There aren't any images for this school. Be the first to show your picture to thousands of people!
Defense Language Institute
Introduction
The Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center (DLIFLC) got started at the beginning of World War Two, when a clandestine school was established at the Presidio of San Francisco to teach students Japanese. Classes began with 60 students, mostly of Japanese roots, taught by 4 instructors. Enrollment in the school grew exponentially during the second World War, and after many Japanese Americans were interned in camps in the west, the school was moved to Camp Savage, Minnesota. It was not until the war was over that the school moved to its present location in the Presidio of Monterey.
Defense Language Institute
Academics
The Defense Language Institute, which is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, is located along prime California coastline in beautiful Monterey. To attend, one must be a member of the U.S. Army or have sponsorship from a government agency. Throughout the year the Institute provides high-quality language instruction in over 24 foreign languages to around 3,500 students, and employs a staff of over 1,700 teachers. These intensive immersion programs, where students are taught in small groups of six to eight, involve a six hour per day, five days a week schedule. Depending on the difficulty level of the language being taught, these classes may range from 26 to 64 weeks. Upon the successful completion of a course and the transferral of 15 general education units from another institution, students receive an Associate of Arts degree from DLIFLC.
A selection of the languages currently being taught at DLIFLC include:
Arabic
Chinese
Dari
French
German
Hebrew
Hindi
Indonesian
Italian
Japanese
Korean
Kurdish (Kurmanji/Sorani)
Pashto
Persian Farsi
Portuguese
Russian
Serbian/Croatian
Spanish
Tagalog
Thai
Turkish
Urdu
Uzbek
The Language Schools are all comprised of departments, headed up by a civilian chairperson who manages staff and instructors. Teams of instructors develop curriculum, teach classes, and evaluate student performance.
The Continuing Education program teaches intermediate and advanced students.
The European and Latin American Language School is composed of three category 3 languages, one category 2 language, and four category 1 languages. Here, students can learn Serbian-Croatian, which uses Cyrillic and Latin, Hebrew, which uses consonant-based script, Russian, which uses the Cyrillic alphabet, or Portuguese, German, French, Italian, and Spanish, which all use the Latin alphabet.
Middle Eastern Schools teach the Egyptian, Iraqi, and Levantine dialects of Arabic, as well as Modern Standard Arabic over the course of 64 weeks.
The Asian Schools teach 64-week basic courses in Japanese, Chinese, and Korean through the use of immersion and examples of cultural materials such as traditional art, food, religion, and music.
Category 3 students’ programs are 47 weeks long, category 2 student’s programs are 36 weeks, and category 1 students’ programs are 26 weeks. Teaching methods vary from commercial-book-based to Institute-specific-material learning. All students use iPods, tablet PCs, SmartBoards, SCOLA TV broadcasting, and the internet to round out their holistic language experience.
Language immersion both in the classroom and in overnight off-campus events help students hone their skills with real-life scenarios and cultural traditions.
Unique Programs
The nontraditional programming of the Institute is enhanced by a variety of special programs; these include the Immersion Program, Language Survival Kits, the Field Support and Special Programs Division, and HEADSTART.
The Immersion Program is at an off-site location where students stay from one to three days, and are not allowed to speak English. Students engage in real-life activities like making reservations, bargaining, and discussing food. 30-day, in-country immersions are also available.
Language Survival Kits are pamphlets on a variety of topics with CDs to be used in the field.
The Field Support and Special Programs Division gives cultural training and basic language instruction service members pre-deployment.
HEADSTART is a dynamic 80-hour basic-language-instruction DVD. It is currently available in Dari, Pashto, and Iraqi Arabic.
Defense Language Institute
Admissions
Federal Title IV aid programs are available at the Defense Language Institute, and tuition is generally paid by the government or sponsoring agency.
Local Community
Beloved American author John Steinbeck captures the true heart of Monterey in his famous novels, Tortilla Flat and Cannery Row. The original residents were rugged pioneers who were brought out to California under the promise of gold and who eventually went on to establish towns, families, and lives out in this picturesque, untamed state. Fishing is a great boon in this small town; and the Monterey Aquarium and fisheries on Cannery Row draw many a tourist, as do the nearby golf courses such as Pebble Beach, and the famed 17-Mile Drive. The residents of Monterey are a close-knit and friendly bunch, proud of their harbor town and its natural beauty, and ready to share their love with visitors just passing through.
