As documented by the growing number of publications in Czech and Slovak in the last years, there is a vivid interest in the field in Central Europe, too. The author of this project holds the view that it is important especially for future teachers of foreign languages to have clear ideas about certain interdependencies between the use of several different languages and social structure. Some of these interdependencies which are the subject of bilingual studies are: (i) interdependencies between the prestige of certain languages and the social status of the speaker's group; (ii) interdependencies between language and group identity; (iii) interdependencies between language attitudes and actual language use in certain social domains; (iv) interdependencies between language attitudes and second language learning; (v) the position of the foreign language taught at school within the international communication.
In order to draw students' attention to questions like the ones mentioned above, the author of the project offers since the summer term 2006 a facultative course in bilingualism. However, the momentary state of the curriculum is not satisfactory. It would be necessary to include the results of resent research and especially to put more emphasize on questions of language attitudes and the role of language in forming personal identity, questions which might be of crucial importance for foreign language teachers.
The aim of the project is thus to gain financial support for the acquisition of some resent handbooks on bilingualism and further specialized studies on language attitudes and group identity based on language. Given the availability of the literature, it will be possible to update and enlarge the curriculum of the course in order to fit European standards. In addition, it will be possible in the future to supply students with the necessary literature for their individual studies and eventually to stimulate bachelor or master theses in the field.

Results

The aim of the project "Innovation of the course Bilingualism" was to update the curriculum of the course. Thanks to the financial support of the Czech Fond four University Development (FRVŠ), it was possible to acquire new contemporary scientific literature in the field of bilingualism which provided the basis for new teaching materials, students' presentations, seminar papers and thesis' and for writing an article on the subject in the department's journal "Brünner Hefte". The literature which has been acquired (including several foreign publications) is now located in the faculty's library where it can be consulted by students and teachers of the MU.