Program Overview

The CLS Program in Baku, Azerbaijan provides students with the opportunity to learn Azerbaijani through intensive language study in an immersive environment. The program covers approximately one academic year of university-level Azerbaijani study during an 8-week period. The language instruction is designed to meet the needs of students from a variety of language levels and backgrounds, including advanced students and those who are learning the language for the first time.

Formal classroom language instruction is provided for an average of four hours per day, five days per week, with a focus on developing students’ reading, writing, speaking and listening skills in Azerbaijani. Formal language instruction is then supplemented with cultural activities and excursions across Azerbaijan, such as group trips to the local opera and museums. These supplemental activities are designed to expand the students’ understanding of Azerbaijan’s history, geography and culture; as well as to provide the opportunity to use their target language outside of the classroom.

Students will live with host families, which gives them an opportunity to experience daily life inside an Azerbaijani family and further practice their language skills outside of class. In addition to their relationship with the host family, students will also have regular one-on-one meetings with language partners. Language partners are often local university students who offer not only conversational practice of Azerbaijani, but also additional insight into cultural norms and customs.

The CLS Program in Baku is hosted by the Azerbaijan University of Languages and has been hosted by AUL since 2010. AUL is the premier pedagogical university in Azerbaijan, and prepares its students for continued study at the graduate level and professional teaching careers. The university has three campuses, eight schools of study, and more than 5,000 undergraduate students, as well as over 300 graduate students. AUL is also home to the U.S. Embassy’s American Center, which is an Internet center and library that offers access to reference tools and research services. For more information about the Azerbaijan University of Languages, please visit their website.