FY 2007 Project Abstracts

Undergraduate International Studies

and Foreign Language Program

U. S. Department of Education

Office of Postsecondary Education

Washington, DC

A Multidisciplinary and Competency-Based Program Focused on Chinese,
Japanese, and Korean Languages and Cultures

#### California State University, San Bernardino

Responding to an increase in United States-Asia globalization in
economics, education, science and technology, California State
University, San Bernardino (CSUSB), a minority- serving institution,
will implement a new multi-disciplinary Asian Studies minor focusing on
Chinese, Japanese and Korean languages and cultures. While creating new
courses, building on existing courses and international programs, and
infusing Asian content into several academic disciplines, this new Minor
will expand undergraduate instruction and study abroad opportunities
while increasing awareness of Asia both on and off campus. Modeling and
building on success of the proven Latin American Studies minor program,
the Asian Studies minor will meet the needs of a growing Asian
population in the Inland region of southern California.

The program's graduates will acquire both a measurable level of language
proficiency as well as content knowledge in their disciplines infused
with a broad background in Asian issues. Graduates from this program
will be all the more attractive to employers needing to hire individuals
proficient in both the languages and cultures of these Asian countries.

The programs objectives include: (1) internationalization and expansion
of the

curriculum through the development of new courses, modification of
existing courses; (2) language proficiency at intermediate levels in
Japanese, Mandarin and Korean; (3) cultural competency by promoting
study abroad experiences and dissemination of cultural information on
Asia; (4) faculty development via incorporation of Asian content in
several disciplines as well as research and travel abroad experiences;
(5) community outreach with the involvement of K-12 teachers and Asian
businesses and organizations.

Launching Middle East Studies in the Central Valley

##### California State University, Fresno

California State University, Fresno plans to expand its language and
area studies programs by establishing two-year language programs in
Persian and Arabic and developing a minor in Middle East Studies. A
summer study abroad program will also be offered in Cairo through the
Division of Continuing & Global Education.

The College of Arts and Humanities offers a wide range of European
languages (Spanish, French, German, Italian, Greek and Latin) and an
array of non-western languages (Chinese, Japanese, Hmong, Hebrew, and
Sanskrit). Title VI funds are requested to broaden our existing
offerings thereby addressing the critical need to educate graduates
proficient in Middle Eastern languages and cultures and to promote
understanding of this important region of the world.

The proposed project is comprised of three major elements. The first
element is the implementation of two-year language programs in the
critically needed languages, Persian (Farsi) and Modern Standard Arabic,
with an established assessment plan. The second element is the provision
of an enriching international experience in the Middle East through a
summer study abroad program for Arabic in Egypt. The third element is
the establishment of an interdisciplinary minor in Middle East Studies
which combines the language programs with courses in history, political
economy, cultural anthropology, religious studies, and Islamic art and
architecture, a number of which are currently offered in five different
departments.

Introducing an International Studies Major and Advanced Chinese Language
Instruction

#### Western Illinois University

Western Illinois University (WIU) proposes to develop and implement a
new International Studies major and seven new courses, including four
International Studies (IS) courses, two advanced-level Chinese courses,
and a course on International Business in China and Taiwan to further
enhance academic international instruction at WIU. Funding requested
from UISFL is consistent with Western Illinois University's theme:
"Global Challenges and Personal Responsibility -- Cultural Diversity."
There is campus-wide support for the development and implementation of
an International Studies major, as it will benefit all four colleges
offering courses in the interdisciplinary major. This proposal for a new
International Studies major and seven new courses reflects the mission
of Western Illinois University: "...to prepare a diverse student
population to thrive in and contribute to our global society." To
achieve this, WIU students will enhance their understanding of global
issues through funding of a new major and seven new courses.

The International Studies major will include two portals: Area Studies
(e.g., European Studies) and Thematic Options (e.g., Arts &
Communication). WIU proposes the development and implementation of four
new IS courses:

1\. International Studies 100 -- Introduction to International Studies
(IS 100): General survey course offering an overview of most of the
major cultures of the world.

2\. International Studies 200 -- Cross-Cultural Relations (IS 200): This
course will examine various relationships among cultural groups in
specific global areas, e.g., Hindus and Muslims in Kashmir, Israelis and
Palestinians in the West Bank, Sunnis and Shiites in Iraq, and so forth,
both in theory and specifically in practice.

