5th Bengali Summer School 2025
Institute of Asian Studies, Faculty of Arts, Charles University in Prague in collaboration with Department of Modern South Asian Languages and Literatures, Heidelberg University and Chair of South Asian Studies, Faculty of Oriental Studies, University of Warsaw bring you the 5th Bengali Summer School 2025.
Beginners’ and Advanced Courses:
- Course fee: 250 Euros
- Accommodation Fee: 340 Euros
- Registration Deadline: till June 30, 2025
Beginners’ Course
In the beginners’ course the participants will acquire skills in speaking, reading, listening and writing. They will gain a preliminary knowledge of Bengali grammar with a basic vocabulary and familiarise themselves with Bengali conversation styles. Emphasis will be on pronunciation, basic knowledge of grammar, basic vocabulary, simple exercises in reading, writing, speaking and listening.
As part of the beginners’ course, the script will not be introduced. Participants without any previous knowledge of the Bengali script are asked to familiarise themselves with the script (for reading only) in the run-up to the course using one of the following textbooks:
Bengali: A Comprehensive Grammar, Hanne Ruth Thompson, Routledge, London, 2010, ISBN 978-0-415-41139-4, 978-0-415-41139-0, 978-0-415-41139-9
or
Bengali Reference Grammar, W.L. Smith, (Stockholm Oriental Textbook Series, no. 1.) ix,197 pp. Stockholm: Association of Oriental Studies, Stockholm University, 1997.
Advanced Course
In the advanced course the communicative abilities will be enhanced, grammatical knowledge will be strengthened, and the vocabulary will be expanded. Emphasis will be on exercises on selected grammatical topics, newspaper readings, listening exercises (accompanied by films, TV programmes, radio broadcasts, poetry and text readings etc.) and conversation.
Classwork
Each course is going to have 40 classes altogether. Classes will be held Mondays to Fridays from 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM (3 classes a day) and Saturdays 9:30 AM to 1 PM (2 classes). There will be ample opportunity to practice the script and to clarify any doubts and questions regarding the language and grammatical rules.
Accompanying program
- Movies, TV shows, music
- Meeting with native speakers
- Cooking classes with simple dishes of Bengali cuisine
Venue
Central location in Prague’s Old Town:
Institute of Asian Studies,
Faculty of Arts, Charles University,
Celetná 20, Prague 1,
Czech Republic
Accommodation
We can provide a limited number of simple student dormitory accommodation (single rooms with bathroom and kitchenette facilities shared in between two rooms) at the Charles University from July 31 to August 16 (16 nights). It is extremely low-cost by Prague standards (about 22 EUR per night) but expect to commute daily 40 minutes to the centre (point-to-point). Alternatively, feel free to arrange your own accommodation that suits your needs. Book your dorm by June 30, 2025, using the link below.
Registration
To register and for more information, please contact Dr. Martin Hříbek at martin.hribek@ff.cuni.cz
State briefly in your email which course do you plan to attend (Beginners’ or Advanced), what is your motivation to learn Bengali and what do you expect from the Summer School.
Payment
The course fee and the accommodation fee (if accommodation is requested from the organisers) is to be paid exclusively by card via the online payment portal of the Faculty of Arts by June 30, 2025. Fill in the yellow fields only.
To pay the course fee (250 EUR) and the hostel accommodation fee (320 EUR) go to the links on the right side.
If you require an invoice, please mention this in the 'payment note' section, along with any billing details, should these be more extensive or different to your name and email address.
On student life in Prague check out the websites on the right side.