About

On behalf of the Association of University Language Communities in the UK & Ireland, Durham University is delighted to be the host of the 18^th bi-annual CercleS conference.  CercleS (www.cercles.org) is the confederation of language centres in higher education in Europe, a representative association with over 400 University members across 14 countries, including 12 national associations.

The CercleS conference is an excellent opportunity for those involved in languages education to come together every two years and to share ongoing activities, and to discuss ongoing challenges and opportunities, at an international level.  The 2024 conference takes place 12-14 September 2024, and we anticipate 200-300 delegates to join us over 3 days.  In addition to the conference itself, we will host meetings of the CercleS Executive Committee and Coordinating Committee, the General Meeting of CercleS, various of the CercleS Focus Groups, a conference dinner, and social-cultural excursion.  For the conference itself we will welcome four keynote speakers, with a series of oral presentations, workshops and a poster session to allow colleagues to share their work, be it the results of research, or ongoing development of innovations in teaching and learning.

We look forward to welcoming a range of delegates from across CercleS, and in particular are keen to welcome contributions and participation from teachers across Europe and beyond.  The Call for Papers is to be issued very soon.  Registration for the conference itself should open in February, with discounted rates for participants from CercleS member institutions.  Participants from institutions who are not members of CercleS are also welcome to attend, recognising the conference will focus on the teaching in language centres and related language programmes in higher education.

You will find further information on these web pages regarding the planned conference programme, registration, accommodation and travel to the UK.  The conference will be multilingual, and will be a celebration of multilingualism and the rich tapestry of languages we collectively learn, teach and speak across our continent.  We look forward to welcoming you all to Durham, and to the United Kingdom, in September 2024.

Mark Critchley

Director, Centre for Foreign Language Study, Durham University

Chair, Association of University Language Communities in the UK & Ireland