Student Enrollment Demographics
How many students are enrolled at Defense Language Institute?
Feel free to add comments or additional information regarding Defense Language Institute, or discuss this school in the University Discussion Forum
7 months agoMegan megan dot goyt ((at)) utoronto dot ca
Does anyone have any experience with the Turkish language courses at the institute? It would be nice to hear about it first hand. Thanks!
over 2 years agoLucy
I attended much more recently, graduating the Arabic course in 2004. The coursework was quite challenging, we were watching full Al Jazeera newscasts by the end of the 15 month curriculum.
DLI was by far the highlight of my stint in the Army. I'll never forget walking (and running) around the bay, the sound of the sea lions, watching a cruise ship come to port, eating at Compagno's (a veritable institution ANY DLI grad could identify) the phenomenal sunsets in the woods above the campus. There were some pretty funny times too, like when the Army did a Battalion Halloween Fun Run in costume, in the cold rain, on top of the hill. And I got to meet Jay Leno at the Concourse D'Elegance Car Show when I volunteered at the event. AND I got to experience an earthquake.
Overall an unforgettable experience. It was a letdown after that - life in an Army line unit, two deployments to Iraq, Stop Loss - but at least I had that DLI experience to counter what was to come...
almost 3 years agoJudy Adams cootie37 ((at)) hotmail dot com
I graduated from the German language class in 1976 as the civilian wife of an Army Private. It was one of the best years of my life - memorable as well as life - changing!
We had so much fun - I was proud to be accepted into this class, completely fluent in only one year. Frau Malz was a dear to help me understand the German sentence structure after class for 3 days in a row. Frau Liselotta Stone holds a special place in my heart.
At graduation, I helped put on the DLI Heritage Buffet dinner at the most elegant building on the cliffs, receiving a commendation from one of the Commanders. It is still in a frame in my office as something I value highly.
Ah, good memories!
almost 3 years agoCésar, ROMAN MENESES c_roman_poli0913 ((at)) hotmail dot com
It is a great opportunity to send this message to the Defense Language Institute School and to congratulate for the support to Peru through the support to the teachers to attend in the last Seminar on American Language Course in Lackland Texas; and as Teacher in the Police Academy I would like to know the coming events because I like to attend, I think it could be for both military and police Teachers who help people in so many ways of teaching., thanks in advance for your kind attention and possible reply.
over 3 years agogary strickland garystricklandlaw ((at)) yahoo dot com
I have to agree with Nancy. I was at DLI from 1977 through 1979 in the Russian language program. I too move off base with three other guys into a house overlooking Monterey Bay. Woke up each morning to the sound of sea lions or sea dogs barking, whatever they were. It was really a nice time in my life, although all times are pretty nice. I would highly recommend anyone attending this wonderful institution to learn a foreign language and experience life in a beautiful setting by the sea. All in all, it was one of the most memorable periods in my life. I'm a lawyer now in Hartford Connecticut, but I'll always have a great fondness for DLI.
almost 4 years agoNancy thrinkthronk ((at)) hotmail dot com
I loved it here at DLI, I was in the army and at DLI in 1976 and studied the Russian Language. My roommate and I decided to move off post and found a cute place that overlooked the Monterey bay. We made friends with all service men and women, It was a great experience. After graduation, I was transferred to Germany to a field unit, but I managed to travel my train and see Switzerland and Austria. It was the best time of my life being in the U.S. Army. Now, I work for Immigration another fine organization. I don't see any drill seargants here, but then I never really had a drill seargant,but I did have a platoon sargeant at Ft. McClellan, AL where I took basic training. I look fondly on my years in the army it was a great time!
This website and associated pages are not associated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Defense Language Institute. StateUniversity.com has no official or unofficial affiliation with Defense Language Institute.
megan dot goyt ((at)) utoronto dot ca
Does anyone have any experience with the Turkish language courses at the institute? It would be nice to hear about it first hand. Thanks!