Baltic Summer Institute to be Held at University of Pittsburgh

January 17, 2013

The intensive Summer Language Institute will be held at the University of Pittsburgh from June 3 through July 12, 2013, and will host the Baltic Summer Institute (BALSSI) for the second summer. Intensive Beginning and Intermediate Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian will be offered.

This course is open to students of any age, including juniors and seniors in high school, undergraduate and graduate students, as well as to persons of any age not currently enrolled in a college or university. Partial and full scholarship aid is available. Apply by March 15 for scholarship consideration.

Attracting students from all over the U.S. and Canada, the Summer Language Institute consistsof intensive instruction (five hours daily), allowing students to make the greatest possible progress in the target language during the time available. The BALSSI Institute includes cultural and social activities, including lectures, discussion groups, and film screenings. Guest students may choose to stay in a dormitory or in a subleted apartment.

Beginning and Intermediate Intensive Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian, which carry six college credits, are a thorough introduction to the basic categories of pronunciation, grammar, and syntax. Emphasis is placed on the communicative competence, the active use of new structures in dialogues, unstructured conversation, reading, and listening comprehension.

The instructors, native speakers chosen for their experience, enthusiasm, and commitment to language teaching, ensures the high academic quality of Pitt’s SLI program. Location at the University of Pittsburgh campus ensures access to the latest technology, combined with a sophisticated urban setting, with social and cultural amenities. The BALSSI Institute is part of the University of Pittsburgh’s East European Summer Language Institute. Other languages offered include Bulgarian, Czech, Serbian/Croatian, Ukrainian, Polish, Turkish, Russian, and Slovak. Study abroad programs in Russia, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Poland are also offered.

For further information and applications for the 2013 BALSSI Summer Institute, contact Christine Metil, Slavic Department Summer Programs, University of Pittsburgh, 1417 CL. Pittsburgh, PA 15260, call (412) 624-5906, or get information and apply on-line at www.slavic.pitt.edu/sli/