The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) is now offering an Intensive Sindhi summer course through the Program in South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies. The course will be offered during the second half of the 4-week summer sessions and will meet five days a week, for four hours each day.
Ling 304: Intensive Sindhi I
Intensive course in the Sindhi language and introduction to elements of Sindhi culture. Course includes conversation with a native Sindhi speaking tutor, basic grammar, reading skill development, and introduction to the standard script. The course is supervised by a linguist-instructor. The course is offered during the 4-week second summer session and meets five days a week, for four hours each day. 5 semester hours of undergraduate credit or 1 unit (4 hours) of graduate credit.Out-of-state students and non-students can obtain significantly reduced tuition by registering through the Extramural Programs office. The tuition, minus a small processing fee, is refundable if a student withdraws by the first week of classes.
Summer Session: July 10, 2000 - August 4, 2000
Tuition: Approximately $600 (if registering through UIUC Community Outreach)
You can Enroll Online or obtain printed registration forms from Extramural Programs:
Web: http://www.outreach.uiuc.edu
Phone: (217)333-6305
Address: Extramural Programs, 1406 University Inn
302 E John, Suite #202, Champaign, IL 61820
Support for Teaching Sindhi
Donations are solicited from individuals and organizations interested in supporting research and education in Sindhi. Your support can help underwrite the cost of developing course materials and instruction, and provide fellowships for students who are interested in studying Sindhi. All contributions are tax-deductible in the United States. They should be made out to the University of Illinois and mailed to:
About the Instructor
Ms. Vimmi Sadarangani, a Sindhi scholar and Lecturer at Tolani College of Arts and Sciences in India, has been selected to teach the course. She will be working under the supervision of Professor Jennifer Cole of the UIUC Department of Linguistics. Professor Cole has previously done linguistic research on Sindhi.
Ms. Sadarangani was born in Ajmer, and holds a Master's degree in Sindhi. She has previously taught special Sindhi courses in India, Hong Kong and Singapore, and served as a Research Fellow of the Teaching Materials Project at the Indian Institute of Sindhology (IIS).
Ms. Sadarangani is the author of five books for teaching the Sindhi language. These include two co-authored books on introductory Sindhi, two short books on the Sindhi alphabet, and a Sindhi reader. She is an award winning Sindhi writer and poet: four books of creative writing by her have been published. Ms. Sadarangani serves as the sub-editor of Rachna, a quarterly literary magazine published by the IIS, as well as a co-editor of IIS's bulletin.
Ms. Sadarangani is an energetic and enthusiastic instructor. Professor Cole notes that Ms. Sadarangani is credited with reviving the once dormant program in Bachelor's studies in Sindhi at Tolani College. As a result of her outstanding teaching ability, dozens of students have been attracted to the advanced Sindhi studies at Tolani College.
In announcing the selection, Dr. Hans Henrich Hock, Professor of Sanskrit Language and Linguistics and Director, Program in South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign stated:
``As Dr. Rohra (Director, Indian Institute of Sindhology) kindly observes, Ms. Sadarangani has a great amount of experience in innovative approaches to Sindhi language teaching and vast experience in preparing teaching materials. In addition, to judge by her curriculum vita, her command of English seems to be excellent. All of these are qualities that should be helpful in teaching Sindhi here next summer.''About the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a comprehensive, major public university ranked among the best in the country.
As a land-grant institution chartered in 1867, it provides undergraduate and graduate education in more than 150 fields of study, conducts both theoretical and applied research, and provides public service to the state and the nation. The campus includes some 200 major buildings on 1,470 acres, serving more than 2,000 faculty members, 26,000 undergraduates, and 10,000 graduate and professional students. The University has the largest library system of any public university in the world, with over 17 million items. The University's annual budget is over $800 million.
UIUC is a member of CIC, a consortium of Midwestern institutions with agreements on inter-institutional cooperation, including offerings in less commonly taught languages. Other members are Chicago, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan State, Michigan, Minnesota, Northwestern, Ohio State, Purdue, Penn State, and Wisconsin (Madison). Students at these universities can register through their home institution for the Sindhi course.
Living expenses in Urbana-Champaign are also considerably lower than in major metropolitan areas. Being a university town, summer sublets are particularly inexpensive around campus*. Cultural activities such as summer theater and music, restaurants and parks abound. Chicago, St. Louis and Indianapolis are 2-3 hours by car or bus from here. Trains also connect to Chicago and major Midwestern airline hubs.
* Housing classifieds for Urbana-Champaign are available at Deja.Com. The campus student paper Daily Illini also has classified ads.
For more information about the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, visit the UofI website