Postbaccalaureate Studies
Director: Dr. Stéphane Charitos
Associate Director: Piero di Porzio
Offices:
353 International Affairs Building Extension
212-854-9224
Monday-Thursday, 9 AM-7 PM; Friday 9 AM-5 PM
116B Lewisohn
212-854-2704
Monday and Wednesday, 9 AM-9 PM; Tuesday and Thursday, 9 AM-7 PM; Friday, 9 AM-3 PM; Saturday, 12 noon-5 PM; Sunday, 2 PM-8 PM
Web: http://www.lrc.columbia.edu/
The Language Resource Center provides the Columbia Community with access to digital audio and video collections for language study. It also offers instruction in a number of less commonly taught languages.
The Language Resource Center operates out of two facilities: LRC West, located in 116 Lewisohn Hall, and LRC East, which spans two floors in the extension to the International Affairs Building (IAB). These facilities house the University language labs and several traditional classrooms, as well as two “smart” classrooms, a multimedia authoring studio, and video viewing facilities for use by individuals and small groups of up to twenty students. The main administrative office is located in 353 IAB Extension.
Course scheduling is subject to change. Days, times, instructors, class locations, and call numbers are available on the Directory of Classes.
Fall course information begins posting to the Directory of Classes in February; Summer course information begins posting in March; Spring course information begins posting in June. For course information missing from the Directory of Classes after these general dates, please contact the department or program.
Click on course title to see course description and schedule.
Introductory courses to Bengali, a major language of northeast India and
Bangladesh.
Further develops a student's knowledge of Bengali, a major language of
northeast India and Bangladesh.
Presents the essential grammar and basic vocabulary of Hausa, a major
language of northwestern Nigeria and the adjacent southern Niger. Also
provides students with the opportunity to practice speaking and reading the
Hausa language.
Further develops a student's knowledge of Hausa, a major language of
northwestern Nigeria and the adjacent southern Niger.
Introduction to the basic structures of the Hungarian language. With the
instructor's permission the second term of this course may be taken without
the first. Students with a schedule conflict should consult the instructor
about the possibility of adjusting hours.
Further develops a students's knowledge of the Hungarian language. With the
instructor's permission the second term of this course may be taken without
the first. Students with a schedule conflict should consult the instructor
about the possibility of adjusting hours.
W3340 focuses on the more complex syntactic/semantic
constructions in addition to vocabulary enrichment. Readings in literature,
oral presentations, translations, and essays serve to enhance the
grammatical material.W3341 has an emphasis on rapid and comprehensive
reading of academic materials. In addition to weekly readings, oral
presentations and written essays serve to improve fluency in all aspects of
Hungarian.
Introduction to Punjabi, a major language of northern India and Pakistan.
Beginning with the study of the Gurmukhi script, the course offers an
intensive study of the speaking, reading, and writing of the language.
Further develops a student's writing, reading, and oral skills in Punjabi,
a major language of northern India and Pakistan.
This course is designed for students who had no previous experience with
Romanian. It will provide those who take it with the basic skills that
enable them to communicate at a basic level and will thus prepare the class
for the next level of study. As accelerated learning of a language is
conceived as a "theater of the mind", the course will rely mostly on
in-class activities meant to activate all the four skills (listening,
reading, speaking, writing) in accordance with the proposed level of
performance. The number and quantity of homework will be reduced, so that
the students will be "putting" their knowledge and skills to work. They
will also be introduced in authentic linguistic environments (places and
venues of the Romanian community in NYC, meetings with fellow students who
are native speakers etc). This class is the equivalent to classes in the
regular RMAN W1101-1102 sequence.
The course addresses those who have previous knowledge of Romanian and who
want to extend their communicative capacities in the language as well as to
expand the vocabulary. An accelerated course needs to create a rather
theatrical approach where students feel comfortable with their previous
knowledge and gain confidence, while working for their B2 level. As many
intermediate students partially or completely qualify as "independent
users", the course will put their experience to work and focus on real-life
communication situations. This class is the equivalent to classes in the
regular RMAN W1201-1202 sequence.
Essentials of grammar, basic vocabulary, practice in speaking and reading
Swahili the most widely used indigenous language of East Africa.
A review of the essentials of Swahili grammar; detailed analysis of Swahili
texts; practice in conversation.
An introduction to the advanced syntactical, morphological, and grammatical
structures of Swahili grammar; detailed analysis of Swahili texts; practice
in conversation.
Introduction to Tagalog with an emphasis on mastering basic skills and
working vocabulary. Linguistic rules are applied to enable the student to
communicate with more competence. Lessons incorporate discussions on
history, current events, literature, pop culture, and native values.
Includes field trips to Filipino neighborhoods in Queens and Jersey City.
Note: This course is part of the language exchange program
with New York University (NYU). Classes will be held at NYU.
Emphasis is placed on the linguistic rules to enable students to
communicate with more competence. The lessons will not only focus on
language but also will use a holistic approach and incorporate discussions
on history, current events, literature, pop culture and native values.
Note: This course is part of the language exchange program
with New York University (NYU). Classes will be held at NYU.
Introduces students to basic grammatical and syntactical skills required to
function adequately in a Tamil-speaking environment. Of particular interest
to students planning to conduct scholarly research or fieldwork in their
chosen specialty in that region of the world. Introduces students to the
rich culture of the Indian subcontinent where Tamil is spoken.
Further develops a student's written and oral proficiency in order to allow
them to function adequately in a Tamil-speaking environment. These courses
are of particular interest to students planning to conduct scholarly
research or fieldwork in their chosen specialty in a Tamil-speaking
context. Develops a student's appreciation for the rich culture of the
Indian subcontinent where Tamil is spoken.
Introduces students develops to advanced grammatical and syntactical
structures of the Tamil language in order to allow them to function
adequately in a Tamil-speaking environment. These courses are of particular
interest to students planning to conduct scholarly research or fieldwork in
their chosen specialty in a Tamil-speaking context. These courses also
develop a student's appreciation for the rich culture of the Indian
subcontinent where Tamil is spoken.
Introduction to the basic grammatical structures of Wolof, a major language
of West Africa spoken in Senegal and Gambia.
Further develop a student's knowledge of Wolof, a major language of West
Africa spoken primarily in Senegal and Gambia.
Introduces students to the basic structures of Zulu, a Bantu language
spoken in South Africa, especially in the Zululand area of KwaZulu/Natal
province.
Provides students with an in-depth review of the essentials of the Zulu
grammar. Students are also able to practice their language skills in
conversation.
These courses introduce students to both the spoken and written Cantonese
language, with achieving conversational proficiency being a primary goal.
The courses emphasize oral expressions, listening comprehension and
grammar. They are designed to give beginning students a practical command
of the language. Upon completion of the course, students can expect to
converse in simple sentences, and recognize and write about 350 Chinese
characters. Students with passable conversation ability or native speakers
from Cantonese-speaking communities should not enroll in these courses.
Note: These courses are part of the language exchange
program with New York University (NYU). Classes will be held at NYU.
These courses further continue the study of the Cantonese language.
Emphasis is on linguistic rules to enable students to communicate with more
competence. The lessons will not only focus on language, but also
incorporate discussions on history, current events, literature, popular
culture, and native values. Includes field trips to Chinatown and other
Cantonese-speaking neighborhoods. Note: These courses are
part of the language exchange program with New York University (NYU).
Classes will be held at NYU.
These courses offers students an introduction to the basic structures of
the Indonesian language, a major language of Indonesia and South East Asia.
These courses further develop a student's knowledge of Indonesian, a major
language of Indonesia and South East Asia.
These courses further develop a student's knowledge of Pulaar, a major
language of West Africa.
These courses further develop a student's knowledge of Uzbek, a major
language of Central Asia.
Same course as Georgian W1102 and W1202, on a noncredit basis.
