
Date and Place: 9-10 December 2024, University of Groningen
Organised by Dr Beate Peter, member of the HER WG
With co-funding from the Coimbra Group WG funding scheme
We are happy to announce below the programme of our upcoming Winter School.
To register, please follow this link.
Context:
This Winter School is organised for the purpose of developing and discussing new methods for the identification, capture and archiving of intangible cultural heritage. The programme consists of keynote presentations and workshops so that participants engage first-hand with issues related to the identification, acknowledgement, collection and interpretation of intangible cultural heritage. The aim is for participants to experience and try out a number of different methods, using different senses.
Programme:
Day 1
9.30 Coffee/Tea
9.45 Welcome/Housekeeping
10.00 Keynote “Thinking and researching with materials: Understanding cultural practices through material worlds”, Dr Lisa Williams
Building on the paradigmatic shift in the social sciences which has seen researchers moving away from humanist centred approaches to exploring more-than-human worlds, Dr Lisa Williams will discuss her work researching the materialities of recreational drug use. Presenting visual and interview data from her Behind Closed Doors project, she explores the role of the material in an unexplored element of a drug event: recreational drug storage strategies in the home. She argues engagement with material cultures concepts and material methods allow us to explore what things and objects do, enabling research with rather than about them, attuning researchers to the active role they play in cultural practices. The keynote highlights the value of material cultures concepts, material methods, in particular object centred interviews and visual ethnography, and relational sociology for engaging with material worlds.
Lisa Williams is a Senior Lecturer in Criminology, at the Department of Criminology, School of Social Sciences, University of Manchester. She has been researching drugs for over 25 years. Her interests revolve around: recreational drug taking, including why people take drugs and how their drug taking changes over the life course; dependent drug use, recently publishing about synthetic cannabinoids consumption among vulnerable populations; and creative research methods, especially arts-based and visual techniques. Since 1999, she has worked on the Illegal Leisure longitudinal study exploring changing drug patterns from adolescence to adulthood. The findings have been published in Illegal Leisure Revisited and Changing Lives, Changing Drug Journeys. Her recent projects include, a visual ethnography of where and how people store their recreational drugs in the home, which has been exhibited nationally and internationally, and a cross stitch public engagement project, creating with people who use drugs and the public cross stitches with empowering and harm reduction messages.
11.00 The museum of the future: What would you put in a museum a 1000 years from now? Heritage Pasts and Future Research Group (Dr Shanade Barnabas, Dr Mayada Madbouly, Dr Manuela Ritondale)
The Heritage Pasts and Futures Collective’s Critical Heritage Studies theme group hosts a creative workshop exploring the process of heritage making. The workshop grabs the imagination of participants by sending them off 1000 years into the future, into an unknown world. They will have to imagine what the values of this world are, what has happened along the road of history leading up to this point, and what mankind deems worthy of remembering and forgetting. The workshop invites participants to imagine what to preserve, what to select, what to narrate, and how to display selected objects and narratives. This creative activity will enrich a discussion of what people think about cultural heritage, and how it is defined.
Our purpose is to engage with crucial questions in the field of Critical Heritage Studies that revolve around power, meaning, representation, identity, and inclusion and exclusion. We aim to explore processes of heritage narrative construction and de-construction along with the roles of various actors in this space. To this aim, our research unpacks the power dynamics of memory and heritage-making in postcolonial and post-conflict spaces. In doing this work, we seek to add under-represented voices into the academic record. We are involved with the Memory and Heritage network, which aims to establish a space for interdisciplinary discussions on heritage and memory. It seeks to bring together scholars working in different areas, and using different methods. Topics include, but are not limited to: the (un)making of heritage, political, international, economic, and cultural processes around heritage and memory, agents involved in heritage and commemoration, contested and critical heritage. This group meets once a month.
