Who we are, where we are located, and how long we have existed
The Faculty of Philology is one of the seventeen faculties of the University of Banja Luka, and its primary purpose is to provide education, conduct research and organise academic studies of langage, literature and culture at three levels, bachelor, master and doctoral.
The Faculty of Philology was founded in 2009, after the decision to establish an independent institution by joining the philology-based study programmes then offered by the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Banja Luka. It is located on the university campus, at Bulevar vojvode Petra Bojovića 1a.
The teaching and research at the Faculty are organised according to area. General language and literature studies, Serbian and foreign philologies, and cultural studies represent the main areas of teaching and research at the Faculty of Philology.
The study programmes we offer
The Faculty of Philology offers six study programmes, more specifically:
– Serbian Language and Literature;
– English Language and Literature;
– German Language and Literature;
– Italian Language and Literature;
– French Language and Literature and Latin Language;
– Russian and Serbian Language and Literature.
The languages studied in these programmes are Serbian, English, German, Italian, French and Russian. Alongside the languages, the programmes focus on the literatures and cultures of the countries and peoples in which the listed languages are spoken as native.
The Faculty of Philology also has native language chairs for Czech, Slovenian and Chinese.
The Faculty of Philology has a Language centre as one of its units. The Faculty also offers foreign language courses not only to students, but also to all friends of the University of Banja Luka.
Why the Faculty of Philology is one of the most important institutions in the higher education sector
The Faculty of Philology provides a sound and extensive knowledge of language, literature and culture. By completing one of our study programmes, young people acquire a teaching qualification and a spectrum of skills and competences necessary to respond to the many challenges posed by the world today.
The basic teaching competences acquired at the Faculty are the knowledge of language, literature and culture, as studied in the framework of discrete philological disciplines, whether local or foreign. By acquiring humanistic and philological knowledge, students develop creativity, communicative competence, productivity, critical awareness, and other qualities necessary for educators and other professionals.
Mission
The mission of the Faculty of Philology is, first and foremost, to provide education and do research. This implies continued educational and scientific activity and the transmission of philological knowledge, skills and competences to generations of students. Among other things, the Faculty enables its professors and teaching assistants to remain committed to research and individual professional development.
The Faculty stays dedicated to the study and preservation of national linguistic, literary and cultural values, to which end it permanently advances its teaching and research practice and organises its activities at a highest scientific and academic level. Also, by studying some of the world’s most widespread and important languages, it works towards the goal of participating and being visible in the world of science and education in the broadest international context.
Our greatest achievements to date
The major achievement of the educational and research activities conducted at the Faculty of Philology is generations of university graduates in Serbian, English, German, Italian, French and Russian philology.
The Faculty of Philology has been an independent institution since 2009. Nonetheless, most of its departments have existed for significantly longer, as they previously belonged to the Faculty of Philosophy, which was founded in 1994.
What also makes us visible is the numerous research conferences regularly hosted by the Faculty, our independent and developed publishing activities, and our international collaboration with a host of European universities.
The Faculty takes part in a range of regional and European projects, which afford opportunities for our students and faculty to get scholarships, go on exchanges and study trips, and develop at partner universities and faculties. These opportunities are both available and significant to us because of our knowledge and study of world languages and their respective literatures and cultures.
What sets us apart from others
What makes the Faculty of Philology different is our graduates’ educational profile, the special nature of philological studies, and the importance and role of our alumni in present-day society, culture and education.
Philology is a discipline that involves a systematic and scientific, as well as teaching-oriented, study of languages, literatures and cultures. General philological studies, in combination with national philologies, make our Faculty distinct and an institution of choice for those seeking to commit to learning about and working in this field.
Studying at the Faculty of Philology is special thanks to the wide range of fields and disciplines we are jointly dedicated to. A scientific approach to the study of language, literary interpretation and the acquisition of teaching and other creative skills and competences are the most important aspects and distinguishing characteristics of studying at our Faculty.
Upon graduation, the alumni of the Faculty of Philology in Banja Luka are qualified to teach a language or languages and their respective literatures – Serbian, English, German, Italian, French and/or Russian, but they find employment in a range of sectors. Today, they do a wide array of important and socially responsible jobs, from those in education and culture, to those related to science and research, to those in administration and politics.
Vision
Philology has only been studied at the University of Banja Luka for a relatively short time, but it has produced positive and lasting results. We provide higher education and carry out research in this scientific discipline through three study cycles, bachelor, master and doctoral; we have created a stimulating work setting and conditions for research (library, scientific publications/journals and bases, research conferences); and we have also established international and inter-university collaboration.
What we hope to accomplish
The Faculty of Philology seeks to continue to develop its human resources and logistics capacity in the areas of education and research, in order to bequeath to the generations to come a quality, operational, nationally accountable, and internationally recognised and networked system of philological studies.