3\. International Studies 300 -- Study Abroad (IS 300): Students
pursuing a B.A. in International Studies must successfully complete a
study abroad experience (short- or long-term) with a pre-approved
university.

4\. International Studies 390 -- Senior Seminar in International
Studies/Capstone Course (IS 390): Students seeking a B.A. in
International Studies must successfully complete IS 390 during their
junior or senior year in order to graduate. This course will consist of
an in-depth study of major theories and topics relevant to international
relations Western Illinois University seeks Title VI (A) UISFL funding
for the four courses listed above as well as two new Chinese courses and
a new business course: Western Illinois University will work in
cooperation with the Illinois Consortium of International Studies
Programs (including more than 60 universities and community colleges)
and universities in China and Taiwan with which WIU has articulation
agreements to help students study abroad and gain greater fluency in
foreign language acquisition.

The creation of a new major and courses to support the major will
further enhance academic internationalization efforts at Western
Illinois University and provide students with the knowledge and
experience in international studies needed to gain a competitive edge in
the increasingly global marketplace.

Strengthening Undergraduate International Studies and Foreign Language
Instruction

#### College of Lake County

The College of Lake County (CLC) has as its overall goal to strengthen
and expand the existing international education program by creating a
program in East Asian Studies, with a core emphasis on Chinese language,
culture, and society. The project will build on existing resources and
faculty expertise, including the rich resources of the Chicago area, to
turn what is now a scattered overview of a critically important area of
the world into a more comprehensive and coordinated program.

The project has three major objectives: (1) creating a range of new
courses in East Asian societies and cultures, and facilitating the
inclusion of modules and topics from this area of the world in existing
course offerings (this objective includes the emphasis on enhanced
Chinese language instruction); (2) increasing faculty knowledge and
skills in East Asian societies and cultures through professional
development opportunities; (3) establishing a multifaceted study abroad
and faculty exchange program with Xian International Studies University
(XISU) in China. This partnership program would involve: (a) a summer
Chinese language immersion program at XISU; (b) a faculty exchange, in
which one faculty member from XISU teaches at CLC and assists in faculty
development programming, in spring 2008; (c) a credit semester-long
study abroad program at XISU for CLC students in fall 2008, accompanied
by one CLC faculty member, to be institutionalized in the spring of 2009
by the Illinois Consortium of International Studies and Programs and
thereby be made available to all Illinois community college students.

The College of Lake County is a comprehensive community college located
in Lake County (population 685,000, 2005) in the northeast corner of
Illinois. CLC has a main campus in Grayslake, a Lakeshore Campus in
Waukegan, and a Southlake Education Center in Vernon Hills. Fall 2006
headcount enrollment was 15,558. The majority of students, 70 percent,
attend part-time. About 38 percent are racial or ethnic minorities (8
percent African-American, 23 percent Hispanic, 6 percent Asian, 3
percent other), and 63 percent are first generation college students.
About 47 percent of the student body is enrolled in a baccalaureate
transfer program. CLC offers 82 programs leading to associates degrees,
and 88 certificate programs.

The College of Lake County is aware of its responsibility to help this
diverse student body, many of whom are first generation college
students, understand the interdependent world of the 21st century. The
Title VI-A grant will enable CLC to achieve this end by providing the
resources needed to consolidate a number of ideas and initiatives into
one coordinated whole. This part of the program will result in a
permanent and deep enrichment of international education at the college.

Enhancing the Asian Studies Curriculum

#### Washington State University

As a Pacific Rim state, Washington enjoys vast business relations with
nearly all Asian countries, especially those on the Pacific Rim.
Training undergraduates to be conversant in the languages and cultures
of Asia is essential for international business, cultural understanding
and the security interests of the United States. Washington State
University is a full-service institution with a wide range of academic
and professional programs that has the potential to function as a major
institution in Asian Studies serving the Inland Northwest. WSU maintains
a close working relationship with the University of Idaho (U of I) which
is eight miles away. Some courses, such as Chinese, are open to U of I
students through direct matriculation. The Asia Program is a
long-standing interdisciplinary major at WSU. The College of Liberal
Arts has demonstrated strong support for the study of Asia as evidenced
by adding two tenure-track positions in Chinese language in the past six
years. Moreover, the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts has made a
commitment to permanently fund a new tenure-track position in Japanese,
provided that we help fund the first two years of the position with this
grant from the Undergraduate International Studies and Foreign Languages
Program. This grant will enhance the breadth and quality of our
curriculum by accomplishing the following objectives:

• Broadening the curriculum with eleven new courses or course clusters.

