The Expansion of English-medium Instruction in the Nordic Countries.Can Top-Down University Language Polices Encourage Bottom-up Disciplinary Literacy Goals?
Recently, in the wake of the Bologna Declaration and similar internationalinitiatives, there has been a rapid increase in the number of university courses and programmestaught through the medium of English. Surveys have consistently shown theNordic countries to be at the forefront of this trend towards English-medium instruction(EMI). In this paper, we discuss the introduction of EMI in four Nordic countries (Denmark,Finland, Norway and Sweden). We present the educational setting and the EMIdebate in each of these countries and summarize relevant research findings. We then makesome tentative suggestions for the introduction of EMI in higher education in othercountries. In particular, we are…
Introduction : spaces of upset in the Nordic region
Abstract This introductory article opens the thematic issue Spaces of Upset in the Nordic Region. It introduces the contributions of the issue, outlines the concepts that unite them, and discusses the sociolinguistic area in which they are set: the Nordic region. Centering on Denmark, Finland and Sweden, the article offers an overview of some of the sociolinguistic, ideological and political characteristics of the region and the countries it comprises. The Nordic region is widely seen as a paradigm case of social stability, consensus and cohesion. This vision is, however, a mirage. To be sure, upset often lingers below the discursive veneer of Nordic harmony, concord and agreement. Breaking…