To provide students with basic speaking, reading, writing, and listening
competence in the Georgian language.
To provide students with intermediate-level speaking, reading, writing, and
listening competence in the Georgian language. Emphasis will be placed on
the development of critical reasoning, reading, and writing skills through
engagement with Georgian literature and other primary source texts.
These courses introduce students to the linguistic and grammatical
structures of Vietnamese, a major language of South East Asia.
Introduction to Kannada, one of the major Dravidian languages of Southern
India and the state language of Karnataka, one of the four southern states
in India.
Advanced readings in ancient Egyptian texts.
Introduction to the various phases of Aramaic. Readings are selected from
early and imperial documents, including Elephantine and inscriptions.
Introductory course to Telugu, the official language of the state of Andhra
Pradesh, India. Note: EMAIL INSTRUCTOR FOR MORE INFORMATION AT
apk42@columbia.edu.
Further develops a student's knowledge of Telugu, the official language of
the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. Note: E-MAIL INSTRUCTOR FOR MORE
INFORMATION AT apk42@columbia.edu.
These courses introduce students to the rudiments of the Irish language,
including phonemes and pronunciation, syntactical structure, and verbal
conjugations. In addition, a history of the language is provided, as well
as a general introduction to Irish culture, including discussions of family
and place names. Students are encouraged to begin speaking with basic
sentence structures eventually expanding into more complex verbal
conjugations while concentrating on idiomatic expressions. The accumulation
of vocabulary is stressed and students are introduced to basic literature
in Irish while developing beginning conversational fluency.
For the more advanced student of Irish, these courses focus on improving
conversational fluency and on expanding vocabulary through reading complex
literature in Irish, and writing in the Irish language, further encouraging
students to strengthen their pronunciation and command of spoken Irish.
Quechua is the most important and most widely-distributed indigenous
language in South America, with over10 million speakers living from the
high mountains to the tropical lowlands in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru,
Bolivia, Chile and Argentina. Those who speak it call the language runa
simi or runa shimi, "human speech." It was the principal language of the
Inca empire and the key language of cultural interaction during the
colonial era. Quechua has remained central to indigenous peoples' efforts
to preserve their cultural autonomy. It has gained greater force in recent
years, during which indigenous movements have swept Quechua speakers into
national politics, where they have succeeded in transforming constitutions
to recognize cultural diversity, making Quechua an official language of
state, and successfully promoting schooling in the language.Students who
satisfactorily complete Elementary Quechua I and II will be well-prepared
for intensive summer study at one of many summer study abroad programs in
Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia that will put them in closer contact with the
indigenous world.
Introductory courses to Bengali, a major language of northeast India and
Bangladesh.
Further develops a student's knowledge of Bengali, a major language of
northeast India and Bangladesh.
Presents the essential grammar and basic vocabulary of Hausa, a major
language of northwestern Nigeria and the adjacent southern Niger. Also
provides students with the opportunity to practice speaking and reading the
Hausa language.
Further develops a student's knowledge of Hausa, a major language of
northwestern Nigeria and the adjacent southern Niger.
Introduction to the basic structures of the Hungarian language. With the
instructor's permission the second term of this course may be taken without
the first. Students with a schedule conflict should consult the instructor
about the possibility of adjusting hours.
Further develops a students's knowledge of the Hungarian language. With the
instructor's permission the second term of this course may be taken without
the first. Students with a schedule conflict should consult the instructor
about the possibility of adjusting hours.
W3340 focuses on the more complex syntactic/semantic
constructions in addition to vocabulary enrichment. Readings in literature,
oral presentations, translations, and essays serve to enhance the
grammatical material.W3341 has an emphasis on rapid and comprehensive
reading of academic materials. In addition to weekly readings, oral
presentations and written essays serve to improve fluency in all aspects of
Hungarian.
Introduction to Punjabi, a major language of northern India and Pakistan.
Beginning with the study of the Gurmukhi script, the course offers an
intensive study of the speaking, reading, and writing of the language.
