Summer School of Serbian Language and Culture, Valjevo

Project title
"Summer School of Serbian Language and Culture", Valjevo 2013.

Time
July 20 – August 10, 2013 (three weeks)
July 20 – August 31, 2013 (six weeks)
August 10-31, 2013 (three weeks)

Venue
Valjevo, Serbia (learn more about Valjevo).

Levels
Students of all levels, from beginners to advanced, can apply for the Summer School.

Goals of the project
- Learning and improving Serbian (available for all levels: beginners, intermediate, advanced, proficiency);
- studying Serbian culture, traditional values and modern tendencies through theory and practice;
- living in an authentic Serbian environment, making contacts with real Serbs, exchanging experiences and opinions with them.

Calendar (subject to minor changes)

July

July 20: arrival in Valjevo, host-family placement;
July 21: language test, opening ceremony, excursion;
July 22-26: course in Serbian and culture seminar;
July 27: excursion;
July 28: excursion;
July 29 - August 2: course in Serbian and culture seminar;
August 3: excursion;
August 4: excursion;
August 5-9: course in Serbian and culture seminar;
August 9: closing ceremony, awarding certificates and diplomas.

August

August 10: arrival in Valjevo, host-family placement;
August 11: language test, opening ceremony, excursion;
August 12-16: course in Serbian and culture seminar;
August 17: excursion;
August 18: excursion;
August 19-23: course in Serbian and culture seminar;
August 24: excursion;
August 25: excursion;
August 26-30: course in Serbian and culture seminar;
August 30: closing ceremony, awarding certificates and diplomas.

Course in Serbian
By attending the course you will gain new and improve your current language abilities. After a placement test taken upon the arrival students will be divided into groups according to their knowledge. There are six groups: beginners 1, beginners 2, intermediate 1, intermediate 2, advanced and proficiency. Each group will have an appropriate syllabus, a language instructor, and will work separately from other groups. The emphasis is on developing communicative skills. The theoretic, i.e. systematic aspect of the language is presented in the ways that are most suitable to the needs of every respective level. Classes are held from 9:00 to 14:10 on weekdays, which means there are 15/30 working days.

Classes 1-2	Break	Classes 3-4	Break	Classes 5-6 (30 classes a week)
09:00- 10:30	10:30- 10:50	10:50- 12:20	12:20- 12:40	12:40- 14:10

You will have 20/30 language classes a week. You are not required to attend all the classes, but if you need our language certificate, you are not allowed to miss more than 10%.

Culture seminar
Culture seminar comprises workshops and lectures on various subjects, such as: Workshops: Serbian folk singing, Serbian folk dancing, Serbian national cuisine, Serbian national theater. Lectures: Serbian cultural history, Religion of the Serbs, Old crafts in Serbia, History of Serbia in the 20th century, Serbian language, Serbian fine arts, Serbian architecture. These workshops and lectures are held on weekdays. Field work also possible. A more detailed schedule will be available during Summer School.

Culture seminar	Break	Culture seminar
18:00-19:30	19:30-20:00	20:00-21:30

There are 60/120 possible classes at the culture seminar. You are not required to attend all the classes, but if you need our certificate for this field, you are not allowed to miss more than 50%.

Evening meetings
These activities are organized from time to time, always in the evening. At these meetings you can practice your language skills and test your knowledge through various games and quizzes. Winners can expect valuable prizes. You will also be able to meet eminent Serbs: artists, scientists, politicians and business people. A more detailed schedule will be available during the seminar. This part of the Summer School is not obligatory and we do not award certificates for taking part in it.

Excursions
The excursions are intended to get you more acquainted with picturesque Serbia. The school offers 1-day trips and there are several options:

a sightseeing tour of Valjevo,
a sightseeing tour of Belgrade (capital of Serbia),
an excursion to Guča to the well-known festival of brass bands,
a visit to medieval monasteries in West Serbia,
a tour of the canyon of the Gradac River,
an excursion to Petnica (Petnica Research Station, Petnica cave, Petnica lake, Petnica sports center),
a visit to the historical complex in Brankovina,
a visit to Drvengrad, Mokra Gora.

Other destinations are also possible.

Sports & recreation
During Summer School sports facilities are available in your free time. Valjevo has an open-air swimming pool, many gyms, aerobics facilities, tennis courts, facilities for football, basketball, tracks and mini golf. There are also facilities for horse-riding. You can also hire a bicycle at a moderate price. The town is convenient for jogging and all open-air sporting activities because it is very clean, unpolluted and closely linked to nature.

Accommodation
Accommodation is in a host-family, the rooms are cozy and your hosts will help you about anything you need. The families have a significant role in teaching Serbian language and culture and take part in the education process. If you have any special requests regarding accommodation (such as a hotel room, apartment, or you already have an accommodation), please contact us.

Food
If you would like to cook for yourself, the use of kitchen is free of charge. Two meals a day (breakfast and supper), prepared by your host-family, cost 105€ for 3 weeks. Traditional domestic specialties and the atmosphere of Serbian hospitality are something you can experience only with the host-families. Please contact us if you require a special diet (e.g. vegetarian or other).