Study Slavic Languages Online at UT Austin
Faculty in the University's College of Liberal Arts teach more than three dozen global languages. Through the Texas Language Gateway (TLG) partnership with University Extension, many of those languages are now available to learners everywhere.
Zdravo!
University Extension (UEX) offers a four-course series designed to help students achieve intermediate proficiency in Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian, which can be used to fulfill most college language requirements. In addition, UEX offers a third-year course for advanced study of the grammar, reading of texts on a variety of subjects, conversation and composition.
UEX courses follow the University’s semester-based academic calendar, with Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian courses being offered each fall and spring, starting August and January respectively.
Why learn Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian?
Bosnian, Croatian, Montenegrin, and Serbian (BCMS)—listed as Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian in UT Austin's catalog—are mutually intelligible South Slavic languages spoken in Southeastern Europe, namely in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, and Serbia. There are approximately 21 million speakers of BCMS, which is taught as one course at UT because the grammar and vocabulary is largely shared. One important difference is that Bosnian uses both Latin and Cyrillic, Croatian uses the Latin alphabet, Montenegrin officially recognizes both but predominantly uses the Latin alphabet, and Serbian predominantly uses Cyrillic but Latin is in use as well. Knowledge of BCMS would enable you to access the diverse culture and rich history of Southeastern Europe/Western Balkans.
Course Sequence
These courses are 100% online and include live-streaming video. Real-time participation is required during scheduled meeting times. Exams must be taken on the assigned dates.
UEX courses are open-enrollment, and everyone pays the same registration fee regardless of residency status.
First-Year Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian I (S C 506) - $1100
This is the first of a two-semester online course sequence designed to introduce you to the languages and culture of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, and Serbia (BCMS). This course prepares you for real-life situational discourse (appropriate for beginner-level students) in which you might find yourself when interacting with the target culture. You will develop reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills by working in the fields of culture, grammar, lexicon, communicative skills and linguistic norms. No prior coursework in Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian is required to enroll.
First-Year Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian II (S C 507) - $1100
S C 507 is designed to further introduce you to the languages and culture of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, and Serbia (BCMS). This course prepares you for real-life situational discourse (appropriate for beginner-level students) in which you might find yourself when interacting with the target culture. To enroll in this course, you must have completed S C 506 with a grade of at least C or demonstrate completion of the equivalent course at another institution.
Second-Year Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian I (S C 312K) - $850
This is the first of two second-year BCMS courses, which will further develop your foundations in understanding, speaking, reading and writing using vocabulary and grammar structures common to everyday situations. Together with developing your functional language abilities, you will learn to understand the common beliefs, attitudes and behaviors in the BCMS region. Finally, you will be able to implement such cultural norms in your conversation. Requires completion of S C 601C or 507 (or the equivalent) with a grade of at least C.
Second-Year Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian II (S C 312L) - $850
S C 312L is the second of a two-semester online Bosnian/Croatian/Montenegrin/Serbian (BCMS) second-year course designed to further develop your foundations in understanding, speaking, reading and writing using vocabulary and grammar structures common to everyday situations. Together with developing your functional language abilities, you will learn to understand the common beliefs, attitudes and behaviors in the BCMS region. Finally, you will be able to implement such cultural norms in your conversation. Requires completion of S C 312K (or the equivalent) with a grade of at least C.
Third-Year Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian I (S C 325) - $850
This course is designed for students who have had two or more years of Bosnian-Croatian-Montenegrin-Serbian (BCMS) language. It is a practical course involving the advanced study of the grammar, reading of texts on a variety of subjects, conversation and composition. Requires completion of S C 611C or 312L (or the equivalent) with a grade of at least C.
Meet the Faculty
Frane Karabatić
Frane Karabatić is an Assistant Professor of Instruction in the Department of Slavic and Eurasian studies and teaches primarily courses related to Bosnian/Croatian/Montenegrin/Serbian and Russian language. He received his Ph.D. in Slavic Languages and Literatures from the University of Kansas in 2023, focusing on second language acquisition. He also holds an MA in Croatian and Italian Language & Literature from the University of Split, Croatia.
