7 November 2023
On November 9th (Thursday) we invite you to an international mini conference Crossroads of the Christian Spaces: Missions, Exile, and Peregrination in Early Modern Europe.
Programme and more information >
20 October 2023
Last week on 5–6 October, Arqus WP11 Plurilingual and Multicultural Hub co-leads met at Vilnius University to plan their new Arqus Multilingualism Module. WP11 co-lead from Leipzig University Professor Olaf Bärenfänger, director of the Language Center at Leipzig University, took part in the meeting together with his team: Alba Delgado, Kerstin Gackle and Irmgard Wanner. The event was hosted by WP11 co-lead from Vilnius University Professor Roma Kriaučiūnienė and her team Nijolė Burkšaitienė, Orinta Gerikaitė and Eglė Žurauskaitė.
The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the concept, content and implementation of the Arqus Multilingualism Module, which will be open to students at all Arqus Universities. WP11 plans to develop, pilot and put this module into practice by 2026.
The meeting was opened by the pro-rector for studies Dr Valdas Jaskūnas, dean of the Faculty of Philology Professor Mindaugas Kvietkauskas and Vilnius Arqus officer Dr Julija Savickė.
The first day was devoted to discussing various aspects of the Arqus Multilingualism Module and then to developing a basic structure and content for the module. In addition, there were meetings with a number of stakeholder groups.
The meeting with colleagues from the Institute of Educational Sciences in the Faculty of Philosophy Professor R. Želvys and Dr Sandra Kairė from Vilnius University and Dr Makhabbat Kenzhegaliyeva from the Faculty of Education at Leipzig University were very fruitful as the professors shared their experience of developing a joint module for teacher training students titled Schools around the World. Many of their insights turned out to be applicable for the development of the Arqus Mutilingualism Module. Some ideas for further collaboration in piloting the modules were also addressed.
During the next meeting with colleagues from Vilnius University, WP6 co-lead Lina Malaiškaitė, Vilnius Arqus officer Julija Savicke, who is also head of the Study, Quality and Development Department at Vilnius University, and WP5 co-lead Andrius Uždanavičius, the focus was on ways the three work packages could collaborate throughout the process of developing and implementing the Arqus Multilingualism Module. Many suggestions related to the accreditation of the modules and the procedure for its implementation were given.
On the second day, the Arqus Multilingualism Module was presented to the Network of Language Centre Directors and the WP11 board members. Both groups gave positive feedback and provided some additional ideas for the structure, content and development of the module. The plan is for the Module to be accredited by Vilnius University and approved and acknowledged by the other Arqus Universities.
19 October 2023
The new Swedish ambassador to Lithuania Lars Wahlund the Head of Promotion Robin Rinaldo was welcomed to the Faculty of Philology by the Dean Prof. Dr Mindaugas Kvietkauskas, the founder of the Centre for Scandinavian Studies and head of The Institute for the Languages and Cultures of the Baltic Assoc. Prof. Dr Erika Sausverde, head of The Institute for Literary, Cultural and Translation Studies Assoc. Prof. Dr Inga Vidugirytė-Pakerienė, head of the Department of Lithuanian Literature Prof. Dr Brigita Speičytė and head of Centre for Scandinavian Studies Assoc. Prof. Dr Ieva Steponavičiūtė-Aleksiejūnienė.
Standing from the left: Assoc. Prof. Dr Ieva Steponavičiūtė-Aleksiejūnienė, Assoc. Prof. Dr Erika Sausverde, Swedish ambassador to Lithuania Lars Wahlund, Dean Prof. Dr Mindaugas Kvietkauskas, Assoc. Prof. Dr Inga Vidugirytė-Pakerienė and Prof. Dr Brigita Speičytė.
During a round table meeting, new avenues of cooperation and cultural exchange were discussed between the Embassy of Sweden and the Faculty of Philology. One of the proposed fields was fostering interest in the Lithuanian diaspora research in Sweden and vice versa, as well as advancing the teaching of the Lithuanian language in the Swedish educational system.
The meeting was followed by the Ambassador Mr Wahlund's guest lecture to the Centre for Scandinavian Studies students. We present the highlights as told by Swedish language lecturer Erik Svenning:
The ambassador met the Swedish and Finnish students at Vilnius University on the 18th of October. He gave an overview of Swedish history from the Middle Ages, via the exceptionalism of the 20th century, to today’s heterogeneous Sweden. The room was packed with students who after his speech bombarded the ambassador with questions. Ranging from personal questions about what books he reads and what little town he was from, to the burning of the Coran and the recent gang criminality in Sweden. It was a relaxed and friendly atmosphere, and we concluded that the students and the ambassador would soon meet again and continue to get to know each other.
18 October 2023
We kindly invite you to lectures and seminars on Motherhood and Teaching of French Literature/Culture by dr. Julie Rodgers, dr. Loïc Bourdeau and Laurence Paré on October 18-20th.
