In the summer, students from around the nation enroll in intensive UW-Madison courses to complete the equivalent of one year of instruction in just 8 weeks. Languages are taught in the summer term through the Wisconsin Intensive Summer Language Institutes (WISLI) and through departments in the College of Letters & Science.
Information and applications for Summer 2025 WISLI programs are available now!
The full list below will be updated for 2025 when summer term courses are posted.
Summer 2024 Language Offerings
To enroll in one of UW-Madison’s intensive language classes follow these steps.
- Choose from the languages listed below. Be sure to note the program/department through which the language is offered.
- Enroll for the language course, or if the course is offered through Wisconsin Intensive Summer Language Institutes, apply to the program first.
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Intensive Summer Multilanguage Seminar
The Department of African Cultural Studies in partnership with the Wisconsin Intensive Summer Language Institutes (WISLI) administers a FLAS-eligible online program, African 672: Intensive Summer Multilanguage Seminar.
Developed by Professor Katrina Daly Thompson and led by Dr. Adeola Agoke, this eight-week, eight-credit course is for students to engage in supported, self-directed language study. Students wishing to study languages from any world region are eligible to apply. The Summer Intensive Multilanguage Seminar will be offered as an online asynchronous course, so students can take part from anywhere.
Successful applicants fit one of two criteria:
- Students who have achieved such an advanced level of language proficiency that traditional programs no longer serve their learning needs, or
- Students who are studying rarely taught languages that are otherwise not offered in the classroom.
American Sign Language (ASL)
LING 351: American Sign Language I
LING 352: American Sign Language 2
Offered through the Language Sciences
Contact Rebecca Shields, rashields@wisc.edu, with questions.
Arabic
Offered in the summer through the Middle Eastern and Mediterranean Language Institute (MEDLI). (Offered in the academic year through the Department of African Cultural Studies.)
AFRICAN 339: First Semester Summer Arabic
AFRICAN 340: Second Semester Summer Arabic
AFRICAN 341: Third Semester Summer Arabic
AFRICAN 342: Fourth Semester Summer Arabic
AFRICAN 343: Fifth Semester Summer Arabic
AFRICAN 344: Sixth Semester Summer Arabic
Offered through the Middle Eastern and Mediterranean Language Institute (MEDLI).
Azerbaijani
Offered in the summer pending student interest through the Central Eurasian Studies Summer Institute (CESSI)
Bengali
Elementary and Intermediate Bengali offered in the summer through the South Asia Summer Language Institute (SASLI).
ASIALANG 317: First Semester Bengali
ASIALANG 327: Second Semester Bengali
ASIALANG 417: Third Semester Bengali
ASIALANG 358: Fourth Semester Bengali
Burmese
Offered in the summer through the Southeast Asian Studies Summer Institute (SEASSI).
ASIALANG 307: First Semester Burmese
ASIALANG 308: Second Semester Burmese
ASIALANG 407: Third Semester Burmese
ASIALANG 408: Fourth Semester Burmese
ASIALANG 507: Fifth Semester Burmese
ASIALANG 508: Sixth Semester Burmese
Danish
Offered in the summer through NORD: The Scandinavian Summer Language Institute.
(Offered during the academic year through the Department of German, Nordic, and Slavic+.)
SCAND ST 121: First Semester Danish
SCAND ST 122: Second Semester Danish
Dari
Offered in the summer through the South Asia Summer Language Institute (SASLI).
ASIALANG 317: First Semester Dari
ASIALANG 327: Second Semester Dari
ASIALANG 417: Third Semester Dari
ASIALANG 427: Fourth Semester Dari
Filipino
Offered in the summer through the Southeast Asian Studies Summer Institute (SEASSI). (Offered during the academic year through the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures.)
ASIALANG 307: First Semester Filipino
ASIALANG 308: Second Semester Filipino
ASIALANG 407: Third Semester Filipino
ASIALANG 408: Fourth Semester Filipino
ASIALANG 507: Fifth Semester Filipino
ASIALANG 508: Sixth Semester Filipino
French
French 101: First Semester French
French 102: Second Semester French
French 203: Third Semester French
French 204: Fourth Semester French
Offered through the Department of French and Italian.
