Spring 2008 class: An introduction to Esperanto

Where/When

Classes meet Thursdays from 6 – 7 pm in room 1106B of the Hylan Building on the UR River Campus. Come join us for a free, non-credit introduction to Esperanto, the international language. You don't need to already be a UR student: all are welcome! Just contact <hoss at lodestone dot org> to reserve a spot.

Goals

By the end of the semester you should be able to understand basic spoken and written Esperanto and have conversations with speakers from all over the world.

Students will also be eligible for scholarships in July to NASK, la Nord-Amerika Somera Kursaro (North American Summer Esperanto Institute) at the University of California, San Diego.

Instruction

We'll be using a mixed method of teaching, combining a traditional grammar-based approach with some of the instruction conducted in Esperanto itself. One hour of classroom time weekly will be supplemented with an online chat session using Skype, allowing students to practice speaking with each other and with guests from around the world!

Materials

No text is required; all materials will be distributed via in-class photocopies or online PDF files. We'll also be sampling excerpts from a wide range of Esperanto media, including news magazines, radio broadcasts, poetry, cartoons, classical literature, and even some pop music!

We'll also be supplementing classroom instruction with sections of Mazi en Gondolando, an award-winning video series from the BBC.

People

Instructor: Hoss Firooznia < hoss at lodestone dot org >

Hoss is a graduate of the University of Rochester and has been using Esperanto since his undergraduate days way back in 1991. He subsequently studied Esperanto at the University of Hartford and the University of California. In 2005 he was chosen to teach a course titled Esperanto 101: Learning and Using the International Language at the University of Rochester.

Guest speaker: Steve Farrington

Steve is a graduate of SUNY Brockport and Bowling Green State University who teaches French and Spanish to college and high school students throughout Monroe County. After recently taking up Esperanto, he went travelling in Europe and attended the 2006 Universala Kongreso in Florence, Italy, with several thousand Esperanto speakers from around the world.

Guest speaker: Thomas Alexander

Thomas Alexander and his family are Rochester residents and longtime Esperanto speakers who have used the language extensively in their travels. The Alexanders are also hosts for the Pasporta Servo, acting as local ambassadors to international travellers visiting the Rochester area.

Guest speaker: Marian Ghilea

Marian is a Ph.D student at the University of Rochester and a former correspondent for Monato, a Belgian news magazine published in Esperanto. Marian first learned Esperanto in his native Romania; he also speaks English, French, Spanish, Italian, Russian, and of course Romanian!