Dr. Julie Rodgers and Dr. Loïc Bourdeau have been awarded the Vilnius University Teaching and Learning Internationalisation Initiatives funding for the initiative 2023-2024. As part of this, they will deliver a series of lectures and workshops.
Dr. Julie Rodgers and dr. Loïc Bourdeau are a part of the project “Developing a New Network of Researchers on Contemporary European Motherhood (MotherNet)”. This project received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 952366.
Find the programme below.
29 September 2023
On October 5–6, 2023 in the Faculty of Philology of Vilnius University (Universiteto St. 5, Vilnius) the international scientific conference Kitab Studies – Research Methodology and Source Publication will be held.
The conference is dedicated to celebrate the 55th anniversary of the publication of Anton Antonovichʼs (1910‒1980) monograph “Belarusian Texts written in Arabic Script and Their Graphic and Orthographic System” (1968) and the 85th birthday of Valery Chekmonas (1937–2004).
The purpose of the conference is to unite the scientists in dialogue and discussion to continue and develop the research of eminent professors A. Antonovich and V. Chekmonas, to discuss the written heritage of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the issues of the history and culture of Tatars and Old Believers in Lithuania and other countries and the problems of research in the field of Baltic and Slavic sociolinguistics, ethnolinguistics and language contacts.
The two-day conference will bring together 37 scientists from Lithuania, Poland, Estonia, Ukraine, Turkey and other countries.
The conference is organized by the Institute for the Languages and Cultures of the Baltic of the Faculty of Philology of Vilnius University, the Centre for Kitab Studies at the Nicolaus Copernicus University and the Institute of the Lithuanian Language.
On the eve of the conference on 4 October at 5 p.m. the exhibition “Teachers’ Way: Research on Culture of Lithuanian Nations” will be opened in the White Hall of Vilnius University (Universiteto St. 3, 4th floor). The exhibition will be opened for visitors until 1 November.
28 September 2023
We kindly invite you to a guest lecture "Economics and language: framework, policy relevant tools, policies in Québec/Canada" by Montreal professor François Vaillancourt. The lecture will take place on October 4th, 13 p.m. at Room 111.
This presentation will first briefly summarize the underpinnings of the economics and language, then examine how its empirical tools can be used to help language policy makers design and assess language policies. Examples from Québec/Canada and Europe will be used.
The lecture will be streamed online via MS TEAMS >>
25 September 2023
Live Facebook Event to celebrate the European Day of Languages Panel discussion “Language Education: Empowering Minds and Bridging Cultures”
The purpose of the panel discussion is to facilitate a dynamic conversation about the significance of learning and teaching foreign languages within the context of cultural diversity at the university level. The panel will be moderated by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Liudmila Arcimavičienė, who will be joined by a team of five invited guests: Senior Researcher Dr. Inna Samoylyukevych from Ukraine, Dr. Ovidiu Ivancu from Romania, Dr. Adam Mastandrea from the USA, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Loreta Chodzkienė, and Lect. Gitana Irnienė from Lithuania. These experts will share their insights and address questions from the Facebook audience, which will be curated by the moderator and collected via Facebook live streaming.
All the discussion panelists are currently teaching at the Faculty of Philology, Institute of Foreign Languages at Vilnius University, and during the discussion dedicated to celebrating European Day of Languages will tackle the following questions:
Discussion questions
We have great expectations that this panel discussion will serve as a catalyst for raising the audience's awareness of the significance of language education and the rich tapestry of intercultural values. Our aim is to inspire a deeper appreciation for the role of language in fostering cross-cultural understanding and forging connections across diverse societies. By the end of our discussion, we hope that attendees will carry forward a renewed commitment to championing language education and celebrating the invaluable cultural treasures it brings to light.
19 September 2023
The 2024 special issue of Semiotika aims to expand inquiry into the questions of spatial semiotics within the framework of semiotics of Algirdas Julius Greimas from the ground laid in Baltos lankos (2012, No. 34) and two earlier volumes of Semiotika (2013, 2014). This special issue invites papers that broaden the field of research by including Lotmanian approach to space in the semiotics of culture and, further, investigations that contribute to the spatial turn in postcolonial studies, literary geography and cartography, geocriticism, and literary urbanism.
We welcome papers focused on, but not limited to:
The deadline for submissions is 31 July 2024.
Semiotika is an international open access double-blind peer-reviewed multidisciplinary journal focusing on both theoretical and practical aspects of cultural semiotics, structuralism and poststructuralism, contemporary semiotic research, history and theory of semiotics, and analysis of various types of discourse. The journal accepts articles in Lithuanian, English and French and does not charge article processing charges or submission charges. As we move Semiotika fully online, we look forward to presenting latest research more quickly and in an environmentally friendly form. For detailed instructions on style, presentation and formatting conventions, and additional information, please see our Author Guidelines >
