Talking with Josep Maria Castellà, member of the Language Teaching and Learning Research Group (GR@EL). As dean of the Faculty of Humanities, he has been a driving force behind the creation of the new bachelor's degree programme in Global Studies, beginning in 2016-2017.

- Why was a bachelor's degree programme in Global Studies necessary?

Until now, International Relations bachelor's degree programmes were the only option for covering issues affecting the entire planet, and their perspective on the world revolves around states and the relationships between them. We've been modifying that outlook for a number of years now. The new Global Studies programme aims to focus on phenomena such as migration, terrorism, climate change and culture shock. They're challenges that require everyone to work together to organize harmonious coexistence in the world, but which can't be resolved purely on the basis of agreements between states. Additionally, each of the problems in question has a local interpretation, and we want the different ways of seeing such phenomena to be the programme's distinguishing feature.

    "There are problems that can't be resolved purely on the basis of agreements between states"

- Is that why you're aiming to attract international students?

We want to have a sizeable international contingent among our students, and there are three ways we're trying to make that happen. Firstly, lectures will be taught in English. Secondly, student mobility, through agreements with foreign universities that also teach Global Studies, will be a compulsory part of the programme. Lastly, we're looking to bring non-EU students to UPF to take the entire programme here. That should make each classroom a real forum for debate on global phenomena.  

- We're talking about a transdisciplinary programme. Is that a formula that guarantees greater competitiveness?

Absolutely. After years of focusing on specialization, we know that transdisciplinary analysis is the best way to understand global phenomena. That's very important. It's also a formula that offers students a wide range of knowledge related to fields as diverse as economics, politics, law, communication and humanities. 

"We're looking to make each classroom a real forum for debate on global phenomena"

- What sort of positive effect will the Global Studies programme have on humanities courses?

There'll be a mutual positive effect, as there's a high level of compatibility between the Global Studies and Humanities bachelor's degree programmes. Global Studies is a new option for humanities students, who readily embrace mobility and international cooperation activities. At the same time, our humanistic perspective will ensure the new programme isn't just a mass of technical knowledge. There are synergies in the case of the other courses involved too, and they could lead to simultaneous study programmes.

- Globalization is often associated with a threat to cultural diversity. Is it possible to turn that round and cast globalization in a positive light?

Globalization is never total. It happens in a range of areas but, at the same time, it generates local reactions involving the reaffirmation of identity. Responding in such a way is part of the nature of societies and a common psychological reaction in human beings. The dialectic in question actually goes back a long way, as there were empires that pursued globalization even before the birth of Christ. It's just that current technological progress allows globalization to take place faster and more effectively.   

"The challenge lies in revitalizing the humanities without weakening their pillars"

- Is Barcelona the global setting par excellence?

It's one of the great examples among the world's cities. The appeal Barcelona holds for tourists is superficial compared to the interest created by the interrelation and fusion of the cultures that coexist in a city where more than 200 languages are spoken. Few places in the world can rival Barcelona's huge appeal as a place to live for a while.

- Globalization also entails minority languages being eclipsed by the widespread use of stronger languages, such as English. What's Catalan's situation in that respect?

In the past, a language could survive for millennia with just a few speakers who rarely had dealings with speakers of other tongues. That helped preserve their language, although it meant their community had little contact with other cultures. Nowadays, globalization is a source of enrichment, but it's also a threat to the existence of such languages. Having said that, each language's circumstances are different. If a language has a large community of speakers with plenty of self-esteem and its level of cultural output is healthy, it'll continue to be used despite globalization. Catalan is one of the world's leading examples in that regard, and that generates great intellectual appeal.

"Globalization is never total; it generates local reactions involving the reaffirmation of identity"

- What projects is the Faculty of Humanities currently working on?

We've got a dual objective at the moment. We need to reinforce the foundations of humanistic knowledge and, at the same time, take advantage of new technologies and internationalization to revitalize the humanities. The challenge lies in achieving that without weakening their pillars. That's where digital humanities come in.

- What are digital humanities exactly?

The concept is very broad. On the one hand, it refers to the use of digital media as tools for research in the fields of art, literature, history and philosophy. That means databases, large collections of information, automatic search systems and other resources that help analysts work with corpora. On the other hand, it can also be applied to dissemination and communication. All museums now use digital tools, be it on their premises or on their websites, and it's important that the people programming them be familiar with the content they're dealing with. That brings us back to transdisciplinarity.

Interview published at UPF.EDU Magazine, number 9