ShareAQU Catalunya publishes its first ‘Philology and Language Studies Benchmark Document’
The document aims to guide universities in the process of designing and assessing new bachelor's degrees in the field of Philology and Language Studies.
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In October, AQU Catalunya published its first benchmark document dedicated to Philology and Language Studies. This document has been created to make it easier for universities to navigate through the design of new degrees in this field and, in the case of existing degrees, to facilitate the process of modification. It is intended to serve various stakeholders for a wide range of purposes. Apart from the goals mentioned above, it also aims to inform wider society, particularly future students and employers, about the characteristics of the study programmes and their learning outcomes.
While not prescriptive and not seeking to establish a standard curriculum for all university institutions, it aims to guide them in the design of degrees in the field of philology and language studies. Furthermore, as it does not seek to establish specific approaches to teaching, learning and assessment methodologies, institutions may adapt it to their own context and individual training objectives.
Philology and Language Studies Benchmark
This benchmark is part of the VSMA framework that especially guides the programme assessment processes, which focuses on validating new teaching proposals, monitoring their deployment, evaluating any modifications, and accrediting study programmes cyclically.
As a result of the European convergence agreements, teaching was restructured and the term philology was gradually replaced by more generic terms such as language and literature studies. With these changes in name, the subsequent insertion of graduates in employment areas beyond teaching was sought and they would respond to the new needs and realities of the market.
The opportunities currently presented in this field are varied because globalisation, flexibility and job mobility demand versatile professionals with multilingual skills and the ability to work in international and multicultural environments. To respond to these needs, philological degrees have added an interdisciplinary component that allows them to interact with disciplines such as sociology, anthropology, psychology, biology, communication sciences, etc. Moreover, the new degrees are not isolated from technological advances either. In response to the growing automation of various tasks in different sectors, boosted by the use of artificial intelligence and robotics, a renewed interest has emerged in humanities degrees and, more specifically, in degrees in the field of Philology.
This Philology and Language Studies Benchmark Document published by AQU Catalunya has been written by Dulce-María González Doreste, Juan Carlos Acuña Fariña, María del Carmen Cazorla Vivas and Miquel Àngel Pradilla Cardona with the collaboration of Josep Manel Torres and Esther Adot Giménez.