Studies
The teaching team at Kursa includes teachers from Latvia and
North America, who work together to immerse students in
Latvian language, literature, history, and folklore.
Young people acquire extensive knowledge both about the history of Latvia from the times of serfdom to the political intrigues of the present.
They discuss important motifs in the written works of the Latvian people and Latvian authors. In music class, students learn folk songs and choral works by modern Latvian composers. Folk dance lessons begin with basic polka steps, but the students learn quickly and by the end of camp
they can already perform complex folk dances.
Class Subjects
In Summer 2023, the class subjects will be Latvian language, geography, history, singing, and folk dances.
We teach so that everyone can understand
Since the first summer of Kursa in 1974, the class groups have been organized according to the students' language abilities - from beginners to fluent students. Everyone is welcome and supported, no matter where they are on their Latvian-learning journey.
Independent Projects
In 2022, we introduced Independent Projects to the summer high school program. Each student investigates a topic of their own interest related to Latvian culture, which they research, write about, and present at the end of the session. See 2022 examples here