Further develops a student's writing, reading, and oral skills in Punjabi,
a major language of northern India and Pakistan.
Same course as Comprehensive Elementary Romanian W1121, on a noncredit basis.
Same course as Comprehensive Intermediate Romanian W1221, on a noncredit basis.
This course is designed for students who had no previous experience with
Romanian. It will provide those who take it with the basic skills that
enable them to communicate at a basic level and will thus prepare the class
for the next level of study. As accelerated learning of a language is
conceived as a "theater of the mind", the course will rely mostly on
in-class activities meant to activate all the four skills (listening,
reading, speaking, writing) in accordance with the proposed level of
performance. The number and quantity of homework will be reduced, so that
the students will be "putting" their knowledge and skills to work. They
will also be introduced in authentic linguistic environments (places and
venues of the Romanian community in NYC, meetings with fellow students who
are native speakers etc). This class is the equivalent to classes in the
regular RMAN W1101-1102 sequence.
The course addresses those who have previous knowledge of Romanian and who
want to extend their communicative capacities in the language as well as to
expand the vocabulary. An accelerated course needs to create a rather
theatrical approach where students feel comfortable with their previous
knowledge and gain confidence, while working for their B2 level. As many
intermediate students partially or completely qualify as "independent
users", the course will put their experience to work and focus on real-life
communication situations. This class is the equivalent to classes in the
regular RMAN W1201-1202 sequence.
Essentials of grammar, basic vocabulary, practice in speaking and reading
Swahili the most widely used indigenous language of East Africa.
A review of the essentials of Swahili grammar; detailed analysis of Swahili
texts; practice in conversation.
An introduction to the advanced syntactical, morphological, and grammatical
structures of Swahili grammar; detailed analysis of Swahili texts; practice
in conversation.
Introduction to Tagalog with an emphasis on mastering basic skills and
working vocabulary. Linguistic rules are applied to enable the student to
communicate with more competence. Lessons incorporate discussions on
history, current events, literature, pop culture, and native values.
Includes field trips to Filipino neighborhoods in Queens and Jersey City.
Note: This course is part of the language exchange program
with New York University (NYU). Classes will be held at NYU.
Emphasis is placed on the linguistic rules to enable students to
communicate with more competence. The lessons will not only focus on
language but also will use a holistic approach and incorporate discussions
on history, current events, literature, pop culture and native values.
Note: This course is part of the language exchange program
with New York University (NYU). Classes will be held at NYU.
Introduces students to basic grammatical and syntactical skills required to
function adequately in a Tamil-speaking environment. Of particular interest
to students planning to conduct scholarly research or fieldwork in their
chosen specialty in that region of the world. Introduces students to the
rich culture of the Indian subcontinent where Tamil is spoken.
Further develops a student's written and oral proficiency in order to allow
them to function adequately in a Tamil-speaking environment. These courses
are of particular interest to students planning to conduct scholarly
research or fieldwork in their chosen specialty in a Tamil-speaking
context. Develops a student's appreciation for the rich culture of the
Indian subcontinent where Tamil is spoken.
Introduces students develops to advanced grammatical and syntactical
structures of the Tamil language in order to allow them to function
adequately in a Tamil-speaking environment. These courses are of particular
interest to students planning to conduct scholarly research or fieldwork in
their chosen specialty in a Tamil-speaking context. These courses also
develop a student's appreciation for the rich culture of the Indian
subcontinent where Tamil is spoken.
Introduction to the basic grammatical structures of Wolof, a major language
of West Africa spoken in Senegal and Gambia.
Further develop a student's knowledge of Wolof, a major language of West
Africa spoken primarily in Senegal and Gambia.
Introduces students to the basic structures of Zulu, a Bantu language
spoken in South Africa, especially in the Zululand area of KwaZulu/Natal
province.
Provides students with an in-depth review of the essentials of the Zulu
grammar. Students are also able to practice their language skills in
conversation.
