Critical LanguageScholarship (CLS) Program

for Intensive Summer InstitutesA program of the

U.S. Department of StateBureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs

Presented by

Council of AmericanOverseas Research Centers (CAORC)

www.CLScholarship.org

CLS Program: Launched in 2006 with the goal to increase the number of Americans studying critical need foreign languages

Target group: U.S. citizen undergraduate/graduate students

CLS Program

Selection process administered by Council of American Overseas Research Centers (CAORC) with awards approved by U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

CLS Program administered by CAORC and the American Councils for International Education.

Application Process: Eligibility

Must be a U.S. citizen Must be currently enrolled as an

undergraduate or graduate student in a U.S. university

Must have completed at least the first year of college-level study by beginning of CLS Program

All backgrounds/disciplines are eligible Please note: Persian applicants must be

graduating seniors or graduate students

2010 CLS Program

LanguagesArabic KoreanAzerbaijani PersianBangla/Bengali PunjabiChinese RussianHindi TurkishIndonesian UrduJapanese

Countries (tentative)AzerbaijanIndonesia

RussiaBangladesh Japan South

KoreaChina Jordan

TajikistanEgypt Morocco

TunisiaIndia Oman

Turkey

13 Languages ~ 15 Countries ~ 575 Scholarships

CLS Program Harbin, China ‘09

CLS Languages - Summer 2010Languages

Arabic------------------ Persian-----------------

Bangla/Bengali-------- Hindi------------------- Indonesian-New in 2010 Korean----------------- Punjabi----------------- Turkish----------------- Urdu-------------------- Azerbaijani-------------

Chinese---------------- Japanese--New in 2010 Russian----------------

Levels offeredAdv. Beginning, Intermediate, AdvancedAdv. Beginning, Intermediate, Advanced

Beginning, Intermediate, AdvancedBeginning, Intermediate, AdvancedBeginning, Intermediate, AdvancedBeginning, Intermediate, AdvancedBeginning, Intermediate, AdvancedBeginning, Intermediate, AdvancedBeginning, Intermediate, AdvancedBeginning, Intermediate, Advanced

Intermediate, AdvancedIntermediate, AdvancedIntermediate, Advanced

CLS Kaliningrad, Russia ‘09

CLS Program: Details

7-10 weeks intensive language study

Minimum of 4 hours classroom time per day

Cultural excursions

Lectures, movies, roundtables

CLS Program, Morocco ’09

CLS Program Details (con’t.)

Tutoring, peer conversation partners, homework

Housing – home-stays, dorms, hotels

Language pledge

Application Process

Apply for 1 language program only

Apply for language and not for specific country or site

May re-apply to program in future years

Application Essays

4 required written essays: Essay #1: Interest in language and knowledge of

region Essay #2: Relevance of scholarship and language

in your academic and professional goals Essay #3: Plans for continued language study

after scholarship Essay #4: Experiences and unique personal

qualities reflecting maturity, flexibility, and adaptability to participate in group experience overseas

Application Materials

Letters of reference

- Beginning-level applicants: Two general letters of reference- Advanced Beginning, Intermediate,

and Advanced applicants: One general letter of reference, One language reference.

Unofficial transcripts (official transcripts required upon selection)

CLS Program, Egypt ’09

Selection Process

Two-tiered review process

Each application read by two independent readers who may be:

language experts area-study specialists study-abroad specialists

Selection Process (con’t.)

Top applications reviewed by panel of experts

Final approval by U.S. Department of State

CLS Program, India ’09

CLS Program Benefits

Travel between student's U.S. home city and program location

Washington, DC pre-departure orientation costs Applicable visa fees Room and board Group-based intensive language instruction Program-sponsored travel within country Entrance fees for program activities.

Note: U.S. passport fees will not be paid by scholarship.

CLS Program Provides:

Unique opportunity to learn or improve language skills in an intensive overseas program.

Directed cultural activities to enhance language abilities and promote cultural understanding.

Apply language and cultural expertise gained from CLS Program toward future academic or professional goals.

CLS Program Expectations

No service requirement associated with award

Students expected to continue language studies in rest of academic program and professional career

CLS Program Izmir ’09

CLS Program Application

Application available: November 9, 2009

Deadline: December 18, 2009

Register at www.clscholarship.org for notification on application availability

CLS Program contact info Arabic: turpin.andrea@caorc.org

Chinese, Indonesian, Japanese, & Korean languages: sylla.julia@caorc.org

Azerbaijani, Bangla/Bengali, Hindi, Persian, Punjabi, Russian, Turkish, & Urdu languages: halvachs.michael@caorc.org

CAORC telephone number: (202) 633-1599