Courses: Department of Central Eurasian Studies

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Introductory Estonian I
Catalog Number CEUS-U 111/341
Piibi-Kai Kivik

Course Objectives

The course concentrates on contemporary Estonian, with the emphasis on oral communication and due attention to all the four skills of reading, writing, speaking and listening. The aim of the course is to give the students grounding in all of these skills. Introductory Estonian is meant for beginners with no knowledge of Estonian. We will learn basic vocabulary for simple everyday interactions as well as the basic structures of the Estonian language. The classrooms are oriented to communication and maximum use of Estonian, while explanations of grammatical structures and occasional translations are not avoided altogether.

By the end of the course the students can maintain a simple conversation on familiar topics (talk about oneself and immediate surroundings, simple daily activities, interact in basic service encounters), read short texts with uncomplicated structures, write brief descriptions and notes.

Language learning in this course is closely tied to learning about culture, and through culture, as well as to the learners' own personal experiences.

Required texts and materials:

M. Pesti, H. Ahi. E nagu Eesti. Tallinn: TEA, 2001.

J. Tuldava. Estonian Textbook. Bloomington, Indiana 1994.

Suggested texts and materials

Estonian-English dictionary. Tallinn, Koolibri 2002

English-Estonian dictionary. Tallinn, Koolibri 2002

Pocket Dictionary Estonian-English/ English-Estonian. Tallinn, TEA 2001.

Assignments and requirements

Daily homework, listening to the cassettes accompanying the textbook, quizzes, tests, a midterm and final exam will be administered.

Daily classroom participation is required.

Departmental Policies

The Department of Central Eurasian Studies no longer allows auditing of language courses. Any inquiries must be addressed to CEUS Chair directly.
Students enrolled in CEUS language courses obtain a grade at the end of each semester. The Department does not offer pass/fail options.
Incompletes are not given in CEUS language courses. Any inquiries must be addressed to CEUS Chair directly.

If you are a native speaker of a language or you are a citizen of the country or you graduated from a high school from the country, Indiana University and departmental policy may (or may not) prohibit you from enrollment in this language class. Please direct all related questions to the Department of Central Eurasian Studies, Goodbody Hall 157, 855-2233, or ceus@indiana.edu .