Russian and East European StudiesDespite a common belief that one absolutely must travel abroad in order to improve their foreign language, going on a summer immersion program in one’s own country may lead to higher linguistic gains. Domestic summer programs are built specifically to scaffold one’s learning and provide guided practice, engaging students in various activities performed in the target language while surrounded by friendly instructors and peers.
Usually, there is no language requirement as to how many semesters of the target language one must complete prior to applying for most domestic immersion programs. As a rule, during a summer program students complete a year’s worth of the language. For instance, if you go with no prior experience, you will return with an equivalent of Russian 001 and Russian 002.
Browse the list of recommended programs below and contact Dr. Maria Alley, the Language Program Coordinator, to discuss the options and to plan your immersion expereince.
Indiana University Summer Language Workshop in Bloomington, Indiana
(Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian, Hungarian, Russian, Ukrainian)
Arizona State University’s Critical Language Institute in Tempe, Arizona
(Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian, Polish, Russian)
Harvard University Ukrainian Research Summer Institute
The Kathryn Wasserman Davis School of Russian in Middlebury Language Schools, Vermont
Beloit College Russian Language Program in Beloit, Wisconsin
Russian Language Institute at Bryn Mawr College in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania
