American Councils is pleased to offer the Eurasian Regional Language Program (ERLP) coursework by way of distance learning. Participants will attend daily, remote language instruction, meet with virtual conversation partners, and take part in a variety of virtual cultural activities. Participants can choose between a part-time and full-time program during semester programs.

About The Program

ERLP serves both graduate and undergraduate students as well as working professionals. The fall online program provides instruction in grammar, phonetics, conversation, and cultural studies taught by expert faculty. Participants will have their choice of one of 10 Eurasian languages.

Academic Courses

The academic program will feature daily online (synchronous and asynchronous) instruction that focuses on developing language skills in speaking, reading, listening, grammar, and writing. Participants will also complete regular assignments outside of class that expand upon the activities covered in online classes.

Full-Time Track

Live instruction is approximately 12 academic hours per week for the full-time program. Class sizes range from one to four students depending on language level. Participants can expect at least two hours per day of synchronous instruction conducted Monday through Friday. Additional academic hours per week will be delivered in an asynchronous (recorded) format.

American Councils will administer pre- and post-program testing with an Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) to measure participants’ language gains.

Upon successful completion of the online program, participants will receive academic credit equivalent to 16 undergraduate credit hours or 15 graduate credit hours from Bryn Mawr College.

Part-Time Track

Live instruction is approximately 6 academic hours per week for the part-time program. Class sizes range from one to four students depending on language level. Participants can expect each class session to meet for at least one hour in length and not to exceed two hours in a session. Additional academic hours per week will be delivered in an asynchronous (recorded) format. The total number of live instruction hours will be 84 hours throughout the semester.

American Councils will administer pre- and post-program testing with an Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) to measure participants’ language gains.

Upon successful completion of the online program, participants will receive academic credit equivalent to 8 undergraduate credit hours or 10 graduate credit hours from Bryn Mawr College as follows:

EURA 320 Intensive Conversation: Regional Language (for undergraduate students)
EURA 515 Intensive Conversation: Regional Language (for graduate students)

EURA 330 Intensive Grammar: Regional Language (for undergraduate students)
EURA 525 Intensive Grammar: Regional Language (for graduate students)

Languages & Locations

ERLP currently offers the following languages online:

• Armenian - teachers based in Yerevan, Armenia

• Azerbaijani – teachers based in Baku, Azerbaijan

• Chechen - teachers based in Tbilisi, Georgia

• Dari – teachers based in Dushanbe, Tajikistan

• Farsi – teachers based in Dushanbe, Tajikistan

• Georgian – teachers based in Tbilisi, Georgia

• Pashto – teachers based in Dushanbe, Tajikistan

• Tajiki – teachers based in Dushanbe, Tajikistan

• Turkish – teachers based in Baku, Azerbaijan

• Uzbek – teachers based in Dushanbe, Tajikistan

Cultural Activities

American Councils will arrange virtual cultural activities and excursions to places of historical and cultural importance throughout the host country. The virtual activities and excursions will be conducted in the target language by local alumni and staff, and participants will be given the opportunity to ask questions as the virtual excursion is taking place. The guide will also share different aspects of local culture or traditions in order to increase cultural understanding on a local level.

Past virtual activities and excursions include: virtual host family visits, virtual tours of city sights and local museums, cooking lessons, music and dance lessons, virtual holiday celebrations, discussion groups with local students.

Conversation Partners

To provide opportunities for informal target language practice and connections with locals, participants will be paired with conversation partners. Participants and their conversation partners will meet remotely for approximately two hours per week to provide additional contact hours in the target language throughout the semester.

Class Schedule

As teachers are based overseas, American Councils will work with each student on an academic schedule. Classes and activities will be scheduled to find an agreeable and reasonable time for both participants and teachers. American Councils will request information about your time zone for the online program during the acceptance process.

Financial Aid

American Councils has several scholarships available for students applying to the ERLP Online program. Applicants can apply for financial aid in the program application. Learn more about financial aid available on this program.

Featured scholarship: Title VIII Fellowship

Program Snapshot

Language of Instruction

Regional Eurasian Languages

Program Format

Online

Program Dates

Spring 2024:
January 23 - May 12, 2024

Summer 2024:
June 12 - August 4, 2024

Fall 2024:
September 4 - December 15, 2024

Program Cost

Summer: $4,100
Semester, Part-Time: $4,100
Semester, Full-Time: $8,100

Applications Deadlines:

Summer 2024: May 1, 2024
Fall 2024: July 1, 2024

Program Eligibility

• At least two semesters of college-level instruction or the equivalent in the target language, Russian, or a related language.

• Minimum GPA of 2.7

• Applicants must be at least 18 years old by the application deadline