Ilisimatusarfik increases focus on education and research in the Greenlandic language

Ilisimatusarfik is launching a comprehensive reform of the university's two language programs at the Institute of Culture, Language & History: the bachelor's and master's program in Language, Literature & Media and the bachelor's program in Translation & Interpreting.

The need to educate more teachers of Greenlandic for the teacher training program and high schools, language developers for Oqaasileriffik, and interpreters and translators etc. is increasing - and there is a need to change both the content and focus of the programs, so they target the needs of society. At the same time, the number of master graduates from the Language, Literature & Media program who choose to specialize in the Greenlandic language has been declining for several years. This has made it difficult to maintain research in the field and, in conjunction, teaching of Greenlandic language and literature at university level.

The reform therefore consists of a comprehensive revision of the curriculum of the two language programs, which will result in two new curricula coming into force from semester start, September 2024.

The program in Language, Literature & Media, which in the new curriculum changes name to Kalaallisut Oqaatsinillu Ilisimatusarneq - Greenlandic & Linguistics, will still educate teachers for GUX and the teacher training program with skills in both language, literature and, to a lesser extent, other cultural expressions - but will have a stronger focus on the Greenlandic language.

However, for the current program in Language, Literature & Media, the reform work requires that the enrolment of new students on the current curriculum is stopped for one year - in 2023. Therefore, new students will not be enrolled until 2024, and they will be educated according to the new curriculum.

For the Translation & Interpreting program, students will still be enrolled in 2023 - and from 2024, new enrolled students will follow the new curriculum. In the context of developing the curriculum for the Translation & Interpreting program, work is being done at the same time to develop continuing education opportunities for graduated bachelors.

In 2021, Ilisimatusarfik opened a language research centre at the Institute of Culture, Language & History, which is gradually being built up through its connected projects. In 2023, the head of the centre, associate professor Naja Blytmann Trondhjem, will also participate in the development work on the reform of the language programs, and the centre will also assist to ensure that research projects in the language field are anchored at Ilisimatusarfik and contribute to ensuring the research base of the programs in the field.

With these initiatives, the Institute of Culture, Language & History hopes to create a sustainable basis for teaching and research in Greenlandic - and to educate enough researchers, teachers, interpreters and translators to strengthen and increase the use and development of the language to a greater extent than today.