Romanian Language, Culture and Civilization Courses, Braşov, July 12th – August 2nd, 2009
Learn Romanian in Romania!
The Romanian Cultural Institute organizes Romanian language, culture and civilization courses in the 12th century citadel of Braşov. A multicultural environment, Braşov (Corona, Kronstradt, Brassó) was renowned not only as an important medieval trade centre, but also as a cultural and academic „fortress”. Braşov is the place where the first spark of an anticommunist uprising was lit in November 1987.
The program is organized in collaboration with the Faculty of Letters of Transilvania University - Braşov, Mureşenilor Memorial House, the Corona Local Initiative Group and the Braşov County Library.
The Structure of the Program
A. Intensive Romanian language courses:
1. Beginning level (A1 and A2) - this level aims at ensuring the aquisition of basic reading, writing and speaking skills; at the end of this program students are expected to be able to understand as well as formulate short sentences relating to basic necessities and forms of polite address.
2. Intermediate level (B1 and B2) - the courses aim at upgrading the acquired knowledge with an emphasis on conversational skills by means of creative activities.
3. Advanced level (C1 and C2) - the students will improve their speaking, reading and writing skills, and will practice their communication skills in more complex situations.
The Romanian language courses are based on a flexible curriculum, adapted to the students’ needs, combining basic vocabulary and grammar lessons, group and individual activities that aim at developing language proficiency and consolidating grammatical structures and language patterns. The course materials include textbooks, literary and historical texts, folklore, newspaper articles, and audio-visual means. In order to improve the efficiency of the courses, the participants are enrolled in several study groups (10-12 students each), based on an initial language test.
University graduates, the instructors are native Romanian speakers. The Romanian Cultural Institute selects experienced lecturers, primarily for their professional skills, but also for their friendly attitude, enthusiasm and patience. The instructors are employed by the University of Braşov and the University of Bucharest
Certificate of Attendance: At the end of the program, the students will undergo a test assessing their Romanian speaking and writing skills. As a result, they will obtain a qualification grade. The Faculty of Letters of Transylvania University-Braşov will provide the participants with certificates of language proficiency. All the students who have attended at least 90% of the daily classes will also obtain a certificate of attendance.
B. Courses in Romanian culture and civilization: Lectures, given in English and/or Romanian, cover local history, literature, Transylvanian traditions, ethnography, cinema, politics, journalism in order to develop the participants’ knowledge about various aspects of Romanian culture and civilization. The talks are given by university professors and researchers from Bucharest and Braşov, professionals with outstanding credentials in their fields of expertise.
C. Creative Workshops
1. Creative writing (for advanced students)
2. 19th century Ball dancing
3. Gastronomy
4. Retro – costumes (19th century)
Services and Facilities
The courses take place in the city of Braşov (300,000 inhabitants) ,
Official opening of the program: July 13th, 2009. Closing ceremony – July 31st, 2009.
Language classes will take place at the Faculty of Letters of Transylvania University - Braşov (M Building).
The workshops will take place at the Mureşenilor Memorial House www.muzeulmuresenil or.ro), Ştefan Baciu Memorial House (http://www.muzeulmu resenilor. ro/mureseni_ ro/index- stefanbaciu. html ) and the Old Center Bistrot..
Schedule: Monday to Friday, from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm - Romanian language classes ( all three levels). A class lasts 50 minutes. The lectures in Romanian culture and civilization and the creative workshops will take place in the afternoon, from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm.
Depending on the number of participants, the accommodation (single or double rooms) will be in one or two three stars locations in Braşov and must be booked from July 12th, 12 am, till August 2nd, 12 am.
Breakfast will be served at every location, while lunch and dinner will be served most of the times at the Old Center Bistrot.
Registration of participants: Saturday, July 12 , at the reception desk of the hotel.
Cultural and Sightseeing Program:
- Field trips will be organized during weekdays and weekends in the Old City of Braşov, the fortified Saxon fortresses Hărman, Prejmer, Viscri, the Bran castle, the Rupea fortress, the Cezar Petrescu Memorial House in Buşteni, the Peleş Complex in Sinaia (Peleş, Pelişor, Foişor), the George Enescu Memorial House in Sinaia, a traditional Romanian village. These site visits benefit from the informed comments of young historians, sociologists, music critics and art historians, specialized in researching the region, its history, traditions and rich socio-cultural and ethnographic milieu existing in this area of Romania. Moreover, contests on historical and anthropological issues will be organized in the Old Fortress and the fortified towers.
The students will be able to attend film screenings twice a week, followed by debates with directors, producers and film critics. The productions are signed by reknown Romanian film directors, recipients of important awards at the great European film festivals - Thessaloniki (Greece), Paris (France), Cottbus (Germany), Trieste (Italy), Bratislava (Slovakia), Cluj (Romania), Cannes (France).