• Expanding the library collection with reference books in Asian
languages.

• Improving the delivery methods for courses with the innovative use of
technology.

• Raising the profile of the Asia Program on campus through major
cultural events.

• Building on Our Teaching Successes with Pedagogy Workshops.

• Enriching Faculty with Domestic and International Research/Conference
Travel.

• Deepening our language offerings by adding a tenure-track position in
Japanese.

Interdepartmental in nature, approximately eight to ten tenure-track
faculty in the "core areas" of history, philosophy, art history and
foreign languages and cultures, housed in various departments,
participate in the Asia Program. Approximately six non-tenure-track
faculty with on-going contracts embellish the core permanent faculty. In
disciplines such as international business, rural sociology and
economics, there are faculty whose research is based in Asia.

Many students in these disciplines choose Asian Studies as a minor or
second major. Enrollments in Asia courses have increased dramatically in
the past six years. This grant will allow us to meet this demand by
enlarging the quantity, as well as quality and depth, of offerings in
history, literature, film, philosophy and religious studies, language,
economics and sociology. Enriching faculty with travel grants will
improve their teaching. Building a reference section of Asian language
materials will improve the ability of students to conduct in-language
research. Major cultural events will allow us to communicate the
vitality of Asia to the larger campus community. By seeding a
tenure-track line in Japanese, the grant will bring stability,
leadership and depth to the Japanese language program, expanding
language courses from the current two to a four-year program. This
position will be an addition to, not a replacement of, our current
non-tenure track instructor position. It also will enable us to create a
Japanese minor. In addition to the expansion of the curriculum and
increased profile this grant will bring, it also will help add new
dimensions to the methods of delivery of our curriculum with the
increased use of Web-based technology. This will give students
opportunities to access course work online and to interact with
professors and fellow students online.

Development of a Latin American Studies Program

#### Edgewood College

Edgewood College, a small liberal arts college in Madison, Wisconsin,
seeks to develop a Latin American Studies Program to carry out its
Dominican global mission. Edgewood is proposing: (1) to foster an
interdisciplinary approach to Latin American Studies; (2) to strengthen
the Spanish Program and improve language instruction; and (3) to develop
a Latin American Studies minor. The plan of operation entails curriculum
development, faculty development, course development in Spanish, and
creation of study abroad opportunities in Latin America. Ten (10) new
and fifteen (15) revised courses will make both a broad and deep impact
on the curriculum, ensuring that Edgewood students have significant
knowledge about this important world region.

The project will address five areas requiring federal funds:

•  Curriculum Development. To develop an interdisciplinary
Latin-America- Across-the-Curriculum Program, suitable for general
education and in support of a Latin American Studies minor, ten faculty
from three Schools will develop seven new and revise twelve courses in
art, religious studies, political science, economics, environmental
studies, natural science, education, and Spanish.

•  Faculty Development. Faculty in these fields will participate in:
(1) a faculty development seminar on Latin American and country-specific
topics; (2) a study tour to Mexico or Peru for two weeks of cultural
immersion, particularly as it relates to their respective disciplines
and establish connections for future student research and study abroad;
and (3) a learning community as they develop courses.

• Spanish Program. To improve language instruction, faculty in the
Spanish Program will develop three new courses and revise three courses
to enhance the Spanish regular and teaching majors and minors and to
support the new Latin American Studies minor.

• Study Abroad. A new Edgewood-sponsored summer study abroad in Latin
America will be created to meet the needs of students, increase cultural
and linguistic proficiency, and to expand language instruction.

• Latin American Studies Minor. As a result of all the above activities,
a new Latin American Studies minor will be created as an integrated
curriculum combining interdisciplinary content with language instruction
and study abroad. In conjunction with the activities outlined above, we
will increase library holdings on Latin America, host a conference for
regional K-12 teachers, and implement effective evaluation measures of
all initiatives in the Latin American Studies Program.

