Here's a brief overview of the Yamada Language Center. Visit us in Pacific 121 and get to know us better. We house materials for language practice and study in more than 30 languages, much of it online and easily accessible. We operate two computer labs (50+ multilingual workstations), service five media rich classrooms, and operate the “Virtual Language Lab”, a crucial curriculum component of many foreign language, cinema, and literature courses. This year we’re pleased to show off a newly renovated Pacific 119, a technology rich language classroom that’s designed for active learning and teaching.
Self-Study Language Program-LT 199
This is the 16th year of our innovative program for the study of “less commonly taught languages”. Our premise is simple--if 4 students or more are interested in learning a language, we try to put together a course of study. Well trained tutors, small groups of motivated students, and wise use of technology have resulted in a very popular program. This year we’ll be offering: Arabic (Gulf dialect), Chinese, Chinuk Wawa, Dutch, Modern Greek, Hindi-Urdu, Lushootseed, Persian, Romanian, and Turkish.
This is an important part of our mission. We try to be a state leader in providing tools and opportunities for foreign language teaching and learning. Every year more than 1500 high school kids, teachers, and parents visit the campus for our annual Foreign Language and International Studies Day—more than 100 presentations about language, culture, and areas studies at UO. FLIS XXXVI will be May 2, 2014. For more information, contact the coordinator, Michelle Hefner.
Being Part of UO’s Commitment to International Education
YLC is active in many areas of international education at UO. Our partners in various undertakings include: the American English Institute, International Affairs, Study Abroad, Global Oregon, and, of course, the university’s language, linguistics, and area studies deparatments.
Grants
We work closely with the American English Institute (AEI), Center for Applied Second Language Studies (CASLS) and the Northwest Indian Language Institute (NILI) both as a partner on some of their grants and as a service or technology provider in others. Our expertises include: teacher training, technology training, and distance education.
Materials Development and Software
We are proud that many of the core tools used for language study, especially for web-based applications for speech and video, were developed right here at YLC. We make many of the “virtual language lab” services available to a wider audience, starting with rural high schools around the regions. In the recent past we’ve also held week-long Faculty IT workshops and hosted UO faculty fellows, helping them develop and deploy tools for language study humanities and literary scholarship. We work closely with other campus units focused on faculty training and academic or research-focused instructional technology.
Staff
We are a team of 20 faculty, staff, graduate students and undergraduates focused on language learning, service, and technology. We delight in making the complex simpler, and the simple more linguistically interesting. Contact us if we can help your language teaching/learning in any way.