Abstract

As higher education is currently undergoing a radical transformation throughout Europe, philological studies face challenges from both inside and outside the discipline, some of which put into question the very existence of the field. This article investigates whether this crisis can also be seen as an opportunity for a profound rethinking of the field, not only necessary for its survival but also more effective with regards to its original goals in the context of a humanistic education. The author sees the advent of digital technologies and new concepts of textuality as a positive development and draws on her experience in virtual teaching at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya , seeking for new conceptual frameworks through which the quality of literary teaching and learning in higher education may be improved