Special Programs and Activities
In order to learn English well, you should immerse yourself in the language and related activities. In addition to our courses, the Berkeley Summer English Language Institute offers several ways to do this. For a list of program events and events around town during the session, visit our Summer ELS Events page.
Fieldwork Projects
Different course topics and related fieldwork projects in ESL 8 and ESL 9 give participants the chance to improve their English language skills in the classroom and the community.
Please note that one credit unit of ESL 9 involves fieldwork to be completed outside the regular class session, often on Fridays and over the weekend.
Past projects have included class trips to famous Bay Area locations, museum tours, interviews with scholars and community groups, visits to local businesses, lectures by famous Berkeley locals, and more.
Extracurricular Activities

Since most of our courses do not meet on Fridays, students are free to visit the local attractions on long weekends. Our experienced instructors and office staff are here to help you plan trips to explore the unique attractions the Bay Area offers.
For a list of program events and events around town, visit our Summer ELS Events page.
We can provide information on the following attractions, plus answer questions you might have about other trips you would like to plan.
- Napa Valley and Sonoma Valley wine tours
- professional baseball games featuring the Oakland Athletics and the San Francisco Giants
- walking tours of nearby San Francisco
- visits to historic Glide Memorial Church
- visits to San Francisco and Oakland museums: The Legion of Honor, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Oakland Museum of California, and many more.
- choosing restaurants to sample the wide array of California cuisine, including food tours
- evenings out at world-famous Yoshi's Jazz Club
Also, the UC Berkeley Summer Sessions Office recommends the following trips organized by California Tours. Click on the month listed below for schedules and on the tour links to see videos of previous summers' tours.
- Web reservations
- June 2012 Calendar of Events
- July 2012 Calendar of Events
- August 2012 Calendar of Events
- Las Vegas air / hotel package with Grand Canyon air / ground tour
- Los Angeles/Santa Barbara bus tour
- San Francisco City tour
- Wine Country tour
- Yosemite trip
Please note:
All trips must be paid for by the student.
Some trips may conflict with students' course schedules.