These courses introduce students to both the spoken and written Cantonese
language, with achieving conversational proficiency being a primary goal.
The courses emphasize oral expressions, listening comprehension and
grammar. They are designed to give beginning students a practical command
of the language. Upon completion of the course, students can expect to
converse in simple sentences, and recognize and write about 350 Chinese
characters. Students with passable conversation ability or native speakers
from Cantonese-speaking communities should not enroll in these courses.
Note: These courses are part of the language exchange
program with New York University (NYU). Classes will be held at NYU.
These courses further continue the study of the Cantonese language.
Emphasis is on linguistic rules to enable students to communicate with more
competence. The lessons will not only focus on language, but also
incorporate discussions on history, current events, literature, popular
culture, and native values. Includes field trips to Chinatown and other
Cantonese-speaking neighborhoods. Note: These courses are
part of the language exchange program with New York University (NYU).
Classes will be held at NYU.
These courses offers students an introduction to the basic structures of
the Indonesian language, a major language of Indonesia and South East Asia.
These courses further develop a student's knowledge of Indonesian, a major
language of Indonesia and South East Asia.
These courses further develop a student's knowledge of Pulaar, a major
language of West Africa.
These courses further develop a student's knowledge of Uzbek, a major
language of Central Asia.
Same course as Georgian W1102 and W1202, on a noncredit basis.
To provide students with basic speaking, reading, writing, and listening
competence in the Georgian language.
To provide students with intermediate-level speaking, reading, writing, and
listening competence in the Georgian language. Emphasis will be placed on
the development of critical reasoning, reading, and writing skills through
engagement with Georgian literature and other primary source texts.
These courses introduce students to the linguistic and grammatical
structures of Vietnamese, a major language of South East Asia.
Introduction to Kannada, one of the major Dravidian languages of Southern
India and the state language of Karnataka, one of the four southern states
in India.
Advanced readings in ancient Egyptian texts.
Introduction to Aramaic documents found at Qumran and contemporary sites.
This represents the intermediate phase of Aramaic and Bar Kokhba texts.
Introductory course to Telugu, the official language of the state of Andhra
Pradesh, India. Note: EMAIL INSTRUCTOR FOR MORE INFORMATION AT
apk42@columbia.edu.
Further develops a student's knowledge of Telugu, the official language of
the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. Note: E-MAIL INSTRUCTOR FOR MORE
INFORMATION AT apk42@columbia.edu.
These courses introduce students to the rudiments of the Irish language,
including phonemes and pronunciation, syntactical structure, and verbal
conjugations. In addition, a history of the language is provided, as well
as a general introduction to Irish culture, including discussions of family
and place names. Students are encouraged to begin speaking with basic
sentence structures eventually expanding into more complex verbal
conjugations while concentrating on idiomatic expressions. The accumulation
of vocabulary is stressed and students are introduced to basic literature
in Irish while developing beginning conversational fluency.
For the more advanced student of Irish, these courses focus on improving
conversational fluency and on expanding vocabulary through reading complex
literature in Irish, and writing in the Irish language, further encouraging
students to strengthen their pronunciation and command of spoken Irish.
Quechua is the most important and most widely-distributed indigenous
language in South America, with over10 million speakers living from the
high mountains to the tropical lowlands in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru,
Bolivia, Chile and Argentina. Those who speak it call the language runa
simi or runa shimi, "human speech." It was the principal language of the
Inca empire and the key language of cultural interaction during the
colonial era. Quechua has remained central to indigenous peoples' efforts
to preserve their cultural autonomy. It has gained greater force in recent
years, during which indigenous movements have swept Quechua speakers into
national politics, where they have succeeded in transforming constitutions
to recognize cultural diversity, making Quechua an official language of
state, and successfully promoting schooling in the language.Students who
satisfactorily complete Elementary Quechua I and II will be well-prepared
for intensive summer study at one of many summer study abroad programs in
Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia that will put them in closer contact with the
indigenous world.