University College Cork, School of Languages, Literatures and Cultures

21/05/2026

Students-as-Partners in action: Co-creating intercultural learning experiences

SUMMARY

Dr Céire Broderick, Christine Montané, Nikola Tallova and Louise Tormey presented their SATLE funded project Enhancing student experience and intercultural competence through community-based learning at the SLLC Teaching and Learning event at UCC on May 14th.

This collaborative initiative brought together:
🎓 Final-year French students
🎓 SLLC MA students (Migration, Mobility and Culture / Women Studies)
🤝 Community partner BRIJ charity
🌍 International Protection Applicants in Cork

Between November 2025 and April 2026, participants co-designed and co-delivered four creative and intercultural workshops.
Students acted as co-designers, facilitators and contributors to curriculum development, engaging in plurilingual and reflective practices.
The project highlights the value of community-based learning in developing both academic and transferable skills, while creating meaningful opportunities for intercultural dialogue.

Grounded in experiential learning and Students-as-Partners approaches, the project fostered:
✅ Student engagement
✅ Intercultural competence
✅ Inclusion and solidarity

💬
"My participation in this project will aid in my openness to new ideas and belief systems that I had not considered before; I will carry this experience with me throughout the rest of my studies". (Extract from student feedback)

13/05/2026

This event, part of a SATLE-funded project, brought together asylum seekers and UCC students of French, Spanish and Migration.

The intercultural session offered an inclusive way for students and community participants to express themselves through any means that they chose, sharing their different talents after enjoying lunch together. We had songs, dances and even some words of encouragement to boost everyone’s mood. We had approximately 60 participants of different languages, ages and backgrounds were encouraged to connect in a space where we could celebrate our cultural specificities. Some performed and some supported them from the audience.

The session demonstrated the value of accessible creative practices in supporting inclusion, well-being, and community building. We are so grateful to Megan Luddy who captured the experience graphically for us. More to follow on this!

This creative and dynamic session was facilitated by UCC students who operated as MCs and facilitators. The students leads ensured a relaxed atmosphere throughout and that all who participated, both young and less young, felt encouraged and welcome.

12/05/2026

The Department of Italian is delighted to offer a face-to-face intensive Italian language course at ABSOLUTE BEGINNERS level, commencing in May 2026

Deadline for applications is Wednesday 13th of May.

More information available:
https://www.ucc.ie/en/italian/intensive_courses/

08/05/2026

The event is part of a SATLE funded project bringing together asylum seekers and UCC students of French, Spanish and Migration.

The intercultural workshop offered an inclusive way for students and community participants to express themselves through music, movement and dance.
Participants of different languages, ages and backgrounds were encouraged to connect in a space where verbal communication is not essential.

The session demonstrated the value of accessible creative practices in supporting inclusion, well-being, and community building, while experiencing the joy of moving together.

This creative and dynamic session was facilitated by Cork-based choreographer, dance teacher, and facilitator Tina Horan. Tina's practice focuses on connecting participants to both their physical and mental well-being through mindful and fun movement.

08/05/2026

On Today's NewsTALK podcast, Dr Kevin Cawley was interviewed by Seán Moncrieff about an ongoing issue between North and South Korea - the way each country articulates or describes the other. Do they use their official names, or politically loaded names instead?
Listen here:
https://www.newstalk.com/podcasts/highlights-from-moncrieff/how-do-the-two-koreas-describe-each-other

29/04/2026

The School of Languages, Literatures and Cultures is very pleased to be able to offer the MA Excellence scholarship to a full time student enrolled on one of our five taught MA programmes on offer in 2026-27 (MA in Asian Studies, MA in Teaching Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages (MATCSOL), MA in Migration, Mobility and Culture, MA in Translation Studies and the MA in Applied Linguistics).

Scholarship applications are now open: https://www.ucc.ie/en/scholarships/postgraduate/artspg/artspgsllcma/
SLLC Excellence Scholarships (Masters) | University College Cork. The deadline for applications is Friday 5th June 2026.

21/04/2026

Stories to Create, Collaging Workshop

The event is part of a SATLE funded project bringing together asylum seekers and UCC students of French, Spanish and Migration.

This workshop explored the theme of spring through collaborative collage-making, encouraging creative expression and intercultural exchange.
Participants (SLLC, UCC students and International Protection Applicants) worked in mixed groups to produce two collective collages. Distinct creative approaches emerged, with some groups engaging in structured planning and others adopting a more intuitive process. Both approaches resulted in meaningful and diverse outcomes.

Such activities demonstrate the value of accessible creative practices in supporting inclusion, well-being, and community building, while fostering dialogue and shared understanding.

“Through creativity, we build bridges between experiences, stories, and people.”

17/04/2026

17/04/2026

The Department of Italian is delighted to offer a face-to-face intensive Italian language course at ABSOLUTE BEGINNERS level, commencing in May 2026

Please follow the link for more information: https://www.ucc.ie/en/italian/intensive_courses/

01/04/2026

Italian & Portuguese Summer Camps

More information available on the link below:

https://languagesconnect.ie/summer-camps/