Self-Directed Language Study | Language Resource Center

Self-Directed Language Learning Opportunities

Option 1: The Lafayette Resource Center Toolkit for Intercultural Communication

About

Outcomes

The Department of Foreign Languages & Literatures offers a language preparatory toolkit for college community members, who will be traveling, conducting research, or studying abroad in countries where one or more of the official languages are not offered as traditional language courses on the Lafayette campus. The toolkit is designed to prepare these language learners so they can achieve minimal communicative competence before their stay abroad and actively become better global citizens.
The toolkit will help develop the basic communication skills in a language of the country to be visited, thus opening up opportunities for exchange and mutual understanding. Language learning is time-intensive, and regular practice is essential to making serious progress; students should expect to spend three hours a week in the FLLRC over the course of the semester. The course format is guided, but informal and self-directed.
It should be noted that there is no course “credit” given for self-directed learning, but a learner who has rigorously followed the guidelines may wish to ask for a recommendation for his or her portfolio.
Please note: There are approximately 6,500 living languages in the world; please see below for a list of available toolkits at Lafayette. Feel free to inquire at the FLLRC.
Expected Learning Outcomes:
The learner…
• Can recognize between 1,000 to 15,000 critical words and phrases
• Can recognize the learned vocabulary in context (selected languages only, see below*)
• Can use learned vocabulary in its spoken and listening forms
• Can recognize learned vocabulary in simple written forms (ads, signs, menus, etc.)
• Will have explored specific aspects of the cultures and the country
• Will be a better-informed global citizen because he/she is prepared to interact linguistically, even if minimally, with the people in the country to be visited
Toolkit Languages**:
Basic vocabulary and phrases:

Afrikaans, Danish, Greek, Hindi, Hungarian, Korean, Malagasy, Portuguese (Brazilian), Romanian, Thai, Turkish, Urdu, Farsi, Indonesian, Pashto, Swahili, Zulu

Vocabulary in context:

*Arabic, Polish, and Italian

**The toolkit library is in the process of being assembled; not all languages listed are available at this time. Please inquire at the FLLRC as to the availability of specific languages.