2005:3 R

Evaluation of undergraduate and postgraduate studies in Romance languages at Swedish universities and university colleges. Part I: Italian, Portuguese and Romanian

Three languages are covered by the report, namely, Italian, Portuguese and Romanian. Italian is taught at the Göteborg, Lund, Stockholm and Uppsala universities. Portuguese is taught only in Stockholm and Romanian only in Lund. The survey was made by an external assessor group consisting of subject-experts, postgraduates and students from Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. The evaluation project manager and secretary for the assessment group was Jana Hejzlar from the Evaluation Department at the National Agency for Higher Education. The evaluation was based on the self-evaluations of subjects concerned and the place visits made by the group during September - October 2004.

The report is made up of two parts. The largest part is the assessment-group´s report. It consists of both general observations and recommendations as well as separate sections for each language and institute of higher education.

For its part the National Agency for Higher Education section covers a brief reflection on what the assessment group has to say it its report and is also based ton the decision of the Chancellor of Swedish Universities. The assessment group is of the view that the undergraduate and postgraduate studies in Italian at the Göteborg, Lund and Stockholm universities are of good quality. On the other hand it criticized the undergraduate course in Uppsala. The National Agency for Higher Education consequently decided to cast in doubt the master´s degree course in Italian at the Uppsala University.

The assessment group also maintains that Italian, which is a relatively common upper secondary school curriculum language, has recruitment difficulties. Offered to counterbalance the fall off in fees caused by student depletion were pure beginners´ courses without entrance qualifications at a level that can scarcely be called academic. Conversely, the studies in Italian at the Stockholm and Lund universities can be regarded as particularly creative as far as course structuring and examination forms are concerned. The magnitude of the research environment in Stockholm makes it the foremost in the country.

The assessment group also views positively the growth in popularity of the subject Portuguese that has taken place since the end of the 90s. The build-up of the subject can be largely attributed to several deeply committed enthusiasts. This is reflected in the good subject results achieved both at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. The National Agency for Higher Education supports the view of the assessment group that the subject is worthy of its own professorship.

The group is likewise impressed by the web-site courses in Romanian on offer at Lund University. This unique academic activity has succeeded in recruiting many students, also internationally, and can serve as a good example for many other “small" languages. If we are to develop the popular undergraduate higher course levels and secure their survival, we need to reinforce both the teaching staff as well as postgraduate studentship in yes the Romanian language.

As to postgraduate studies, clearly obvious is the positive effect the FoRom postgraduate school has had on both the Italian and Portuguese environments. The postgraduate school had a time limit and the last postgraduate students were enrolled as per the 2004 autumn commission. There was a significant increase in the number students defending doctoral theses in Romance languages. Nevertheless the status quo is still such that these graduates are scarcely enough to replenish future vacancies in the higher education sector caused by retirement departures.

Forthcoming from the assessment group analysis is a need for a national language policy. The National Agency for Higher Education concurs with this view.