Critical Languages courses, which are facilitated by native-speaker language partners, require a great deal of self-directed study and are consequently best suited for those who, because they have had prior experience learning a foreign language, are better equipped to meet the challenges. Emphasis is placed on the acquisition of conversational competency through interaction with the language partner and through use of course audio components. Acquisition of the grammatical apparatus is solely the students’ responsibility. The program is therefore quite demanding and requires a high degree of self-motivation on the part of the student. While language offerings vary from term to term, pending availability of native speakers, courses typically offered include Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, and Swahili. Other languages may be added based on demand and the availability of native speakers. For more information concerning Critical Languages, please consult the links to the Guidelines document as well as the Critical Languages Syllabus. You may also contact the Coordinator of the Critical Languages Program, Dr. Scott Infanger.

For more information on the National Association of Self Instructional Language Programs (NASILP) please go to: nasilp.net

Critical Language Textbooks