Critical Language Scholarship Program

Russian Virtual Exchange Program

2013-07-23T11:15:00.000-04:00

The U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) invites CLS alumni to participate in a virtual exchange with Russian alumni and their students. The online exchange will take place during the 2013-2014 academic year.

This virtual alumni exchange is a pilot program sponsored by ECA and the U.S. Embassy in Moscow with the aim of facilitating meaningful discussions among U.S. and Russian alumni and students in order to further develop the Americans' Russian language skills and Russians' English language skills. As part of the program, monthly discussions will alternate between the Russian and English languages to allow both parties to speak in their native and target languages.

Ideally, teams of two to three U.S. alumni -- one from the CLS Program and one from the NSLI-Y Program -- will engage with the Russian teachers and their classrooms. The Russian participants will be Russian alumni who are an elementary, middle school or high school teachers, along with their students. U.S. participants must have attained an intermediate-mid level or higher oral proficiency on the ACTFL scale, or have reached equivalent proficiency. The Russian teachers and their students will be required to have similar language proficiency in English.

The online sessions are meant to be informal spaces where the U.S. and Russian alumni and students can interact and practice both their respective foreign languages. The U.S. and Russian alumni should discuss and determine the format of the monthly discussion series in advance of the formal start of the program in Fall 2013. ECA, U.S. Embassy, and/or American Councils staff may observe some of the sessions.

Please see the program description for additional details. If you are interested in participating in this program, please download the application form and return it to the Alumni Affairs Division of ECA at exchangealumni@state.gov with the subject line "Application Form Virtual Exchange Program" by August 2, 2013.

Applications will be evaluated and U.S. participants will be placed in teams. Please be advised that participation is dependent on the number and locations of U.S. and Russian alumni who submit applications. You will be informed of your status by early September, 2013.

If you have any questions, please send an e-mail to exchangealumni@state.gov.

Alumni Update: Conducting Dissertation Research in Ukraine, Latvia, and Russia

2013-07-23T10:51:00.002-04:00

Laura at the Kharkov Center for Gender Studies

Laura Dean (Kazan, Russia '12) is conducting dissertation research on human trafficking laws and policies in Ukraine, Latvia, and Russia.

Laura uses Russian every day for her research in government archives, interviews with policymakers and counter-trafficking police, and cooperation with non-governmental organizations who work to raise awareness and rehabilitate victims.

Her dissertation examines policy approaches aimed at addressing human trafficking in the countries of the former Soviet Union. The results will help determine why some countries have comprehensive policies while others have none at all, and why some countries that have human trafficking policies are more effective than others at implementing their anti-trafficking policies.

She is collaborating with the Kharkov Center for Gender Studies at V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National University in Ukraine and the Women's Crisis Center Fatima in Kazan (where she volunteered during the CLS Program).

To conduct this research, she was awarded a Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholarship to Ukraine; a Harry S. Truman Foundation Sherman and Irene Dreiseszun Scholarship for International Studies; and a Howard Baumgartel Peace and Justice Award. In 2013-2014, she will be a Social Science Research Council Eurasia Program Dissertation Development Award Fellow.

Laura being interviewed about her research for Poltava radio

Currently, Laura is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Political Science at the University of Kansas. She has an M.A. in Political Science and a Graduate Certificate in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies from the University of Kansas, and an M.A. in International Studies focusing on Russian, East European, and Central Asian Studies from the Jackson School of International Studies at the University of Washington.

What Toddlers Can Teach Us About Language Learning

2013-07-23T10:13:00.002-04:00

By Kacy Kostiuk, CLS Alumni Officer, American Councils for International Education

"If only I had started when I was a baby!"

Young kids pick up language quickly, but there's a lot we adults can learn from the way toddlers learn language. If we follow their lead (minus the tantrums!), we might be able to improve our own language learning abilities.

Here are a few tips I've picked up from my toddler:

Study words /grammar that matter to you.

What words do toddlers learn? Words that help them get what they want, like "help" ("Help me open this cabinet so I can play with the pots and pans ") and "more" ("I want more Cheerios!").

As adults, we often study words or grammar that we don't see as immediately connected with our goals. This usually is appropriate if you are studying in a classroom because you can be motivated by the need to study for exams and participate in classroom role plays. If you aren't taking a language class, it can be difficult to motivate yourself to study things you don't see a purpose for.

What can you do to motivate yourself?

Re-examine your goals for language learning. What do you want to be able to do with your language skills
As much as possible, study words, phrases, and grammar related to your goals and interests. If you want to conduct research in your target language, study words related to your field of study. If you want to be able to read the news in your target language, start doing this daily and looking up words and grammar points you don't understand.
Identify how other material you are studying relates to your goals. We can't always study vocabulary words that directly relate to our area of interest. If we did, we'd end up as specialized dictionaries, unable to connect thoughts or communicate outside a narrow context. Try to find ways to use vocabulary and grammar you need to learn in ways that apply to your area of interest, and remind yourself how these words might be used in everyday life.

Have fun!

Toddlers don't want to be forced to do anything, and neither do adults. Make language learning fun by involving friends who are also studying the language and/or are native speakers of the language; watch movies or read books in your target language; and use Skype to communicate with your friends or host family from the CLS Program.

Make it a game!

Songs and games are favorites of toddlers, and what adult doesn't also like these things? I've seen my toddler pick up words from the songs we sing much faster than the words that are just spoken. Songs and games are fun, and they provide repetitive practice opportunities. Seek out games in your target language -- perhaps online or with friends -- and find songs you enjoy listening to.

Watch other people.

Toddlers learn from watching and imitating, and so can adults. I tried for weeks to get my toddler to wave, but he only started doing it after he saw other people do it.

It's very hard to learn a language in a vacuum. You need to seek opportunities to observe other people using your target language and practice using new concepts with a variety of people. Even if you have a teacher or tutor, it's important to see other people using your target language. Seek out movies, television shows, and online articles so you can "hear" a variety of different voices in your target language. See if your city has an immigrant community that speaks your target language. Read online forums so you can get a sense of "everyday" language, not just formal writing.

Test out new words and concepts.

Toddlers test out new words to determine the extent of their meaning, and adults should, too. My toddler knows that if he says "help" or "all done," he'll get assistance (i.e. getting out of his highchair when he's done with a meal or opening a cabinet he wants to get inside). Sometimes I see him test out "all done" when he really means "help." I can see that he is trying to determine the exact meaning of both words and what contexts they can be used in. After all, the meanings could be confusing because he needs "help" getting out of his highchair when he's "all done."

You can do the same thing by testing out new words and concepts in different contexts. Oftentimes a word is used a certain way in English but cannot be used the same way in your target language. You can explore the extent of meaning by using it with native speakers in different situations or even writing multiple sentences using a new word and asking your tutor to review them.

Toddlers may not be able to reach the top of a desk or look up a word in the dictionary, but they are innately amazing language learners. Without thinking about learning strategies or upcoming tests, toddlers pick up new words and phrases while they play. If you're looking for a boost in motivation and a way to have more fun studying your target language, try to think more like a toddler would!

Do you have language-learning tips and suggestions for good resources specific to your CLS language? We invite you to contact us with this information so that we can share it with other alumni and new students. Email us at cls@americancouncils.org.

Meet Kristin: CLS Alumna and Japanese Teacher

2013-07-23T10:08:00.000-04:00

After completing the CLS Program, Kristin Wingate (Kyoto, Japan '11) got a position teaching Japanese at Ridge High School in New Jersey. She spoke with CLS staff about her position and CLS experiences.

