10/01/2025, 9 am – 1 pm (CET)
Hosted by University of Glasgow (Dobrochna Futro)
Keynote:
Dr Soledad Montañez, University of Glasgow “Knowing Me, Knowing You: Bringing Multilingual Students and Communities Together”
Register: https://uofglasgow.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwpf-CqqzIsHd1D0As8OjDlGmbTamjbkvdX
Abstract:
From an Intercultural and Multilingual Perspective to Learning and Teaching in Higher Education.
This talk will discuss the experience of running a student-centred, active learning course within Modern Languages at the University of Glasgow. The course, titled “Languages and Community Engagement”, is the first of its kind at the School of Modern Languages. It is embedded within the concept of the ‘civic university’, incorporating methods and practices such as service learning, community-based learning, civic learning, scholarship of engagement, and learning-linked volunteering.
These approaches are increasingly used in the field of second language (L2) education as a strategy to encourage learners to interact with target language communities, fostering direct engagement with the local community. While popular in the United States, such courses are rare within undergraduate Modern Languages programs in the UK. The “Languages and Community Engagement” course aims to explore a model for language learning that encourages students to connect with languages in their local communities, engage with migrant and multilingual groups in Glasgow, and promote positive dialogue and better understanding of Scotland’s cultural and linguistic diversity.
This paper will explore both the opportunities and challenges of implementing such a course, reflecting on its potential impact on students and the broader community.
Biography:
Soledad Montañez is a Lecturer in Spanish at the University of Glasgow. She works at the intersections of language, creativity, and community engagement with migrant and multilingual communities in the UK, particularly within Spanish-speaking and Latin American communities in London and Scotland. Her interdisciplinary work builds on her academic background in Latin American cultural studies, visual cultures, memory, and gender studies.
Soledad’s research and teaching prioritise ‘doing’ as a decolonial approach, positioning education and community engagement as both activism and a practice-based method. She has published several articles in peer-reviewed journals on Latin American women’s writing and cinema, including Cinema Journal, Screen, Latin American Perspectives, and Studies in Hispanic Cinemas. Her research also includes policy reports and impact studies on the contributions and experiences of Latin American migrant communities in the UK. She is co-convenor of the Glasgow Latin American Research Network and serves as a research advisor for the Southwark Latin American Community Network (SLAN). Prior to joining the University of Glasgow, she lectured at the University of St Andrews, University of Stirling, and the Open University in Scotland.