Arts, Humanities and Lifelong Learning
16:05 - 17:25 | Lecture Room 203 (Level 2)
Chair: Prof. Gordon Calleja
Dr Anabel Said
Department of French, Faculty of Arts
The literary representation of suffering is a delicate task, in which aesthetic choices intersect with ethical questions. This presentation draws on my research on the francophone Mediterranean and sub-Saharan migration literature in an attempt to answer a focused question: what narrative strategies are used to put into words the multi-layered experience of migration, and what do they ask of the reader?
Taking Tahar Ben Jelloun’s novel ‘Partir’ (2006) as a case study, I argue that the author deliberately disturbs the reader, generating an ethical unsettlement - a discomfort that resists simplistic framings of migration and of the migrant - while opening a space of contemplation. This unsettlement is sustained not only through theme, but also through form. To make the reader see the human being hidden behind the Other, Ben Jelloun opts for a creative process designed to instil suspension, uncertainty and reflection.
The analysis centres on three aspects. First, the novel’s multi-perspectival structure and character miscellany present migration as a fraught dilemma. Ben Jelloun refrains from offering a single, limpid storyline, preferring multiplicity to generate ambivalence and move away from didacticism. Second, ‘Partir’ destabilises the boundary between reality and illusion through an anchored, realist setting and the intrusion of the fantastic. And third, the novel resists delivering a comforting closure by leaving lives hanging and ending on a decidedly improbable note. Fractures remain unresolved, echoing the unfinished quality of the migratory experience and keeping the reader in a lingering state of questioning, thus making hesitation itself part of the reading experience.
Dr Glen Bonnici
Department of Italian, Faculty of Arts
The presentation provides a structured account of my completed doctoral studies on metareferential Italian cinema from 1993 to 2023. It investigates how films continue to draw attention to their own construction and how this device invites inquiries into reality and identity. The project begins with a review of the main positions in current criticism, with attention to the role of metareferentiality in a cultural context marked by strong awareness of representational choices. This section clarifies how theories from sociology, philosophy, literature and theatre studies influence film analysis.
The work then surveys a wide corpus of films produced in Italy over the last three decades. It identifies recurrent strategies and places them in five categories: metacinema, intertextual and intermedial relations, documentary procedures, genre play and authorial metareferentiality. This mapping highlights continuities and changes across the period and provides a framework for further research.
The close analysis focuses on Giuseppe Tornatore, Nanni Moretti and Paolo Sorrentino. Tornatore uses insular spaces to examine how individuals structure memory and perception through frames and devices. Moretti constructs an unstable authorial presence that interacts with political, social and cultural spheres. Sorrentino presents identity as a task that involves careful fabrication. Each case shows how a sustained engagement with metareferentiality forms part of the director’s narrative design and personal vision.
My study argues that metareferentiality serves as a critical tool that allows Italian cinema to interrogate itself while also offering insight into the ways individuals and communities create experience and meaning.
Dr Jessica Nieder
Institute of Linguistics and Language Technology
This project explores an interdisciplinary approach to teaching and research at the intersection of linguistics and computer science, responding to the growing role of digital technologies in language-related research and education. By integrating computational and machine-learning methods with traditional linguistic analysis, the project aims to create a cohesive learning experience that reflects contemporary research practices while remaining accessible to students and early career researchers from diverse academic backgrounds.
Central to the project is the use of digital tools as complementary resources that enhance analytical skills, methodological awareness, and critical engagement with language data. The initiative places strong emphasis on early exposure to open science practices, fostering competencies in collaboration, transparency, and digital scholarship that are increasingly essential in modern research environments. International collaboration is a key component, bringing together scholars and student groups across institutions to encourage cross-border knowledge exchange and interdisciplinary dialogue.
The project will be implemented through a hybrid lecture and talk series featuring expert-led sessions on computational and machine-learning approaches to language research. A student conference will provide a platform for research exchange and the development of science communication skills, while collaborative meetings will support sustained teamwork among participating institutions. Project outputs include an open-access textbook, research blog posts, and recorded lectures, ensuring long-term accessibility and impact beyond the project’s duration.
Expected outcomes include the establishment of an adaptable interdisciplinary teaching model, strengthened research and teaching collaborations, and increased engagement of students and early career researchers in digital and open research practices. Overall, the project contributes to innovation in higher education and supports broader goals of digital transformation and interdisciplinary research.
Prof. Marvin Formosa
Department of Gerontology and Dementia Studies, Faculty for Social Wellbeing
The University of the Fourth, established by UM in 2019, provides learning initiatives for older persons living with physical and/or cognitive health challenges. This is especially warranted for persons living with dementia (PLWD) who often cannot speak, are not in control of their thoughts or body, and have different ‘irrational’ relations to objects around them, and hence, are a ‘persona non grata’ in popular learning interventions. The University of the Fourth Age is marked by an eclectic curriculum – ranging from information and communication technology, participatory arts, and vocational skills to Montessori-based programming – all of which allow arts-based, visual, sensory, and movement practices to produce beneficial outcomes for PLWD and other peers with mild cognitive impairment. Moreover, it acknowledges that successful learning initiatives in dementia care settings are not premised on traditional pedagogical principles but on facilitators’ capacities to skilfully connect with participants and introduce activities at a pace that suits their interests and, above all, cognitive abilities. The University of the Fourth Age has also incorporated Montessori-based programming (MBP) to engage PLWD in learning. MBP involves identifying an activity of interest that is reflective of the skill levels of PLWD, using familiar materials and objects, breaking the activity down into small steps, and inviting them to complete the task themselves. Chosen activities include one-on-one activities, such as sorting pictures into categories, and using fine motor skills, such as folding, as well as group-based sessions, such facilitated group discussions based on short stories.
Dr Carmel Serracino | Co-researchers: Mr Andrew Debono Cauchi
Department of Classics and Archaeology, Faculty of Arts
Classics Through Digital Leisure-Learning (CITADEL) is a Creative Europe project led by UM, in collaboration with the University of Gda艅sk (Poland), the Rijksuniversiteit Groningen (the Netherlands), and Born Digital Studio, a Web-development company. Project CITADEL aims to revive the interest of young people in Classics and classical literature. This aim is being achieved through the creation of a digital video game downloadable as a smartphone app.
The core component of project CITADEL is a teaching campaign, which was held during the last scholastic year, in middle and secondary schools across Malta, Poland, and the Netherlands. During this teaching campaign, participating students were introduced to Greek mythology and the Homeric epics, especially the Iliad. They also had the opportunity to submit their own ideas for the digital game being developed. Students’ feedback and ideas from the three member states of the consortium were recorded and collected through questionnaires distributed at specific points during the teaching campaign. The data collected was then analysed, primarily using thematic analysis, and the results established the baseline for the game development, which is currently underway.
This presentation will show how the ideas generated by the participating school students were translated into concrete game design choices for gameplay, characters, plot, and ending. The findings hope to shed light on the significance of the Classics in our digital societies, not only as a discipline which can be presented in a digital and engaging way, but also as a pedagogical tool to promote civic values.