Developing an Asian Studies Program

#### Lee University

Lee University will develop a comprehensive Asian Studies Program that
will include

the addition of Chinese to the language options in the general education
core, a multi-disciplinary Asian Studies minor, an Asian Studies
emphasis within the International Business minor, enhanced study abroad
and exchange opportunities for students,

and expanded awareness of Asian culture on campus. Lee's Director of
Global Perspectives will direct the two-year project and will coordinate
faculty involvement and manage the program after it is established. By
adding Asian Studies to the existing Latin American Studies and
International Studies courses, the university will take a significant
step toward a comprehensive degree program in Global Studies at Lee
University.

OBJECTIVES:

1\)  Expand the foreign language offerings with the development of six
courses that will add elementary and intermediate Chinese to the core
language curriculum, introduce a specialized Chinese language course for
business, and offer a Thai language and culture course. To complete this
objective, Lee will add a tenure-track faculty position in Chinese
language.

2\)  Create an interdisciplinary minor in Asian Studies by supporting
faculty members in their development of eight new courses with an Asian
focus in anthropology, business, communications, history, humanities,
music, political science, and religion. Faculty development
opportunities will include an Asian Studies Faculty Institute and travel
to Asia.

3\)  Expand study abroad options in Asia by assisting faculty in doing
the necessary travel and research to establish four new programs
involving the countries of China, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Malaysia,
India and Nepal.

4\)  Strengthen existing relationships with three universities in China
and Korea and develop new relationships with four universities in Japan,
Thailand and the Philippines. Relationships will facilitate study and
exchange opportunities.

5\)  Create an Asian emphasis as a new option within the existing
International Business Minor for business majors. A primary feature of
the program will be a required internship experience for students in
Asia that faculty will develop during the project.

6\)  Increase language resources and library holdings in Asian Studies
by acquiring print and digital books, journals, and an electronic
database and by purchasing instructional materials and foreign language
resources to support the Asian Studies curriculum.

7\)  Enhance awareness of Asian culture on campus through a lecture
series and a two-day Asian Studies Seminar.

Project BIC: Building International Competencies

#### University of Tampa

The confluence of a number of events in the past 20 years have made the
education of an American citizenry equipped to deal effectively with
emerging new worlds a national priority. By a formal vote of the
faculty, the University of Tampa (UT) has made the commitment to create
global-ready students with international skills, global knowledge, and
cross-cultural attitudes and values.

The proposed grant has five goals: (1) implementation of an all-campus
assessment model for creating global-ready graduates; (2) development
and revision of courses (revised core courses and new senior research
capstone course for the International and Cultural Studies major, new
types of language offerings, a common analytical framework and specific
proto-type courses for the required freshmen global issues course, an
education-abroad pre-departure course for students in individualized
programs, and a capstone course for the Certificate in International
Studies program; (3) expansion of foreign language offerings by adding
Arabic, "language-for-travel" courses, and "language-for-survival"
non-credit modules; (4) training of faculty to teach new/revised
courses, design and deliver faculty led travel-study programs, and
deliver the outcomes assessment instruments; and (5) establishment of a
campus-wide lecture series on current global issues.

Enhancing Latin American and Caribbean Studies

#### Michigan State University

Michigan State University (MSU) through the Center for Latin American
and Caribbean Studies (CLACS) is requesting funds to create,
restructure, and enhance MSU's core Latin American courses to buttress
our venerable specialization in Latin American and Caribbean studies and
to jumpstart our new major in Global and Area Studies with a Latin
American track (GLAS-LA). To do this, we have targeted areas of our
curriculum that will increase the options and improve the quality of
courses available to our undergraduates that fulfill the requirements of
our specialization and major. These areas of emphasis include the
development of Latin American content courses in Less Commonly Taught
Languages, MSU's professional schools and residential colleges, and a
new foundational course and capstone seminar for our GLAS-LA majors. Our
fundamental objective is to utilize funding to develop an intellectually
challenging and well rounded major with a broadened base of high-quality
course offerings, especially in departments and colleges that currently
offer fewer courses with Latin American content. Our plan is to develop
courses and programs that will provide our students with a deeper
appreciation of Latin American societies and better prepare them to be
productive and well-informed citizens in an increasingly interdependent
hemisphere. Ultimately, we hope to infuse Latin American studies into
the fabric of the university, so that programs and courses are not
subject to the vagaries of personnel turnover or periodic financial
constraints.

