The Yorùbá language program at the University of Georgia began in the fall of 1996. The first class was offered as a Special Topic course in Linguistics (LING 491) with twenty registered students and two auditors. This arrangement was facilitated due to the relationship between the Department of Comparative Literature, the African Studies Institute (then a program) and the Program in Linguistics. In Fall 1997, all Yoruba language courses were formally entered on OASIS and the course handbooks. The program was also formally located in the Comparative Literature department. Over the last eight years, the program has grown tremendously with classes now offered and taught at all levels.