Hindu-Urdu

The Hindi-Urdu language program is a unique program offered in the Department of Asian Studies.

In their basic forms, Hindi and Urdu are essentially the same language written in two different scripts. However, their main differences are in vocabulary due to their historical relationships with their respective religious traditions and cosmopolitan languages. Hindi and Urdu are the official languages of the Republic of India and both have a long literary tradition in South Asian prose and poetry.

Curriculum

The Hindi-Urdu language program is a part of the South Asian language focus area. Those looking to complete this specialization will also need to complete courses in Punjabi and Persian language studies. The program offers courses at all levels, perfect for those who want to learn basic Hindi and Urdu or those who want to be more proficient speakers.

Placement Tests

All incoming students who wish to take any Hindi-Urdu (HINU) course are required to complete an online placement questionnaire to obtain a placement approval for registration, unless you are a returning UBC student who has successfully completed a HINU prerequisite course.

Once you’ve completed the online placement questionnaire, you will receive one of two possible next-steps:

1) If you receive a certificate for a specific course, you don’t need to attend the interview. You can register for the course at any time.

2) You will be asked to attend an in-person placement interview to determine your appropriate course level. You must attend your interview before the first day of class.