The decision to develop a Latin American Studies major came as a result
of discussions among the faculty and with the various MSU college deans.
It has become clear that CLACS faculty face a fundamental curricular
need to augment the options available to new GLAS-LA majors that will
facilitate scheduling and their timely completion of major requirements.
It also reflects the strong desire to expand and diversify the students
enrolled in our programs, especially those in professional and
pre-professional disciplines. Four main priorities for capacity building
guide our Plan of Operation: (1) strengthening and extending our
language programs; (2) developing new GLAS-LA requirements designed to
provide our majors with intellectually sophisticated foundational and
advanced-level courses; (3) enhancing professional school and
non-traditional disciplinary offerings; and (4) developing academic
options in Portuguese Language and Brazilian studies.

As the grant narrative demonstrates, our Plan of Operation will forge
even stronger partnerships between CLACS and numerous colleges across
campus where we have historically had success in recruiting students to
our programs: the Colleges of Arts & Letters; Social Science; and James
Madison \[Residential\] College (Pre-law). At the same time, our efforts
will engage colleges where our efforts to recruit new students have been
less fruitful: Natural Science; Business; Communication Arts and
Sciences; the School of Packaging; and Pre-Medicine (Nursing,
Epidemiology, Bioethics). Finally, this grant will help CLACS to
solidify a relationship with MSU's new Residential College in the Arts
and Humanities, which will open its doors to enrollment in fall 2007.

Languages and Internationalization Across the Curriculum: Health, and
Cultural Integrity

#### University of New Mexico

The University of New Mexico (UNM) proposal on Languages and
Internationalization Across the Curriculum: Health and Cultural
Integrity addresses the central purpose of the Undergraduate
International Studies and Foreign Language (UISFL) program to create
innovative international studies programs for undergraduate students
that emphasize language proficiency and significant thematic content.
The UNM proposal, coordinated by the Latin American and Iberian
Institute (LAII), represents the combined efforts of 13 full-time
faculty members and four instructors from three major colleges and
schools and seven departments, crossing disciplinary and administrative
lines. The proposal is designed to meet perceived needs to expand the
UNM international studies curriculum, raise the rates of successful
degree completion \-- especially among the traditionally
under-represented minorities who now constitute a majority of the UNM
undergraduate enrollments \-- and open new opportunities for study and
direct service-learning experiences in an international setting.

The key qualities of this proposal are the dual axes of international
and interdisciplinary curriculum design, the linkage between language
instruction and undergraduate education in all phases of the project,
and the close fit of the thematic emphases on health sciences and
cultural preservation with pre-professional education and viable career
options for UNM undergraduate students.

The UNM proposal will use Title VI.A funds to reach two major goals in
accord with the purposes of the UISFL program: (1) build an integrated
international studies program with language instruction, social sciences
and cultural content, and pre-professional preparation for careers in
public health, medical care, museum studies, and heritage preservation;
(2) develop a Center for Indigenous Languages with special relevance for
the United States Southwest and the University's longstanding linkages
to Latin America. The Plan of Operations for project design, management,
and evaluation establishes a coordinated sequence of course development
and revision, instruction, study abroad, and field service learning,
that identify specific objectives to fulfill the major project goals:
increase the number of courses developed and integrated into regular
departmental offerings with international content; expand the number of
academic units that participate in the internationalization of the
curriculum; raise the number of undergraduate majors and minors in Latin
American Studies and other area studies programs; increase undergraduate
enrollments in the indigenous language courses and in Medical Spanish.
The UNM proposal targets the Native American languages of K'iche' Maya
(Guatemala and Honduras) and Quichua (Ecuadorian highlands), which
together are spoken by over three million people, and Medical Spanish, a
professional skill that is in high demand in the United States and Latin
America and directly related to the UNM undergraduate bachelors/masters
degree in program in Health, Medicine, and Human Values. Lastly, this
proposal addresses major concerns in United States higher education to
develop the skills needed for the international environments of the
twenty-first century in which global and local issues of health,
cultural integrity, and political enfranchisement meet.