Kristin at Itsukushima Shrine in Miyajima with the famous red torii in the background

Tell us about your job.

Right now I’m teaching Japanese Language and Culture, including an AP Japanese course, at Ridge High School in Basking Ridge, New Jersey. I teach students in grades 9-12, and my classes are relatively small, which enables me to get to know my students and their learning styles very well.

Perhaps the most enjoyable aspect of my position is the fact that I use Japanese every day to teach young people with such bright futures and so much potential. Each day I go to work I am hoping they will fall in love with Japanese culture and language like I have.

After a successful first year of teaching, many of my students have told me that Japanese is their favorite class during the day and that they always look forward to learning. I think that's one of the most rewarding things a teacher can hear.

How did you find out about this position?

I found out about this position through my professor/adviser at my home institute (Seton Hall University). The Japanese teacher at Ridge High School had moved to a new position shortly before the school year started, and they needed to quickly find someone qualified to fill the position. As a result, the process of interviewing and being hired was unusually fast.

Did you feel that your CLS experience gave you an edge over other candidates applying for the position?

Yes, absolutely. Without the experience of participating in the CLS Program in Japan, I would not have had the necessarily skills to perform my job.

I emphasized my CLS experience during my job interview, specifically mentioning that I had participated in two intensive eight-week language programs (the CLS Program and Middlebury Language Schools) that helped me grow not only linguistically but also as a teacher, since I was able to observe different teaching methods. I also noted that as a student who had participated in these programs, I knew what kind of feelings high school students might have regarding language study and how I could best support them.

What advice would you give to a student interested in following a similar career path?

Study Japanese (or whatever your target language is) inside AND outside of the classroom
Participate in as many exchange programs as you can afford. Apply for scholarships and fellowships
Make Japanese friends
Hold language exchanges
Chat in Japanese with your peers who are also studying the language
Volunteer at a high school as a student teacher, and find work as a substitute teacher
Tutor in your target language
Present papers and research at conferences
Do as much as you can in your field, and do as much as you can related to teaching and Japanese

What are your fondest memories of the CLS Program?

Many of my memories revolve around the amazing group dynamics of our institute. We were always laughing together, collaborating, and helping each other – no matter what class we were in.

Our teamwork was put to the test when we traveled as a group to Hiroshima and went net fishing together. We had to pull the heaviest net full of fish and other sea creatures onto the shore from meters out in the ocean. With everyone’s effort, we were able to do it, and afterwards we celebrated by grilling all of our catches and eating together. I think it was such a remarkable display of everyone’s cooperation!

What is your favorite Japanese word or phrase, and what does it mean in English?

一生懸命 (isshoukenmei)

It means “to try with all one’s might.”

Can you tell us a little more about your personal background?

I was raised in New Jersey and enjoy running, playing rhythm video games, and baking. In addition to teaching, I am also an adviser of the Japanese National Honor Society at Ridge High School and the Treasurer/Webmaster of the New Jersey Association of Teachers of Japanese, as well as a member of the American Association of Teachers of Japanese.

“Purikura” (print club/sticker photobooth) with Konomi, Kristin's Japanese tutor during the CLS Program. They were on their way to Gion Matsuri, one of the largest festivals in the Kyoto area in July.

Introduction to Staff at The Ohio State University and Ohio University

2013-07-23T09:53:00.000-04:00

The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and the Critical Language Scholarship Program (CLS) welcome The Ohio State University and Ohio University to the CLS family.

In October 2012, the Department of State awarded Ohio State University (OSU) administration of the 2013 East Asian and Pacific CLS institutes. OSU manages the Chinese, Korean, and Japanese institutes and partners with Ohio University (OU) to administer the Indonesian institute.

American Councils for International Education oversees the CLS institutes in Arabic, Azerbaijani, Bangla, Hindi, Persian, Punjabi, Russian, Turkish, and Urdu.

This year’s institutes are already well underway, and the CLS students have been working hard to improve their language skills, learn about their local cultures, and share their own backgrounds with their host communities.

We invite you to continue reading to learn more about the new partners!

Galal Walker (PhD, Cornell) is a professor of Chinese in the Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures, and the Director of the National East Asian Languages Resource Center, the Midwest US–China Flagship Program, and the Critical Language Scholarship Program, at The Ohio State University.

Walker has been instrumental in the development of Chinese language studies in the United States since the early 1980s. His work as a teacher, department chair, program director, author, and editor has contributed to establishing the “Performed Culture” approach and a field-wide pedagogical infrastructure based in research and publication for Chinese, Japanese, and Korean.

He has mentored hundreds of graduate students, authored volumes on the training of teachers of less commonly taught languages, championed the application of performance theory to language learning and teaching, and created innovative multimedia programs for learning Chinese from elementary to advanced levels. His exemplary works include “Chinese: Communicating in Culture” (four volumes), “Chinese Out of the Box” (for K-5 students), and “The Pedagogy of Performing Another Culture.” He is also the Executive Editor of a 13-volume series entitled “Pathways to Advanced Skills,” a series focusing on research on pedagogy in the field of foreign languages, especially of East Asian languages.

Mari Noda is Professor of Japanese and Chair of the Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures, and Director of the CLS Japan Institute.

A specialist in East Asian language pedagogy, Noda is primarily interested in curriculum, material development, and assessment. She directs and teaches in SPEAC (Summer Programs East Asian Concentration), which offers training in teaching of Japanese and Chinese, as well as intensive Japanese and Chinese language instruction. She has directed study abroad programs and has written about study abroad.

Her recent publications include Acts of Reading (co-author, Hiroshi Nara, University of Hawaii Press, 2003), and Interactive DVD Program Japanese: The Spoken Language Parts 2/3 (co-author, Masayuki Itomitsu, Yale University Press, 2008). She serves as the faculty adviser and coach for the OSU Aikido Club.

Zhiwei Bi is a Program Officer with the Critical Language Scholarship Program. Additionally, she works for The Ohio State University (OSU) as Program Manager of the K-16 Chinese Outreach Program.

Her main duties include planning and implementing study abroad programs in China, providing curriculum support to K-16 Chinese programs in Ohio, conducting teacher training workshops, and connecting schools in Ohio to counterparts in China. She has led a number of study abroad programs to China, both for high school and college students.

Bi is a two-time recipient of the OSU Outreach Grant and was nominated in 2013 as Outstanding Administrator of Foreign Language Learning by the Ohio Foreign Language Association. She also teaches Chinese language, literature, and culture courses, including Chinese calligraphy, at the Ohio State University and Columbus State Community College.

Bi grew up in Guangzhou (Canton), China. She received a B.A degree in American and English literature from Jinan University (Guangzhou) and has another B.A degree in Comparative Literature from the University of California at Irvine. She also earned two master’s degrees: one in Library Science from the Kent State University; the other in Chinese Literature from the Ohio State University.

Before taking on her current position, she was Assistant Director of the Institute of Chinese Studies at OSU and Assistant Director of the OSU Chinese Flagship K-12 Program. In her spare time, she enjoys translating literary works and listening to audio books, and she has a passion for travel.

Sunny Zong serves as the Program Manager for CLS East Asian Programs at the Ohio State University. She leads the effort in developing an operational structure of the program to ensure it evolves on schedule and on scope with available resources, and oversees the fiscal operation of the program.

Zong has also managed the Chinese Flagship Program at OSU since 2005. In this position, she evolves ideas into executable plans, manages resources as the program experiences different stages of growth and changes, and oversees day-to-day operations.

