Immersion
CLS Language Immersion Programmes
The Centre organizes various immersion programmes to provide opportunities for students to practice the learned language and immerse in the local culture of the target countries. Various immersion programmes are available as follows.
Language immersion programmes have become popular avenues for accelerating students’ language proficiency. It provides the students with real life and hands-on experience, through which knowledge can be gained effectively. Learning a language cannot be separated from learning its culture.
Hence, through an immersion programme, students are given the opportunity to really immerse in and understand the culture.In addition, the programme promotes bonding among the participants as well as with their host families. Relationships nurtured through this programme provide students with valuable contacts for future work, academic or social networking purposes.
The Bahasa Indonesia Programme at the National University of Singapore (NUS) has carried out LIPs at several Indonesian universities for students who have studied the Indonesian language for at least 2 semesters. For further detail of the Programme please visit the Bahasa Indonesia Programme website.
Students making "Wayang Kulit" (Shadow puppet) from the buffalo skin
Have you ever imagined savouring a crispy chicken chop the size of your face, or, standing on the top of the world’s tallest building, Taipei 101, gazing the breath-taking night view? Join us to “Walk the Talk” in our immersion programme to Taipei. You will be able to plunge into the native Mandarin-speaking environment both inside and outside of the classroom, have close contact with the Taiwan-styled hospitality, and be embraced by the one-of-a-kind natural beauty in excursions. If these are not enough to convince you, consider the improved linguistic and cultural proficiency, international friendship, and priceless memories to last for a life time.
2011 Cultural trip at Yingge
Group photo with the teacher
Opportunity to interact with locals
Group photo during an excursion
Language immersion programmes are very popular with students who wish to widen their horizons and discover their identity in a foreign language culture. For many years, our students of French make the exciting decision to purchase their plane tickets, pack their bags and embark on an adventure to the city of Montpellier in France for their immersion. As their teachers, we advise, motivate, help them navigate the complexities of the French train systems, as well as provide them tips on places to visit and great culinary experiences to explore. While some are apprehensive prior to departure, they always come back happy with a newfound confidence in their knowledge and a feeling of autonomy and independence. The experience allows them to excel in French in their upper courses and open doors to them in the future.
The French Language Immersion Programme available to students after French 2 level allows them to get a taste of the summer sun, sea breeze and festivals in France while learning French on daily basis and discovering the French culture through excursions organised by the French school.
The German language section offers a language immersion programme. The programme lasts for three weeks and includes a 50 hours language course, homestay, excursions and cultural programmes. The course usually begins in the first week of June, after the exams.
Our partner in Germany is WiPDaF at Westfälische-Wilhelms-Universtät Münster. The language immersion programme is open to all NUS German language students who have completed and passed the course LAG2201 German 2.
Objectives:
- Improve the language proficiency
- Applying familiar language structures through activities beyond the classroom
- Experience of everyday life in a family and at a university
- Exposure to German culture
Costs:
Course fees around 1100 €: include language course (50 hrs), homestay with breakfast, transportation, excursions, weekend trip and activities
Briefings:
First briefing will be conducted end of January/beginning of February. Invitations will be disseminated through IVLE. Another briefing will be called before departure.
Differences between CLS German Language Immersion and LIA German Immersion
|
LIA immersions |
CLS immersions |
|
| Dates | Fixed | Fixed |
| Length | TBA | 3 weeks in June |
| Location | TBA | Münster |
| Price | Subsidized except air ticket | Around 1100 € + air ticket |
| Eligibility | Selection according to grades & interview | Any NUS German language student who passed LAG2201, but no higher course |
| Obligation/Bond | Nil | Nil |
Students went for excursion during the immersion Group photo with the lecture
Aomori Global Advance Project 2023
Aomori Global Advance Project 2023 is a collaborative project among the following municipalities of Aomori Prefecture, Japan: Mutsu city, Aomori city, Sotogahama town, Hirosaki city, Misawa city and Hirakawa city. These cities and towns are situated in Aomori prefecture, right below Hokkaido. Bestowed with bountiful gifts from nature, Aomori is home to a wealth of fresh food resources from the rich mountains, seas and rivers. Aomori's profound and time-honoured traditions are also precious treasures of the prefecture.
Tamagawa University
In this programme, students will participate in the intensive study programme at Tamagawa University in Tokyo for three weeks: 3 weeks of Japanese Language Study Programme, Exchange Programme with university students and people of the community, Social Programme, such as study trip to Fuji Television (tentative), etc. and Cultural Programme to experience Japanese culture and arts.
The three-week programme is open to students who successfully completed LAJ2203 (Japanese 4) and above. Tamagawa University is located in the western part of the metropolitan area of Tokyo-city. This programme is project work-based with various opportunities for interaction with local people. For more information about Tamagawa university and the programme, please visit Tamagawa University's website.