A Proposal To Expand The Rutgers Contemporary Iranian Studies Program
(CISP)

###### Rutgers University

[OBJECTIVES]{.underline}:

The following objectives, related to international studies programs, are
identified in the University Strategic Plan (adopted in 1995):

• Undertake innovative multidisciplinary initiatives at all campuses and
encourage cooperation among units in order to strengthen their
contributions to research, instruction, and public service throughout
the state.

• Draw on faculty expertise in international issues throughout the
university, in arts and science programs; in specialized centers,
bureaus, and institutes; and in professional schools to develop
specialized programs to prepare students for a global environment.

• Integrate computer and information technology into the curricula,
pedagogy, and administration of the university.

[ACTIVITIES]{.underline}:

In order to ensure the achievement of the above-listed program
objectives, the Committee on Middle Eastern Studies and the CISP
Advisory Board has identified the following activities:

1\) Curriculum Development: Enhance the Iranian Studies curriculum by
enhancing four existing courses, adding four new courses, and adding
Iranian content to four interdisciplinary courses in concert with other
international and regional studies programs; offer both a minor in
Iranian Studies to undergraduates at Rutgers

2\)  Faculty Enhancement: Conduct four faculty workshops each year on
aspects of Iranian Society and Culture, for a total of eight workshops
over the two-year period.

3\)  Foreign Languages: Expand library holdings in Iranian languages
such as Farsi, and the repertoire of undergraduate courses on these
languages. Develop a professional certification program in Farsi
translation and interpretation.

4\)  Dissemination: Disseminate overviews of the program contents and
progress through an academic/informal quarterly newsletter and the CMES
Web site (mideast.rutgers.edu).

5\)  Public Service: Act as a bridge not only to other international
studies programs at Rutgers, but also to the general public through a
lecture series showcasing Iranian political, academic, and cultural
figures as well as sponsorship of cultural events.

6\)  Technology: Make CISP more accessible to undergraduates through a
distance- learning program. Increase quantity and quality of the
holdings in the center's audiovisual library.

7\)  Evaluation: Evaluate the project using students, faculty, and
review committees. Solicit the expertise of an external evaluator in
years one and two of the program. Workshop effectiveness will be
evaluated via participant surveys, including self-assessment
measurements. The success of the program and of the courses to which
Iranian content has been added will be evaluated by the project's key
personnel and the external evaluator, based upon student input, faculty
portfolios, and curriculum development products.

Strengthening Middle East Studies

#### Northeastern University

In charting a course for Northeastern University (NU), new President
Joseph Aoun has called upon students, faculty and staff to engage more
broadly with the world. He has committed the University to substantively
expand its cultural immersion and modern language programs, especially
as more students choose international coop employment opportunities.

With support from Title VI, Northeastern University (NU) will strengthen
significantly its emerging Middle East Studies program. As Boston's
premier national research university committed to providing students
with practice-oriented, professional, and theoretical education,
Northeastern has long been committed to promoting dialogues about
diversity within the United States as well as to understanding the
complexities found in nation-states and societies across the globe. The
NU campus has demonstrated a strong commitment to understand, engage,
and pursue dialogue with Arab, Middle Eastern, and Muslim societies. The
proposed new Middle East Studies major will be an integral component of
our International Affairs Program, one of the largest and fastest
growing undergraduate interdisciplinary majors at NU with over 270
majors.

Northeastern's Middle East Center (MEC) is committed to strengthening
Middle East, global/international studies, and foreign language
instruction to meet the growing needs of the student, faculty, regional,
and national communities by achieving the following goals:

1\. Expand and strengthen the existing minor and develop a major in
Middle East Studies;

2\. Strengthen existing Arabic and Hebrew language study and increase
enrollments;

3\. Support NU students and faculty especially those in the professional
fields as they engage with the Middle East by expanding relevant studies
abroad and exchange programs; and

4\. Deepen and expand cooperation with Middle East institutional
partners. These objectives will be achieved by hiring full-time faculty
(at least one during the grant

period) and through curricular and faculty development. Curricular
development will be achieved by revising five courses on the Middle East
and expanding Arabic and Hebrew offerings, including advanced levels of
Arabic and Hebrew. Drawing upon existing collaborations with
Northeastern's Middle East partners, the MEC plans to extend its
successful study abroad model, Dialogue of Civilizations, by increasing
the diversity of participants, locations, and disciplines to more fully
reflect Northeastern's reputation for interdisciplinary research and the
integration of classroom learning with real-world experience.