12.30 Lunch
13.30 Bringing creative and arts-based research methods to life: possibilities and practical implications, Dr Lisa Williams
Creative research methods have developed and multiplied in recent decades, providing social scientists with alternative ways of knowing and understanding the world. They help answer complex research questions that cannot be achieved by traditional methods alone and engage different audiences with the results of research. In this interactive workshop, Dr Lisa Williams outlines how researchers are being creative with traditional approaches to research and analysis, as well as using arts-based and visual research methods to gather data and report their findings. She introduces practical exercises using elicitation methods, including object-centred interviews and photo elicitation approaches. She will also discuss other creative methods, like walking interviews and creative ways to engage audiences with research findings. The workshop aims to inspire attendees to use these approaches in their research.
15.00 Refreshments
15.30 Soundwalk Groningen: Exploring Acoustic Heritage, Dr Stacey Copeland
This workshop and sound walk will introduce sound walking as a research method and creative practice. How does a city’s acoustic environment inform understandings of place and belonging? What sounds do we deem culturally significant, and why? This workshop is perfect for anyone interested in how sound shapes perceptions of heritage and culture.
Dr. Stacey Copeland is Assistant Professor of Cultural Heritage & Identity in the Research Centre for Media and Journalism Studies at the University of Groningen. They received their Ph.D. from Simon Fraser University in Canada with a focus on the communication of queer and feminist activism in radio and podcasting. She actively works to produce publicly accessible sonic scholarship that bridges research and creative practice.
17.00 Close
Day 2
9.30 Coffee/Tea
10.00 Keynote: tbc.
11.30 Museological research traditions and challenges focusing intangible (university) heritage, Dr Bernadette Biedermann
Participants of this workshops work in small groups to discuss specific aspects of intangible cultural university heritage. They include research traditions and their impact on collections and exhibitions, festive activities and ceremonies as part of “life“ at the university (student life). The workshop seeks to discuss new methods of data capture and collection that can help museums to curate intangible cultural heritage.
Bernadette Biedermann studied museology and art history. Currently she works as museologist, curator and researcher at the University Museums of the University of Graz is deputy-head of University Museums of the University of Graz, Chair of the Heritage Working Group of the Coimbra Group Universities and coordinates the study focus entitled applied cultural studies at the Institute of History, University of Graz and editor-in-chief of the journal “MUSEA. Journal for museology, museum practice and audience. Her research focuses are theoretical museology, object-based research, museum documentation, museum communication and forms of museum presentation.
13.00 Lunch
14.00 Sharing and Caring. The Challenges of Making Ephemeral Art ‘Last’, Dr Annemarie Kok
During this workshop we will delve into the world of participatory and ephemeral art projects, which started to flourish in the 1960s. We will consider the core characteristics of these works of visual art and discuss the challenges of ‘preserving’ them and passing them on. Inspired by an art event from 1972 (initiated by the visual artist David Medalla), we will take part in a participatory and ephemeral (re)enactment ourselves, in order to reflect on the history, present and future of these practices.
Art historian Annemarie Kok works as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Groningen. Under the project title ‘Cultural Archives, Digital Collections, Identity Formation, and Care for Heritage’, her current research focuses on ephemeral and participatory art and heritage practices. She has lectured at the Willem de Kooning Academy in Rotterdam, the University of Groningen and Utrecht University, and is the author of Pioneering Participatory Art Practices: Tracing Actors, Associations and Interactions across the Long Sixties (Transcript, 2024).
16.00 Refreshments
16.30 Closing Remarks
17.00 Close
International Coimbra Group Summer School on European Multilingualism
University of Niš, June 24th – 28th, 2024
The Coimbra Group and the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Niš (Serbia) are delighted to invite you to take part at the International Summer School on European Multilingualism that will take place at the University of Niš (Serbia) from June 24th to June 28th, 2024.
With the support of the CG universities, as well as the Erasmus+ KA131 program, the teachers from the University of Coimbra (Portugal), the University of Graz (Austria), the University of Jena (Germany), the University of Salamanca (Spain), and the University of Poitiers (project coordinator), all Coimbra Group members, will propose, in collaboration with the teachers from the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Niš, an intensive short program on European Multilingualism and Cultural Mediation Studies with the aim of sharing innovative approaches to teaching and learning languages.
