Urdu Summer Program in Philadelphia, PA

Univ of Penn Startalk Urdu High School Summer Program:
The University of Pennsylvania's Startalk Intensive Urdu High School Summer Program is held at the university's Philadelphia campus, located in University City in the western section of Philadelphia City in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania. It is a 3-week program and we have places for 20 students. The program is taught by distinguished Penn faculty members who are experts in their fields. Students will receive official University of Pennsylvania transcripts, 1 credit transferable to any university in the US, will have a head start on gaining advanced proficiency in Urdu, and in many cases students can apply for 1-4 year full college tuition scholarships based on their commitment to studying Urdu.

Startalk Intensive Urdu Summer Language Program
Penn's STARTALK Urdu program will take place from July 11th to July 29th.

Urdu is the national language of Pakistan and is one of the most critical languages for understanding the Afghanistan-Pakistan region. It has influences from as wide a range of languages as Arabic, Turkish, Persian, and Sanskrit.

Prior knowledge of the language is not a prerequisite. The program has seats for 20 high school students. Students will benefit from instruction by highly distinguished Penn faculty members who are leading experts in their fields. A standards – based curriculum, high quality learning materials, and a range of activities and projects are employed to maximize students' acquisition of Urdu linguistic skills as well as gain familiarity with the cultural knowledge needed to successfully engage in meaningful interactions.

This year's Urdu program is unique in that STARTALK funds are being used to subsidize the cost of University of Pennsylvania course credits. Students will receive official University of Pennsylvania transcripts, 1 language credit transferable to any university in the US, will have a head start on gaining advanced proficiency in Urdu, and in many cases students can apply for 1-4 year full college tuition scholarships based on their commitment to studying Urdu.

Since language is intrinsically tied to its culture, the Penn STARTALK Urdu program includes field trips and guest speakers to enhance students’ cultural understanding of Pakistan, both past and present. Speakers, many Univ. of Pennsylvania faculty, have discussed topics ranging from Sufism to Traditional Medicine, History of the Partition, and Girl’s Education, and students greatly enjoy learning about the culture and history, especially as it relates to current events. Last year, students had the opportunity to hear from Dr. Allyn Miner, a world renowned sitar player and Penn faculty member, and try their hand at playing the sitar and tabla. Field trips are a highlight for students since it gives them the chance to apply their studies and learn more about a topic that a speaker focused on; visits to a contemporary South Asian art gallery with artist Ruby Chisti, and a trip to the Shrine of Sheikh Bawa Muhaiyadden were favorites with students last year.

This will also be an excellent opportunity for students to receive an embedded experience of university life at an Ivy League institution! It will help demonstrate wide interests on their college applications and resumes, and enable them to compete more effectively for jobs and other opportunities in an increasingly global world. Students with a love of languages will find the immersive environment ideal to their studies, and the cultural background to the program provides students with interests in religion, South Asian history and politics, and art and music areas where they can apply their language skills.