Program Structure

The CLS Hindi Program in Jaipur, India is flexible, learner-oriented and tailored to the needs of the participants. The goals of the program are language acquisition and cultural immersion. Language classes cover the concepts of grammar, conversation, pronunciation, journal writing, and dictation that hone the four skills of language development – listening, speaking, reading and writing. The CLS Program works with students to set both short and long term learning goals, and the faculty works collectively and individually to help students achieve these goals throughout the summer institute.

In addition to formal evaluations such as tests and quizzes, student–teacher meetings are held every week to discuss student progress and language-learning goals. Classes are held five days a week from 9am until 1pm. In the afternoons, students complete homework, in addition to participating in tutoring, cultural activities, and language partner activities. Weekly activities supplement the formal classroom instruction and include local trips, guest lectures, monolingual guests, and music and dance performances. Each student works with his or her instructors to complete an independent project during the CLS institute. Students present their research and projects to the group during the final week of the program.

CLS participants live with host families to maximize language learning and the cultural immersion experience.

The American Institute of Indian Studies(AIIS) is the host of the CLS Hindi Program in India. AIIS is a consortium of 71 American universities with South Asia Studies Centers and is recognized by the Government of India as an institution of higher learning and research. The Hindi program is located in Jaipur in Rajasthan, a region where the mix of religious traditions, Hindu, Muslim and Jain, contribute to the rich cultural environment.

Language Levels Offered:

• Beginning: No previous knowledge or study of Hindi is required.
• Advanced Beginning: Minimum requirement: completion of one year of college-level Hindi, or its equivalent, prior to the start of the program.
• Intermediate: Minimum requirement: completion of two years of college-level Hindi, or its equivalent, prior to the start of the program.
• Advanced: Minimum requirement: completion of three years of college-level Hindi, or its equivalent, prior to the start of the program.

Outcomes

In 2010, the CLS Program adopted the Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) developed by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) as an additional measure of the effectiveness and quality of the institutes overseas. Before the program, students take a diagnostic OPI test; at the end of their eight-week course of study, they take an ACTFL-certified post-program OPI assessment. The scores on these tests give students a concrete, widely-recognized measure of their speaking skills in MSA. In addition, students’ writing and reading abilities are assessed throughout the program in a variety of ways.

See the 2011 CLS Program Speaking Proficiency Results.