The intensive short program offers the courses of translation and language application in several small tandem groups:
– Bulgarian
– English
– German
– French
– Portuguese
– Russian
– Spanish
The Summer School teaching program proposes also the Language Discovering Workshop permitting all participants to learn about the Less Widely Used and Lesser Taught languages (LWULT) and their important role in keeping language diversity and the world’s multilingual heritage. The intensive short program offers two LWULT workshops:
– Serbian
– Turkish
The International Summer School on European Multilingualism that will take place at the University of Niš (Serbia) from June 24th to June 28th, 2024 is a great opportunity to discover the very dynamic city of Niš and its cultural assets. It is famous for being the birth place of Constantine the Great. However, throughout history, the territory on which today’s city stands was inhabited by the Dardanians, Thracians, Illyrians, Celts, Romans, Huns, Avars, and later Byzantines, Serbs, Bulgarians, and Ottomans. Hungarians and Austrians have also occupied the city on multiple occasions. With its multicultural heritage, Niš becomes an attractive place to start intercultural dialogue and share the history and values from this part of Europe.
One of the most interesting cultural sights in Niš is the Skull Tower (Ćele kula) built from the skulls of Serbian rebels who died in the Battle of Čegar, where they bravely fought against the Ottoman forces. The skulls of the fallen rebels were embedded in the tower as a macabre warning to deter future rebellions against Ottoman rule. The Skull Tower represents the unique monument of this kind in the world.
The sightseeing of the most attractive locations and monuments in Niš is proposed as cultural program of the International Summer School on European Multilingualism.
The International Summer School students will be awarded 3 ECTS.
Coimbra Group Winter School 2021
An initiative of the Development Cooperation Working Group of the Coimbra Group
Global Change and the COVID-19 Pandemic in Africa – Chances or Challenges?
Online four-week programme from 1 to 26 February 2021
Deadline for application: 20 January 2021
What are the economic, social and cultural effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in different African regions? During this winter school, 50 MA and PhD students at Coimbra Group and African universities will learn about impacts, challenges and responses related to Covid-19 and Africa thanks to a range of experts who are teaching and researching at Coimbra Group (CG) and African universities. Together, they will identify challenges and work collectively to formulate solution-based responses.
Concept
Since the global exchange of people is ultimately responsible for the intercontinental spread of the Covid19, the corona pandemic can be described as a disease of globalization. If you look at Africa in the midst of this crisis as the continent that benefits the least from globalization and is still an essential part of a global economic system due to its natural resources, there are a few special features.
Before the crisis, Africa was the breeding ground for many pandemic diseases such as HIV or Ebola, but with Covid-19, which came to the continent from European diplomats, business travelers and tourists, the direction of the infection chain is changing. Covid-19 is primarily a disease of mobility.
But precisely because of the experience with Ebola and other tropical infectious diseases, many African countries seem to be well prepared for the pandemic despite poorly equipped health systems. A Corona test was developed in Senegal while the rules of social distancing were activated in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, the most affected countries in the world Ebola epidemic 2014-2016.
If one believes the epidemiological prognosis of some observers, the corona pandemic will not hit the African continent as much as Italy, the US or Brazil in terms of mortality rate. Even if the official infection numbers are (still) relatively low in comparison to the rest of the world, which may also be due to a lack of testing capacities, major socio-economic challenges are already beginning to appear: the weak economic systems are on the verge of collapse in many places. Due to the curfews, day laborers and business people in the informal sector cannot earn money for their daily livelihood. The payment of ‘western’ development aid is also expected to decrease in the next few years.
The following questions are derived from these observations:
- What are the economic, social and cultural effects of the corona pandemic in the different African regions?
- How will the corona pandemic change Africa’s position in the globalized world?
- Is the COVID-19 pandemic a chance or challenge for Africa?
