ESTO 101 A: First Year Estonian 1

Autumn 2026
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Meeting:
MWF 9:00am - 10:20am
SLN:
15176
Section Type:
Lecture
Joint Sections:
ESTO 111 A
IF YOU WISH TO STUDY ESTONIAN BUT HAVE A TIME CONFLICT, PLEASE CONTACT THE DEPARTMENT AT UWSCAND@UW.EDU FIRST IN SEQUENCE OF 3 COURSES BEGINNING IN FALL QUARTER; FOR STUDENTS IN THE COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES, THE 101-102-103 SEQUENCE FULFILLS EITHER FOREIGN LANGUAGE REQUIREMENT OR COUNTS AS A&H CREDITS.
Syllabus Description (from Canvas):

First-year Estonian, taught by Guntis Šmidchens, guntiss@uw.edu 

Picture of a nightingale with text: e-Estonia, startup capital of Europe. And home of the world's longest single-vowel-repeated word: Tööööööbik ("a nightingale who sings while you work at night").

Class meets in person Mondays & Wednesdays,  9:00-10:20 am
Savery Hall 169

Students enrolled in the 5-credit ESTO 101 section will meet online on Fridays
(students in the 3-credit ESTO 111 section may attend online Friday meetings for optional review+extra credit)

Learning a foreign language and culture takes time,
patience and persistence,
and lots of courage.
AND it is fun! 😊

Learning Objectives

This course  aims to build basic skills in the Estonian language (listening, speaking, reading, writing and translation),
and cultural competence in Estonian geography, history, films, music, and art

The first quarter will focus on...

  1. Understanding basic vocabulary (about 500 most commonly used words);
  2. Understanding how meanings of words change when their endings change;
  3. Using cutting-edge digital tools to transcribe, translate and generate Estonian texts;
  4. And gathering useful facts about Estonia and Estonians, a culturally rich, digitally-savvy, politically powerful people.

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. 

The Plan:

  • The class meets in person two times per week, and online once per week
  • Reading text: basic vocabulary and grammar, one chapter per week:
    Grammar reference = Juhan Tuldava, Estonian Textbook Grammar Exercises Conversation (1994) - on sale at UW Bookstore.
  • Written exercises, practiced in class and due on the following day;
  • In-class and online quizzes (and the final exam) will check what you remember.

Grades:

Grading for the 3-credit course (ESTO 111) focuses on comprehension skills (listening, reading, grammar).
Grading for the 5-credit course (ESTO 101) includes comprehension, plus production skills (speaking and writing).  

  • In-class participation & problem solving (25%),
  • Homework exercises (25%)
  • Weekly quizzes (25%),
  • Final Examination (10%)
  • Weekly online discussions (in English) about culture and current events in Estonia (15%)

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/).

 

Catalog Description:
Fundamentals of oral and written Estonian, including introductory study of literature, film, and other authentic texts. First in a sequence of three. Maximum 15 credits allowed between ESTO 101; ESTO 102; ESTO 103; and ESTO 150. Offered: A.
GE Requirements Met:
Arts and Humanities (A&H)
Credits:
5.0
Status:
Active
Last updated:
May 14, 2026 - 1:36 am