Strengthening Africana Studies

#### James Madison University

The Africana Studies Program at James Madison University (JMU) has
worked diligently to enhance the quality and visibility of
interdisciplinary studies at the university and to develop a rigorous
minor program. Africana studies---the study of African peoples (both on
the continent of Africa and in the Diaspora)---uses an interdisciplinary
approach to document global migrations and to reconstruct African
peoples' linkages to the African continent. In the past ten years, we
have developed two quality summer study abroad programs in Ghana and
Kenya, redesigned our minor program to include an introductory course
and a capstone experience, expanded the number of faculty members
involved in our activities, and developed new courses with significant
Africana content. Last year, we began offering a General Education
course (GAFST 200: Introduction to Africana Studies) that enables us to
contribute to the university's liberal arts mission and to recruit
students to our minor program.

Specifically, we will use the grant to achieve three major objectives:

\(1\) To strengthen Africana Studies course offerings and African
language instruction. To achieve this goal, we will use the UISFL grant
to enhance and increase Swahili instruction by cost-sharing a permanent
full-time position for a Swahili instructor. Ideally, the person hired
for this position will also offer one Africana course each semester
(either AFST 200: Introduction to Africana Studies or AFST 400: Africana
Studies Capstone) to help alleviate the strain on current Africana
studies faculty and allow them to develop and offer new courses. The
UISFL grant will also provide summer course development grants for
faculty to develop and/or improve Africana courses.

\(2\) To enhance faculty expertise in Africana Studies and promote
faculty development. To this end, we will organize an annual faculty
development workshop that involves both Africana and non-Africana
faculty working on relevant issues. These workshops and other Africana
Studies programming will help recruit faculty from disciplines and
schools where Africana Studies has traditionally been underrepresented
to participate in Africana Studies activities and integrate Africana
content into their courses. In addition, we seek to support non-Africana
faculty participation in study abroad programs in Kenya and Ghana.
Finally, we will offer faculty development grants for research and
teaching-related travel.

\(3\) To increase awareness and knowledge of Africana Studies at the
University and in the broader community. To achieve this goal, we will
organize an annual film series, invite a series of speakers to campus,
and organize workshops for K-12 teachers---to enhance their knowledge of
Africa and the diaspora.

The achievement of these objectives builds on the work of a dedicated
group of faculty at JMU. The systematic study of Africana issues will
increase our students' appreciation for diversity and culture and
enlighten them through an enhanced global perspective. In today's
interconnected world, we believe these are particularly important goals.

Critical Languages Eurasia Initiative

#### Fairfield University

Fairfield University plans a two-year program to strengthen its teaching
of Chinese and Russian languages, develop new courses in Asian Studies,
Russian Studies, and Central Asia in the context of a revised
International Studies curriculum, and stimulate greater exchange of
students and faculty between Fairfield and its partner universities in
China and Russia.

Key components of such a program will include the following:

• The hiring of a tenure-track assistant professor of Chinese language,
culture, and literature, to strengthen the teaching of Mandarin Chinese
by developing new courses to complement the current basic and
intermediate Chinese offerings with courses in Chinese culture,
literature, and civilization, and advanced Mandarin.

• The expansion and strengthening of current Russian language (basic,
intermediate, and continuing) to full-time equivalency and the
development of courses in Russian literature, culture, and civilization.

• Yearly workshops for current Fairfield University Chinese and Russian
language instructors focused on techniques for the development of Oral
language proficiency, the bridging of the gap between reading and oral
competency, and the integration of culture and civilization into all
levels of teaching.

• Summer seminars for international studies teaching faculty in history,
politics, sociology, anthropology, religious studies, economics, and
visual and performing arts on Eurasia: Central Asia, the Caucasus, China
and Russia-Chinese borderlands, and Chinese, Russian and United States
foreign policy aimed at developing new courses and components of courses
for enhanced international studies, Asian Studies, and Russian and East
European Studies curriculum. It is anticipated that three new courses
will be developed over the first year and three the second year and will
be integrated into revised international studies curricula.

• Consultation and assessment of Fairfield University study abroad
programs in Russia and China in terms of their fit with language and
international studies curricula at Fairfield.

