Participants in the Individualized Program take an active role in shaping their own curricula. When applying to the program, applicants write a short essay outlining their study goals and describing the academic program that they believe will best meet their needs as language students. American Councils Washington staff, resident directors, and Russian university faculty then work with each student to develop these initial proposals into effective tutorial programs. All programs focus on intensive language gain in the areas of grammar, conversation, and vocabulary development. Participants attend at least 12 hours per week of intensive, individualized classes. While almost all classes are conducted as tutorials, students may study in pairs on some occasions.
In addition, heritage participants may attend regular classes in numerous academic departments at their host universities during the academic year (September through May). Advanced participants may substitute two of these classes for credit in place of two American Councils courses (depending on course availability, prerequisites established by the host university, and the express pre-approval of American Councils). Applicants should note, however, that all academic credit at Bryn Mawr is issued through the Russian Department. Participants seeking to obtain academic credit in other disciplines should contact American Councils.
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