Multilingualism and Diversity

Multilingualism and Diversity (MultiDiv)

MultiDiv is a specialised and highly intensive summer programme for students and academic/non-academic stakeholders interested in Multilingualism, Diversity and Social Justice pedagogy, policy and research from a Linguistics, Modern Languages and Translation Studies angle. MultiDiv is a unique hub which brings together senior academics as well as UG (undergraduate) /PG (postgraduate) research developed through the formal curriculum and relevant extracurricular activities. It takes the form of an intensive, 3-week-long activity and involves workshops, data training and sessions on interpreting research for wider audiences, policy makers and the media most notably.

MultiDiv is, by design, relevant to curriculum content directly addressing issues related to multilingualism in society. MultiDiv has already brought together Warwick/Monash students and it is an opportunity to develop a global network which can organically grow through the interests of its community.

To our knowledge, there is no other summer programme bringing together those discipline areas and with a structure similar to what MultiDiv is committed to. Specifically, the emphasis on bringing together UG/PG research is a unique feature of MultiDiv. To our knowledge there is no other programme that includes UG researchers as equal participants to PhD students and senior academics. MultiDiv seeks to become an incubator for new ideas, research projects, curriculum innovation and policy intervention. MultiDiv is aligned with the Communities of Practice (CofP) framework and seeks to empower the participants, from all career stages, to drive innovation in teaching, learning, research and policy.

Who is this module open to?

Pre-requisites: Basic research methods training.

Credit bearing: Open to all first year and intermediate level (second year) students, and students in the third year of a four year course (towards Masters) at Warwick.

Open to students from partner institutions.

ET227-15 - Intermediate, taken in first year for 15 CATS credit to intermediate year (2025/26)
ET330-15 - Finalist, taken in intermediate year for 15 CATS credit to final year (2025/26)
ET9D8-15 - Masters, taken in the third/ Bachelor level year for 15 CATS to Masters year (2025/26)

Students from Linguistics, Modern Languages and Translation can benefit directly from the module content.

Key dates

This module will take place 23 June - 11 July 2025.

Prep week: 23-27 June 2025
Teaching: 30 June - 11 July 2025
Final assessment deadline: w/c 6 October 2025

Costs

No costs have been identified for this module.

Location

This module will be taught at the Warwick campus, Coventry.

What's special about our modules?

This programme will challenge your thinking, develop your confidence and open up a world of new opportunities. You’ll consider new ideas, apply theory to real world issues working in teams and individually, and develop new networks, connections and friendships. This will provide you strong analytical and research methods skills which also enhance your employability profile for a globalised world of work, derived from a transformative blend of online learning and intercultural engagement.

Access to Intercultural Training will provide further enhancement of your skills.

The intensive nature of our programme lets you focus purely on your chosen modules.

You should expect around two weeks of daily face-to-face sessions (on location) and possibly one week of preparatory online activities. The aim is to work in groups consisting of incoming students (from partner institutions) and Warwick students during the module. Assessments will consist of a mix of group and individual activities.

There are no additional programme fees for Warwick students to take our modules.

Where will you be taught?

Our intensive modules are taught in various ways: mostly face-to-face (combing some online learning and face-to-face teaching). Modules will be based at Warwick central campus, or our overseas residentials will be based at selected European locations relevant to module content. Our modules are designed to be taught in an intensive way, combining physical teaching, and online activities.

All participants will be expected to attend all lectures and group work activities in real time; this might include some online activities in the prep week (where listed in Key dates). As modules are intensive there is not expected to be free time during the teaching period for you to undertake other activities; there will be limited time available during the teaching period to explore the surrounding area.

Students are responsible for checking their own visa requirements and all associated applications and costs.

For overseas modules students are responsible for identifying and booking their own accommodation.

Professor Jo Angouri (Module Leader)

Professor Jo Angouri is the Academic Director for Education and Internationalisation and serves on the Education Executive at the University of Warwick. Jo leads on the development and growth of existing and new international education projects with Warwick's strategic partners. She is also the Director of Undergraduate Studies in Applied Linguistics. Jo is a National Teaching Fellow and fully committed to pedagogic innovation and education for global citizenship. She has designed a range of UG and PGT programmes and has expertise in Undergraduate Research, Challenge-Based Learning and Curriculum Development.

