Fall 2026 & Spring 2027 Courses with No Prerequisites

Fall 2026 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 100: Introduction to Germanic Studies
  
• 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 370A: Psycholinguistics
  
  
• 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 362: The Two Germanies

 

• SLLC 270: Culture, Economics, and Politics of Europe
  
  
• SLST 160: The Culture of the Russian Revolution
  
• SLST 180: Magic and the Fairy Tale World
  
• SLST 364: Eastern Europe Through Western Eyes
  
• SLST 365: Stalinism
• SLST 450: Cold War on Film
• SLST 461: Putin's Russia

• SPAN 306: Spanish Culture (in English)
• SPAN 307: Latin American Culture Through Music (taught in English)
  
  

Spring 2027 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 203: Introduction to Morphology and Syntax
  
  
• LING 274: How to Learn a Language
  
  
• LING 345: Sign Language as Language
  
  
• LING 370B: Child Language Acquisition
  
  
• LING 387: Task-based Second Language Instruction
  
  

🎬 Culture, History & Special Topics

• GMST 300: Germanic Cultural Studies
  
• GMST 354: Weimar and Nazi Germany
• GMST 367: Franz Kafka
• GMST 369: Topics in Scandinavian Studies
• GMST 454: A Cultural History of Vampires in Literature and Film

 

• SLST 300: Slavic Cultural Studies
  
• SLST 363: Modern Ukraine and Russian-Ukrainian Conflict
• SLST 452: Fantasy and Science Fiction in Russia
• SLST 482: Twentieth-Century Genocides in Eastern Europe
  

 

• SPAN 185: Latin America Through Contemporary Film (taught in English)
• SPAN 201: Media in Latin America (in English) (NEW!)
• SPAN 309: Latin American Cities (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.