Formats of Service

About the SLC

formats of service LEP

Welcome

We provide a space for you to enhance your language skills while engaging with the diversity of Cal’s global community. All of our formats are based on mutual exchange and conversation, allowing you to share your knowledge and forge meaningful connections with people from around the world. Explore our five main forms of services below: Pair/Trio, Language Pods, Conversation Groups, LEP Global Book Club, Community Socials.

To Join

We ask that all new and returning LEP participants attend an orientation each semester to learn more about the program, have an understanding of expectations, and get to know fellow language enthusiasts. 

Fall 2024 Orientation RSVP

Note: Orientations are offered on a rolling basis throughout the semester. The schedule is updated every Friday after 5PM.

Pairs/Trios

You can be paired with 1-2 peers who are proficient in the language you’d like to practice and are seeking support with a language you know. This format provides you the ultimate flexibility in choosing when and where you want to meet and what you want to learn and discuss.

Note: Our ability to pair you depends on the participant pool. All new and returning participants must attend an orientation to be included in our pairing pool.

Language Pods

Language Pods are weekly practice sessions facilitated by LEP Student Coordinators. Pods are an excellent way to receive consistent support in your language practice and connect with peers learning the same languages as you. You can attend as many Pods as you would like!

To Join

Fall 2024 Language Pod Schedule & RSVP

Attending a Virtual Session

Language Pods are held in person in the César Chávez Student Center and via Zoom.  Please see the steps for attending a virtual session below:

  1. For an optimal experience, ensure you are in a quiet location and connected to a reliable WiFi network.
  2. Download Desktop Client for Zoom and login via SSO (Activate Licensed Account through Calnet).
  3. On the day of your session, the facilitator will send you the meeting ID and meeting.

Check out the SLC LEP Student User Guide for more information on uzing Zoom!

Note: All new and returning participants must attend an orientation to join Language Pods.

Conversation Groups

Participants can join Conversation Groups, small groups hosted by fellow students who are proficient in the language. These meet once per week and provide a great opportunity to learn from peers and meet potential partners.

To Join

Fall 2024 Conversation Group Schedule & RSVP Coming Soon

Attending a Virtual Session

Please see the steps for attending a virtual session below:

  1. For an optimal experience, ensure you are in a quiet location and connected to a reliable WiFi network.
  2. Download Desktop Client for Zoom and login via SSO (Activate Licensed Account through Calnet).
  3. On the day of your session, the facilitator will send you the meeting ID and meeting.

Note: All new and returning participants must attend an orientation to join Conversation Groups.

LEP Global Book Club

Launched in the Fall of 2018, this format is a space to explore literary traditions from all over the globe in order to enrich our understanding of the human condition and broaden our own worldview. Through weekly conversations about the books we read, we are opened up to the diversity of perspectives that we have in our global campus community, expanding our own understanding of not only what we read but also the world at large.

Spring 2023 LEP Global Book Club

This year, our featured read is The Beadworkers by Beth Piatote. In her debut collection, Piatote incorporates the history, aesthetics, and language of her Nez Perce background to share a rich and complex picture of modern Native American life. Join us on Thursday, March 16th or Friday, March 17th for our launch sessions to learn more and join the LEP Global Book Club for Spring 2023!

Spring 2023 Reading Schedule & RSVP || Spring 2023 LEP Global Book Club Flyer

LEP Reading Room

The LEP Reading Room was launched in the spring of 2020 to create a virtual space where the campus community can connect around a shared love of literature. An extension of our LEP Global Book Club, the Reading Room is an opportunity to explore literary traditions from all over the globe in order to enrich our understanding of the human condition and broaden our own worldview.

Past LEP Global Book Club Reads

Fall 2018

The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts by Maxine Hong Kingston

Spring 2019

The Displaced: Refugee Writers on Refugee Lives Editedby Viet Thanh Nguyen

Fall 2019

Barracoon: The Story of the Last "Black Cargo" by Zora Neale Hurston

Fall 2020

This semester, in celebration of campus’ 150W Initiative celebrating 150 years of women at Berkeley, we will be diving into the works of UC Berkeley's women writers. Spanning generations, backgrounds, and experiences, these authors showcase the remarkable women that make up our Golden Bear literary legacy.

Fall 2020 Reading Schedule

Download our flyer here.

Spring 2021

In conjunction with our New Suns Short Fiction Contest, we will make our way through a selection of works that showcase what it means to radically (re)imagine the world we inhabit. 

Spring 2021 Reading Schedule

Spring 2022

Afterlife by Julia Alvarez

Community Socials

Each semester, LEP hosts several events and excursions where the entire LEP community comes together to meet and mingle while learning about language and culture. These include in-house socials hosted in the SLC as well as excursions to various cultural activities on campus and around the community. Visit our Events Page to see current and past events.