THE WEEKEND IMMERSION PROGRAMS (WIPs)

Featured languages: Arabic, French, Italian and Spanish

For other languages, see below.

Dates for Next WIPs: April 4-6, 2008

Registration Deadline: Friday, March 28, 2008

Please call the number below for more information.

Greetings to all our ALPs and WIP alumni and other friends! As Director of the Culpeper Language Resource Center and a professor at Fairfield University, I am happy to welcome you to this program in partnership with the Rassias Foundation at Dartmouth College. Professor John Rassias, President of the Rassias Foundation, joins me in wishing you every success here at the Fairfield University WIP, which bases its approach on the Rassias Method^®. The Method was developed for training Peace Corps volunteers in the early 1960's and adapted to college-level instruction in 1967. This approach is a combination of dramatic techniques, rhythmic drills, and energetic reinforcement strategies that make learning an engaging experience significantly reducing the learner's self-consciousness and fear of making mistakes.

Your language learning will thrive on the good humor and energy of the Rassias Method. If you are looking to reinforce and improve your language skills but have limited time, the WIP is the perfect program for you! In just three days you will learn more and noticeably improve your ability to speak the language.

Additional information about the Rassias Method as well as testimonials from many former students of programs that use it is available in a new book, Breakthrough: Essays and Vignettes in Honor of John A. Rassias, ed. Mel B. Yoken (New York: Peter Lang) 2007.

WIPs in other languages

While our current WIPs focus on Arabic, French, Italian and Spanish, please feel free to inquire about programs in other languages as we are considering offering Brazilian Portuguese, German, Hebrew, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese and Russian. We can be particularly responsive to group requests involving at least five participants, including for off-campus learning.

To see the PDF version of a recent brochure, please click here: WIPs. Please inquire if you are interested in other languages.

Placement

Because of the short, intense nature of the WIPs, participants with some experience in the language will notice more progress than do rank beginners, those just beginning a language. For the latter, the true beginners, we recommend the ten-day Accelerated Language Programs (ALPs) at the Rassias Foundation at Dartmouth College in late June and early July. For those who have some experience in the language, please click on the following link for self-placement information. This self-placement guide will help you estimate your level. However, once you have registered for a WIP, one of our instructors will contact you by telephone for an exact determination.

Faculty

Dedicated Fairfield University who have been trained in the Rassias Method teach in the WIP and/or help organize the Assistant Teacher component of the program. The current faculty are: Professors Marcela Aliaga (Spanish), Zoe Erotopoulos (French), Silvia Gerety (Italian), Joel Goldfield (French), Yasir Hamed (Arabic), and Christopher Poulos (Spanish).

Contact us:

For more information on the WIPs class day structure, please click here: WIPs schedule. For more information, please contact Mrs. Jane Aquino at (203) 254-4307.

Under the joint auspices of the University College at Fairfield University and the Rassias Foundation at Dartmouth College, the upcoming WIPs will take place on the Fairfield University campus in Fairfield, CT, during the weekend of April 4-6, 2008. We hope to see you here for many WIPs to come!

Sincerely,

Dr. Joel Goldfield, Associate Professor http://www.faculty.fairfield.edu/jgoldfield/WIP07-08.htm

Director of the Culpeper Language Resource Center

Department of Modern Languages and Literatures;

Fairfield University, Fairfield, CT

E-mail: jgoldfield@mail.fairfield.edu

Weekend Immersion Programs (WIPs): Souvenirs from Fairfield University

A Collaborative Effort with the Rassias Foundation at Dartmouth College

Oct. 1-3, 2004

Some of the WIPs team of teachers and administrators at the graduation ceremony, Fairfield University