"university" blog posts
GALLERY: Marking thirty years since the fall of the Berlin Wall
Berlin has just concluded a ‘festival week’ of art installations, performances, exhibitions, talks, tours, workshops and concerts to celebrate the fall of the Berlin Wall 30 years ago: over 200 events in total. One of the main attractions was the installation ‘Visions in Motion’: a fluttering overhead carpet of 30,000 coloured ribbons, on which Berliners and visitors, young and old, had written their wishes, hopes and visions for the future. It was a mesmerising sight, providing spectacular scenery for the main evening extravaganza at the Brandenburg Gate on 9 November. But what does this tell us about 1989? Is this not too gimmicky – too light on history? Professor Anna Saunders, Head of the Department of Modern Languages and Cultures, examines the history of this anniversary.
Posted on: 11 November 2019
Sylwia's Erasmus adventure in Liverpool
My name is Sylwia, and I’m a French student in \"Langues Etrangères Appliquées\" (Applied Languages English and German with a focus on Law, Economy and Literature) from Sorbonne-Université. My taste for adventure led me to do my Erasmus year abroad at the University of Liverpool where I study International Business and German with a specialisation in marketing to prepare me for my future Master’s.
Posted on: 14 May 2019
Language Stories in Liverpool — Portuguese
Languages Stories in Liverpool is a new project set up to highlight the broad spectrum of international languages and cultures in our great city. Sarah Blohm, Juliet Boardman, Hannah Bone, Olivia Phillips uncover Liverpool's relationship with the Portuguese culture.
Posted on: 8 May 2019
Student delivered Portuguese taster sessions offered to local schools
Ana Bela Almeida, Lecturer in Portuguese at the University of Liverpool reflects on the benefits of the ‘Portuguese language taster’ presentation as an assessment for final year Portuguese students and as an opportunity to increase school pupils’ knowledge of languages at University.
Posted on: 18 December 2018
Young speakers of Mexican indigenous languages: contesting language ideologies and policies
Based in Mexico and situated within the broad area of sociolinguistic inquiry into languages in situations of endangerment, Lucia Brandi's research investigates how the institutionalisation of language rights is reconfiguring discourses of indigeneity, reframing cultural and linguistic diversity as state patrimony, and embedding generic notions of indigeneity into Mexican national identity. Such discourses are contextualised as policy responses to increasing unrest and mobilisations which Lucia argues have effectively instrumentalised linguistic and cultural identity in the pursuit of social goals since the late 20th century.
Posted on: 10 December 2018
Outsider Insiders: Francis Alÿs and Melanie Smith at Liverpool Biennial
As the Liverpool Biennial draws to a close, Dr Niamh Thornton highlights the work of two artists who moved from Europe to Mexico, and considers Mexico as a place with a long tradition of welcoming outsiders.
Posted on: 24 October 2018
‘Beautiful world, where are you?’ - film director, Agnès Varda, at Liverpool Biennial
French and English student, Paige Johnson, explores the work of pioneering French New Wave director, Agnès Varda at Liverpool Biennial.
Posted on: 16 October 2018
Was there a World Cup without Italy?
The 2018 World Cup came to an end on Sunday having seen many surprises: the elimination of top teams, such as Germany, Spain and Argentina, in the early stages as well as England reaching the semi-finals, and Croatia their first final, losing to France, who won their second title after twenty years.
Posted on: 19 July 2018
Exploring translation, diversity and gender
In light of Emily Wilson's translation of the Odyssey, which is the first translation into English by a woman, Niamh Thornton and Lyn Marven reflect on translation and diversity.
Posted on: 11 July 2018
France and football since 1998
France’s World Cup victory in 1998 was seen not only as a sporting triumph, but as a political, social and cultural one as well. In one of the lectures I give on the French Fifth Republic, as part of our first-year Introduction to French Studies module, I always include some discussion of France’s World Cup win. It’s always at this point in the lecture when I start to feel old, realising that our students are either too young to remember the World Cup of 1998, or weren’t even born!