Contact ugrad@frit.wisc.edu with questions.
German
German 101: First Semester German
German 401: First Semester German for Graduate Students
Offered through the Department of German, Nordic, and Slavic+.
Contact Joanna Schuth, jschuth@wisc.edu, with questions.
Gujarati
Elementary and Intermediate Gujarati offered in the summer through the South Asia Summer Language Institute (SASLI).
ASIALANG 317: First Semester Gujarati
ASIALANG 327: Second Semester Gujarati
ASIALANG 417: Third Semester Gujarati
ASIALANG 427: Fourth Semester Gujarati
Hebrew
Elementary Hebrew is offered in the summer through the Middle Eastern and Mediterranean Language Institute (MEDLI). (Offered during the academic year through the Mosse/Weinstein Center for Jewish Studies.)
HEBR-MOD 101: First Semester Hebrew
HEBR-MOD 102: Second Semester Hebrew
HEBR-MOD 201: Third Semester Hebrew
HEBR-MOD 202: Fourth Semester Hebrew
Hindi
Elementary, Intermediate, and Advanced Hindi offered in the summer through the South Asia Summer Language Institute (SASLI). (Offered during the academic year through the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures.)
ASIALANG 317: First Semester Hindi
ASIALANG 327: Second Semester Hindi
ASIALANG 417: Third Semester Hindi
ASIALANG 427: Fourth Semester Hindi
ASIALANG 517: Fifth Semester Hindi
ASIALANG 527: Sixth Semester Hindi
Hmong
Offered in the summer through the Southeast Asian Studies Summer Institute (SEASSI). (Offered during the academic year through the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures.)
ASIALANG 307: First Semester Hmong
ASIALANG 308: Second Semester Hmong
ASIALANG 407: Third Semester Hmong
ASIALANG 408: Fourth Semester Hmong
ASIALANG 507: Fifth Semester Hmong
ASIALANG 508: Sixth Semester Hmong
Indonesian
Offered in the summer through the Southeast Asian Studies Summer Institute (SEASSI). (Offered during the academic year through the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures.)
ASIALANG 307: First Semester Indonesian
ASIALANG 308: Second Semester Indonesian
ASIALANG 407: Third Semester Indonesian
ASIALANG 408: Fourth Semester Indonesian
ASIALANG 507: Fifth Semester Indonesian
ASIALANG 508: Sixth Semester Indonesian
Italian
Italian 201: Accelerated First Year Italian
Offered through the Department of French and Italian.
Contact ugrad@frit.wisc.edu with questions.
Japanese
Offered through the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures
ASIALANG 376: Japanese Conversation
Contact Rachel Weiss, rweiss@wisc.edu, with questions.
Javanese
Offered in the summer through the Southeast Asian Studies Summer Institute (SEASSI).
ASIALANG 307: First Semester Javanese
ASIALANG 308: Second Semester Javanese
ASIALANG 407: Third Semester Javanese
ASIALANG 408: Fourth Semester Javanese
ASIALANG 507: Fifth Semester Javanese
ASIALANG 508: Sixth Semester Javanese
Kazakh
Offered in the summer through the Central Eurasian Studies Summer Institute (CESSI). (Offered during the academic year through the Department of German, Nordic, and Slavic+.)
GNS 331: First Semester Kazakh
GNS 332: Second Semester Kazakh
GNS 431: Third Semester Kazakh
GNS 432: Fourth Semester Kazakh
GNS 531: Fifth Semester Kazakh
GNS 532: Sixth Semester Kazakh
Khmer
Offered in the summer through the Southeast Asian Studies Summer Institute (SEASSI).
ASIALANG 307: First Semester Khmer
ASIALANG 308: Second Semester Khmer
ASIALANG 407: Third Semester Khmer
ASIALANG 408: Fourth Semester Khmer
ASIALANG 507: Fifth Semester Khmer
ASIALANG 508: Sixth Semester Khmer
Korean
Offered through the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures
ASIALANG 205: Third Semester Korean
ASIALANG 206: Fourth Semester Korean
Contact Rachel Weiss, rweiss@wisc.edu, with questions.
