Instruction in the less commonly taught languages is offered at Wesleyan through coursework and through the Self-Instructional Language Program (SILP), which allows students to work independently with the assistance of a native speaker and use of texts and technological resources.

Courses in languages such as American Sign Language, Arabic, Korean, Portuguese, and Hindi are offered periodically when student academic interests and/or when courses in various departments support the study of such languages. Such courses are offered under the LANG (Language) designation, are usually yearlong courses, and may be used as preparation for focused study abroad, in support of academic interests, or to fulfill more personal goals.

The Self-Instructional Language Program permits students to petition for the opportunity to study a language not presently offered at Wesleyan. Petitions are evaluated on the basis of the student's academic needs or in conjunction with language study abroad. Students whose petitions are approved study independently using a text and audio and visual materials. A native speaker of the language acts as a weekly tutor, and a qualified faculty member from another institution advises on the appropriate level of study and assesses the student's progress with oral and written examinations. A student may complete four semesters of language study through a SILP; however, only two SILP credits may be counted toward graduation. Students may not use a SILP to study a language already offered at Wesleyan unless it is at a level for which there are no courses. First-year students may not undertake SILP study. Petition forms and further information about the program can be obtained from the Director of the Language Resource Center (860-685-2560) or online at www.wesleyan.edu/lctls.