New Hindi / Urdu Course launch supported by visit of leading international specialist

The introduction of Hindi and Urdu language provision has been championed by the College of Humanities South Asia Research Centre, one of the largest centres for the study of South Asia in the UK. By providing students, staff, and members of the local community with the opportunity to master Hindi and Urdu the Centre hopes to enable more people to engage with the study of the region in these important languages. The course will support both undergraduate and postgraduate students hoping to work on Hindi / Urdu, as well as providing other interested parties with a gateway into better understanding the culture of South Asia.

To celebrate the start of the course and to establish Exeter’s teaching or Hindi and Urdu teaching, the College of Humanities will host a visit from Prof Syed Akbar Hyder, the head of the University of Texas at Austin’s prestigious Hindi / Urdu Flagship programme. Prof Hyder will lead a workshop on the teaching of Hindi and Urdu, 14-18 August, with members of the South Asia Research Centre, potential teachers on Exeter’s Hindi / Urdu programme, graduate students, and other advanced learners and teachers of the languages. The University of Texas at Austin enjoys an outstanding global reputation for the Study of South Asia and is considered a world-leader in the teaching of Hindi and Urdu. Prof Hyder will share course materials, practical expertise, and a wealth of experience with Exeter colleagues to ensure that Exeter’s own Hindi / Urdu programme gets off to the best possible start. Those interested in attending the workshop (free, but by registration only) should write to Dr Nandini Chatterjee. 

Dr Nandini Chatterjee, Joint-Head of the South Asia Research Centre, said of the visit: ‘Hindi and Urdu are closely related languages, which together provide unrivalled access to the cultures and histories of South Asia. Prof. Hyder's expertise, and the innovative teaching model successfully designed and run by the University of Texas at Austin, will allow us to teach these two languages together in an exciting format. We are very fortunate that we have access to such unique expertise due to our strong relationship with colleagues at the University of Texas at Austin.’

The FLC's Hindi-Urdu course will run as part of the Evening Language Programme. Classes begin (subject to sufficient enrolment) in October 2017, and will be open to anyone who would like to begin learning Hindi and Urdu. For more information on course arrangements and prices, please visit the Foreign Languages Centre website and the Imperial and Global Forum Blog.