Before she came to the United States, Zong directed the Financial Control Division at The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Ltd Qingdao District Office. There she was responsible for overseeing all aspects of the bank’s financial reporting, tax filing, and foreign currency position control.

Zong has also provided consultation on cross-cultural communication and Chinese financial, labor and corporate regulations to organizations and companies that are or will be doing business with China since 2008.

Zong earned her MBA with the Fisher College of Business at The Ohio State University with a focused study on international business strategy, program management, and corporate finance. As a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in the State of Ohio and in China, Zong also holds her master’s degree in Human Resources and Labor Management.

In her spare time, Zong enjoys reading, traveling and playing with her two young children. She also believes Taiji practice can help to develop a peaceful mind and strong body.

Christine Su is Director of the Center for Southeast Asian Studies (CSEAS) at Ohio University, and Institute Director for the CLS Indonesia Program.

Su has conducted research, worked, and traveled throughout Southeast Asia, particularly in Cambodia, where she also underwent a personal search for members of her family who might have survived the Khmer Rouge regime of the 1970s. In the U.S., she has held numerous positions through which she has been able to serve Southeast Asians as well as the broader Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. She served as Educational Specialist at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, working with AAPIs with disabilities, and as Director of Research and Cross-Cultural Education in the private sector for a Honolulu-based communications firm.

In 2009, Su was named one of Pacific Business News' "Forty under 40," a designation awarded to community members under the age of 40 who have demonstrated leadership in their industries, shown a consistent “take charge” attitude, and made a difference in Hawaii's economy and community.

At Ohio University, in addition to running CSEAS, Su teaches courses in International Studies and Southeast Asian Studies, and her specific research interests are in ethnic and cultural identity(ies).

Interview with Patrick Molitoris about Working at the United Nations

2013-05-20T22:23:00.000-04:00

Your CLS experience and foreign language skills can enhance an intended career path or lead to a completely unexpected profession or academic pursuit. Foreign language skills and cultural sensitivity gained through experience abroad add depth to a resume and underscore a candidate’s versatility and adaptability. Even when a candidate has less direct experience with an organization's line of work, many employers consider hiring a candidate who has shown an ability to devote him or herself to the pursuit of studying a foreign language and culture.

Although many CLS alumni are in school, many have graduated and are currently working in exciting fields.
In the future, we plan to feature more profiles from alumni working in interesting fields.

This month, we share with you an interview with Patrick S. Molitoris (Malang, Indonesia '12), who works at the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

Where do you work?

I work in the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Washington, DC. Our office’s mandate covers the resettlement and protection of refugees, asylum-seekers, and stateless individuals.

My work primarily focuses on supporting the office’s efforts to form and implement legislation that provides a path to citizenship for stateless individuals living within U.S. borders. This work has been fast-tracked due to the ongoing dialogue over comprehensive immigration reform. By a grand stroke of luck, I’ve been able to travel quite a lot over the past several months to carry out this statelessness-related advocacy work—to New York, Miami, Los Angeles, Honolulu, even American Samoa!

How did you find out about the position?

I had been in contact with the office previously—informally with a staff member in the U.S. Protection Unit (USPU), and formally with the External Relations Unit. When my contact in the USPU identified a need for an extra brain on the office’s campaign to end statelessness in the U.S., she called me to take the role. This happened shortly after I completed the CLS Program in Malang.

Did your CLS language give you an edge over other candidates for the position?

I don’t think that people in my office realized I spoke Indonesian until about three months ago, when some gay Indonesian asylum-seekers appeared in the Caribbean. The office’s Caribbean Unit was preparing to conduct refugee status determinations with these Indonesian fishermen, and I took an interest, letting the protection associate involved know that I might be able to help.

Do you get to use your CLS language in your job?

Not yet, unfortunately. The Indonesian asylum-seekers in Trinidad seem to have disappeared.

If a student is interested in following a similar career path, what advice would you give?

UNHCR’s Washington office offers many internships during the fall, spring, and summer—particularly for law students. I’d highly recommend applying for an internship in the office and when doing so, be specific about the kind of work you’re passionate about or interested in exploring.

What are some other job fields that you considered or found intriguing during your job search?

My professional interests are rather niche, so I am trying to figure out my path into my dream position. I’m interested in structures of protection for LGBTI individuals living outside of the United States, and formalizing/prioritizing the development of a “gay underground railroad” for these individuals. I’ve steered away from NGO work for the most part, looking to international government partners like UNHCR and UNRWA as well as U.S. government agencies like U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I’m still searching for the right place for myself.

What general career or job-search advice would you give to CLS alumni who are graduating soon?

If possible, be open to the idea of unpaid internships, particularly if you’re in the DC area. It may be a lot of seemingly thankless work in the beginning, but if you make a serious impression on your superiors, you’ll pave your path for the future. Also make what you want to be doing clear to others, and keep talking about it. You never knew who you might stumble across that’ll help you open another door.

Opening the Door to Russian for Spanish Speakers

2013-05-20T22:13:00.000-04:00

By Gabriela Martinez (Ufa, Russia '12)

I used the CLS Alumni Development Fund award to further my own study of Russian and help others in Puerto Rico have the opportunity to learn it also.

From December to March, I took private lessons with a Russian professor at the University of Puerto Rico. Our class met once a week and focused mainly on verb usage, writing, conversation, and reading.

Using some of the ADF funds, I purchased a Spanish-Russian textbook called “Ruso para Hispanohablantes,” which I used during our lessons. Although I had already mastered most of the grammar concepts presented in the book , my professor was able to discuss material further in depth and help me strengthen my knowledge of fundamental grammar concepts, which will be very helpful to my overall Russian-language skills. As part of the class, I also wrote three long compositions in Russian.

In addition to this, I also tutored beginning Russian students at the University of Puerto Rico. During the sessions, I usually reviewed material the professor had presented in class and devised grammar practice drills. I also designed test reviews and distributed them to the students. I really enjoy this tutoring because by helping students understand the Russian language, I am also helping them to acquire a genuine interest in Russian culture in general. I have also worked with a student of Russian and translation to host weekly screenings of classic Soviet and Russian films.

Another component of my Alumni Development Fund project consisted in volunteering at the inaugural event of Puerto Rico’s first Russian Cultural Center, which officially opened its doors on February 20 in San Juan. During the opening week, I volunteered as a Russian interpreter for Russian government officials, representatives from Russian media, and Russian musicians who came to Puerto Rico to participate in the Center’s opening ceremony. From January to now, I have also been writing newspaper articles, distributing flyers, and volunteering in activities organized by Russian-Puerto Rican Foundation, a non-profit organization devoted facilitating cultural, academic and travel-related exchanges between Puerto Rico and Russia.

My initial goals for my CLS Alumni Development Fund activity were to integrate the Spanish language into my understanding of Russian and to promote Russian language and cultural activities in Puerto Rico. As soon as I began achieving these goals, more opportunities opened up to help me achieve these and other goals. I made deeper connections with Puerto Rico’s local Russian community and even began working as an English teacher for a Russian family that lives in San Juan. My Alumni Development Fund project, aside from helping me improve my Russian skills, has helped develop my teaching skills and enabled me to share my passion for Russian culture, language, and history with others.

Note: Congratulations to Gabriela, who was recently awarded a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship in Russia for next year!

