A look inside University language communities

http://www.cavalierdaily.com/article/2015/03/a-look-inside-university-language-communities

University language communities provide students with an opportunity for cultural immersion within Charlottesville. Each academic year, students apply to live in the house of their choice to further their studies of a particular language and culture.

Housing offerings

The University offers students interested in language and cultural immersion a variety of language-oriented communities. Students can choose to live in communities focusing mainly on Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Japanese or Spanish, among others.

La Casa Bolívar, the Spanish House, opened its doors in 1980 and is now home to two dozen undergraduate students each academic year. Residents have the opportunity to practice and expand their knowledge of the Spanish language, earning academic credit in the process.

La Maison Française, the French House, opened in 1985 in an attempt to fulfill Thomas Jefferson’s expressed desire to provide francophone students with a residential community in which they could develop French language skills.

La Maison Française is currently home to 27 undergraduate students who have recently been granted the opportunity to earn academic credit for speaking French in the language community.

“This year is the first year that students living in the house have begun receiving graded academic credit for speaking French in the house,” French House Resident Advisor Arslan Zahid said.

If I were wanting to learn Spanish or French at University, this is the way to do it. The immersion you experience grows your language ability so much more than standard lectures or assignments. Sounds like a really good idea.