Learn an Asian LCTL From Home
Language knowledge is essential for the study of Asian cultures and societies. Distance learning options offer greater opportunity for foreign and heritage language learners to study a broader range of languages. While distance and online language courses are growing to be more accessible, it is the hope that with time, this database of Asian LCTLs with distance course options will continue to expand.
These distance courses implement a range of technologies and learning materials. Please check out the following institutions below to see what languages you may be able to study from the comfort of your home. More detailed information on each course and tuition/fees can be found through respective institutional URLs on each individual language page. Save the moving costs and take an Asian LCTL, wherever you may be.
Institutions
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California State University - Fullerton
Languages: Vietnamese
Frequency: Fall and spring semester/Yearly
Additional info: Proposed to start spring semester 2019
Coastline Community College
Columbia University
Cornell University
Languages: Sinhala
Frequency: Fall and spring semester/Yearly
Additional info: Courses available to Yale University and Columbia University students only through Shared Course Initiative.
Indiana University
Michigan State University
Languages: Tamil / Thai / Vietnamese
Frequency: Fall and spring semester & summer session/Yearly
Additional info: Vietnamese and Tamil available during the fall, spring, and summer. Thai available during the fall and spring semester. University of Maryland – College Park students may take Vietnamese through course share program.
Middlebury Institute of International Studies
Languages: Filipino /Pashto / Thai / Urdu / Vietnamese
Frequency: Tailored course/available upon request
Additional info:
Northern Illinois University
Languages: Burmese / Lao / Khmer
Frequency: Distance Burmese only available AY 22-23. Distance Lao and Khmer available Yearly (contact institution for more details).
Additional info: Click here for detailed information on courses, tuition fees, and how to enroll.
Oakton Community College
Palden Sakya Center
Tibetan Language Institute
University of Arizona
University of Colorado Boulder
Languages:
Frequency:
Additional info:
University of California - Berkeley
Frequency: Fall and spring semester/Yearly
Additional info: Khmer courses also offered to University of Wisconsin – Madison students through course exchange. Non-UC students enroll to take the course without credit via Concurrent Enrollment. Contact Khmer instructor Frank Smith for more information (fjsmith@berkeley.edu).
University of Hawaii - Manoa
Languages: Indonesian / Khmer / Thai / Filipino
Frequency: Fall and spring semester/Yearly
Additional info: Contact the Center for SEA Studies at UH-Manoa with inquiries, cseas@hawaii.edu.
University of Wisconsin - Madison
Languages: Bengali / Burmese / Filipino /Gujarati /Hindi / Hmong / Indonesian / Khmer / Malayalam / Marathi / Pashto / Sanskrit /Sinhala / Tamil / Telugu / Thai / Tibetan / Urdu / Vietnamese
Frequency: Fall and spring semester & summer institute/Yearly
Additional info: Certain languages available during the academic year, some available during the summer, and some available during both periods. Some courses are also available to students from BTAA universities (https://www.btaa.org/about/member-universities) and University of California – Berkeley. See specific languages for more details. Contact Less Commonly Taught Languages Pedagogy Coordinator, Erlin Barnard, for more information (esbarnard@wisc.edu).
Yale University
Languages: Indonesian
Frequency: Fall and spring semester/Yearly
Additional info: Courses available to Cornell University and Columbia University students only through Shared Course Initiative.
Virtual Course Exchanges
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Big Ten Academic Alliance (BTAA)
Established by the Big Ten Academic Alliance Liberal Arts and Sciences Deans in 2005, the CourseShare Program was created to provide a systematic method for sharing courses to enhance access to specialized graduate courses and low enrollment offerings. In 2009, the LAS Deans narrowed the program’s focus to less commonly taught languages (LTCL) courses that can be “technology facilitated” to eliminate barriers of time and distance. Course-sharing for LCTL study may be available at no extra cost for all BTAA member institutions, mainly located in the Midwest. Click here for more information about CourseShare and a list of campus coordinator contacts.