Scholarly Literary Information from Both Sides of the Atlantic

2013-05-20T22:06:00.003-04:00

By David Moberly (Tangier, Morocco '12)

Using funds from the CLS Alumni Development Fund, I attended and presented at the Captivity Writing Unbound Conference at the University of South Alabama. The event featured a gathering of scholars from around the world who were researching captivity literature and its influence on world culture.

The conference took place on the University’s idyllic Baldwin County campus near the eastern shore of Mobile Bay. The setting was an ideal place for me to present my own research in a paper entitled “Mary Rowlandson, William Okeley, and the ‘Goodness of God’: The Transatlantic Migration of the Captivity Narrative.”

I had two basic goals for this conference. One was to introduce this group of scholars to the way in which the American literary tradition of the captivity narrative was connected to earlier British narratives about life in slavery in Arab North Africa. The other was to further my own professional goals as an academic, trying to bridge the gap between North African and English scholarship on captivity.

The event was successful on both counts. I received a lot of excellent feedback from the American scholars who heard my presentation, and this feedback will help me as I move my research forward toward publication. I also was able to share with scholars, not only in my presentation but in a variety of moments both formal and informal throughout the conference, the sometimes surprising differences in the ways in which captivity was understood and researched on the two sides of the Atlantic. Some scholars asked for suggestions about how they might incorporate the North African connection more into their classrooms, and I was able to offer my ideas. I hope this will lead to more students around the country being exposed to a larger world.

I have already begun to incorporate the many things I learned at this conference into my research. My hope is to include a chapter on Mary Rowlandson and her connections with North African narratives in my dissertation, as well as in future publications. What I learned at this conference will be invaluable to me in meeting that goal, and will aid me in getting this information out to an even wider audience. I am grateful to the CLS Alumni Development Fund for helping me take advantage of this opportunity.

Purchasing Textbooks for Korean-Language Students

2013-05-20T22:04:00.001-04:00

By Isra Nikoolkan (Jeonju, Korea '11 and '12, CLS Alumni Ambassador)

I used the funds awarded to me by the CLS Alumni Development Fund to purchase Korean-language textbooks for the College of William and Mary's HelloWM Korean Language program. The HelloWM Korean program is a group on campus that aims to help students learn Korean because the College of William and Mary currently does not offer classes in Korean.

The textbooks I purchased varied in content, material, and purpose, but the combination of these books is what will help give the HelloWM program a strong foundation to use for its grassroots language instruction.

These textbooks are helping us supplement our classes with additional information and practice. Our student-teachers (native Korean speakers who are students at the College of William and Mary) have also benefited because they are able to create a curriculum based on the textbooks and track progress week-by-week using the lesson plans in the textbooks. In this way, the textbooks are helping provide a pedagogical structure to help them teach and us to learn Korean.

This activity has benefited me academically and personally. As a teacher for the HelloWM Korean program, I learn something new every day as I teach others. As a student, I also learn something new about Korean every day from the wealth of knowledge provided by my teachers and the supplementary information in our Korean textbooks.

These textbooks will be left at the college and will therefore have a long-term impact on students studying Korean. I also plan to share the outcomes of this activity by engaging the W&M Arts and Sciences administration to try to bring Korean language classes to the school by showing how the ever-growing HelloWM Korean program has an active following of interested and motivated students.

Turkish Cultural Night

2013-05-20T22:02:00.000-04:00

by Damian Harris-Hernandez (Bursa, Turkey '12)

My CLS Alumni Development Fund project was to organize a Turkish cultural event that I hoped would bring together Columbia University students studying Turkish or interested in studying Turkish and native Turkish speakers from the broader New York Turkish community.

This event was a large-scale Turkish Tea Time held in the School of International Affairs at Columbia University. To achieve this, I led the Columbia Turkish Club in teaming up with two other groups on campus (The Middle East Institute and SIPA Turkish Initiative). We invited the Columbia Middle Eastern Music Ensemble to perform while we shared a large meal together.

More than 160 people attended the event, including two other CLS alumni -- Christin Zurback and Harun Buljina (both Bursa, Turkey '12). We encouraged people to bring homemade Turkish dishes in addition to the food we provided using funds from the CLS Alumni Development Fund. So many people came that we ran out of food!

Everyone from the beginning and intermediate Turkish classes and about half of the advanced students came to the event. There were also prospective students and people who knew very little about Turkish culture. Turkish nationals from inside and outside the Columbia community also attended, which enabled us to practice our language skills.

I met a lot of new people who I hope to work with to organize future events. I also had the opportunity to talk with graduate students about continuing my Turkish studies and finding work that would allow me to use my Turkish skills, since I'm graduating this spring. Other students had similar opportunities to make friends and network with people in the Turkish community.

The event exceeded my expectations, and I feel there is a renewed excitement among these campus groups to network and collaborate on future projects. After the event, more than thirty people joined the Columbia Turkish Club's Facebook page!

CLS Photo and Video Contest Honorable Mentions

2013-04-26T14:38:00.001-04:00

Congratulations to the 2012 CLS alumni whose photo and video submissions were selected as honorable mentions in the CLS Photo and Video Contest!

Intensive Language Study Category

"Concentration" by Allyson Voss (Lucknow, India '12)
This picture shows two Urdu students learning about the production of Urdu calligraphy from a monolingual community member. This was a great part of the week where students got to work on both the oral and written production of Urdu.

"Week 1 - al Mustakshifeen" ("The Explorers") by Greg Coy (Rabat, Morocco '12)
The most incredible quality of the CLS experience is living where the language you're studying is spoken. Making friends, getting lost, and relying on your Arabic to get home or make a friend are the kinds of experiences language study makes possible. I took this photo at the end of our first walking tour of Rabat. Here our speaking buddies are trying to help each of us get back to our homestays. (B&W Ilford 400, Nikon FG20)

People & Culture Category

"Milking a Cow" by Nisha Shah (Chandigarh, India '12)
A CLS 2012 Punjabi student learns to successfully milk a cow in Marauli Kalan, a small village near Chandigarh. Dairy farming is an important aspect of Marauli Kalan's livelihood. In this picture, Beth communicates with a local resident to learn how to milk a cow.

"Learning Among the Manganiyar" by Theodore Ceplina (Jaipur, India '12)
Here I am seated with my kamaicha teacher, Ghewar Khan Manganiyar. His father (to my right), the living legend Padma Bhushan Sakar Khan Manganiyar, looks on in interest. The maker of my instrument (t,o Ghewar's left), Shankara Ram Suthar, also watches as I make my first steps towards learning kamaicha. Sakarji and his family live in a small village called Hamira, which is home to many Manganiyar musicians. Kamaicha is a dying art and it was an honor to learn from some of the greatest living musicians of kamaicha.

CLS Spirit Category

"Soba Noodles from Scratch" by Dana Fager (Kyoto, Japan '11 and '12)
During a cultural excursion, we made our own soba noodles from scratch. In this picture, we are preparing the dough in order to roll it out into flat sheets. We had to put forth our best effort because we ate the finished product for lunch!

"Basketball Game with Migrant Workers' Children" by Brittany Brock (Beijing, China '12)
CLS participant Isaac watches as a young child of a Chinese migrant worker takes a shot in a basketball game. During this day-long expedition to the migrant workers' children's school, CLS Beijing students played with the children and helped make aesthetic improvements to their aging school.

Videos

"Learning Tari Topeng Malangan (Indonesian Mask Dance)" by Rebecca Gluckstein (Malang, Indonesia '12)
Over the course of the CLS Program, four students studied Malang's traditional mask dance with one of the university dance teachers, Bu Tri. Although we initially wanted to learn two dances, it turns out that tari topeng is more difficult than we expected, especially once you put the masks on. This is a compilation of videos taken during our dance rehearsals and performance, as well as a performance at a sanggar. explanations of costumes, choreography, and the rehearsal process.

