Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Program, a program of the United States Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, offers intensive summer language institutes overseas in thirteen critical need foreign languages for summer 2012.
In this context, applications are invited for the 2012 CLS program from eligible students interested in the pursuing the language studies.
The CLS Program provides a unique opportunity for students to learn and improve their language skills by attending intensive language classes, participating in a program of cultural enrichment, and living in a target-language immersion environment. Since beginning in 2006, the CLS Program has grown from offering 163 scholarships in six languages in 2006, to offering 575 scholarships in thirteen languages in 2010.
CLS institutes provide fully-funded group-based intensive language instruction and structured cultural enrichment experiences for seven to ten weeks for U.S. citizen undergraduate, Master’s and Ph.D. students.
Selection Process
The selection process will be administered by the Council of American Overseas Research Centers (CAORC) with awards approved by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The CLS Program will be administered by CAORC and American Councils for International Education.
Levels available for each language are as follows:
Arabic, Persian: Advanced beginning, intermediate or advanced level;
Azerbaijani, Bangla/Bengali, Hindi, Indonesian, Korean, Punjabi, Turkish, Urdu: Beginning, intermediate or advanced level;
Chinese, Japanese, Russian: Intermediate or advanced level.
About the Program
The intensive summer language institutes will include four to five hours of language instruction each day, five days a week. CLS participants will cover approximately one year’s worth of language study during the summer institutes. Mandatory or voluntary activities outside of formal classes may also be provided, including tutoring, peer conversation partners, and homework assignments. In addition, participants will participate in a variety of group-based cultural enrichment activities and excursions. Participants are required to attend all classes and activities provided by the institute. Students in intermediate and advanced programs should expect that a language-only pledge may be required for the entirety of the CLS Program.
Provisions
Domestic air travel will be arranged for participants from their home city in the US to Washington, D.C. for a pre-departure orientation. Institute groups will travel together from Washington, DC to the institute site overseas on pre-arranged group flights. Students are required to participate in the full program, including the pre-departure orientation.
Placement Process
Site placement for programs where more than one site is offered will be made based on a variety of factors as determined by the CLS Program institutes and the Department of State. Additional oral and written language testing may be required before site placement is finalized.
Last date for submission of applications is November 15, 2011
For more information and details, you can visit this link.