Her research involves three interrelated strands: Leadership and teamwork in high-pressure, high-risk professional settings; Language, politics and ideology; Migration, mobility and multilingualism. Jo is also working on research in pedagogic innovation. She is co-directing two international research networks, one under the Warwick-Monash alliance on Migration Identity and Translation and one under AILA on Migrants in Working life which have brought together a range of established scholars, early career researchers as well as non-academic stakeholders.

She is the founding editor of Language at Work series (Multilingual Matters) and she is also co-editing Discourse Approaches to Politics, Society and Culture for John Benjamins.

She has strong presence and involvement in research policy and works for the UK Economic and Social Research Council and the Arts and Humanities Research Council. In the last ten years she has published 70 refereed papers, three special issues, two books, three edited volumes and two conference proceedings.

She has been a visiting scholar in different institutions in New Zealand, Australia and Europe and she is currently a Visiting Distinguished Professor at Aalto University, School of Business, Finland.

Guest Lecturers

tbc

Module aims

The linguistically diverse nature of contemporary societies is related to a range of complex phenomena in the areas of:

language policy and practice
language contact and change
translation, interpreting and heritage learning
public sector translation/interpretation
translation and human rights.

Outline syllabus

This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.

Core issues on Multilingualism and Diversity
Translation and exophony
Linguistic Landscaping
Language and power
Designing and carrying out a linguistic landscaping project
Census training
Multilingual fieldwork & observation design
Data analysis methods.

Structure:

1 week of preparation
2 weeks of teaching activities and independent study and group work - students will work for 2 weeks in cross-university teams to design and conduct their own research project.

We expect full participation in the synchronous activities during the 3 weeks of MultiDiv, as well as all asynchronous activities. At the end of the two weeks of teaching students will present their project as a group. Then, they will have until w/c 30 September to turn their presentation into a group blog post.

Learning outcomes

Intermediate level (second year)

By the end of the module, students should be able to:

demonstrate understanding of key concepts, terminology, research methods and theories related to multilingualism
demonstrate ability to critically discuss different approaches to multilingualism and diversity. Show awareness of key issues around intercultural interaction and the relationship with multilingualism and multiculturalism
evaluate critically how different theoretical & methodological approaches and concepts help to study multilingualism and diversity
design and carry out an original small scale study on multilingualism, typically from a linguistic landscape angle
communicate the results of their study to an audience.

Finalist level

By the end of the module, students should be able to:

demonstrate a systematic understanding of key concepts, terminology, research methods and theories related to multilingualism
demonstrate a solid ability to critically discuss different approaches to multilingualism and diversity. Show awareness of key issues around intercultural interaction and the relationship with multilingualism and multiculturalism
evaluate critically how different theoretical & methodological approaches and concepts help to study multilingualism and diversity
design and carry out an original small-scale study on multilingualism, typically from a linguistic landscape angle which expands current theoretical frameworks and/or analytical tools
communicate the results of their study to both specialist and non-specialist audiences.

Masters level

By the end of the module, students should be able to:

demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of key concepts, terminology, research methods and theories related to multilingualism and originality in the application of this knowledge
demonstrate an advanced ability to critically discuss different approaches to multilingualism and diversity. Show critical awareness of key issues around intercultural interaction and the relationship with multilingualism and multiculturalism
evaluate critically how different theoretical & methodological approaches and concepts help to study multilingualism and diversity and, where appropriate, propose new hypotheses
deal with complex issues related to multilingualism, both systematically and creatively and make sound judgements in the absence of complete data
autonomously design and carry out an original small-scale study on multilingualism – typically from a linguistic landscape angle – which provides a strong and viable research-led solution to a real-world problem and show strong ability to interpret findings for policy recommendations
communicate the results of their study clearly to specialist and non-specialist audiences.

Indicative reading list

Angouri, Jo. 2013. “The Multilingual Reality of the Multinational Workplace: Language Policy and Language Use.” Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development 34 (6). Routledge: 564–81
Angouri, Jo. 2018. "Quantitative, qualitative, mixed or holistic research? Combining methods in linguistic research". Research methods in linguistics, London: Bloomsbury Publishing: 35-55
Backhaus, Peter. (2006). “Multilingualism in Tokyo: A Look into the Linguistic Landscape.” International Journal of Multilingualism 3(1): 52–66
Blackledge, Adrian, and Kiran Trehan. 2018. “Language, Superdiversity, and Self-Employment.” The Routledge Handbook of Language and Superdiversity, edited by Adrian Blackledge and Angela Creese, 299–311. London: Taylor & Francis
Clyne, Michael, Louisa Willoughby, and Julia Bradshaw. 2009. “Linguistic Diversity in South-East Melbourne.” People and Place 17 (1): 55–62
Creese, Angela, and Adrian Blackledge. 2019. “Translanguaging and Public Service Encounters: Language Learning in the Library.” The Modern Language Journal 103 (4): 800–814
Heller, M., Pietikäinen S. & Pujolar J. (2018). Critical Sociolinguistic Research Methods. Studying language issues that matter. Routledge; -- section 3.2; Observing: Finding out what people do (p. 77-85), & -- section 3.3; Eliciting: Finding out what people say (p. 85-92)
Musgrave, Simon, Steve Wright, Tom Denison, and Louisa Willoughby. 2020. “Managing Multilingual Collections: Insights from Data Analytics Research.” Journal of Librarianship and Information Science 52 (3). SAGE Publications Ltd: 853–63.