Kyrgyz
Offered pending student interest through the Central Eurasian Studies Summer Institute (CESSI).
Lao
Offered through the Southeast Asian Studies Summer Institute (SEASSI).
ASIALANG 307: First Semester Lao
ASIALANG 308: Second Semester Lao
ASIALANG 407: Third Semester Lao
ASIALANG 408: Fourth Semester Lao
ASIALANG 507: Fifth Semester Lao
ASIALANG 508: Sixth Semester Lao
Marathi
Offered through the South Asia Summer Language Institute (SASLI).
ASIALANG 317: First Semester Marathi
ASIALANG 327: Second Semester Marathi
ASIALANG 417: Third Semester Marathi
ASIALANG 427: Fourth Semester Marathi
Nepali
Offered through the South Asia Summer Language Institute (SASLI).
ASIALANG 317: First Semester Nepali
ASIALANG 327: Second Semester Nepali
ASIALANG 417: Third Semester Nepali
ASIALANG 427: Fourth Semester Nepali
Pashto
Elementary and Intermediate Pashto offered through the South Asia Summer Language Institute (SASLI).
ASIALANG 317: First Semester Pashto
ASIALANG 327: Second Semester Pashto
ASIALANG 417: Third Semester Pashto
ASIALANG 427: Fourth Semester Pashto
Persian
Offered in the summer through the Middle Eastern and Mediterranean Language Institute (MEDLI). (Offered in the academic year through the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures.)
ASIALANG 355: First Semester Persian
ASIALANG 356: Second Semester Persian
ASIALANG 357: Third Semester Persian
ASIALANG 358: Fourth Semester Persian
ASIALANG 337: Fifth Semester Persian
ASIALANG 338: Sixth Semester Persian
Portuguese (Brazilian)
Beginning Brazilian Portuguese is offered in the summer through the Summer Intensive Portuguese Institute (SIPI). (Offered in the academic year through the Department of Spanish and Portuguese.)
PORTUGUESE 301: Intensive Portuguese
PORTUGUESE 302: Intensive Portuguese
Punjabi
Elementary and Intermediate Pashto offered through the South Asia Summer Language Institute (SASLI).
ASIALANG 317: First Semester Punjabi
ASIALANG 327: Second Semester Punjabi
ASIALANG 417: Third Semester Punjabi
ASIALANG 427: Fourth Semester Punjabi
Russian
Offered through the Department of German, Nordic, and Slavic+
SLAVIC 101: First Semester Russian
SLAVIC 102: Second Semester Russian
SLAVIC 117: Intensive Second Year Russian
SLAVIC 118: Intensive Second Year Russian
Contact Joanna Schuth, jschuth@wisc.edu, with questions.
Sanskrit
Elementary, Intermediate, and Advanced Sanskrit offered in the summer through the South Asia Summer Language Institute (SASLI). Offered in the academic year through the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures.)
ASIALANG 317: First Semester Sanskrit
ASIALANG 327: Second Semester Sanskrit
ASIALANG 417: Third Semester Sanskrit
ASIALANG 427: Fourth Semester Sanskrit
ASIALANG 517: Fifth Semester Sanskrit
ASIALANG 527: Sixth Semester Sanskrit
Sinhala
Offered through the South Asia Summer Language Institute (SASLI).
ASIALANG 317: First Semester Sinhala
ASIALANG 327: Second Semester Sinhala
ASIALANG 417: Third Semester Sinhala
ASIALANG 427: Fourth Semester Sinhala
Spanish
Offered through the Department of Spanish and Portuguese
Spanish 101: First Semester Spanish
Spanish 203: Third Semester Spanish
Spanish 204: Fourth Semester Spanish
Spanish 223: Introduction to Hispanic Cultures
Spanish 224: Introduction to Hispanic Literatures
Spanish 225: Lying, Swearing, and Breaking the Rules: An Introduction to the Linguistic Study of Spanish
Spanish 311: Advanced Language Practice
Spanish 319: Topics in Spanish Language Practice
Spanish 325: Advanced Conversation
Spanish 445: Culture and Environment in the Luso-Hispanic World
Spanish 468: Span-American Urban Palimpsest
Spanish 468: Truth and Justice
Contact Karen Francis, karen.francis@wisc.edu, with questions.