Waseda University
Three weeks Japanese Language Summer Scholarship Program is open to Japanese language students at all levels. This is good for students who want to excel the language ability and to experience a life in Tokyo. For more details, please visit Waseda University's website.
Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology
12 days Japanese Language Winter Scholarship Program at Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology is open to intermediate level students majoring in Science and Engineering. For more details, please visit TUAT's website.
Homestay with host family
Students attending a cultural class
This special programme is offered every summer only to the NUS students who completed LAK2201 at NUS since 2009. The Korean immersion course consists of language classes and cultural events. During the 3-weeks of immersion programme, there are 3-hours of language classes in the morning, followed by cultural activities such as cooking, dance or pottery class.
The immersion also includes excursions to several Korean cities and places of interest as well as a home-stay programme for students to experience the Korean lifestyle.
The Spanish Programme offers Immersion Programmes in Spain opened to all NUS students in two of the most renowned Universities in the field of Teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language.
Our Immersion programmes are suitable for students whose graduation requirement is to go abroad on a NUS endorsed programme.
Scholarships are available! Please contact Mr Sergio Rodríguez Flores, Convenor for the Spanish Language Programme for more information at roflose@nus.edu.sg
Winter Spanish Immersion Programme:
Enjoy the European Christmas Season at the oldest University of the Spanish-world at the prestigious Universidad de Salamanca.
When: Every year in December for a total duration of 15 days.
Experience living with a local family or in a Spanish university residence.
Travel a few days earlier (or stay after the course) and spend time exploring the beautiful Spanish capital, Madrid. Get to taste delicious tapas, enjoy bustling shopping experiences and admire breath-taking architecture. Feel the Christmas markets atmosphere or even go skying in Navacerrada or Guadarrama. Still in Madrid on New Years’ Eve? Eat the 12 grapes in Puerta del Sol and celebrate as one more Spaniard!
Summer Spanish Immersion Programme:
Enjoy your summer holidays in one of the most beautiful cities in Spain, Toledo. The historical capital of Spain and the land of Cervantes and El Quijote!
When: Every year in July for a total duration of 30 days.
Experience a Spanish immersion surrounded by buildings with centuries of History at the Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha.
Travel a few days earlier (or stay after the course) and spend time exploring the beautiful Spanish capital, Madrid. Get to taste delicious tapas, enjoy bustling shopping experiences and admire breath-taking architecture. Don’t miss Segovia and it’s imposing castle and aqueduct or plan your own trip around Spain. Would you go North to the green Cantabria region or South to the passionate Andalucía?
The Thai language immersion programme, organized by the Thai language programme at the Centre for Language Studies, National University of Singapore, aims to further enhance students’ language proficiency and communicative competence. Through participation in authentic communicative tasks, culture-based classroom activities and fieldtrips conducted by a partner university in Thailand, students will acquire a better understanding of sociolinguistics and pragmatics aspects of the Thai language as well as develop intercultural communicative competence.
Conducted twice yearly, in July and December, the three-week immersion programme is currently held at the Language Centre, Chiang Rai Rajabhat University, Chiang Rai, Thailand. In addition to interactive and hands-on classroom activities, students will be engaged in cultural and historical excursions in the neighbouring provinces. Through the visits and rich opportunities to interact with local people and Thai buddies, students will gain an understanding of the Thai society and observe how the language is used in real life contexts. They will also acquire communication strategies which will support their language learning and language use.
Additional Information:
Fee: 1,500 SGD per person (inclusive tuition, course materials, accommodation and excursions)
Programme coordinator: Sasiwimol Klayklueng (email)
Students wearing Chiang Rai Rajabhat University school uniforms are trying Thai traditional dance
Excursion
At front gate of the University of Social Sciences and Humanity
The Vietnam Immersion Programme is organised annually for Vietnamese language students who have finished Vietnamese level 1 and above with the following objectives:
1) To give the student participants exposure to authentic Vietnamese language environment
2) To give the student participants exposure to Vietnam, Vietnamese culture and ways of life
The Vietnam Immersion Programme includes two parts:
Part 1: Two weeks of intensive Vietnamese language study at the University of Humanity and Social Sciences (Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City). The students will have Vietnamese language classes with Faculty of Vietnamese Studies.
Part 2: One week of excursion around Vietnam will help the students learn more about the Vietnamese language (e.g. different regional accents, dialects, language registers), Vietnamese geography and Vietnamese cultures. The students will visit destinations of cultural and historical importance such as Hue – the last royal capital of Vietnam, the thousand-year-old capital Hanoi, and UNESCO World Heritage site Halong Bay. This excursion will enable the students to learn and appreciate the diversity of Vietnam.
You can visit our Vietnamese Language Programme Facebook Page and blog for more information.