In cooperation with the students of our Master’s Programs, the Department of English organized on 20 June 2018 the First Junior Conference of the students of English entitled “New Dimensions and Approaches in English Studies”. 24 students of the three Master’s Programs presented their work and research in the field of linguistics, foreign language teaching and methodology of teaching, translation studies, culture and communication studies.
The welcoming remarks were delivered by the Head of the Department of English, Prof. Dr. Viktor Ristani, who highlighted the special importance of this first junior conference in further enriching the students’ extra-curricular experience and expressed his appreciation of the support that the Department of English has received by the Dean of the Faculty.
The participants were also greeted by the Dean of the Faculty of Foreign Languages, Prof. Dr. Artur Sula, who thanked the organizers of this junior conference — the first of its kind for the Faculty of Foreign Languages – and emphasized its significance not only for the Department of English, but also for the Faculty of Foreign Languages. In this context, he expressed his appreciation of the continuous efforts made to offer students the best teaching and educational practices and standards required to cope with the future challenges, as well as contributing towards quality insurance and management in adequately training our students in compliance with the requirements indispensable for the national, regional, and international job market.
The plenary session was followed by a poetry recitation performance during which a group of undergraduate and graduate students greeted the attendants with their recitation of poems by celebrated English-speaking poets, as well as of their own works — written in English and Albanian, which demonstrated another aspect of students’ experience at the Faculty of Foreign Languages, where everyone’s talent and uniqueness is appreciated and given support to develop and grow.
Subsequently, the students made their presentations focusing on the topics prepared and participated in discussions in concurrent sessions according to the specific study and research areas identified. Presentations were followed by questions, discussions, and various suggestions. The conference and the presentations, thanks to their rich variety of research on various areas of English studies, served the students of Masters of Science Programs at the Faculty of Foreign Languages, interested to attend the conference and share their research experiences, hence contributing to the discussions as to how to strengthen and widen their professional and interpersonal cooperation in these areas of expertise, teaching, and scientific research.
