SLICE Summer School Stories of Linguistic and Cultural Encounters

About

Period
2 weeks, from Monday 23 June to Friday 4 July 2025 with students present on campus, PLUS a compulsory 2-hour follow-up online workshop on 17 July 2025, in two time slots: either 9:00 AM or 3:00 PM (both CEST).

Contents
The Summer School explores the theme of the encounter between languages and cultures as a fundamental resource for dealing with the complexity of an interconnected society. To this end, crucial topics such as language contact, bilingualism and multilingualism, language interference and interaction, as well as phenomena of applied linguistics, intercultural pragmatics, and discourse analysis will be discussed. The adopted interdisciplinary perspective will integrate the tools of linguistics, cultural studies, media studies, sociology, anthropology and ethnography, thus offering a broad and articulated view of the addressed phenomenon.
Special attention will be given to participants’ personal stories of linguistic and cultural encounters, related to authentic travel, education, art, culinary experiences.

The Summer School offers lectures by international and local experts on:

- Dynamics of cross-cultural communication
- Language contact in the Alpine region
- English tourism discourse
- Linguistic encounters in avant-garde art texts
- Multimodal soundtrack lyrics from TV Series to TikTok

Workshops based on individual and group work are offered on:

- Heritage language multilingualism
- Digital storytelling in practice
- Workshop on linguistic landscapes
- Cultural portfolios and experiential learning
- Linguistic landscapes: foodscapes

International speakers
Prof. Stefania Maci (Department of Foreign Languages, Literatures, and Cultures - University of Bergamo)
Prof. Nadine Kolb (Department of Cultural Studies and Languages -University of Stavanger)
Prof. Franco Baldasso (Italian Studies Program - Bard College)
Prof. Eleonora Buonocore (School of Languages, Linguistics, Literatures and Cultures - University of Calgary)
Prof. Lynn Mastellotto (Dipartimento di Studi Umanistici - Università per Stranieri di Siena)

Workload and Credits
All lectures, seminars and activities are in English.
The program includes approximately 7 hours per day of the activities described above, including visits and social-cultural programs.
All participants will receive a certificate of attendance after satisfactory completion of the in-person part.
Participation in the online session will earn external participants an official UniTrento transcript certifying 6 ECTS.
Two additional credits and an evaluation mark can be awarded for optional extra work to be arranged with the academic coordinator and submitted by 30 September.
Please, refer to the Syllabus and Assessment Tasks document below.
Participation in all activities included in the program is mandatory and attendance will be tracked daily

Course leader

Prof. Sabrina Francesconi (Department of Humanities - UniTrento), in collaboration with the TreLinLab UniTrento

Target group

Participant Background
Admission will be open to a maximum of 25 international senior Bachelor’s degree students (who have finished the 2nd year) and all Master’s degree students from any background related to: applied linguistics, cultural studies, communication studies, media studies, sociology, anthropology, ethnography, or similar, with an interest in languages and cultures.
Participants should be confident in English-language use (B2).

Application Process
The online application tool and instructions for the authentication, will will be accessible starting from 30 March on the SLICE web page.
All students are required to upload their CV, most recent ToR (Transcript of Records), complete identity document, English certificate and a motivation letter.
The Summer School will take place with a minimum number of 10 participants, 80% of which must be international.

Deadlines
Applications by international external students: 30 April 2025
Up to 2 local UniTrento students can be admitted and can apply starting from 10 May, if places are still available.

Participation Costs
If you are selected and come from a University Partner of UniTrento, you will receive a fee waiver.
If you come within the Erasmus+ Programme K131 or the ICM K171 Program, you can also apply for a short-term mobility scholarship. Ask your international office for details.

UniTrento organizes and covers the costs of the social-cultural program consisting of:

- a guided visit of the town;
- a welcome coffee and a farewell lunch;
- a one-day and a half-day outdoor activity;
- a guided visit to a museum or other cultural institutions.

Participants are responsible for covering the following expenses:

- Meals: approximately from 3.10 to 4.90 euros (€) in the university canteen, 15-30 € at a café or restaurant, less if you cook by yourself or with others;
- Housing: approximately 35 €/day in shared accommodation, hints to find one will be sent to prospective participants (on campus housing is not available);
- Travel;
- Transportation expenses once you arrive at UniTrento and in the surrounding area unless you get from your host the Trentino Guest Card;
- Visa and health insurance, if needed (students living outside the European Union).

Accommodation
All participants are responsible for planning and paying for their own lodging during the School.
Details and possible housing solutions will be sent to applicants.
You are recommended to book in advance since the summer period is quite busy

Course aim

By the end of the Summer school, participants:

- will be able to critically discuss language stories from an intercultural perspective
- will have acquired applied knowledge through experiential learning
- can improve communication skills, as well as collaborative skills through teamwork