Linguistic diversity represents a real challenge for a harmonious coexistence in Europe and in today’s globalised world. Language learning has therefore become an undeniable asset of competitiveness in a multilingual European area, with 24 official European Union languages and more than 60 minority languages. This thesis hence focuses on language acquisition during the Erasmus Mundus student mobility program of Euroculture. Does Euroculture succeed in facilitating language learning, thus enabling social integration in the host countries? In order to analyse this issue, it is essential to address English as lingua franca and lingua academica, used in international higher education programs. Some the- ories have been developed on lingua franca and are useful to analyse the role English plays in the Euroculture program. Indeed, Nicholas Ostler’s argument on the end of Eng- lish as lingua franca in the future will be confronted with Louis Jean Calvet’s gravita- tional model of languages. Calvet’s model asserts the predominance of English as lingua franca, which could threaten multilingualism. This is what the study aims to assess. Eu- ropean linguistic policies and tools set up to improve plurilingualism are also explored in order to provide a comprehensive framework and to analyse whether the study findings reflect the recommendations of European policies. An empirical quantitative method con- sisting of 26 questions, submitted to Euroculture students and alumni, has been used to analyse the extent to which Euroculture facilitate language acquisition. The findings have shown that two main factors facilitate plurilingualism: the language courses offered at partner universities and students’ own decisions to integrate in the host countries through various factors are among the elements facilitating language acquisition. The research also revealed important barriers in the language learning process and the social integra- tion in host countries, namely the “Euroculture bubble” phenomenon, the predominance of English as lingua franca and barriers to access language courses.

The aim of this study is to understand how super-mobility affects EMJM students’ experiences. This is done through exploring the experiences of Euroculture students, by answering the following research question: Are there differences to find between the reflections on the experiences of Euroculture mobile and super-mobile students, in terms of Mobility Perception, Competences, and Perspective on the Future? In order to answer the research question, in-depth interviews are conducted. For the analysis, the author applies three concepts, one taken from the methodology for developing the European Higher Education Area, and two that she proposes based on the existing literature on super-mobility in education. The results show that there are significant differences in how students within the same programme get to experience it in relation to the mobility component. They also show both the positive and the more problematic effects of super-mobility on the students’ development in several dimensions.

This study analyzes, the structure of the Erasmus Mundus scholarship program by utilizing mixed methods, and is being analyzed within the contextualized framework of the Cambodia’s Higher Education system as well as its relationship with the Erasmus Mundus scholarship program. Mixed approach has been employed for this study, combining both quantitative data to construct the social space, which acts as a backbone for interpretation, and qualitative data from interviewing the scholarship program coordinator and scholarship holders in order to investigate the recruitment process and the students’ perception respectively, presenting the macro-micro relationship that makes up the entirety of the scholarship program. Collectively inspected, the findings reveal a new contextualized result that contributes not only to the development of the Cambodia’s Higher Education, but also to its position and its students within the space of the scholarship program of Erasmus Mundus. Through the close inspection using interview method, the underlying complexity of the recruitment process of the scholarship program is illustrated, indicating a multi-layer hierarchy and multiple decision-making processes. There are also implications of oppositions between the properties of the students, signaling the diversified student body in the scholarship program. Prominent theme of the opposition in the space appears to be related to the colonial past of the Cambodia’s system as well as the differences between local and international experiences that the students possess. Students interviewed in the study, furthermore, reveal how they prepared themselves to apply for the scholarship program and to be successful candidate, which depicts their assets and strategies that can be derived from the constructed space. Unanimously the students show strong confidence and great insight of information which can be understood as the compatibilities between the recruiter of the scholarship program and the students’ assets. Finally, overall findings give a new perspective of the profile of the scholarship program within the Erasmus Mundus mobility scheme. It shows that while students are required to possess certain objectively set requirements, there are also exception cases that students who possessed lower amount of capitals can also be successful, provided that the conditions like the credentials of their degree from Cambodia, as well as minimum requirements to pass the university admission have been met, and their “motivation letter” is exceptionally well-written which shows the subjective side of the recruitment process.

柔性權力一詞已是大家耳熟能詳的名詞，透過公眾外交方式增進跨文化間的理解並培養國際化人才已逐漸成為時代潮流，公眾外交運用的途徑多元，但總不脫以柔性權力資源促進跨文化間理解的原則，歐盟2004年開始實施「伊拉斯莫斯世界」(Erasmus Mundus) 計畫，旨在提昇歐洲高等教育品質及促進與非會員國的合作、吸引更多第三國學生及學者赴歐交流，讓歐洲成為教育卓越中心的代表，該計畫的實施可看出歐盟從歐境內高等教育的整合、促進歐洲各國文化的理解到向全世界推廣其教育理念、文化資源的努力，本研究以伊拉斯莫斯世界計畫為例，探討歐盟如何憑藉此計畫發揮歐盟的柔性權力資源以吸引更多世界各地人民赴歐求學，進而達到歐洲認同的影響力。 / With the increasing influence and visibility of “soft power” over recent years, it becomes ever more important to understand how to exercise such power effectively. One of the key instruments of soft power is public diplomacy. In Europe, public diplomacy is viewed as the number one priority across a whole spectrum of issues; therefore, the European Union (EU) is regarded as a model of how to utilize soft power. Launched in 2004, the Erasmus Mundus programme is considered to be a part of the EU’s public diplomacy. Erasmus Mundus is a cooperation and mobility programme in the field of higher education. The aim of the programme is to promote European higher education, and to improve and enhance the career prospects of students. The programme also aims to promote intercultural understanding through cooperation with third countries, in order to contribute to the sustainable development of higher education in those countries, in accordance with EU external policy objectives. This study examines how the EU employs public diplomacy by means of the Erasmus Mundus Programme.