The department's three units develop joint research as well as more specific research in each of the languages. In all cases, the department's researchers aim for international excellence and visibility.
The department's scientific skills converge on several themes or sub-disciplines such as general linguistics, multilingualism, general and comparative literature, publishing theory and practice, genetic criticism and textology, postcolonial literatures and theories, or foreign language didactics.
On the other hand, a number of specialties in the three units (German, English or Dutch) are more specific to the language, literature or culture studied :
- Research in the German unit
- Research in the English unit
- Search in the Dutch unit