Fall 2025 & Spring 2026 Courses with No Prerequisites

Fall 2025 Courses

🗣️ Beginner-Level Language Courses

Start fresh with a new language—no experience required!

• ASL 100A: American Sign Language I
  
  
• FRAN 100: Intensive French I
  
  
• GMST 101: Beginning German I
  
  
• ITAL 100A: Beginners’ Italian I
  
  
• SLST 101: Beginning Russian I
  
  
• SPAN 100A: Beginners' Spanish I
  

🧠 Linguistics Courses

Curious about how language works, how we learn it, or how it’s used across cultures? Start here.

• LING 100A: Foundations in Linguistics I
  
  
• LING 274: How to Learn a Language
  
  
• LING 290: Encoding Language in Writing
  
  
• LING 297: Supporting Refugees and Newcomers with English Learning
  
  
• LING 370A: Psycholinguistics
  
  
• LING 388: How English Grammar Works
  
  
• LING 396: Sociolinguistic Issues in Japanese
  
  
• LING 397: Issues in Cross-Cultural Communication
  
  

🎬 Culture, History & Special Topics

No language background needed—many of these are taught in English and explore literature, film, music, and more.

• GMST 100: Introduction to Germanic Studies
  
  
• GMST 350: A Short History of German Film
  
  
• GMST 369: The Transatlantic Context in Icelandic Canadian Literature
  
  
• ITAL 305: A Taste of Italy, Food as Culture
  
  
• SLLC 270: Culture, Economics, and Politics of Europe
  
  
• SLST 364: Eastern Europe Through Western Eyes
  
  
• SLST 460: History and Memory in Eastern Europe
  
  
• SLST 481: Existence and Anxiety in Dostoevsky
  
  
• SPAN 307: Latin American Culture Through Music (taught in English)
  
  
• SPAN 308: Soccer in the Hispanic World

Spring 2026 Courses

🗣️ Beginner-Level Language Courses

• ASL 100A: American Sign Language I
  
  
• FRAN 100: Intensive French I
  
  
• GMST 101: Beginning German I
  
  
• GMST 108: Introduction to Translating German Texts
  
  
• SLST 111: Beginning Ukrainian I

• SPAN 100A: Beginners' Spanish I
  
  

🧠 Linguistics Courses

• LING 100A: Foundations in Linguistics I
  
  
• LING 204: Developing Research Skills in Linguistics
  
  
• LING 261: Introduction to Chinese Language and Linguistics
  
  
• LING 345: Sign Language as Language
  
  
• LING 370B: Child Language Acquisition
  
  
• LING 387: Task-based Second Language Instruction
  
  

🎬 Culture, History & Special Topics

• GMST 180: Myths, Fairy Tales and Fantasy Fiction
  
  
• GMST 454: A Cultural History of Vampires in Literature and Film
  
  
• SLLC 250: Second Language Acquisition and Technology
  
  
• SLST 100: Introduction to Russian Society and Culture
  
  
• SLST 361: Imperial Russia (HSTR 351)
  
  
• SLST 461: Putin's Russia
  
  
• SLST 480: Tolstoy and the Age of Anna Karenina
  
  
• SLST 482: Twentieth-Century Genocides in Eastern Europe
  
  
• SPAN 185: Latin America Through Contemporary Film (taught in English)

Why Choose a No-Prerequisite Course?

✅ Accessible – These courses are designed for beginners or non-specialists.

✅ Exploratory – Explore a new subject—you might discover a hidden passion.

✅ Flexible – Many of these classes fulfill elective, arts, or general education requirements.

✅ Engaging – From fairy tales and vampire lore to grammar and music, there's something here for everyone.

Learn more

Visit uvic.ca/sllc to learn more about these courses, explore program options, and see how you can start your journey in languages, linguistics, and cultural studies. Whether you're fulfilling electives or trying something new, there’s a course waiting for you—no experience needed.