Potential partnership to frame knowledge exchange in languages and cultural studies

Vice president of International Affairs at the Institut National des Langues et Civilisations Orientales (INALCO) in Paris, Dr. Gilles Forlot, visited Birzeit University on May 5, 2022, and met with the university’s vice president of Academic Affairs Dr. Talal Shahwan, dean of the Faculty of Arts Dr. Munir Fakher Eldin and director of External Academic Relations Dr. Amir Khalil.

Forlot is professor of sociolinguistics and language teaching at INALCO. He is currently the vice president of Academic and Student Affairs, member of the INALCO directors board and co-director of the master’s degree program in Language Education and Second Language Teaching. He is author of the book “Avec sa langue en poche: Parcours de Français émigrés au Canada (1945–2000)”.

Shahwan, Eldin and Forlot discussed the possibility of a partnership that enables students to gain state-of-the-art knowledge and supports language and culture research in both universities. 

The potential partnership is part of the Faculty of Art’s strategy to bolster the diversity and effectiveness of both the Department of Languages and Translation and the Department of Philosophy and Cultural Studies. 

Shahwan emphasized the university’s vision to build international and interdisciplinary partnerships that promote academic collaboration amongst institutions. “We believe that partnerships in disciplines like language and cultural studies require us to open our doors to the world and learn from different experiences,” stressed Shahwan.

INALCO specializes in teaching contemporary languages and cultures, fostering research through 14 units.