From the website:

"The basis of the Yiddish program at The University of Chicago are the Yiddish language courses, from elementary to advanced, taught by Senior Lecturer Jan Schwarz. The main motivation for offering courses in Yiddish is its crucial importance for understanding the complex interaction between tradition and modernity in Jewish culture in Eastern Europe and the US. In the language courses, language instruction is also linked to the broader cultural historical context. Courses in Yiddish at the University of Chicago also connect students with the Yiddish academic and cultural world via the Internet and exchange of Yiddish letters with students at other universities; students are also encouraged to continue their studies in various intensive Yiddish summer programs. The philosophy of the Yiddish courses at the University of Chicago centers on the development of communicative skills (speaking, comprehension, reading and writing) in a Yiddish cultural context, and the classes critically address the Jewish character of the Yiddish language by examining Yiddish songs, proverbs, and holiday celebrations."