Intensive Slovak in Pittsburgh and Bratislava, Slovakia

 

This one-of-a-kind program offers students the rare opportunity to learn Slovak at Pitt’s renowned Summer Language Institute in Pittsburgh and abroad in Slovakia.  After 6 weeks of language and culture study at Pitt’s Oakland campus, students depart for a 4-week abroad program at Comenius University in the beautiful, welcoming city of Bratislava, the capital city of the Slovak Republic. In Bratislava, students will continue their intensive language classes and engage in an unforgettable excursion program exploring Bratislava and its surroundings. This program is open to students of Slovak at the beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels. Upper-level students of Slovak who are interested in attending only the 4-week abroad portion of the program should write to Kathleen Manukyan manukyan1@pitt.edu. All applicants to SLI’s Slovak programs are elifible to apply for an SLI Scholarship.
 

What You'll Accomplish: 
  • The equivalent of 1 academic year of Slovak language training
  • Rapid gain in proficiency in speaking, reading, listening and writing in Slovak
  • Deep understanding of Slovak culture through hands-on activities centering on film, music, art, movement, and cuisine of Central Europe
  • Understanding of cross-cultural communication gleaned through the challenges and rewards of the international living experience

 

The Slovak capital city of Bratislava is located on the Danube River near the borders with Austria and Hungary. It is surrounded by the natural beauty of the Little Carpathian Mountains and known for equally for its rural and urban attractions. Nearby hiking and cycling trails attract outdoors enthusiasts and the exquisite charm of the Old Town, with a view of the Bratislava castle, delights visitors. Bratislava is a livable city inhabited by a friendly population. The campus of Comenius University is just a short walk from the Old Town, making learning Slovak in Bratislava a comfortable and inspiring experience.
 

Where You'll Live: 

While in Pittsburgh, students may select to live in the dormitories or locate and apartment to sublet. Students are responsible for the cost of housing in Pittsburgh. In Bratislava, students will live in a dormitory or hostel. The cost of housing abroad is included in the program cost.
 

What You'll Study: 

You’ll earn a total of 10 credits during your study of Slovak in an intensive and immersive environment. The language learning you achieve will be equivalent to or greater than a full academic year’s worth of foreign language study. You will rapidly improve proficiency in all four language modes: speaking, listening, reading and writing. 
 

Your Pitt Study Abroad Contacts: 

Oksana Stalczynski

Privet! I'm Oksana Stalczynski and I'm an Assistant Director of Study Abroad at the Global Experiences Office. I was born and raised in St. Petersburg, Russia, was an exchange student and Russian Language Scholar at Reed College in Portland, OR and did a summer language program in Dresden, Germany. Global experiences broaden your horizon, grow your circle of friends and improve your career opportunities. That’s why I think everyone should do one!

Feel free to contact me to find out more about global experiences programs at Pitt, and/or to learn/practice some Russian.

 

E-mail: 
Oksana.stalczynski@pitt.edu

Schedule an appointment

  • Click here to schedule an appointment with me through Pathways.
  • Log into Pathways with your Pitt username and password.
  • Select Find Available Time.
  • Select the time that works for you.
  • Click the schedule button
  • You will see a confirms message on the screen. You will also receive a confirmation in your Pitt email.

Don't see a time that works for you? Just send me an email.
 

Your In-Country Contacts: 

Renáta Kamenárová

Dr. Renáta Kamenárová, a native of Žilina, Slovakia, is a specialist in foreign language instruction with over 17 years of experience in university education. She is a lecturer affiliated with the School of Arts, Comenius University in Bratislava. She served in the SAS (Studia Academica Slovaca - Center for Slovak as a Foreign Language) program for ten years and is the lead author of Krížom-krážom, a popular 4-book series of Slovak language textbooks for foreigners, and co-authored the distance learning course www.e-slovak.sk. Other affiliations include the University of Bologna in Forli, Italy (2012-2016) where she developed the Slovak language curriculum for interpreters and translators and Columbia University, for which she developed a Slovak language proficiency test last year. She lives in Windham, NH, where she teaches and promotes Slovak language at the Czech and Slovak Association in Boston, and is working on a comprehensive teacher’s manual for the Krížom-krážom series.
 

E-mail: 

SLI programs charge in-state tuition rates to all participants regardless of residency.

Items Billed by Pitt
  In-State  
Tuition $8,230  
Program Fee $1,000  
Study Abroad Fee $300  
Total Billed by Pitt $9,530  

 

Estimated Additional Out-of-Pocket Costs
Airfare $1,000 - $1,200
Personal Expenses and Meals $1,000
   
   
   

 

Remember that your lifestyle and spending choices can greatly affect the amount of money you'll need while abroad.  Visit our Budgeting page for more information.

 
What's Included: 

As a part of your program fee, the following are included

  • Tuition for ten credits
  • Housing during the abroad portion of the program
  • International travel health insurance
  • Excursion program abroad
  • Weekly ethnic picnics and extracurricular activities in Pittsburgh
  • Bus pass and access to student facilities (gyms, libraries, etc.) in Pittsburgh