In an October 4 information session hosted by the Duke University Center for International Studies, a representative from the Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) program spoke with Duke students about its intensive, immersive summer institute scholarship competition. The CLS program, overseen by the State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, is designed to increase the number of Americans studying and mastering critical need languages. Students selected to the summer institutes are provided fully-funded group-based intensive language instruction and structured cultural enrichment experiences overseas for eight to ten weeks in countries where the target languages are spoken.
Thirteen critical foreign languages are offered this year:
- Arabic, Persian (offered in advanced beginning, intermediate or advanced level)
- Azerbaijani, Bangla/Bengali, Hindi, Indonesian, Korean, Punjabi, Turkish, Urdu (offered in beginning, intermediate or advanced level)
- Chinese, Japanese, Russian (offered in intermediate or advanced level)
In order to be eligible, applicants must be U.S. citizens who are currently enrolled in a U.S. degree-granting program at the undergraduate or graduate level. Applicants should have completed, at least, their first year of university-level study by the summer of 2011.
The Critical Language Scholarships are open to all majors and areas of studies. Students are expected to continue their language study beyond the scholarship period, and later apply their critical language skills in their future professional careers. Last year there were 575 scholarships awarded via the various language programs.
The online application and associated materials are due by November 15, 2010. Applicants should be informed about their approval status by February 2011. The grant includes all travel expenses, visa fees, language instruction, housing and meals, program-sponsored travel within country, and all entrance fees for CLS program cultural enhancement activities. For more information about the CLS program, visit www.CLScholarhip.org.
If students have any further questions about this scholarship, please contact Duke Diplomat-in-Residence Patrick Duddy. The Critical Language Scholarship is in addition to the many funding opportunities provided by DUCIS, including the Foreign Language and Area Studies fellowships and undergraduate and graduate grants for research and travel abroad.