"Jeonju Style" by Margarethe McDonald, John McEwen, and Molly Resnick (Jeonju, Korea '12)
In this video, we parodied the popular Korean song Kangnam Style by changing the lyrics to describe the people of Jeonju. By interacting with the people and places of Jeonju through writing and filming it, welearned a lot about the dialect and culture of southern South Korea.

"Do, Re, Mi, Saz" by Jennifer Kaiser (Bursa, Turkey '12)
The "bağlama" is one of the most uniquely Turkish instruments with a widespread presence in the country today. This particular instrument belongs to the "saz " family, which means "stringed."

CLS Photo and Video Contest Grand-Prize Winner

2013-04-26T14:34:00.001-04:00

Congratulations to Alexa Smith (Rabat, Morocco '12)! Her photo "Shadow Caravan" was selected as the grand-prize winner of the CLS Photo and Video Contest.

Alexa wrote the following about her photo:

During a free weekend, several CLS students and I traveled by train and bus almost to the Algerian border to visit the Sahara. On a guided expedition led by descendants of the area's original nomadic inhabitants, we rode into the dunes on camel-back and slept under the stars.

CLS Photo and Video Contest Category Winners

2013-04-26T13:48:00.003-04:00

Congratulations to the CLS Photo and Video Contest category winners! Below are the winning entries by category, along with a short blurb from the alumni who submitted each photo/video.

Intensive Language Study

"In the Classroom" by Jamie Manley (Shanghai, China '12)
Zhao Laoshi thinks about how to explain a grammar patter to CLS student Ethan Prizant.

People & Culture

"The Cookie Shop" by Garik Sadovy (Malang, Indonesia '12)
Light pours forth from the windows above one of East Java's prime examples of the Indonesian handmade snack industry. Rollers, bakers, cookers, folders, and handlers come together in this workshop to create some of the best snacks in Java. During the CLS Program, the students were given the opportunity to interview them and learn a bit about their lives.

CLS Spirit

"Spirited Chefs" by Todd Friends (Xi'an, China '12)
After a few hours of training from the chefs of the Shaanxi Culinary Institute, the CLS Xi'an students started getting the hang of local dishes. The final samples were "很好."

Video

"Merzouga" by Greg Coy (Rabat, Morocco '12)
Intensive language study and acquisition needs to be accompanied by similarly engaged interaction. After a very difficult travel experience to get to Merzouga, we were exhausted and discouraged, but when film and audio equipment sparked the curiosity of our guides we couldn't help but do our best to have an engaging conversation; the result is an attempted ethnographic-minded short film.

Alumni Recognized for CLS Award

2013-02-28T17:01:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to Abe DeHart (CLS Urdu ’12) and Leslie Pillen (CLS Hindi ’12)!

They were recently recognized by Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences for their 2012 CLS awards. Read about how the students are using critical language skills in the field of international agriculture.

Returning to Turkey: My Experience as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant

2013-02-28T15:34:00.000-05:00

By Jeremy Bender (Ankara, Turkey '11, 2011 CLS Alumni Ambassador)

Jeremy in Amasya, Turkey, with two Turkish instructors

When I received the news that I would be going to Turkey as a Critical Language Scholarship recipient in 2011, I couldn't quite believe my luck. In fact, until about the second-to-last week of the program, the fact that I was in Turkey still hadn't truly hit me. It seemed so unreal and magical – here I was, abroad, alone for the first time in my life, living quasi-independently and completely happily with a Turkish family I had only just met, and yet knew intimately.

I can't say that the CLS experience was not a stressful and challenging time: my commute to and from class in Ankara proved grueling, and there were times when I felt as if I would never be able to improve my language skills. However, I can say that upon reflection, the summer I spent in Ankara proved to be a truly pivotal life moment for me. Although I returned to America burned out and travel weary – I had gone to China for an additional month after the program finished for my brother's wedding – I soon began to miss many of the things that I had taken for granted in Turkey: Turkish breakfasts, the culture of never-ending tea, and the friendliness of the Turkish people.

So, with this small fire of desire to return to Turkey quickly growing, I applied to teach English in Turkey as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant. When the news arrived this past May that I had received a Fulbright ETA award and would be returning to Turkey, I again couldn't quite fathom what that meant. This time, I would be living in Malatya and teaching at İnönü University. Even now, five months after coming to Turkey for the second time, I am still sometimes dumbstruck by the realization that I am truly here; that realization is always accompanied by a second wave of euphoria.

I again can't say that my time in Malatya has been completely perfect – there were annoyances like having to acquire a Turkish cell phone and residence permit, which almost always were accompanied by a feeling of despair that my Turkish wasn't good enough. But all of these negative feelings passed once I began to integrate myself into daily Turkish life and started teaching.

Jeremy's students enjoy a Thanksgiving celebration

Teaching English through the Fulbright ETA program might be one of the most rewarding things I've done. It is inspiring to look at the amazing strides my students have made in four months, coupled with their desire to become even better. My students often invite me to a cafe during a class break, where we can have unstructured conversation practice or they teach me new phrases in Turkish. They are also extremely interested in learning about American culture, leading to some wonderful holiday exchanges – we had a Thanksgiving Party in class, for instance.

Prior to receiving the Fulbright I had no real teaching experience whatsoever. But I quickly learned that the CLS Program had helped prepare me for this experience in many ways – and not just linguistically. Remembering how my Turkish classes were structured at the TOMER Institute in Ankara, I've tried my best to incorporate many of the elements I found the most enjoyable and beneficial into my curriculum. For example, I try to make use of music and lyrics in my classes whenever a fitting song comes to mind.

As a Fulbright ETA, I have also appreciated the program's active encouragement to travel throughout the country. My host university graciously provided me with three-day weekends so that I could make various weekend trips. Thanks to this, I have managed to complete one of my major bucket-list goals – seeing Mount Nemrut. Currently, I have plans for a weekend trip to the southeastern regions of Mardin, Batman and Diyarbakir with some of my students.

Jeremy at the top of Mount Nemrut with two fellow Fulbrighters

I cannot imagine what life would have been like had I not received the CLS or the Fulbright awards. In much the same way, I cannot imagine how life will progress after the completion of this program. But for now, I will simply focus on enjoying and appreciating my time in Turkey.

CLS Alumni Updates

2013-02-28T15:28:00.000-05:00

Jeremy Bender (Ankara, Turkey '11) received a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to teach at İnönü University in Malatya, Turkey. Read about his experiences and check out his blog.

Lisel Hintz (Bursa, Turkey ’11 and Ankara, Turkey ’12) wrote an article called “Reading Turkish Politics from a Soap Opera," which was published in Foreign Policy. She is a Visiting Research Fellow at Bilkent University in Ankara and researches the relationship between Turkish domestic politics and foreign policy.

CLS Institute Directors' Meeting

2013-02-28T15:22:00.002-05:00

Institute directors from CLS institutes around the world met in Washington, DC, at the end of January to discuss plans for the 2013 CLS Program.

The annual CLS Institute Directors' Meeting provides directors, many of whom live and work in the CLS host countries, a valuable opportunity to meet with colleagues from the other CLS countries and languages, as well as U.S.-based CLS staff and U.S. Department of State representatives. In spite of their geographic and linguistic diversity, the directors' experiences as educators and program administrators unify them and give them the opportunity to learn from each other.

