From the sequence of beginner and intermediate French language classes, to more than twenty advanced courses in French each semester for Majors and Minors, to specialized seminars for M.A. and Ph.D. students, the Department of French at the University of Virginia offers a rich array of courses and programs to meet the needs of learners at all levels and to enable its students to explore as well as develop in-depth knowledge and advanced competencies in the field of French.
Studying Chinese is fun and challenging! The UVA program in Chinese offers two tracks of courses: one for heritage learners and one for non-heritage learners. The heritage learners with prior experiences in listening and speaking are able to fulfill UVa’s foreign language requirement in two semesters. For non-heritage learners, all four language skills are equally emphasized in the four-semester sequence of courses, running from Elementary Chinese (CHIN1010) through Intermediate Chinese (CHIN2020).
The Arabic Program selects only experienced and caring teachers who enjoy the challenges of Second Language Teaching. We offer special conversation and cultural sessions, promoting the Communicative Method of language instruction. We also offer many extracellular activities at Shea Language House.
The University’s American Sign Language Program offers a five-semester sequence in ASL, from the beginning through the conversational level. Students who successfully complete the fourth semester class, ASL 2020, can use it to satisfy the College’s foreign language requirement. We teach our language classes with a “voice-off” immersion philosophy; signs and gestures are used to communicate. With weekly signing lunches, monthly Charlottesville sign suppers, and a nationally known lecture series that brings scholars, activists, and performers from around the country to U.Va., students have
Biblical Hebrew is the language of the Jewish Bible and Christian Old Testament; it was also the principle language of the ancient kingdoms of Israel and Judah, during their many centuries of existence. Related to other Semitic languages—such as Arabic, Aramaic, Syriac, Akkadian, and Ugaritic—Biblical Hebrew offers a window onto an ancient Semitic culture, one that has had a lasting impact on religion, philosophy, literature, and practice, especially in the Western world.
Studying English is exciting, engaging, and interactive! The Center for American English Language and Culture (CAELC) offers several courses for in-coming U.Va graduate students in academic oral communication, writing, and accent modification. CAELC runs approximately 12-15 classes in the spring and fall semesters to provide language support to graduate students, staff, and faculty pan-university.
Persian is spoken by more than 120 million people who live in Afghanistan, Iran, Tajikistan, etc. The richness of Persian language, culture, and civilization is due to its geographical position, being situated amongst some of the greatest cultures and civilizations that have graced the region for thousands of years, not to mention Persia was at one point the greatest and the most expansive empire in the East.
In an increasingly globalized world, studying German will give students access to the language, culture, and economy of three leading European nations: Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. As a language, German shares close relations with English. The study of German can prepare interested students for summer courses abroad or internships to Germany, Austria, or Switzerland in international banking or the automobile industry.
Ancient Greek is intrinsically beautiful in structure and sound, and it offers a unique portal to cultures and literatures that lie at the very heart of our own. It is, as Mr.
Elementary and Intermediate Creole classes build proficiency in listening, speaking, reading, and writing, and provide an introduction to Creole studies. These classes also explore the following issues: health care, Haitian women's rights, and unpaid children servants. Through these topics people will acquire enough vocabulary to interact with native Haitian Creole speakers. Moreover, students will develop an appreciation for Haitian and Creole cultures and have a better understanding of "vodou", the religion practiced by a large Haitian population.
At UVa, we offer both Urdu and Hindi classes from the beginner to the advanced levels. Bearing in mind the twinned history of the language, the introductory level class teaches Urdu and Hindi together. The Urdu script is then introduced in the second semester.
For advanced students and native speakers of the language(s), we also offer literature classes in the original language, as well as in translation. We tailor our advanced courses to suit the needs of the students in the class.
Studying Italian at UVA is a rewarding and fun experience for learners at all levels, from beginner to advanced. The Italian program offers three kinds of specialization: a major in Italian Studies leading to the BA, or BA with distinction, a minor in Italian Studies, and a graduate course of studies leading to the MA in Italian language and literature. Undergraduates can take classes in Italian language, literature, theater, gender studies, cinema, history, and politics.
The Japanese Language Program at UVa is an integral part of the comprehensive curriculum complemented by cultural and literary studies in the original and in English translation. Our program also introduces you to the world of Classical Japanese. To learn a foreign language means to rediscover your own culture and nurture your intellectual curiosity while honing your skills in communication. Whether being mystified by the Japanese style of addressing someone (dictated by social expectations and in-group cohesiveness), or being overwhelmed by the multiple ways to refer to the first-person
The four-part sequence in Maya K'iche' (1010, 1020, 2010, 2020) is is designed to introduce students to three core content areas: K’iche’ language, Maya linguistics, and Maya culture.
