First-year Estonian, taught by Guntis Šmidchens, guntiss@uw.edu
ESTO 112 - 3 credits
Class meets MWF 9:30-10:20, Savery Hall 140,
Learning a foreign language and culture takes time, patience and persistence, and lots of courage. AND it is fun! 😊
Learning Objectives: This course (2nd-quarter Estonian) aims to build cultural knowledge along with Estonian language (listening, speaking, reading, writing and translation). We will...
- Develop listening skills by watching classic Estonian films;
- (see a preliminary list of films in the Modules section)
- Develop writing and speaking skills while discussing films online and in person;
- Use cutting-edge digital tools to transcribe, translate and generate Estonian texts;
- And write short essays about Estonia and Estonians, a culturally rich, digitally-savvy, politically powerful people.
- Review Estonian grammar and vocabulary as needed to help reach the above objectives
This class satisfies the Arts & Humanities distribution requirement (approval in process, Spring 2023): Learning a language includes learning about the people who speak it, and the history and culture they share.
Grades:
- In-class and online contributions to discussions (33%),
- Written essays about films (33%)
- Three oral presentations about Estonian culture and film (33%)
Note:
Washington state law requires that UW develop a policy for accommodation of student absences or significant hardship due to reasons of faith or conscience, or for organized religious activities. The UW’s policy, including more information about how to request an accommodation, is available at Religious Accommodations Policy (https://registrar.washington.edu/staffandfaculty/religious-accommodations-policy/ ).
- Accommodations must be requested within the first two weeks of this course using the Religious Accommodations Request form (https://registrar.washington.edu/students/religious-accommodations-request/ ).