Spanish House - Russian House - German House - French House - Modern Languages Lab - Center for Language Studies

Language Houses
Language Houses are co-educational special interest housing for students other than first term, first-year students.  Students wishing to live in the Houses must demonstrate a strong interest in the language and culture represented by the House and commit to equally sharing and carrying out the various responsibilities and activities of the House. Students currently living in the housing and their MLL faculty advisor determine who gets into the house.  Language majors are strongly encouraged to attend House events and live in a House for one semester.  

The Spanish House
Conveniently located behind the library, the Spanish House includes housing for ten students. It offers a well-equipped kitchen, dining room, and living room on the first floor. The Spanish Club is an integral part of the house. Spanish majors are encouraged to live in Casa Hispánica, in which its residents share common goals: to speak Spanish and learn more about Hispanic and Latino cultures.

One evening a week the House hosts Café Loco, a gathering open to all students, faculty, and staff wishing to practice their Spanish. Coffee, Mexican hot chocolate and pastries are often made available to all participants. On occasion, Spanish-language films are also part of the evening.

Events planned by members of the Casa Hispánica include:

*Sunday night Hispanic dinners
*poetry readings in Spanish
*exhibits in Hales Art Gallery
*all-campus parties featuring Hispanic music
*study-abroad information sessions
*Spanish game nights
*tutorials for students of Spanish
*fabricating worry dolls for Amnesty International
*trips to Chicago's Latino neighborhoods
*collecting charitable funds for hurricane victims of the Caribbean

Russian House
Located at 717 Emerson Street, is a coed house of six. Like the French and Spanish Houses, Russian House is aligned with the Modern Languages Department and members are selected by a committee of faculty and students. Russian is the dominant language used in the House, the center of Russian life at Beloit. Russian majors are encouraged to live in the Russian House for at least one semester.

The Russian House hosts Russian Club meetings, as well as weekly Russian “teas”, where students gather to practice their Russian and talk about Russian-related themes. The Russian House also hosts all-campus dinners once a semester, serving borshch, pirozhki, salat Olivier, and other Russian delicacies.

The German House
The German house is located in Wood Tower B. Those interested in speaking German and learning more about the culture and society are invited to apply to live in the house. Both native German speakers and those learning it as a second language live in the house.

The French House
A Tudor-style house of 20 students, the French House serves as the base of the French Club. A kitchen, dining room, living room, TV lounge, and a fireplace are located on the first floor of the house.

Many opportunities to speak French and discuss things French exist at the French House. A scholarship student from the French host university for the study abroad program in France (the Rennes Seminar) lives in the house and serves as a resource person for the other residents.

There is a Café Vendredi every Friday, with coffee, French bread and cheeses, and cookies. Thanks to a large kitchen, residents of the French House sometimes serve crepes or a dinner. Other activities include free tutoring in French, The Sink Café (which may be an evening of music and dancing, dinner, or baked goods sold with candlelight card games), discussion groups, and orientation for students preparing to go on the French Seminar. The residents of the French House welcome all members of the Beloit College campus to activities at the House.

Opportunities also exist for excursions to attend plays in French and see art exhibits in the Madison, Milwaukee, and Chicago areas.

Modern Languages Lab
Located on the southwest corner of the 2nd floor of the World Affairs Center (WAC), the lab houses networked computers and language software for student use.  Students are encouraged to use the space to complete written and listening class assignments, print their papers, and view films. For links to major online newspapers, radio stations, and other cultural resources, please click here.

Center for Language Studies
Beloit College's Center for Language Studies offers four- and eight-week summer programs in Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, and Russian. At the successful conclusion of each eight week language program, students will have completed at least one year of language study and are prepared to enter the next year of study at most colleges and universities. Students successfully completing the four-week session will earn the equivalent of a semester of language study.  For more information link to: http://www.summerlanguages.com/index.php