At this year's meeting, the institute directors discussed topics such as assisting students of color in acclimating to unique challenges in their host countries, improving students' cultural learning experiences, and supporting students’ physical and emotional wellness throughout the program.

During small-group discussions, the directors discussed past experiences with language learners' successes and challenges and proposed methods of further improving the language-learning experience for CLS students. They also sought ways to maintain student engagement throughout the summer and encourage students to get the most out of the program.

Several CLS alumni also joined a session of the meeting to discuss their experiences during the CLS Program. We want to thank the following alumni for joining us:

Sara Davidson (Jeonju, Korea '11)

Devin Finn (Dhaka, Bangladesh '11)

Matthew Mangold (Vladimir, Russia '12)

Boaz Munro (Tangier, Morocco '12)

Meredith Rahn-Oakes (Izmir, Turkey '11)

Sadie Stevens (Tunis, Tunisia '12)

Anna Stewart (Jaipur, India '12)

Cody Strickland (Chinese)

Institute Profile: Chandigarh, India

2013-02-28T15:22:00.000-05:00

Location: Chandigarh, India

Host Institution: American Institute of Indian Studies (AIIS)

Language: Punjabi

Levels: Beginner, advanced beginner, intermediate, and advanced

CLS students visiting Khalasa College

CLS Punjabi students study in the city of Chandigarh, India. Chandigarh serves as the capital of two Indian states – Punjab and Haryana. However, neither state can claim Chandigarh as its own, as the city is considered a Union Territory and administered by the Indian federal government.

Chandigarh was the first planned city in India post-independence in 1947. Designed by the famous architect and urban planner Le Corbusier, many people think fo the city as one of the best-planned in India. It is also known locally as the City Beautiful.

Students in Chandigarh will discover that the culture of Chandigarh reflects a blend of all of North India. Most people speak Punjabi or Hindi, as well as English. The co-existence of the diverse cultures in Chandigarh are also reflected in the many holidays that are celebrated by the diverse religious groups in the country, as well as dance and music festivals held throughout the year. CLS participants will have an opportunity to experience the Teej Festival celebrating the Monsoon season during the first week of August.

Academics

The American Institute of Indian Studies (AIIS) is the academic partner for the CLS Punjabi Program. AIIS was founded in 1961 to increase and improve understanding between India and the United States through academic research in various aspects of Indian life and thought.

A CLS student meets with his peer tutor

CLS Punjabi students take part in an eight-week-long program with weekday classes from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., as well as weekly guest appearances that expose students to the Punjab language and culture. Afternoons are reserved for students to participate in cultural activities, meet with language partners, and complete homework.

Housing

CLS participants live with host families in Chandigarh. This gives them an opportunity to maximize their daily exposure to the language and culture of the region. Each student has his/her own room. Many of the host families have previous experience hosting American students.

Cultural Enrichment Activities

CLS students shop at the local market

Students participate in cultural activities such as music and dance performances, as well as local trips to NGOs, educational centers, and places of interests that encourage community interaction. Students also go on at least one overnight cultural excursion.

Suggested Reading

The Sikhs of the Punjab (The New Cambridge History of India), J.S. Grewal
CultureShock! India: A Survival Guide to Customs and Etiquette, Gitanjali Kolanad
Punjabi Alphabet Book: Gurmukhi Script (Punjabi Edition), Paridhi Verma and Dinesh Verma
Colloquial Panjabi* – A complete Course for Beginners (Colloquial Series), Mangat Rai Bhardwaj

*The term Punjabi is used to describe the language used in India, while the term Panjabi is used to describe the language in Pakistan.

2013 CLS Participants Selected

2013-02-28T15:14:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to the students who were selected to receive the summer 2013 CLS award! The CLS Program remains extremely selective, with over 4,900 applications submitted for the 2013 program.

Who is selected for the CLS Program?

Participants come from all 50 states, as well as the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Approximately 35% are graduate students – compared to about 13.5% of the overall national study abroad pool.*
Over 30% self-identify as a person of color.
Males make up about 44% of the finalist pool – much higher than the national study abroad average of 35.6%.*
CLS Program recipients hail from over 200 institutions. These institutions represent both public and private colleges and universities, community colleges, and minority-serving institutions – including tribal colleges, historically black colleges and universities, and Hispanic-serving institutions.

*This data is drawn from the Institute for International Education’s Open Doors Report

What fields of study do CLS participants focus on at their home institutions?

Just as the CLS Program aims to select a diverse group of students in terms of home state, home institution type, and racial and ethnic background, we also strive to promote the program among students of various academic disciplines. This is especially important given the CLS Program’s goal to create a cohort of critical-language speakers serving in a wide variety of government, private sector, non-profit, educational and other careers. This year, we’ve broken down CLS finalists’ self-identified fields of interest into several broad categories and crunched the numbers to see what the pool of CLS finalists is studying.

The most common areas of study are the social sciences – about 34% of CLS finalists are studying social science disciplines, with more than half of that group majoring in political science or international relations.

Humanities majors are the next biggest group (22%), with over 60% of those being foreign language and literature students.

Interdisciplinary area studies or global studies majors and STEM majors each represent about 15% of the CLS finalist pool. Among STEM majors, engineering and biological sciences are the two largest sub-disciplines.

The remaining 13% of CLS finalists study a wide variety of subjects in the fields of the arts, education, business, public administration, communications, and law.

How are applicants selected for the CLS Program?

Award recipients are selected on the basis of merit, with additional consideration for:

Academic record and potential to succeed in a rigorous academic setting
Ability to adapt to a different cultural environment
Diversity (considered in a broad manner and includes, but is not limited to, discipline, geographic location, institutional type, race or ethnicity, gender, and unique personal qualities or experiences)
Plan for continuation of study of the language
Plan to use the language in a future career

Each application is initially read by two independent evaluators chosen from faculty and administrators at colleges and universities across the U.S. This year, evaluators from over 140 U.S. institutions participated in the first round of selection.

Top applicants chosen to move onto the second round of selection are reviewed by panels of academic and international education experts who convene in Washington, DC, in early February to discuss each application. Applicants recommended for selection are then forwarded to the U.S. Department of State for final approval.

Alumni Photo and Video Contest

2013-01-03T11:13:00.000-05:00

Attention 2012 CLS Program alumni! We are pleased to announce the launch of this year’s CLS Photo and Video Contest. We are always looking for great photos and videos to incorporate into our outreach materials, and we would love to feature yours.

DEADLINE: February 1, 2013

Eligibility:
All CLS 2012 alumni are invited to submit entries. The following individuals are not eligible: employees of the U.S. Department of State (not including part-time or temporary employees, interns, consultants, or contract employees unless such persons work on U.S. Department of State exchange programs) and employees of CAORC, American Councils, or The Ohio State University/The Ohio University who work on the CLS Program (excluding interns).

You are welcome to submit up to four entries: four photos, four videos, or any combination (e.g. three photos and one video). All entries must be submitted by 11:59p.m. EST on February 1, 2013.

Requirements:
Submissions must be original work and must have been taken during the 2012 CLS Program. Photos and videos may be color, black and white, or sepia, and must be submitted as digital images. Photos must have a resolution of 300 dpi or higher. Videos must be a minimum of 60 seconds and a maximum of 120 seconds in length.

