FRS 001K - Sec. 001 - (2 units) - CRN 65620 - TR 6:10 – 7:15 pm - 1338 Bainer
Esperanto, A Common Language for All People

Instructor: Henry Studer, Department of Biological & Agricultural Engineering, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and College of Engineering

Description: The origin and history of the Esperanto language will be presented and discussed. Students will learn the basic grammatical rules of the language. They will come to recognize and appreciate the value of a purely phonetic language, one which they can confidently read and speak early in the quarter. And they will gain increasing confidence in writing and speaking Esperanto, as their wordstock increases week by week through the quarter. The primary goal is to demonstrate to the students that a language stripped of grammatical inconsistencies and exceptions to the rules, one that is phonetic and easy to pronounce and write, with words generated from judicious application of affixes to word roots, can actually be learned relatively quickly compared to national languages and very quickly put to use in written and spoken communication.

Format: The textbook for this course will be “Teach Yourself Esperanto” by Cresswell and Hartley. The eight-week course will cover in detail the first six lessons. The grammatical exercises in the book will be augmented with additional exercises provided as handouts. The book includes a two way dictionary, useful for the letter writing assignments. The students will explore some selected Esperanto sites on the internet. They will be introduced to the extensive literature available in this language. And they will have an opportunity to hear some music sung in Esperanto. The course will begin with a discussion of the origin of Esperanto, its history over the past 115 years, and its present status. The alphabet and pronunciation rules will then be presented. Although we will cover only the first 6 lessons in detail, we will cover more than 75% of the basic grammar, enough for the students to effectively use the language, especially for letter writing. They will be assigned three letter writing projects during the course, each one to build on the wordstock and grammar accumulated. Three quizzes (15 minutes max) will be given to test acquisition of vocabulary and mastery of the grammar. The last quiz will be given on the last day of instruction. The instruction will be heavily oriented to student participation: asking and answering questions, writing on the blackboard, and playing games requiring interaction between students. Grading: Grades will be assigned based on student performance in the following four areas, the last being highly subjective: quizzes, 3 (45%); letter writing, 3 (30%); grammatical exercises completed outside of class, 5 (15%); and in-class participation (10%).

About the Instructor: Henry Studer is an Emeritus Professor in the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering. He is a member of several local, national and international Esperanto organizations. He is pleased to share his interest in this amazing language with anyone seeking another way of communicating with non-English speakers around the world.