The Department of Lithuanian Studies is organising its traditional Summer Lithuanian Language and Culture Course from 7 July to 1 August. This year’s program has brought together 97 participants from 27 countries. The largest group comes from the United States (33 participants), followed by Germany (13 participants). Additional participants—ranging from one to several—have arrived from Australia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, the United Kingdom, Estonia, Spain, Italy, Japan, Canada, Kazakhstan, China, Latvia, Poland, Lithuania, the Netherlands, France, Russia, Singapore, Slovenia, Finland, and Sweden.
Twenty participants are attending the courses with financial support from the Education Exchange Support Foundation.
Students are enrolled in Lithuanian language classes held daily for 4 or 6 academic hours, organized into beginner, intermediate, and advanced proficiency groups.
The academic team consists of twelve experienced instructors: Lina Vaškevičienė, Ieva Ancevičiūtė, Elvyra Petračiūnienė, Rita Migauskienė, Vaida Našlėnaitė Eberhardt, Aurelija Kaškelevičienė, Giedrė Junčytė, Aušra Valančiauskienė, Joana Pribušauskaitė, Inga Daraškienė, Daiva Litvinskaitė, and Eglė Gudavičienė.
In the afternoons, participants attend lectures on various aspects of Lithuanian culture, including history, language, literature, social and political life, everyday traditions, beekeeping, and the arts.
They also engage in traditional singing and dancing workshops in collaboration with the Vilnius University folk ensemble Ratilio.
Cultural excursions are organized to enhance the learning experience, including visits to Vilnius University, the underground chambers of Vilnius Cathedral, and the historic Old Town. Participants also tour the Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights (KGB Museum).
Weekend excursions include trips to the historical towns of Trakai and Kaunas.