Consent:
Alumni give consent that all photographs and other audio/visual materials submitted for the contest become the property of the CLS Program and can be used by the U.S. Department of State, American Councils, The Ohio State University/The Ohio University, and/or individual CLS institutes. If you submit a photograph and/or video, it is understood that you have granted this right and (if applicable) secured permission from the individuals in the photo or video. Photos and videos will not be returned -- be sure to save them before submitting.

Contest Categories:

Photos: Submit photos related to one of the following categories:
- Intensive Language Study: Submit photos that show students engaged in intensive language study. Classroom and other academic settings are encouraged!
- People and Culture: Show CLS students connecting with the community and culture of the host country.
- CLS Spirit: Submit photos that capture the essence of the CLS Program by showing CLS students engaged in language study or in the community, wearing a CLS t-shirt!
Videos: Submit videos related to one or more of the above categories.

Prizes:
One grand prize winner will receive an iPad Mini! Winners will also be selected from each category and will receive a CLS business card holder. All winners’ photos/videos and biographies will be featured in a special-edition CLS Newsletter and on the CLS blog.

Winning entries will be selected based on quality and content. Entries that are clearly identifiable as located outside the U.S. and capture images of students portraying the essence of the CLS Program will be given priority.

Winners will be notified via e-mail in March 2013.

To Enter:

Photos and videos must be uploaded to the 2012 CLS Alumni Photo and Video Contest album in Picasa Web Albums. 2012 CLS alumni will receive an e-mail generated from the Picasa site that invites you to view and share photos in this album.
To submit your photos and videos, you need to sign in to Picasa using the e-mail address where you received the invitation. If you have a Picasa account associated with a different e-mail address, you will not be able to upload photos from this account. Please create a new account or contact CLS staff to request that an invitation be sent to this other e-mail address. If you have never used Picasa, you will need to create an account in order to submit photos. Please click the “Sign Up” button on the top of the log-in page.
When you submit photos or videos, you must include the information below in the caption. If you fail to provide this, your entry may be deemed ineligible. Be sure to include your name, as we cannot determine who submitted an entry without this information in the caption.
- Brief title of the photo
- Contest category (intensive language study, people and culture, or CLS spirit)
- Your full name
- Language institute (e.g. Turkish institute; Ankara, Turkey)
- 2-3 sentences describing the photo or video and why it is relevant to the category to which you are submitting

Contact Stephanie Clough at sclough@americancouncils.org with any questions.

Thanks for participating in the contest and best of luck!

Water Conservation in Kunming, China – My Post-CLS Research Experience

2012-12-28T15:45:00.000-05:00

By Logan Krusac (Nanjing, China ’10)

Logan Krusac (Nanjing, China ‘10) stayed in China for an academic year as a Boren Scholar after completing the CLS Program. Below he writes about his research and experiences.

My research for my Boren Scholarship was on China's environmental crisis, with a focus on water conservation. I surveyed residents of Kunming, China to determine how environmental knowledge affects one’s in-home water conservation methods. According to my survey, there was no relationship between level of education, salary, or age and water conservation. However, people’s personal experiences did have a major impact on their behavior. Reading about desertification in school in Kunming, where desertification is not a problem, may lead to greater knowledge – but it does not necessarily lead to a change in behavior. However, if you are a farmer in northern China whose once-fertile land has been ruined by desertification, and you experience many sandstorms each year, you are more likely to change your behavior to prevent environmental degradation.

My research shows that in China, the people with knowledge of environmental problems – city-dwellers with higher levels of education – often do not have the individual, first-hand environmental awareness needed to influence behavior. It is human nature to not act upon that which we are not familiar with. In China, where government policies prevent citizens from being fully aware of the environmental crisis, people don't change their behavior because they can't fathom the impact of their actions or the graveness of the situation.

I presented my paper at the 2011 International Symposium on Water Resource and Environmental Protection in Xi'an, China in late May.

Outreach and Recruitment Updates for Summer 2013 Institutes

2012-12-26T12:48:00.002-05:00

Applicant Turnout

Congratulations to the 4,962 students who submitted applications for the 2013 CLS Program.

We received applications from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. We were also thrilled to receive applications from many Historically Black Colleges and Universities, other minority-serving institutions, community colleges, and women’s colleges.

All applications will go through a rigorous review process involving reviewers and a selection committee. Reviewers include language professors, study abroad advisers, and others with international expertise from colleges and universities throughout the U.S. Students will be notified in January about whether they advanced to the second round of selection. Notification of awardees and alternates is expected in mid-February.

Campus Visits

In October, the CLS Program began a recruiting tour through several states to spread the word about CLS in areas where we have traditionally had fewer applicants. The results are promising!

Last year’s low-application states included North Dakota, Iowa, Mississippi, South Dakota, and Rhode Island. These states saw terrific increases in application numbers following campus visits from CLS staff members this year.

State	Percentage Increase in Applications from 2012 to 2013
North Dakota	83%
Iowa	125%
Mississippi	181%
South Dakota	300%
Rhode Island	54%

The CLS Program plans to continue outreach efforts throughout the year and is already researching states and regions for future recruiting visits.

Alumni Ambassadors

The CLS Alumni Ambassadors have made tremendous contributions to our outreach efforts and have been actively promoting the CLS Program across the United States. The ambassadors have visited classrooms, attended study abroad fairs, arranged CLS Info Sessions in their local communities, and presented about the CLS Program at conferences.

We’re grateful to the Alumni Ambassadors for generously donating so much time and effort. We also want to thank all of our outstanding alumni who have worked to share information with prospective students this fall. You are among the most dedicated proponents of the CLS Program, and we would not have such a high application turnout without your help!

Social Media

The CLS Program actively maintains a Facebook page, which was used extensively during the application process. We responded to hundreds of wall posts and private messages in order to clarify the application process, address eligibility issues, and troubleshoot application problems.

The Facebook page was also a pivotal tool that helped us notify applicants of an application extension following Hurricane Sandy. The CLS Program will continue to announce contests, deadlines, and program highlights on Facebook throughout the year. This is also an excellent way for alumni to connect with each other and prospective students.

CLS Institute Profile: Ufa, Russia

2012-12-26T12:40:00.000-05:00

Location: Ufa, Russia

Host institution: Bashkir State Pedagogical University
Language: Russian
Levels: Intermediate through Advanced

CLS participants and a language partner at the theater

City: Ufa is the capital and largest city of Bashkortostan, a federal republic in central Russia near the Ural Mountains. The city has a population of approximately one million and is home to a diverse group of people, including the Bashkirs, an indigenous Turkic group, as well as Russians, Tatars, and other ethnic groups.

As in many Russian cities, much of the history of Ufa can be seen in its statues and monuments. In the center of the city, a large memorial and eternal flame serve as monuments to those who lost their lives in the Second World War (or in Russian, the Great Patriotic War). Another monument, located on a hill with a view of the surrounding countryside, features Salawat Yulaev, a Bashkir national hero who participated in Pugachev’s Rebellion against Catherine the Great in the 18^th Century.

Ufa is also home to a thriving musical and artistic scene, including a drama theater, an opera and ballet theater, a symphony orchestra, and a film studio. In 2012, CLS students took an excursion to a comedy at the theater and practiced their Russian afterwards with a question-and-answer session with the actors.

One CLS participant remarked, “During my two months in Ufa, I've had the opportunity to improve my Russian language skills, learn about Bashkir and Tatar culture, see beautiful places and befriend incredible people. I would say that my overall program experience in Ufa was fruitful and has provided me with the language skills that will aid me in my future career and life.” Another student said, “The city of Ufa was incredibly helpful for language learning and immersion. There was no English anywhere in the town and hardly anyone, unless they were students, knew any English. I was forced to communicate in Russian and to learn new words and phrases in order to do daily activities.”

