home | about | news | contact | index | quick links
Current Application and Registration Information: FCSILP Application and Registration
The Five College Supervised Independent Language Program (FCSILP) offers students with excellent language skills an opportunity to study languages not currently offered in classroom courses at any of the Five Colleges. This selective program admits highly-motivated students with a record of past success in language learning. Students admitted into the program normally have received high grades in previous language courses; have completed the language requirement of their college; have taken at least one advanced college-level course in a language other than their first language(s); and/or have developed a high level of proficiency in a second language by living or studying abroad.
Languages currently offered: Amharic (Ethiopia), Bulgarian, Croatian (Serbo-Croatian), Czech, Modern Greek, Hungarian, Indonesian, Norwegian, Romanian, Serbian (Serbo-Croatian), Slovak, Thai, Twi (Ghana), Urdu (Pakistan), Ukrainian, Vietnamese, Wolof (Senegal), Yoruba (Nigeria), Zulu (South Africa). Not all languages are available every semester (current course registration information).
Arabic, Hindi, Persian, Swahili and Turkish are available in a "mentored" course format. Uzbek will be available in a mentored format on an experimental basis during the 2008-2009 academic year. The mentored format also involves independent study and weekly conversation sessions, but adds a weekly thirty-minute individual tutorial with weekly study guides and written homework assignments. The mentored format allows for more feedback and individualized help during the semester than with standard FCSILP courses. For more information see the Five College Mentored Language Program. 
Priority in admission to FCSILP is given to students who have a clear and defined plan for using the language in their academic work or future vocation; for example, an archaeology major doing research in Turkey; an Asian Studies major studying Japanese and Chinese, who wants to add Indonesian; an African Studies major spending junior year in Kenya; or an Economics major focusing on Eastern European economies. Students must also work well independently, take responsibility for their own learning, and organize time wisely.
An FCSILP course consists of three components:
1) seven to ten hours a week of independent study using a combination of textbooks, workbooks, audio and video tapes, software, and online materials (course components vary by language);
2) a weekly conversation practice session led by a native speaking conversation partner; and
3) a final oral evaluation given by a professor accredited in the target language.
Each language offered in the program is divided into four levels of study. The four levels constitute four parts of an elementary course. A student who completes all four levels can expect to acquire basic speaking skills as well as a limited amount of reading and writing proficiency. The syllabus for each level defines the amount of material a student must learn during the semester. Students normally need to commit 10-12 hours a week to language study in order to master the material.
Credit for these courses varies by college:
--at Amherst College these courses carry 1/2 credit each;
--at Hampshire College these courses carry credit;
--at Mount Holyoke College these courses carry 2 credits each and two semesters (or equivalent) must be completed to receive credit;
--at Smith College these courses carry 2 credits each and two semesters (or the equivalent) must be completed to receive credit;
--at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst these courses carry 1.5 credits each.
Applications for the program are accepted during the program's pre-registration period and during the first week of add/drop at the beginning of each semester. Students fill out an application and meet with the Director or Associate Director of the program. Contact the office to make a registration appointment. Students should complete the Online application form and either bring a paper copy along to the interview, or e-mail the application to the Center ahead of time. 
Students with previous experience in a language must also have a placement interview with the consulting professor before enrolling. Placement interviews are normally scheduled during the semester prior to the student's enrollment and, depending upon the language, may not be available during the add/drop period. The courses are suitable for beginners or near beginners, but not for students who already have intermediate or advanced proficiency in the language, including those who speak a language but wish to learn to read and write.
Graduate students, UMass continuing education students, and first-semester freshmen are not eligible for this program. All courses must be taken for credit. Auditing is not an option.
The program director is Elizabeth Mazzocco, Ph.D., Associate Director is Amy Wordelman, Ph.D., and the FCSILP assistant is Gretchen Fiordalice.
For more information e-mail fcsilp@hfa.umass.edu or
phone (413) 545-3453.
1. How do I study a language on my own?
2. Where do I find my materials?
3. Who is my conversation partner?
4. How am I graded?
5. What will my final evaluation be like?
6. What if I need to drop or take an incomplete?
7. Where is the FCSILP office?
Five College Supervised Independent Language Program
Five College Mentored Language Courses
Language and International Opportunities Web
LangMedia: The Five College Foreign Language Media Archive
Five College International and Regional Studies
Five College Language Departments
Language Resources on the Web
© 2002 Five College Center for the Study of World Languages and Five Colleges, Incorporated.
Five Colleges, Incorporated is the consortium of Amherst College, Hampshire College, Mount Holyoke College, Smith College and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.