African Languages Minor

Fulfill your language requirement (14 cr.)... Add two courses (6 cr.)... Get an African Language Minor (20 cr.)

Requirements:

5 language courses:

  • Elementary (2 semesters)
  • Intermediate (2 semesters)
  • Advanced (1 semester)

1 Linguistics course:

  • Introduction to African Linguistics (L480), or
  • Languages in Africa (L481)

For further information, please contact either Professor Alwiya Omar, the African Languages Coordinator, at aomar@indiana.edu, or Samuel Obeng, the undergraduate advisor, at sobeng@indiana.edu.

 

Academic Services

  • Tutoring services:
    • Tutoring in Kiswahili and Twi is available at the Academic Support Center in Teter.
    • Twi: Mondays and Wednesdays, 7:00pm to 9:00pm
    • Swahili: Tuesday and Thursdays, 7:00pm to 9:00pm
    • More information is available through IU's Academic Support Center.
  • Conversation hours:
    • Students are encouraged to attend conversation sessions/language tables with their instructors and other speakers for oral practice.
    • A schedule of language tables is provided by the Center for Language Technology and Instructional Enhancement (CeLTIE).
  • Placement exams:
    • Students who would like to sit for a placement exam in Kiswahili, Twi, Zulu, or Bambara, please contact the African Language Coodinator at aomar@indiana.edu.

Intensive Instruction

Fall 2008: 2nd Eight week courses:
Bamana LING B101: Both Graduate and Undergraduate sections
M, T, W, and R @ 2 hours per day - 4:40 to 6:40pm GB 333
Instructor: Boubacar Diakite

Akan LING W101: Undergraduate and LING W501 Graduate
M, T, W, and R @ 2 hours per day - 5:30 to 7:30pm BU 108
Instructor: Hannah Essien

Wolof LING F 101:
M, W: 11:15A to 12:30P Woodburn Hall 121,
T, R: 11:15A to 12:30P Woodburn Hall 007
F: 11:15A to 12:30P Woodburn Hall 003
Instructor: Fabienne Diouf (fdiouf@indiana.edu)


Summer Cooperative African Language Institute (SCALI): Get the equivalent of two semesters of language study in one summer session. SCALI '07 will be held at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. A photo gallery from SCALI '06 is available here.

National African Language Resource Center (NALRC) summer workshops: The National African Language Resource Center, at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, was established in September 1999. It is a federally funded, nonprofit, national foreign language center dedicated to the advancement of African language teaching and learning in the United States.

SCALI 2006 was held at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. The following '06 syllabi are available online:

Listen to an NPR interview about SCALI 2006 with Director Professor Alwiya Omar and student Jennifer Hart.

back to top

Individualized Instruction

Individualized Instruction is possible in languages other than those offered in the regular courses. This instruction is usually offered to graduate students, and depends on the availability of qualified instructors, as well as approval from the U.S. Department of Education. For more information, please contact Dr. Alwiya Omar at aomar@indiana.edu.

Luo Spring 2003 Atieno Adala
Moroccan Arabic Spring 2003 Hafid Adnane
Research Arabic Spring 2003 Sadika Ramahi
Elementary Wolof Spring 2005 Mararame Seck

back to top

Study Abroad Opportunities

Group Project Abroad (GPA) Programs in Tanzania, South Africa, and Nigeria Study Advanced Kiswahili in Tanzania (Kiswahili GPA), Intermediate/Advanced Zulu in South Africa (Zulu GPA), or Advanced Yoruba in Nigeria (Yoruba GPA) with a grant fellowship from the United States Department of Education.

For more information, contact Dr. Lioba Moshi (moshi@uga.edu) for the Kiswahili GPA , Dr. Audrey Mbeje (mbeje@sas.upenn.edu) for the Zulu GPA, and Dr. Akintunde Akinyemi (akinyemi@aall.ufl.edu) for the Yoruba GPA.
Cape Town, South Africa Semester, academic year, or summer program options with the Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE) at the University of Cape Town. Please visit IU's Overseas Study information page for more information.
Dakar, Senegal This is a five-week summer program in cooperation with the University of Oregon. It is open to students from any U.S. university. Students are enrolled in a seminar, a Wolof language course, and a practicum (internship). Classroom study is complemented by excursions to sites outside Dakar. For further information, visit IU's Overseas Study information page. The program flyer and the 2011 Student Newsletter are available for downoad.
Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania Spring semester or academic year program at the University of Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, where students can take courses across the curriculum. Classroom instruction is in English. This is an Indiana University-sponsored program with a resident advisor, administered by the African Studies Program. Students apply and pay their fees through the IU Overseas Study Office. For more information, please click here.
Gaborone, Botswana Summer Community Health program offered through the Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE). Please visit IU’s Overseas Study information page for details.

back to top

History of African Languages at IU

African language study at Indiana University has a long tradition of excellence and provides crucial support to Africanists in the humanities, social sciences, and professional schools. Since 1965, we have offered over 100 courses and tutorials in 40 African languages at the elementary, intermediate, and advanced levels. Some of the languages we have offered since 1993 include: Swahili, Bambara, Chindali, Kpelle, Fulfulde, Hausa, Luo, Twi, Ndonga, Wolof, Chichewa, Oku, IsiZulu, Shona, Sotho, and Lingala.

Indiana University has superb resources for teaching and learning African languages. We have made significant contributions to the development of pedagogical materials in African languages. Over 40 language manuals have been prepared by or under the direction of our faculty members for the U.S. Department of Education, Peace Corps, and other colleges and universities. Our language laboratory includes the latest technology available for training teachers and students (e.g., audio programs and video tapes); the Institute of Nigerian Languages and Cultures promotes pure and applied research, facilitating the distribution of knowledge of the languages and cultures of Nigeria; and our graduate and undergraduate students continue to participate in various overseas exchange programs and Group Projects Abroad to improve their language skills (e.g., Twi in Ghana; Hausa and Yoruba in Nigeria; Wolof in Senegal; Kiswahili in Kenya and Tanzania; Chichewa in Malawi; Zulu in South Africa, etc.). In addition, more than 700 African Languages are now represented in Indiana University's Main Library.

back to top

    
 

For more information please contact the language coordinator: aomar@indiana.edu
African Languages | Memorial Hall 326 | Bloomington, IN 47405
Tel: 812.855.3323 | Fax: 812.855.5363

  Last updated: 13 November 2006
© 2006 Board of Trustees of Indiana University