Instructor Raisa Iksanova teaching a phonetics class

Academics: CLS participants study at Bashkir State Pedagogical University (BSPU) in Ufa. BSPU was founded in 1929 as an institute to train teachers and was expanded into a full public university in 1967. Students have a rigorous schedule of approximately 20 hours of formal classes a week, homework each night, and one or two cultural activities per week. CLS instructors at BSPU use a combination of original pedagogical materials, Russian language textbooks, and authentic Russian language materials such as magazine articles or news clips during classes.

Students also meet with language partners for two or more hours each week to practice language skills and engage in learning outside the classroom. One student said, “The language tutor program was one of the most rewarding aspects of the program. My tutor and I became close friends, and did so all in Russian, as she was extremely committed to keeping the language pledge with me. Not only did I improve due to my own tutor, but I became friends with many of the tutors. We would often hang out in groups, walking around the city and playing games in the park. It was also great to network with the tutors in order to meet Russians outside of the program.”

Housing: Students in Ufa live with host families, who provide them with breakfast and dinner on weekdays and three meals on weekends. Living with host families allows the students to experience Russia outside of the classroom. They often take part in activities such as attending weddings and other family functions, learning to cook family recipes, and going on trips to the dacha (summer house).

Cultural excursions: CLS students take part in regular weekly excursions in the city, as well as a longer excursion to another area. In 2012, CLS excursions included trips to the local World War II Museum, the theater, and the nearby town of Krasnousolsk, famous for its hot springs. The students also took an extended excursion to the city of Kazan in the neighboring republic of Tatarstan.

Suggested Websites:

Moscow Times- Website of the only English-language daily newspaper in Russia
Kommersant - Website of the popular Russian-language newspaper Kommersant
Yandex - Russian-language search engine and news source
NPR - Russia by Rail - Stories and a photo blog from reporter David Greene's extensive travels through Russia
New York Times Russia Page - Information and news about Russia

Suggested reading:

The Icon and the Axe: An Interpretive History of Russian Culture by James Billington
Lenin’s Tomb: The Last Days of the Soviet Empire by David Remnick
Resurrection by David Remnick
Black Earth: A Journey Through Russia After the Fall by Andrew Meier
The Gulag Archipelago by Alexander Solzhenitsyn
Russian Journal by Andrea Lee
In Search of Melancholy Baby by Vasily Aksyonov

April Dodd makes pel’meny with her host family

Alumni Spotlights:

Hannah Doughty (Ufa, Russia ’12) returned to Russia after the CLS Program to study in St. Petersburg with CIEE. In addition to classes, Hannah is teaching English and has found time to continue exploring, including visiting Veliki-Novgorod, Kyiv, and Moscow.

Jacob Lassin (Ufa, Russia ’11) returned to Ufa this year on a Boren Scholarship. He is interning at a local television station and continuing to study Russian at Bashkir State Pedagogical University. Afterwards, he plans to begin a Ph.D. program in Slavic literature and Culture at Yale University. This summer, Jacob’s senior thesis gained international attention when Evgeny Morozov, a visiting scholar at Stanford University, and Edward Lucas, international editor of the Economist, tweeted about it. Shortly afterwards, a story appeared on Radio Free Europe. Read more about his thesis.

Harry Leeds (Ufa, Russia ’12) is teaching English and pursuing freelance translation work in Kazan, Russia. While in Ufa, Harry and CLS participant Lisa Gulya were interviewed on a local news program about their study of Russian and experiences in Russia.

Julian Waller (Ufa, Russia ’12) is studying Russian at the Herzen State Pedagogical University in St. Petersburg. In spring, he will return to The George Washington University to write his senior thesis and complete his last semester.

CLS Student’s Thesis Gains International Attention

2012-12-26T11:56:00.001-05:00

When Jacob Lassin (Ufa, Russia ‘11) submitted his senior thesis at the College of William and Mary, he probably didn’t expect his audience to go far beyond his review committee. However, in the months that followed, it gained international attention and praise.

Evgeny Morozov, a visiting scholar at Stanford University, and Edward Lucas, international editor of Economist, tweeted their support for Lassin’s compelling and well-written thesis about Russia’s involvement in the Second World War. Shortly thereafter, the story was featured on Radio Free Europe.

Jacob’s thesis, “From the Trenches of Stalingrad to the Digital Front: The Myth and Memory of WWII in the Soviet Union and the New Russia,” examines the ways that the collective memory of World War II has been cultivated as a unifying political force in Russia. He used his Russian proficiency to do research and to analyze government-sponsored websites such as Iremember.ru, a repository of oral histories, articles, and information related to the Second World War.

Jacob examines the aftermath of the war, claiming that “the war was so universal and so devastating that it had become a national unifying agent the government used as state control.” Stalin’s death in 1953 ushered in the period known as the “Thaw” under Khrushchev, during which victory in the war was disentangled from Stalin’s cult of personality and writers and artists experienced new freedom in presenting issues related to World War II.

Jacob graduated from William and Mary in 2012 and received highest honors from the Slavic Department. Afterwards, he returned to Ufa on a Boren Scholarship. He is currently studying Russian at Bashkir State Pedagogical University and interning at a local television station. Next, he plans to begin a Ph.D. program in Slavic literature at Yale University.

Read the William and Mary press release about Jacob’s thesis.

Press Release: CLS Students Seek Academic and Personal Growth with Study Abroad Opportunities

2012-11-13T11:53:00.000-05:00

For immediate release—The number of U.S. students studying abroad increased to 273,996 for 2010-11, and more students are studying in less traditional locations, according to the Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange released today.

U.S. Department of State programs like the Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Program enable U.S. undergraduate and graduate students to study critical foreign languages in less-traditional destinations like India, Indonesia, Azerbaijan, Russia and Morocco.

"The CLS Program helped me to achieve my personal best proficiency rating in my target language after just two months,” said Nohemi Torres, who studied Russian on the program and is a graduate student at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. “The program brought me closer to realizing my professional goals, which require me to form partnerships with Russian professionals in my field, speech pathology.”

The CLS Program is part of a wider U.S. government effort to expand significantly the number of Americans studying and mastering critical languages. The program offers fully-funded opportunities for seven-to-ten week intensive language study at overseas institutes. Students are immersed in the local culture through program components such as living with host families or local roommates, meetings with peer tutors (host country university students) and participating in cultural excursions designed to enhance language learning.

In 2012, CLS participants represented over 250 U.S. colleges/universities, including community colleges and minority serving institutions, and hailed from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. The CLS participants study diverse disciplines, including business, engineering, fine arts, international affairs, and public health. This diversity increases language capacity and strengthens U.S. and international connections in all professional areas.

In 2013, the CLS Program will offer programs in Arabic, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Indonesian, Persian and Russian, as well as institutes for Indic (Bangla, Hindi, Punjabi and Urdu) and Turkic (Turkish and Azerbaijani) languages. Participants are expected to continue their language study beyond the scholarship and apply their critical language skills in their future professional careers. The deadline to apply for the 2013 CLS Program is November 20, 2012.

CLS Program participants are among the more than 40,000 academic and professional exchange program participants supported annually by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. The CLS Program is administered by American Councils for International Education and The Ohio State University.

The Open Doors report is published annually by the Institute of International Education with funding from the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

For further information, visit http://www.clscholarship.org.

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