The Korean program at UVA offers courses at various levels: Elementary, Intermediate, Advanced, and fourth-year Korean (KOR 401 & 402). From Elementary Korean (KOR 101 & 102) through Intermediate Korean (KOR 201 & 202), all four language skills (listening, reading, speaking, and writing) are equally emphasized. Advanced courses (KOR 300 and 400) also incorporate all these four skills, with an emphasis in structured reading and writing skills.
The Department of Classics offers a full range of undergraduate and graduate level Latin courses, from beginning Latin to Ph.D. level seminars. Elementary Latin (LATI 1010 and 1020) prepares students to read prose and poetry: Caesar and Ovid in LATI 2010, and Cicero and Catullus in LATI 2020. Students may then continue at the 3000 and 4000 levels, reading in specific authors (e.g., Vergil, Horace, Cicero) or in genres (e.g., Roman satire, Roman historians). A Distinguished Major Program is available to advanced students.
This course will introduce you to the Merina dialect (spoken in the central high plateau), which is the Standard and official dialect of Madagascar, and thus used on the national TV and radio stations, official documents, and schools.
Shalom and welcome to Hebrew! Hebrew is the "sleeping beauty" of Semitic languages. For more than a thousand years, the Hebrew language had been sleeping (according to linguists, it was only daydreaming). But then, one day in the nineteenth century (so goes the legend), it was kissed by the crazy visioner Eliezer Ben Yehuda, and woke up to life.
Studying Portuguese at UVa offers students a unique chance to learn about Brazilian and other Portuguese-speaking cultures across the world. The program is designed as an accelerated language-learning experience for students who are already proficient in French, Italian, or Spanish. Using a communicative approach, students are encouraged to build on their knowledge of other languages, and as a result, can reach intermediate-level proficiency in Portuguese in just two semesters.
Slavic at UVa offers a comprehensive curriculum in Russian. There are two BA's, in Russian Language and Literature and the interdisciplinary Russian and East European Studies program that combines language, literature, history, politics, folklore, and culture. Graduate degrees can be taken in Slavic Languages and Literatures (MA, PhD) and the interdepartmental Contemporary Russian Studies program (MA). The department teaches the full breadth of Russian literary history from medieval times to the present day; offerings vary in format from introductory classes with readings in English to s
anskrit is a beautiful language that has been artistically and thoughtfully used for millenia. As Chinese is the major source language for East Asian cultures, as Greek, Latin and Hebrew are major source languages for Western cultures, so Sanskrit, and to some extent Tamil, is the major source language for South and Southeast Asian cultures. Learning to read Sanskrit will open up a world of thought-provoking philosophy, breath-taking poetry, and fascinating texts on every conceivable topic, from mathematics and divination to veterinary texts on the care of elephants and horses.
In 2010, UVA’s Department of Spanish, Italian, & Portuguese’s Ph.D. was ranked the best of all Ph.D. programs in Spanish in the United States by the National Research Council. The Department—with its long and distinguished tradition of excellence—confers the degrees of B.A., M.A., and Ph.D.
- An opportunity for you to learn a language and culture different from your own and engage positively with people from the Swahili region.
- Makes you competitive in the job market and looks good on your CV.
- Gives you many opportunities to work in Non-Governmental Organizations in Africa and diplomatic missions, embassies and consulates.
- Opportunities to participate in many study abroad programs in Swahili speaking countries in Africa.
- Civic and community engagement opportunities with/in Swahili immigrant communities.
- Opportunities to tra
The UVA Tibetan Language Program(link is external) offers four years of instruction in Tibetan during the academic year. The sequence begins with two years of elementary (TBTN 1010/1020) and intermediate Tibetan (TBTN 2010/2020), and then continues with two separate tracks for third and fourth year. The first track focuses on modern Tibetan ( TBTN 3010/3020 and 3030/3040) and the second track concentrates on classical Tibetan literature with a focus on Buddhism (RELB 5470/5480 and RELB 5800/5810).
Speaking Turkish will allow you to travel to Türkiye, a secular Muslim country with a vibrant economy and thousands of years of history. The earliest human settlements we know today, such as Göbeklitepe are in Southeast Türkiye. The ongoing excavations and research show the foundations of human civilizations, including the first appearance of domesticated cats. No wonder cats are still in the heart of Turkish culture.