Over 150 world universities offer Catalan studies courses

Catalan studies courses are to be found in more than 150 universities around the world, as part of the University Network of Catalan Studies Abroad. Run by the Ramon Llull Institute (IRL in Catalan), the network currently allows some 6,200 students to do courses on Catalan language and culture at all levels in 30 countries in Europe, the Americas, Asia and Oceania.

Yet, the IRL is also keen to consolidate the network in Spain. Apart from coordinating with the government of Valencia to expand the network, the Autonomous University of Madrid will now join the six other Spanish institutions providing Catalan courses, with another two set to join in the 2018-2019 academic year. Meanwhile, another long-term priority of the IRL is to develop courses outside university campuses.

Of all the universities around the world offering Catalan studies, some 18% are among the top 100, according to the Shanghai Ranking, with another 63% among the top 500. With 21 universities each, the United States and the United Kingdom are the countries that offer the most Catalan studies courses, followed by Germany with 20. Meanwhile, some 19 universities in the network offer specialized courses in the field of Catalan studies.

At the same time, the Institute provides support to 87 educational institutions in hiring teaching staff, while also contributing to the spread of Catalan studies in the academic sphere, with professorships and study centers in universities like Harvard, London’s Queen Mary University, CUNY in New York, the University of Chicago and the Sorbonne in Paris.