Posted on: 18 June 2018
Germany and the language of football
Veronika Koeper-Saul discusses the linguistic idiosyncrasies that have arisen from perspectives of the beautiful game in Germany: from 1954 World Cup winning manager Sepp Herberger's blunt motivational words, to former Bayern Munich manager Giovanni Trappatoni's infamous press conference rant.
Posted on: 14 June 2018
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Slaves of Fashion: Indian textiles, new artwork and French colonial history
It was in January 2014 that I first met The Singh Twins. They had conceived a project for a number of new artworks that would explore the history of Indian textiles and, having read my work on the French colonial presence in India, wanted to discuss British and French rivalry in India before 1799 as well as the role that Indian textiles played in revolutionising European fashions in the eighteenth century.
Posted on: 9 May 2018
Join us for a celebration of French culture with Francophone Week
May 1968 was a period of significant civil unrest in France, with widespread protests across the country causing a temporary shutdown of government. The mouvement sparked an explosion of French music, art and culture which still resonates with the public today. Fifty years on, we're hosting a Francophone Week series of events to celebrate the best in French culture: from art to fashion, cinema to music.
Posted on: 26 February 2018
Austrian Artist Petra Sterry Visits us for the Second Time!
Petra Sterry comes to visit second-year students, creating postcards that will feature in her exhibition later this year.
Posted on: 23 February 2018
From Liverpool to Palermo: Molly's Year Abroad
Hispanic Studies and Italian graduate Molly Davis reflects on her exciting adventure studying in Spain and Italy.
Posted on: 5 February 2018
Three things I love about 'Call me by your name'
We're looking forward to the Oscars! Here's Italian language assistant, Margaret Petrarca, to tell us why she loves 'Call me by your name' - nominated for four awards and directed by Italian director, Luca Guadagnino.
Posted on: 31 January 2018
Our top tips to beat the Blue Monday blues this January
January blues can be tough. But what should you do when Blue Monday comes around when you're trying to prepare for your exams?
Posted on: 15 January 2018
Year abroad vlog - Erin's experience in Germany
Meet Erin Kearns in Bonn, Germany! It sounds like Erin has had a great time on the first part of her year abroad - it's given her a lot of confidence and a feeling of independence too.
Posted on: 18 December 2017
Metropolis - 'the mother of sci-fi cinema' 90 years on
As human beings, we are always fascinated by the future - and Metropolis is the original and perhaps greatest film about a city of the future.
Posted on: 9 November 2017
Contradictions, counter-cultures and 'a rural world of mythical force' - film festival highlights
As we gear up for the start of the Liverpool Iberian and Latin American Festival on 26 October, three of the team behind the festival have chosen some of their top highlights.
Posted on: 24 October 2017
Toussaint Louverture - enigmatic, incendiary and a global icon?
It was in 1998, the year of the sesquicentenary of the abolition of slavery in the French colonial Empire, that I first became very interested in Toussaint Louverture.
Posted on: 20 October 2017
Lives beyond the headlines – Liverpool Iberian and Latin American Film Festival
We are always looking for new ways of sharing Iberian and Latin American culture with Liverpool audiences and enriching the experience of our students. Since 2006, we have organised a week of events and activities for students and the public, focusing on the Portuguese-speaking world and Spanish, Basque and Catalan-speaking cultures. This year we have put together a Liverpool Iberian and Latin American Film Festival, after being awarded the Spanish Film Club grant by the U.S. distributors PRAGDA.
Posted on: 10 October 2017
An alternative to the awards season: three Latin American films to watch
It's awards season, so we asked Dr Niamh Thornton to choose her top three Latin American films released in 2016, as an alternative to the Hollywood heavyweights!
Posted on: 25 January 2017
Beat stress and visit these top places to chill out in Liverpool
January blues can be tough. But what should you do when Blue Monday comes around when you're trying to prepare for your exams?
Posted on: 16 January 2017