U.S. Fulbright Applicant
Newsletter

Critical Language Enhancement Awards

The Critical Language Enhancement Award provides an opportunity for Fulbright U.S. Student Program grantees to receive three to six months of intensive language study in addition to their research or study grants. Approximately 150 awards will be available for 2009-2010 Fulbright U.S. Student Program grantees. Only select languages and host countries are available for this opportunity; a full list and application details can be found under 'Types of Grants' on the Fulbright U.S. Student website.

The award is also sponsored by the U.S. Department of State through the Fulbright Program, and is part of the National Security Language Initiative (NSLI). NSLI is designed to increase the number of Americans acquiring critical need foreign languages, through new and expanded programs, from kindergarten to the university level to entrance into the workforce. Critical need foreign languages include: Arabic, Chinese, Korean and Russian, as well as the Persian, Turkic, and Indic language families. Foreign language skills are essential for understanding and engaging with foreign governments and peoples, as well as conveying respect for other cultures - especially in critical world regions.

The Fulbright experience has always focused on cross-cultural exchange and dialogue. Therefore, the Critical Language Enhancement Award is a useful addition to the Fulbright Program in order to promote these goals. Fulbright grantees capable of communicating in the local language in their host countries are likely to form stronger bonds with their peers, conduct more meaningful research, and develop a greater understanding of a foreign culture. The experience grantees bring home after their Critical Language Enhancement Award and Fulbright grant will serve them in their chosen careers and throughout their lives.

Language Instruction and Requirements

Application

The application is within the Fulbright U.S. Student Program grant application. The following forms must be included in the Fulbright U.S. Student grant application for consideration for the Crictical Language Enhancement Award:

• Form 7B: Critical Language Enhancement Award Supplementary Statement
• Form 7A: Language Background Report
• Form 8: Foreign Language Report
• (Optional) Applicants may indicate additional merit for this award in their project statement.

For Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Korean, Russian, Turkish and Urdu, recipients are required to have completed a minimum of one year of study or its equivalent in the proposed language prior to departure. The equivalent of one year of language study includes: a summer of intensive language study, two semesters of study, or a year of private tutoring. If the applicant will be completing the prerequisite language study after submission of the Fulbright application, the proposed study must be detailed in Form 7A. None of the Critical Language Enhancement Award study period can be counted as part of the total year of study on a Fulbright grant. Fulbright U.S. Student Program grantees who have applied for a Critical Language Enhancement Award are not guaranteed a language award. Therefore, applicants must demonstrate that they will be able to carry out the Fulbright research or study grant project without receipt a Critical Language Enhancement Award. Awards are issued based on the recommendations of selection committees with final approval granted by the Fulbright Commission/Foundation or U.S. Embassies in the receiving countries.

Due to scheduling constraints, Fulbright English Teaching Assistants (ETAs) are not eligible for the Critical Language Enhancement Award.

Award Schedules and Duration

The schedule and duration of the language award is proposed by the applicant. A minimum of three months and a maximum of six months of intensive language training are required for successful completion of the Critical Language Enhancement Award. Two scheduling options are available for fulfilling the award.

Option A takes place separately from the Fulbright grant and requires a minimum of three months and maximum of six months of intensive language training - prior to and separate from - the Fulbright award. In some cases, this will require grantees to receive visas for more than one year. In cases when Fulbright grantees’ projects are focused primarily on language study, the Critical Language Enhancement Award may be completed after the Fulbright grant. This exception is only available in those countries that allow Fulbright projects that are primarily language study.

Sample Schedule: a Critical Language Enhancement Award to Egypt, using six months of intensive study prior to the Fulbright award:

• September 1, 2009 to February 28, 2010: Critical Language Enhancement Award: intensive study at the Kalimat Language and Cultural Centre.
• March 1, 2010 to November 30, 2010: Fulbright Full Grant period

Option B has two parts; intensive study prior to and separate from the Fulbright grant followed by language study concurrent with the Fulbright grant. This option requires a minimum of two months of intensive language study prior to beginning the Fulbright grant, followed by a maximum of four months of language study concurrent with the Fulbright grant. During the period of concurrent study, funding will be provided for no less than 10 hours of private tutoring per week. Living stipends for the period of intensive study prior to the Fulbright grant will be funded by Critical Language Enhancement Award. No living stipends or additional funding, beyond tuition expenses, will be provided during the period of concurrent study.