Research element

The programme is tailored around original research. This involves the design as well as the carrying out of projects on linguistic landscapes.

Interdisciplinary

The module is designed to provide the students with an understanding of relationships between the different disciplinary areas within multilingualism, particularly linguistics, modern languages and translation studies. It also invites the students to make connections with other disciplinary areas covered in their main study programme. It provides the students with a critical understanding of dominant traditions and methodologies associated with the main phenomena covered in the module and enables the students to transcend disciplinary boundaries. The interdisciplinary course cohort provides contact opportunities and learning to see from different perspectives is a core aspect of the learning experience.

International

The module draws on cases from different contexts, including different geopolitical areas, professional environments and linguistic contexts. The content and assessment invite the students to reflect on the societal relevance in different environments of the phenomena covered in the module. The assessment involves students working in groups with academic and ideally non-academic stakeholders which (will) allow for a global and local outlook to be built into the module’s work. The international and diverse course cohort provides contact opportunities and learning to see from different perspectives is a core aspect of the learning experience.

Subject specific skills

Design and carry out research
Identify different approaches to research and the paradigmatic orientations underlying these
State the criteria, considerations and procedures necessary to ensure that ethical requirements are met
Identify and describe core methods for collecting data in multilingualism and diversity research
Describe relevant procedures for analysing data for linguistic landscaping project
Identify key issues in research on multilingualism
Demonstrate familiarity with and ability to use appropriately features of research designs and procedures found in relevant published research articles.

Transferable skills

Work effectively with others in group tasks and in teams
Plan and manage time in projects
Develop strong analytical skills
Find, evaluate and use previous research at a level appropriate for an intermediate/ final year/ Masters level module
Use a range of tools and resources effectively in the preparation of course work
Use appropriate analytic methods to analyse research data on multilingualism
Read academic papers effectively in the context of an intensive programme
Communicate clearly and effectively in discussions
Communicate ideas effectively in writing.

Study time

Type	Required
*Lectures*	10 sessions of 1 hour (7%)
*Tutorials*	5 sessions of 1 hour (3%)
Project supervision	5 sessions of 1 hour (3%)
Fieldwork	15 sessions of 1 hour (10%)
Online learning (scheduled sessions)	10 sessions of 1 hour (7%)
*Other activity*	5 hours (3%) Groupwork: data analysis presentation preparation
*Private study*	50 hours (33%) Reading subject materials Homework tasks
*Private study*	50 hours (33%) Reading subject materials Homework tasks
*Assessment*	50 hours (33%)
*Total*	150 hours

Assessment

You do not need to pass all assessment components to pass the module:

	Weighting	Study time
Group presentation - individual sections (15 mins)	50%	25 hours
	Students collect data, process and analyse it appropriately and present/record it in academic presentation format
Group Blog Post	50%	25 hours
	Students translate their findings for a wider audience and curate a blog.

Feedback on assessment

In session
On Moodle

Before you apply

You can take a maximum of two WIISP modules, and cannot take them at the same time. This module runs at the same time as the following modules, so you cannot choose these as a second module:

The preparatory reading week for this module overlaps with the following modules:

Please note

Warwick students will need to check with their department before applying to take a WIISP module
Students from partner institutions will need to apply via their home institution
You are expected to fully engage and participate in the module, including in any group activities, if not your registration will be cancelled
Module details provided on these pages are supplementary to module details in the module catalogueLink opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window. Subsequently individual module pages (moodle/my.wbs) will provide live details
All modules require minimum numbers to run. This is set by each module leader.

How to apply

If you want to make an enquiry before applying, please contact the WIISP team at WIISP at warwick dot ac dot uk

Apply - Warwick students