As part of the Development Cooperation Study Days, these questions will be discussed with experts and students from all Coimbra Group universities. The interdisciplinary online workshop aims to bring together scientific perspectives from the disciplines of Economics, Health management, Social science, Political science, Area studies, African studies, Philosophy and Postcolonial studies.
In a nutshell:
- Interdisciplinary workshops with Master and PhD students from Africa and Europe
- African and European experts from Economics, Health management, Social science, Area studies, History and Ecology
- Regular online Group meetings
- Keynote lecture
- Final event with project presentations
- 3 ECTS
Download the Winter School poster.
International Coimbra Group Summer School
on European Multilingualism
Faculty of Philosophy, University of Sarajevo, 30 June-6 July 2019
Sarajevo – City of European Youth Olympic Festival 2019
The Coimbra Group and the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina) are delighted to invite you to take part in the International Summer School on European Multilingualism that will take place at the University of Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina) from 30th June to 6th July 2019.
With the support of the Erasmus+ KA107 programme, teachers from the University of Budapest, the University of Edinburgh, the University of Granada, the University of Groningen, the University of Salamanca, the University of Würzburg, and the University of Poitiers (project coordinator), all Coimbra Group members, will propose, in collaboration with the teachers from the University of Sarajevo, an intensive short programme on European Multilingualism and Cultural Mediation Studies with the aim of sharing innovative approaches to teaching and learning languages.
The intensive short programme offers courses in translation and applied languages in several small tandem groups:
- French – Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian
- German – Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian
- Italian – Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian
- Russian – Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian
- Spanish – Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian
The Summer School teaching programme proposes also a Language Discovering Workshop allowing all participants to learn about Less Widely Used and Lesser Taught languages (LWULT) and their important role in keeping language diversity and the world’s multilingual heritage. The intensive short programme offers two LWULT Workshops:
- Hebrew
- Modern Greek
The International Summer School on European Multilingualism that will take place at the University of Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina) from 30th June to 6th July 2019 is a great opportunity to discover the very dynamic city of Sarajevo and its cultural assets. As City of European Youth Olympic Festival 2019, Sarajevo, with its multicultural heritage, becomes an attractive place to start intercultural dialogue and to share the history and values from this part of Europe.
Who can apply?
Students from Bosnian and Western Balkans Universities, students from Coimbra Group Universities, students from different European universities
What are the students’ levels?
Students from the three cycles Bachelor, Master and PhD having a level B (B1 or B2) in one of the proposed European languages
Which are the fields of studies?
Languages, Cultural studies, Humanities
How to apply?
Please fill out the registration form before 15th June 2019 and send it to Vice-Dean, Ms Selma Djuliman (selma.djuliman@ff.unsa.ba), at the International Office of the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Sarajevo.
Tuition Fees: There is no registration fee for participation in the Coimbra Group Summer School. By making the registration free of charge, the University of Sarajevo and the Faculty of Philosophy wish to support European Multilingual Policy.
Summer School in Algebra and Topology 2019
11-14 September 2019, Université catholique de Louvain
The Summer School in Algebra and Topology will consist of four intensive courses addressed to Master and PhD students, which will also be of interest to more experienced researchers in mathematics. This event is part of a joint project of UCLouvain with the universities of Coimbra, Padova and Poitiers, promoting research collaboration within the Coimbra Group.
The invited speakers of the summer school will be professors Silvana Bazzoni (Padova), Marino Gran (Louvain-la-Neuve), Sandra Mantovani (Milano), and Jorge Picado (Coimbra). The titles of their courses are:
- Contramodules and their applications – Silvana Bazzoni
- Categories for universal algebra – Marino Gran
- Categorical commutator theory – Sandra Mantovani
- Frames and locales: topology without points – Jorge Picado
To register, please send a message to Mme Carine Baras (carine.baras@uclouvain.be) mentioning your academic status (Master or PhD student, post-doc, professor, etc.) and affiliation before 15 June 2019. She can also help you with booking a room in Louvain-la-Neuve.