Sample Schedule: a Critical Language Enhancement Award for two months of study prior to the Fulbright award and four months of tutoring concurrent with the Fulbright award in Turkey:

• July 1, 2009 to August 31, 2009: Critical Language Enhancement Award: intensive study at the Tomer Institute.
• September 1, 2009 to January 31, 2010: 10 hours weekly of private tutoring under the Critical Language Enhancement Award, simultaneously with the Fulbright project.
• September 1, 2009 to May 31, 2010: Fulbright Grant period.

Applicants should consider language institution schedules, visas, and other local or Fulbright grant-related constraints when determining the proposed duration of the Critical Language Enhancement Award. The local Fulbright Commission/Foundation or U.S. Embassy is responsible for final approval of proposed Critical Language Enhancement Award schedules and holds the right to alter proposed schedules. Check the country-specific information on the website for additional information on constraints or requirements.

Additional Requirements and Contact Information

To receive a Critical Language Enhancement Award, the following policies and requirements must be followed in addition to those described above.

• The host country for the Fulbright grant and Critical Language Enhancement Award must be the same except for specified countries.
• A commitment to continued study of the language throughout the Fulbright grant period and into their future academic or professional lives.
• English Teaching Assistantship applicants are currently ineligible to receive this award.

Applicants for Fulbright U.S. Student grants to eligible countries should consider applying for a Critical Language Enhancement Award. This award provides an excellent opportunity for language training as well as cultural exchange and immersion. Applicants with additional questions, concerns, or general inquires should contact Cara Wolinsky; cwolinsky@iie.org or (212) 984-5366.

Additional Language Training Opportunity

Another program under the NSLI, the Critical Language Scholarships for Intensive Summer Language Institutes provides opportunities for short-term language study. This program is also sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and is administered by the Council for American Overseas Research Centers (CAORC). Please visit http://caorc.org/language for more information.

The NSLI encourages past participants to apply for further NSLI-sponsored programs, however, one cannot participate in both a Critical Language Enhancement Award and an Intensive Summer Language Institute scholarship within the same academic year.

Experiencing Racial Equality in Geneva

Everyone carries a culture with them. I am an American in terms of my nationality, but I am also an African-American woman. My skin color and sex both play a role in how I view American history, governments and cultural traditions. When I leave the United States, these aspects of my being do not just disappear. I carry them with me always - even when I'm abroad.

Shureka Cannon, 2004-2005, Switzerland

To be perfectly honest, the fact that I am African-American was not really an issue in Geneva. The fact that I was American played a much bigger role. Most of the people I encountered did not see me differently from white Americans. I was just American, period. My ethnic culture did not come into question once people knew I was American. What was an issue was that people on the street did not know where I was from unless I told them. My French was at the level where most people could not detect an American accent. Judging solely on my physical appearance, people guessed that I was Brazilian. Once I spoke, they thought I was from one of the Francophone islands in the Caribbean. But no one guessed that I was American. Once I told them that I was American, they were impressed for the following reasons: 1) because an American can speak French, 2) that an American was studying in Geneva and had no ties with the United Nations (which is has a large office in Geneva). For the most part, my ethnicity as an African-American was not important to them.

Occasionally, however, the question of my being an African-American did come up. I had a conversation with one of my housemates who was from Madrid. She had heard about racial inequality and racism in the U.S. and wanted to know more about them from my perspective. However, in my daily interactions, I did not feel as though I was treated negatively because of my skin color. On the contrary, when people knew I was American, they treated me perhaps better than they treated people from other countries.

I cannot be certain that Geneva is free from racism or discrimination, but during my eight and a half months there, I personally did not experience any racism. However, my experience does not mean that the problem does not exist. On the whole, Geneva is a great place to live, study and work. I encourage anyone who is considering studying or living in a Francophone nation to consider Switzerland.