Three students of BA Honours in German Studies of the Department of Modern Languages have been awarded with the University Summer Course Scholarship (Hochschul Sommerkurs Stipendium) by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) to follow a one month course at a German University in July/August 2022.
Gayasha Pavindi Chandraratne - Technische Universität Dresden
Nethmi Sithara Jayasekara - Universität Trier
Malki Sasangi Wijewardhana - Müncheninternationale Hochschule SDI
Punsisi Liyanage of BA Honours in French from the Department of Modern Languages received an Erasmus+ Student Mobility Grant for one academic year at the University of Rouen, Normandy, France from September 2021 to May 2022.
Punsisi obtained excellent grades during his stint in Rouen taking courses related to General Linguistics, French Language and Linguistics, Intercultural Communication, Teaching Methodology and Teaching Practice, as well as foreign languages including Portuguese, Ancient Greek, Latin, Italian, Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, German and Turkish. A gifted language learner, Punsisi is equally competent in French, German and English, and speaks Korean and Japanese in addition to the languages he continued/started at the University of Rouen. Although only 60 ECTS (European Credit Transfer and Accumulating System) are required to be obtained during one academic year (=30 Credits in Sri Lanka), he took several additional courses and accumulated 107 credits at the University of Rouen within two semesters. Currently in his third year at the University of Kelaniya, Punsisi is due to complete his final year during the forthcoming academic year.
He wishes to share his Erasmus experience through this video for the benefit of fellow students who are interested in studying abroad for one or two semesters under an Erasmus grant or any other scholarship.
The Second Module of the University of Siegen Alumni Academy on Blended Education supported by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) was launched on 31st May 2022 online. Over 20 Alumni of the University of Siegen representing all five continents have been selected for this module on analog and digital teaching/learning projects.
The First Module of the Alumni Academy resulted in group projects of the participants following online training sessions on digital teaching in 2021. Senior Professor Neelakshi C. Premawardhena, Director, Centre for International Affairs was a selected participant in the first module. The staff and students of the German, University of Kelaniya were involved in Group Project 2 on A Digital Bridge Across Continents and Cultures involving 41 students and 11 academic staff from China, Egypt, North Macedonia, and Sri Lanka.
Senior Professor Neelakshi C. Premawardhena, Director, Centre for International has also been selected as a participant for this second phase of the Alumni Academy. She is involved in Group 2 on Language and Communication. Group 2 comprising Alumni from Cameroon, Philippines, Ghana, Thailand, North Macedonia, and Sri Lanka selected the proposal of Prof. Premawardhena on "Folklore: The Global Aspects" to develop analog and digital teaching modules for students of each country.
The proposed project aims to focus on socio-cultural sustainability, tracing back to the oral traditions that made a society adhere to different norms and traditions. The values of a society and the beliefs, and heroic acts of different rulers including kings have been passed down from one generation to the other by way of folklore. When analyzing the tradition of folklore in each society, there are similarities as well as differences and unique features to each culture to be identified. In most countries oral traditions including folk tales, folk songs, and ballads appear to fade away due to the advancement of technology and shift of interest, thus creating a void in the values and one’s own heritage to pass down to the future generations. Folklore is one’s heritage and thus has to be preserved in an attractive way to the present and future generations of children and young adults. If the society loses its strong bonds with the culture and heritage, a system may collapse because values, customs, and traditions as well as ethics that form the culture are essential to bringing society forward.
The module will be concluded in September 2022.