Further information is available on the website www.uclouvain.be/irmp-summerschool-2
Coimbra Group International Summer School on European Multilingualism
7-14 July 2018, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Novi Sad
Novi Sad – European Youth Capital 2019 and European Capital of Culture 2021
The Coimbra Group and the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Novi Sad (Serbia) are delighted to invite you to take part in the International Summer School on European Multilingualism that will take place at the University of Novi Sad (Serbia) from 7 to 14 July 2018.
With the support of the Erasmus+ KA107 programme, teachers from the following Coimbra Group universities – University of Bologna, University of Granada, University of Salamanca, University of Graz and the University of Poitiers (project coordinator), will propose, in collaboration with the teachers from the University of Novi Sad, an intensive short programme on European Multilingualism and Cultural Mediation Studies, with the aim to share innovative approaches to teaching and learning languages.
The intensive short programme offers courses in translation and language application in several small tandem groups: German-Serbian, French-Serbian, Italian-Serbian, Spanish-Serbian.
The Summer School teaching programme proposes also the Language Discovering Workshop allowing all participants to learn about the Less Widely Used and Lesser Taught languages (LWULT) and their important role in keeping language diversity and the world’s multilingual heritage. Two LWULT Workshops are offered: Hebrew and Modern Greek.
The International Summer School on European Multilingualism is a great opportunity to discover the very dynamic city of Novi Sad and its cultural assets. As European Youth Capital 2019 and European Capital of Culture 2021, the city of Novi Sad, with its multicultural heritage, becomes an attractive place to start intercultural dialogue and to share the history and values from this part of Europe.
One of the most exciting cultural events taking place in Novi Sad is the Exit Festival, which is the laureate of the 2018 Best European Festival Award. The Exit Festival – https://www.exitfest.org/sr (12-16 July 2018) is proposed as cultural programme of the International Summer School on European Multilingualism.
The international Summer School will be awarded 3 ECTS.
Who can apply?
– Students from Serbian and Western Balkans Universities, students from Coimbra Group Universities
What are the student’s levels?
– Students from the three cycles (Bachelor, Master and PhD) with a level B (B1 or B2) in one of the proposed European languages
Which are the fields of studies?
– Languages, Cultural studies, Humanities
How to apply?
Registration form: to be filled out before 15 June 2018 and to be sent to the University of Novi Sad: International Office of the Faculty of Philosophy: international@ff.uns.ac.rs
Tuition Fees: Intensive Short programme, welcome and farewell parties: 100 €
Payment terms: For more information, please contact the International Office of the Faculty of Philosophy: international@ff.uns.ac.rs
Summer School in Algebra and Topology 2018
12-15 September 2018, Université catholique de Louvain
Within the project “Attractivité internationale et collaborations de recherche dans le cadre du Coimbra Group” the Université catholique de Louvain organizes a Summer school in algebra and in topology: www.uclouvain.be/irmp-summerschool
The speakers will be professors Maria Manuel Clementino (http://www.mat.uc.pt/~mmc, University of Coimbra), Alberto Facchini (http://www.math.unipd.it/~facchini/, University of Padova) and Tim Van der Linden (Université catholique de Louvain, https://perso.uclouvain.be/tim.vanderlinden/). These mathematicians are internationally well known for their scientific contributions in topology, algebra and category theory, respectively.
The mini-courses will be addressed to Master and PhD students, and will also be of interest for more experienced researchers in these fields. There is a limited funding to partially cover the local expenses for students (deadline: 30 April 2018).
The programme will consist in three mini-courses:
- Maria Manuel Clementino – Topological algebras
- Alberto Facchini – Commutative monoids, noncommutative rings and modules
- Tim Van der Linden – Non-associative algebras
This event is part of a joint project of the Université catholique de Louvain with the universities of Coimbra, Padova and Poitiers, promoting the research collaborations within the Coimbra Group. The project is funded by the UCL for the period January 2018-December 2020.