The Eurasian Regional Language Program (ERLP) offers intensive, highly-individualized instruction in 10 Eurasian languages, including three dialects of Persian - Farsi, Dari and Tajiki. Through homestays, cultural activities, and conversation partners, participants enjoy an unprecedented opportunity to immerse themselves in daily local life while receiving ongoing support and guidance from American Councils expert, overseas staff. All Persian language instruction takes place at our language center in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. Programming in multiple languages (example: Persian + Russian in Dushanbe) is available upon request, but dependent on capacity.
Academic Courses
The ERLP academic program is designed to improve students' oral, listening, and reading proficiency in Persian. Course work typically includes classes in phonetics, grammar, and conversation as well as composition, oral comprehension, and reading. Language courses also cover topics in literature, history, politics, culture, mass media, and area studies.
Students are either enrolled in small group classes or receive individualized instruction. Students receive approximately 15-20 hours per week of in-class contact hours. All classes are conducted in the target language by full-time faculty from leading local universities and educational institutions who have extensive experience teaching foreign students.
Participants receive academic credit through Bryn Mawr College, an institutional member of American Councils. Upon successful completion of the program, Bryn Mawr College issues:
8 undergraduate/10 graduate credit hours for the summer program,
16 undergraduate/15 graduate credit hours for the fall or spring semesters, and
32 undergraduate/30 graduate credit hours for the academic year program.
Improve your spoken, written, and overall comprehension of Persian Farsi; you can also opt to add Dari, Tajiki, or Russian language studies.
Engage with local Persian-speaking host families, conversation partners, and teachers on a daily basis.
Experience Dushanbe: where warm hospitality, endless markets, and breathtaking mountain landscapes showcase the heart and beauty of Tajikistan.
Gain academic credit while refining skills in cross-cultural communication.
Join a community of curious, adventurous students ready to explore the world's most mountainous country.
Dushanbe, the vibrant capital of Tajikistan, gets its name from the Persian word for Monday (Dushanbe) because the city began as a small settlement around a bustling Monday market. Today, it has grown into a lively city where tree-lined boulevards, colorful markets, and cozy cafés blend with modern architecture, all set against the dramatic backdrop of the Pamir Mountains. Food is central to its charm: visitors can savor freshly baked non (traditional bread), hearty plov, succulent shashlik, and a variety of local fruits and sweets at the city’s markets. With its rich history, warm hospitality, and stunning scenery, Dushanbe offers a uniquely authentic taste of Tajik culture.
ERLP is designed to provide intensive, immersion-based instruction in Persian while also providing unique opportunities to explore the language, history and culture of Tajikistan. The program features approximately twenty hours per week of in-class instruction. Students are placed according to proficiency level in groups of four-to-six for language classes. Course work typically includes phonetics, grammar, and conversation, as well as composition, oral comprehension, and reading. Language courses also cover topics in literature, history, politics, culture, mass media, and area studies. Academic year and semester students may audit classes at their host university.
Academic year participants with advanced Persian skills may substitute an independent research project for one of the American Councils area studies courses while continuing their language classes during the second semester. Research projects culminate in a 15- to 20-page research paper written in Russian.
Participants receive academic credit through Bryn Mawr College, an institutional partner of American Councils.
EURA 320 | Advanced Conversation: Persian | 1 Unit/4 Credits
EURA 330 | Advanced Grammar: Persian | 1 Unit/4 Credits
EURA 350 | Advanced Conversation: Persian | 1.5 Unit/6 Credits
EURA 360 | Advanced Grammar: Persian | 1.5 Unit/6 Credits
EURA 314 | Readings in Eurasian History and Culture | 1 Unit/4 Credits
EURA 352 | Advanced Conversation: Persian | 1.5 Unit/6 Credits
EURA 362 | Advanced Grammar: Persian | 1.5 Unit/6 Credits
EURA 315 | Readings in Eurasian History and Culture | 1 Unit/4 Credits
EURA 515 | Advanced Conversation: Persian | 1 Unit/5 Credits
EURA 525 | Advanced Grammar: Persian | 1 Unit/5 Credits
EURA 550 | Advanced Conversation: Persian | 1 Unit/5 Credits
EURA 560 | Advanced Grammar: Persian | 1 Unit/5 Credits
EURA 513 | Readings in Eurasian History and Culture | 1 Unit/5 Credits
EURA 552 | Advanced Conversation: Persian | 1 Unit/5 Credits
EURA 562 | Advanced Grammar: Persian | 1 Unit/5 Credits
EURA 514 | Readings in Eurasian History and Culture | 1 Unit/5 Credits
ERLP Persian students live with specially selected host families who provide breakfast and dinner seven days per week. Participants reside in fully furnished, private rooms and are provided their own keys to the apartment. In addition to invaluable logistical support, host families offer unique insight into Tajik daily life, ongoing language practice in a warm, supportive environment, regular advice and assistance, and wide-ranging discussions of cultural nuances as participants adapt. AC staff vet all host families, regularly visit program participants at home, and closely monitor participant housing throughout the program.
One day a week of the academic program is set aside for travel to local sites of social, cultural and historical significance. All excursions are conducted in Persian and include sites such as museums, churches, schools, research centers, theatres, and historical estates. Towards the middle of the semester, resident directors arrange extended regional field studies trips outside of the host city. For summer participants, these regional field studies take place over a long weekend in the middle of the summer.
Visit monuments and heritage sites to explore local history deeply.
Experience daily traditions through festivals, performances, and authentic community interactions.
Tour museums to better understand regional history.
Travel beyond host cities to discover unique regional landscapes and culture.
To aid cultural integration and support academic learning, participants have the opportunity to meet with conversation partners for two hours per week. Conversation partners introduce participants to local people, accompany participants on sightseeing tours, organize cultural activities (cinema, museum, etc.), and provide students with academic support. The conversation partners are expected to speak only the target language to provide extra language immersion.
The American Councils Language Center in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, is conveniently located on Rudaki Avenue, the vibrant heart and main artery of the city. Our classrooms are within a 10-minute walk of all host families, making it easy for students to immerse themselves in the local culture. The center offers expert language instruction in all three major Tajik dialects, delivered by teachers with decades of experience. Whether you’re looking to build conversational fluency, deepen your understanding of regional nuances, or explore Tajikistan’s rich linguistic heritage, our language center provides a supportive and professional environment to achieve your goals.
Multiple sources of funding are available to support participants in paying for programs abroad. Participants are encouraged to apply for private scholarships, federal aid and grants, college/university scholarships, and American Councils fellowships and scholarships.
Summer participants attend a two-day orientation program on site immediately upon arrival in Dushanbe (where they are met at the airport by AC Staff). Semester participants attend a two-day pre-departure orientation in Washington, D.C. before the start of their programs. Orientation sessions cover health and safety, academic culture, host-family life, cultural adjustment, onsite support, and strategies for maximizing language learning. Lodging and meals are provided.
While abroad, participants have access to full-time in-country staff who offer academic, administrative, and personal support, as well as 24/7 emergency assistance. The AC Study Abroad team in Washington, D.C. stays in close contact with students, host institutions, and families throughout the program.
All participants are covered by Cultural Insurance Services International (CISI) for the duration of the program. CISI provides up to $250,000 in medical coverage per accident or illness and full emergency medical evacuation coverage.
American Councils provides visa support for participants for the duration of the program in the host country, if applicable. Students are responsible for obtaining any additional visas required by their travel plans. Visa instructions and forms are provided after acceptance.
