Tibetan

The UVa Tibetan Studies Program is pleased to announce its Summer Language Institute. Learn two years (12 U.Va. credit hours) of Tibetan in an intensive atmosphere guided by three instructors. You will read, write, speak, and live Tibetan for nine weeks, while also learning about Tibet's unique culture. Come and learn why intensive summer study is the most enjoyable and efficient way to learn a language!

Learning Tibetan is a great preparation for travel and study abroad in one of Asia's most fascinating cultures and striking environments across the Tibetan plateau, or for studying the religious life and literature of one of the greatest Buddhist cultures in Asia.

Summer is almost here -- spend it on Mr. Jefferson's beautiful grounds learning to speak and read about mountains, Himalayan communities, and monasteries! The 2009 program will be led by Professor Tsetan Chonjore, one of the most experienced and skilled teachers of Tibetan in the world, along with two native Tibetan assistants.

The program will focus on modern spoken and written Tibetan according to the Central Tibetan dialect and is oriented towards producing hearing and speaking proficiency. Students will learn both print as well as cursive script, a unique aspect of the program. In addition, it will utilize new multimedia materials being developed by the Tibetan Language Learning Resources from original film shot in Tibet. The last unit of the summer will offer a bridge to classical literary Tibetan on the basis of mastery of modern Tibetan.

Attendance in all three sessions (morning, afternoon, and evening) is required of all students, regardless of whether they are enrolled for credit or non-credit. Furthermore, every student, regardless of type of enrollment, must earn a passing grade in each class of the first half of the SLI in order to participate in the second half of the program. Virginia undergraduates may fulfill their language requirements with Literary and Spoken Tibetan I and II (RELB 500S and RELB 501S).

The SLI Tibetan Summer program will have a residential component this year in the French House at UVa, a beautiful, recently renovated mansion, first built in 1896 in the Queen Anne style of architecture. The mansion has a large living-room, library, seminar room, and dining room. It provides students a stimulating and near-immersion environment in which to learn Tibetan, while facilitating a close-knit sense of community for those committed to learning Tibetan language and culture.

A trained Residence Director who is fluent in Tibetan will live with the students in the house and encourage the use of Tibetan in everyday life. The RD will be available in the evenings to answer linguistic or other questions or simply to chat with students who wish to practice their conversational skills.

To reserve a space in the language house, please contact Conference Services.
Visiting high school students are not eligible for University Housing.

For more information, see the Tibet Center's description of the program www.uvatibetcenter.org/.

 

Student Comments

• "The instructors were amazing, and I still find it hard to believe how rapidly I went from not knowing the alphabet to feeling comfortable with the speaking, reading, and even keeping a diary in cursive Tibetan!"
• "It was a wonderful experience in both the intellectual and social sense. I had a great summer and am well on my way to my goals to translate Tibetan teachings and texts."
• "I can think of no better way to have learned Tibetan than UVa in the summer with this program -- thanks!"

The course has a specialized Web page under development which provides direct access to materials for the course, and more advanced units. Visit the specialized Tibetan Web page.