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Programs
Critical languages are those languages where the number of trained speakers is fewer than the need of the government and private sectors. While U.S. government lists of which languages are actually in “critical” supply varies across federal agencies those generally accepted as such include Arabic, Azeri, Bangla/Bengali, Chinese (primarily Mandarin), Dari, Farsi, Hindi, Bahasa-Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Punjabi, Russian, Turkish, and Urdu. These languages are needed not just by government agencies such as the State Department, the Defense Department, the CIA, and the NSA, but increasingly within the private sector where trade and global interactions demand a multi-lingual American job force. Numerous scholarships, internships, and study abroad programs are available on a competitive and needs-basis for students interested in these languages. In its first year of operation the McDowell Center has helped fund intensive academic courses at UTA in Arabic; and Localization and Translation courses for Russian, Arabic, Chinese, German, and French. The Center has also provided scholarships to students travelling to Russia, Jordan, Morocco, and Turkey for language development. The Center’s goal is to expand these programs so that Critical Languages will become a key component of not only the Liberal Arts degree but of the UTA experience as well. Log on to the Department of Modern Languages' Critical Languages and International Studies home page. COMPETITION ANNOUNCEMENT The Charles T. McDowell Center for Critical Languages and Area Studies announces competition for the Betty and Roger Ruch Study-abroad Scholarships for the 2012-2013 academic year. The awards for up to $2,000 are open to all qualified undergraduates and can be used in disciplines within the College of Liberal Arts and other component parts of the University of Texas at Arlington. These awards are to be used in conjunction with study-abroad programs – particularly those focused on critical languages - but also for area studies generally. They are not intended to be the sole sources of funding for projects. Requirements: 1. Applicants must submit a letter of interest (not an e-mail) describing the project or program to be undertaken. This may include university study abroad/travel programs, summer study abroad programs, or other university-affiliated study-abroad programs. For students wishing to build or strengthen their language skills the awards are exclusively for what are defined as critical or less-commonly taught languages including Arabic, Azerbaijani, Bangla/Bengali, Chinese (Mandarin), Dari, Farsi (Persian), Hausa, Hindi, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Pashto, Punjabi, Russian, Swahili, Turkish, and Urdu. Students who are native or heritage speakers of these languages may not apply for awards relating to these languages or their country of origin. 2. A resume indicating education and job experiences. 3. Transcript of all college-level work. 4. Two (2) letters of recommendation from full-time tenured or tenure-track UTA faculty members. 5. Full-time enrollment (12+ hours) at UTA, and sophomore standing of 45 hours. 6. Applicants must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above. 7. Applicants must be United States citizens or permanent residents of the U.S. 8. Post-completion report. The recipient must prepare a presentation of their work to the scholarship committee, or in a college or university-wide venue. Application Deadline: Nov. 1 for Spring and Summer 2013, and Feb. 15, 2013, for Fall 2013! Applications should be directed to: Dr. Mark Cichock, Director Gilman Scholarship Program |
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