Language House, Department of Germanic Studies, University of Maryland

Please visit the language house website at http://www.languages.umd.edu/lh/ for a complete description, admission information, applications, language clusters, photos and a calendar of events.

Dr. Phoenix Liu
Coordinator,
Language House Immersion Program
301-405-6996
PL67@umail.umd.edu

Program Description:

The Language House Immersion Program is a co-educational campus residence for students wishing to immerse themselves in the daily, organized study of a foreign language and culture. The purpose of this residence hall is to provide an immersion environment for students interested in polishing their language skills. Students who choose this living-learning program will develop communication skills in both academic and daily life settings through diverse organized activities, informal daily contacts, the yearly Language House Colloquium, and supplemental coursework in the target language.

The Language House provides an international community atmosphere in which residents work together to develop language fluency under the direction of a live-in mentor and a faculty liaison from the School of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures. Residents also acquire an appreciation of the specific historical, geographical, and sociological world of the target culture(s). Eight language clusters are available: Chinese, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Russian, and Spanish.

Residents must commit themselves to uphold the spirit of the immersion program. Students are the foundation of this program and its success depends upon their ability and willingness to interact and function in language groups, to initiate and attend Language House activities, and to participate fully in the community experience.

Students living in the Language House are housed in apartment units with other students interested in learning the same language. The students are a part of a large community, and they have an array of programs including the International lunches, Coffee Chats, Faculty and Guest Lecture Series and Language Club meetings which make St. Mary's Hall an easy place to meet other students and faculty.

Resident Life :

The idea of community is furthered fostered by the Resident Staff who live in the building. Each Language cluster has a mentor, who is a native speaker, and St. Mary's Hall has a Resident Assistant (RA) on each side of the building, and a full-time Resident Director. The Resident Staff are responsible for management of the residence halls, and for cultural, social, educational, and recreational programming. Residents can aid the Staff in programming and become involved in their living environment through the St. Mary's Hall Council.