Note: The course at UR starts on September 25th and runs until the second week of December. Space is limited, so if you're interested, please send a note to esperanto at lodestone dot org to let us know and/or reserve a spot!
Esperanto 101: An introduction to Esperanto
A free, non-credit beginner's course in the the international language Esperanto. All are welcome!
Goals
By the end of the semester you should be able to hold simple conversations and read most Esperanto texts with the help of a dictionary. We'll be putting your newfound knowledge to use as soon as possible: you'll be corresponding (and or video-chatting via Skype, if you're brave!) with other students from around the world.
Students completing the course will be eligible for scholarships in July to NASK, la Nord-Amerika Somera Kursaro (North American Summer Esperanto Institute), which meets each July and brings together students and instructors from all over the world.
Where/When
Classes meet Tuesday evenings at 7:00 p.m. in Hylan 1101. If there's sufficient interest, we'll also hold separate conversation circles for practice, or just to help with homework.
Materials
All course handouts/materials are free, but it's strongly recommended that you have a good dictionary for reference. We'll distribute basic word lists in class, but as you explore Esperanto materials outside of class you'll definitely need something more substantial. The English-Esperanto-English dictionary by John C. Wells of is a great reference. If you like, we can place a bulk purchase early in the course to save on shipping costs.
We'll also be watching, reading, and listening to various materials in class: videos, short stories, excerpts from news magazines, radio broadcasts, poetry, cartoons, classical literature, podcasts, and even some pop music!
Instructor
Hoss Firooznia is a graduate student and staff member at the University of Rochester who's been using Esperanto since his undergraduate days. He is certified in Esperanto proficiency at the Council of Europe's C1 level by Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest, and he has studied Esperanto at the University of Hartford and the University of California. In 2005 he was chosen to teach Esperanto for UR's Continuing Education program, and in the summers he teaches Esperanto at the University of California, San Diego.