The School of Languages has organised a final dissemination workshop on the Language and Communication in Specific Domains: Negotiating Multilingualism and Constructing Identities Project. The project which falls under the Reinvigorating Humanities Research (REHURE- UG) Project, is funded by the Andrew Mellow Foundation.
Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Nana Aba Appiah Amfo, in brief remarks at the workshop, congratulated the researchers at the School for the enthusiasm and hard work put in to ensure the execution of the subsequent papers. She recalled the process of putting together the team that wrote the proposal which won the $800,000 grant to fund the Project, during her tenure as Dean of the School of Languages. Prof. Amfo was also impressed with the reputable outlets in which the papers have been published and commended all who worked to see the climax of the Project.
Prof. Nana Aba Appiah Amfo
Prof. Samuel Adjei-Mensah, Principal Investigator, REHURE-UG and Director, Centre for Teaching and Learning Innovation, expressed gratitude to the Vice-Chancellor and Prof. Dzodzi Tsikata, Director, Institute of African Studies, for leading the initiative to get seven (7) units in the College of Humanities to benefit from the Andrew Mellow Foundation support, instead of the initial plan of the funding few individuals. He explained that 10 early and mid-career researchers of the College and the Centres for Aging, Asian and Latin American Studies were supported with funds from the REHURE-UG Project. Prof. Adjei-Mensah urged the researchers to lean towards interdisciplinary writing collaborations.
Prof. Samuel Adjei-Mensah
The Project Lead, Prof. Josephine Dzahene-Quarshie, presented a report which covered an overview of the Project, update on the publications arising from the Project and the contributing factors to its success. She stated that the Covid-19 pandemic was a major setback to the Project, as conferences of colleagues were cancelled, project programmes postponed and data collection stalled, due to the lockdown. She expressed profound appreciation to the Andrew Mellow Foundation for immensely supporting the Project.
Prof. Josephine Dzahene-Quarshie
Earlier in a welcome address, Prof. Ildiko Csajbok-Twerefou, Head, Department of Modern Languages who represented the Provost of the College of Humanities and the Dean of School of Languages warmly welcomed the workshop participants. In the speech read on behalf of the Dean of the School of Languages, Prof. Helen Yitah, she noted that the School welcomes and supports any initiative that contributes to the realisation of the University’s vision of becoming a world-class-research-intensive university.
She indicated that funding from the Andrew Mellow Foundation has supported the Enhancing Capacity and Post-Graduate Education in the Humanities, UG Project (CARPE-UG) and the REHURE-UG Project. “The report I have received so far states that the Project has achieved impressive success. I honour all who have played a part in this success”, Prof. Yitah said.
A 10-minute video of beneficiaries sharing their experiences was aired during the workshop. Mr. Mauke Adjei, Research Assistant of the Language and Communication in Specific Domains: Negotiating Multilingualism and Constructing Identities Project, moved the vote of thanks.
In attendance were Prof. Evershed Amuzu, Director, Language Centre and Head of the team that wrote the proposal for the Language and Communication in Specific Domains: Negotiating Multilingualism and Constructing Identities Project and Dr. Sarah Marjie, Kiswahili Section Coordinator.
Heads of Departments, beneficiaries of the Project and faculty and staff of School of Languages were also present.