Swedish
Offered in the summer through NORD: The Scandinavian Summer Language Institute.
(Offered in the academic year through the Department of German, Nordic, and Slavic+.)
SCAND ST 111: First Semester Swedish
SCAND ST 112: Second Semester Swedish
Tajik
Offered in the summer through the Central Eurasian Studies Summer Institute (CESSI).
GNS 351: First Semester Tajik
GNS 352: Second Semester Tajik
GNS 451: Third Semester Tajik
GNS 452: Fourth Semester Tajik
GNS 551: Fifth Semester Tajik
GNS 552: Sixth Semester Tajik
Tamil
Offered in the summer through the South Asia Summer Language Institute (SASLI).
ASIALANG 317: First Semester Tamil
ASIALANG 356: Second Semester Tamil
ASIALANG 417: Third Semester Tamil
ASIALANG 427: Fourth Semester Tamil
Thai
Offered in the summer through the Southeast Asian Studies Summer Institute (SEASSI). (Offered during the academic year through the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures.)
ASIALANG 307: First Semester Thai
ASIALANG 308: Second Semester Thai
ASIALANG 407: Third Semester Thai
ASIALANG 408: Fourth Semester Thai
ASIALANG 507: Fifth Semester Thai
ASIALANG 508: Sixth Semester Thai
Tibetan
Elementary and Intermediate Tibetan offered in the summer through the South Asia Summer Language Institute (SASLI). (Offered during the academic year through the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures.)
ASIALANG 317: First Semester Modern Tibetan
ASIALANG 327: Second Semester Modern Tibetan
ASIALANG 357: Third Semester Modern Tibetan
ASIALANG 358: Fourth Semester Modern Tibetan
Turkish
Offered in the summer through the Middle Eastern and Mediterranean Language Institute (MEDLI). (Offered during the academic year through the Department of German, Nordic, and Slavic+.)
GNS 339: First Semester Turkish
GNS 340: Second Semester Turkish
GNS 439: Third Semester Turkish
GNS 440: Fourth Semester Turkish
GNS 539: Fifth Semester Turkish and Azeri
GNS 540: Sixth Semester Turkish and Azeri
Urdu
Elementary, Intermediate, and Advanced Urdu offered in the summer through the South Asia Summer Language Institute (SASLI). (Offered during the academic year through the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures.)
ASIALANG 317: First Semester Urdu
ASIALANG 327: Second Semester Urdu
ASIALANG 417: Third Semester Urdu
ASIALANG 427: Fourth Semester Urdu
ASIALANG 517: Fifth Semester Urdu
ASIALANG 527: Sixth Semester Urdu
Uyghur
Offered in the summer through the Central Eurasian Studies Summer Institute (CESSI).
GNS 351: First Semester Uyghur
GNS 352: Second Semester Uyghur
GNS 451: Third Semester Uyghur
GNS 452: Fourth Semester Uyghur
GNS 551: Fifth Semester Uyghur
GNS 552: Sixth Semester Uyghur
Uzbek
Offered in the summer through the Central Eurasian Studies Summer Institute (CESSI).
GNS 351: First Semester Uzbek
GNS 352: Second Semester Uzbek
GNS 451: Third Semester Uzbek
GNS 452: Fourth Semester Uzbek
GNS 551: Fifth Semester Uzbek
GNS 552: Sixth Semester Uzbek
Vietnamese
Offered in the summer through the Southeast Asian Studies Summer Institute (SEASSI). (Offered during the academic year through the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures.)
ASIALANG 307: First Semester Vietnamese
ASIALANG 308: Second Semester Vietnamese
ASIALANG 407: Third Semester Vietnamese
ASIALANG 408: Fourth Semester Vietnamese
ASIALANG 507: Fifth Semester Vietnamese
ASIALANG 508: Sixth Semester Vietnamese
Non-Credit Programs
The UW-Madison Division of Continuing Studies (DCS) offers non-credit courses for individuals who want to learn a new language or improve their current language skills.
To learn more about non-credit language courses, view the DCS program guide online or contact Christopher Moore at christopher.moore@wisc.edu or (608) 262‑7389.