The workshop in creative writing will develop the student's abilities to use Romanian language for the creation of original literary texts. The ball dancing (especially the Romana dance, en vogue with the Braşov families in the second half of the 19th century) will be coordinated by a choreographer from the Braşov Opera and will be demonstrated by Nermina Damian, chief of professional ballet dancers from Braşov Opera. The workshop on gastronomy will present the world in a “diet book”. The participants will learn about the first Romanian diet books and how to cook Romanian traditional food.
Contributors:
From Bucharest: Ioana Avădani, Simona Irimescu Banciu, Ruxanda Beldiman, Ilinca Ţăpuru Busurcă, Radu Cristescu, Ion Manolescu, Irina Margareta Nistor, Mona Moldoveanu Pologea, Sorin Cucerai.
From Braşov: Andrei Bodiu, Angela Dobrescu, Caius Dobrescu, Nermina Damian, Ana Ene, Agnes Ferenc, Mihaela Gheorghe, Alexandru Muşina, Valer Rus, Ovidiu Savu.
APPLICATIONS
The minimum age for attendance is 18.
The completed application form, accompanied by a curriculum vitae, a copy of the passport (the page with the personal data) and a copy confirming the payment of the participation fee must be sent to the Romanian Cultural Institute.
The deadline for enrollment is June 30, 2009. Due to the limited number of places, applications should be registered as soon as possible.
The official enrollment in the course is notified in writing by the Romanian Cultural Institute.
Participation Fee: 1000 EUROs (990 EUROs + 10 EUROs registration fee)
The participation fee covers the following expenses: registration, tuition, workshops, trips, other additional activities included in the program and meals.
The costs for hotel accommodations in single or double rooms (for families or couples) will be covered by the Romanian Cultural Institute.
The participation fee does not cover the international or internal transport, the entrance visa (if needed) or any other additional hotel services.
General conditions for scholarships
These scholarships are intended for the students of Romanian studies programs abroad, who are using the Romanian language for documentation, scientific research, translations, writing of academic papers or reviews on Romanian culture and civilization.
Several full and partial grants are awarded on a highly competitive basis. Students can apply for 2 full grants (that cover the participation fee) or 4 partial (2 scholarships on 25% and 2 scholarships on 50% of the participation fee). The decision for the awarding of grants will be based on the candidate’s curriculum vitae and a letter of recommendation from an instructor. The deadline for the grant applications is June 20th, 2009.
General conditions for the participants
The organizers will provide a detailed program of the courses, containing the daily schedule. Any change that may occur will be announced in due time.
The organizers are open to the participants’ suggestions. The organizers will be glad to answer any question the participants might have. Each participant has the responsibility to be informed about the structure of the program, the conditions and terms of participation, and any changes that may appear in the program.
In case a participant decides not to attend the courses any further for a serious reason, he/she has the obligation to inform the organizers in writing in due time.
Obligations of the participants:
• to participate in the intensive Romanian language courses
• to attend at least 75% of the conferences in Romanian culture and civilization
• to enroll in two workshops and attend all trips
• each participant pledges to respect the rules established by the organizers, most of all those regarding the academic program
• The final examination will take place on 31st of July and will test the Romanian language proficiency and the information assimilated during the lectures, the workshops and the trips.
• The students who cannot participate in the program must inform the organizers in due time.
SPECIFICATIONS
The Romanian Cultural Institute does not support any expenses for additional services (such as additional meals, medical insurance, mini-bar, personal phone calls, room service or any other costs).
The Romanian Cultural Institute does not assume responsibility for any damage or loss of objects. The Romanian Cultural Institute has the right to make changes in the program of the courses in case of unexpected events.
The participants are responsible for purchasing their own international health insurance. The organizers will not cover the costs of hospitalization or other medical services.
Payment conditions: The total sum for the participation to the program(1,000 euros) must be received before the deadline for the application.
- Please write the applicant’s name and "The Romanian Cultural Institute" on all the documents relating to bank transfer of funds.
- All bank charges are the responsibility of the applicant.
Method of payment:
- Participants must pay the fee only by bank transfer into the bank account of the Romanian Cultural Institute - Code IBAN RO63RNCB00720497136 40004
- Bank Address: Banca Comercialã Românã SA, Calea Victoriei 155, Sector 1 - Bucharest, Romania, SWIFT CODE: RNCB RO BU.
About Us
For applications/ additional information:
THE ROMANIAN CULTURAL INSTITUTE
ROMANIAN LANGUAGE, CULTURE AND CIVILIZATION COURSES
38, Aleea Alexandru 011824, Sector 1 - Bucharest, Romania
Program Coordinators: Ana Borca: ana.borca@icr. ro
(4) 0317 100 672; Fax: (4) 021.230.13.73
Denisa Mirena Pişcu: denisa.piscu@ icr.ro,
phone: + 40 31 71 00616, fax: + 40 31 71 00606
Director of the Domestic Programs Department
Oana-Valentina Suciu
E-mail: oana.suciu@icr. ro
Applications can be downloaded at www.icr.ro/cursuri_ brasov
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