Foreign Language Didactics

Abstract

• Show the study programme profile

  Profile of the study programme

  The master programme in Foreign Language Didactics at the University of Fribourg is offered in cooperation with the Universities of Teacher Education (Haute Ecole Pédagogique [HEP]/Pädagogische Hochschule [PH]) of Fribourg and Zurich and with the University of Teacher Education and the University of Ticino. It provides intensive theoretical and practical training in foreign language didactics. The programme educates students about the various methods and approaches for teaching and learning foreign languages so that they can put these into practice, develop them further, and assess their usefulness for the different school levels (elementary through secondary II).

  – Languages of study: German and French, which means that students will need to attend classes in both languages; some lectures may sometimes be given in English;
  – Languages to specialise in: choice between German, French, English and Italian.
  Students opting for the English or Italian option must have a solid grounding in this language, as well as in French and German.

  The programme includes courses on language learning and teaching, multilingual competence, the social and political characteristics of multilingualism, multi-language didactics, applied linguistics and general didactics. It also includes a teaching internship and an exchange semester (for the English and Italian options). Some optional courses make it possible to specialise in certain areas.

  Fribourg profile
  The bilingual University of Fribourg is the only university in Switzerland to offer a master programme in Foreign Language Didactics. Situated on a language border, the city of Fribourg is the ideal location to gain a deeper insight in the language situation in French- and German-speaking Switzerland.
  Close contacts are maintained with the «Multilingualism Studies», «German as a Foreign Language/German as a Second Language» and «French as a Foreign Language/French as a Second Language» programmes as well as with the Institute of Multilingualism. Jointly organised by the University and the University of Teacher Education, this Institute hosts the Swiss Confederation's Research Centre on Multilingualism. Here, students can attend regularly held lectures and workshops in which internationally renowned experts discuss foreign language learning and teaching as well as individual and societal multilingualism.
  In the Documentation Centre of the Research Centre on Multilingualism (which is part of our library dedicated to second and foreign language learning), students will find a large number of pertinent publications and magazines and can solicit expert advice on autonomous learning.

  Learning outcomes and career openings
  Graduates possess in-depth knowledge of the theories and research methods in the field of foreign language didactics and the related fields. They are also able to apply this specialist theoretical knowledge when developing and designing research projects as well as in practical settings. They are aware of the requirements for modern foreign language instruction, and they can analyse and assess language courses in their own or in a foreign language, and they can work out suggestions for optimising teaching/learning arrangements.

  Some of the professional fields open to holders of a master's degree in Foreign Language Didactics are:

  • Training future foreign language teachers, especially at universities of teacher education;
  • Domestic and international language courses in adult education and at universities and universities of applied sciences;
  • Activities in connection with integration courses for migrants, exchange programmes and the promotion of multilingualism in professional environments, and more specifically in companies;
  • Development work or work as intermediaries in government agencies, NGOs and publishing houses;
  • Research and development work in the field of language teaching and learning;
  • After receiving the master's degree, graduates can enrol in a doctoral programme and go on to write a thesis in the field of foreign language didactics or multilingualism.

  Note:
  – This study programme is equivalent to the modules «Educational work with adults», «Foreign and second language education» and «Migration and interculturality» of the Swiss «Certificate for language teachers in the field of integration» (cf. https://fide-info.ch/fr/formation-continue/certificat and https://fide-info.ch/de/weiterbildung/zertifikat).
  – Graduates are not automatically entitled to teach foreign languages at state-run schools in Switzerland, be it at the elementary or at the secondary I or II levels.

Studies organisation

Structure of studies

Curriculum

Comments

Admission

Minor study programmes to be chosen