Activities

Hallo! If you are curious about the German language or interested in learning German at UT, this is the place to be (at least during the pandemic).  We will tell you everything about our language program(s); we will introduce you to some of the benefits of speaking a foreign language, and we share samples of all the fun you can have when learning to see the world through the lens of another language.

Hej! Hei! Hallå! Can you believe you already know some Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish? It’s true! These three Scandinavian languages have a close proximity to English, making them easy languages to learn for native English speakers - starting with instantly recognizable words such as kaffe (coffee), democrati (democracy) and natur (nature). Join us as we introduce you to all things Scandinavian, including funny language tidbits, captivating culture topics, as well as what it means to study Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish at the University of Texas at Austin.

The Center for European Studies offers an interdisciplinary major and minor in the study of Western and Central Europe. This video will offer a brief overview of the EUS major and minor, highlight our variety of course offerings across UT departments and colleges, as well as the education abroad opportunities the EUS major offers. 

Discover the wicked wit of Jane Austen in this dramatic, and fun, reading of the opening chapter of her 1813 novel Pride and Prejudice.   The reading will use the original text with UT freshmen, Raishma Kazi and Tucker Rinne, portraying Mrs. Bennet and Mr. Bennet while English Professor Janine Barchas serves as narrator. This is the stuff of great literature, served straight up – albeit with funny hats.

Do you have a passion for world languages and want to get paid to study Europe and European cultures? The Center for European Studies can help you. Every year, the CES invites undergraduate (and graduate) students from all majors and disciplines across the 40 Acres to apply for Foreign Language and Area Studies fellowships. FLAS fellowships allow you to study European topics and over 18 foreign languages while providing $10,000 toward UT Austin tuition AND a cash stipend. You can even use these funds toward an education abroad program and explore Europe. This brief video will show you how to apply for the FLAS fellowship, explain its benefits, and features information from recent UT Austin alumni on how the FLAS fellowship has helped them advance their professional careers.

Explore the creative world of Rangoli, a popular form of Indian folk art in which colorful patterns are created to welcome guests into homes on festive occasions and to bring good luck to the host family.  Learn how to recreate India’s geometric Rangoli designs using sequins, beads, mirror tiles, stick-on foam shapes and other craft items, and create a decorative, Rangoli welcome for your home.

Discover how Pakistan’s colorful aesthetics are often expressed through decorations and the creative ways truck drivers in Pakistan decorate their trucks with colorful kaleidoscopic designs. Learn how drivers personalize their trucks with fantastic artwork and how to recreate these kaleidoscopic truck art designs using craft items you have at home in your tinker trays.

Follow autorickshaws around Jaffna, Sri Lanka, and learn about how their drivers elaborately decorate them to express themselves and Tamil culture and history. Asian Studies PhD candidate daniel dillon leads us through the pop culture and political references found on autorickshaws as an expressive cultural form.