The specific components of the program will be sustained by Fairfield
into the future by university commitments to continue and expand its
teaching of Russian and Chinese languages, its strong and vibrant
International Studies, Asian Studies, and Russian Studies curricula, and
its long-term partnership commitments to universities in Russia and
China.

Developing a Minor in Latin American Studies

#### Stephen F. Austin State University

Stephen F. Austin State (SFA) University is a four-year institution of
higher education that serves the east Texas area. The campus of some
11,500 students offers a unique learning experience by combining a
public education opportunity with small classes and a low student to
teacher ratio. In addition to personalized attention, students benefit
from a multicultural student body, with over 15 percent
African-Americans, a growing Hispanic population, and a steady increase
of international students. SFA has developed a new strategic plan, which
includes the creation of an Office of International Programs and shows a
strong commitment to recruiting international students and sending SFA
students to study abroad. With a rapidly growing Hispanic population in
east Texas, one of the target areas for growth in the university is
Latin American Studies.

This grant will allow SFA to further develop a strong, sustainable and
highly visible university-wide interdisciplinary minor in Latin American
Studies (LAS). The revised program will offer an accessible way for
students to learn about and appreciate the changing culture of the
region through new language and LAS courses. It will comprehensively
provide visibility to the Hispanic influences on campus and in the
community with opportunities to experience Latin American culture on
campus and abroad, and a stronger focus on Hispanic issues in the health
care field. In order to achieve these goals, the following six
objectives have been determined:

\(1\)  Develop five new courses, including two Portuguese language and
literature courses in Modern Languages, one Brazilian history and
culture course in Latin American Studies, and two Latin American Studies
courses with a focus on health and Hispanic competencies (one
undergraduate level and one graduate level online course) with the
School of Nursing.

\(2\)  Develop a Reciprocal Exchange Program with the Universidade
Federal do Rio Grande do Norte in Natal, Brazil, to exchange students
during the academic year and use campus facilities during the summer
terms for faculty-led study abroad programs

\(3\)  Provide faculty development by sending six faculty members to
workshops, seminars, conferences, and language courses in order to
enrich faculty expertise in Latin American Studies and infuse Latin
American perspectives in existing courses not typically associated with
LAS.

\(4\)  Host one visiting professor from Latin America for one semester
each year in the LAS program to participate in the team taught LAS core
course and to teach two additional courses in his/her specialty.

\(5\)  Bring an artist, composer, or author from Latin America (dance,
music, painting, photography, theater or literature) to campus each
semester to promote community awareness.

\(6\)  Host an annual LAS conference at SFA for both scholars in the
field of LAS, as well as undergraduate students, and publish selected
presentations.

This program will provide our students the opportunity to build a strong
background in Latin American Studies and better prepare them for careers
or continued graduate study in many different disciplines. The
interdisciplinary nature of the Latin American Studies program will
strengthen relationships within the University, provide our students
with a well-rounded perspective on Latin America, and insure a better
understanding and acceptance of our international community.

Missouri Consortium For Global Education

#### Missouri Community College Association

This is a project to benefit the 18 community colleges of the state of
Missouri. The Missouri Community College Association's Missouri
Consortium for Global Education proposes this project to support its
goal of promoting and facilitating global education at its member
colleges and to support the broader mission of educating to produce
globally competent citizens. While the project will also engage the
offices and talents of a number of local and national universities and
their faculty/staff, it will work closely with the University of
Missouri-St. Louis Center for International Community College Education
and Leadership.

This project proposes to:

1\. Strengthen and expand global studies offerings in colleges
throughout Missouri, globalizing/infusing more than 72 courses by 72
faculty members. Twenty (20) of these, including four new courses on
Africa, will be further developed for Web-based delivery. Focus will be
on West and North African societies and cultures.

2\. Strengthen instruction and offerings in foreign languages at
Missouri community colleges focusing specifically on the
development/enhancement of intermediate Arabic and French for distance
delivery across the state, and on staff development opportunities for
part time faculty, in particular, in all foreign languages.

3\. Promote additional knowledge about Africa to all community college
educators by sponsoring a conference on "Understanding Africa through
its Languages."

4\. Strengthen and ensure the sustainability of the newly developed
International/Global Studies Certificate.

The global studies enhancements above will occur as a result of faculty
development, enrichment and training opportunities. These will take the
form of workshops, seminars and conferences, consultation, immersion
experiences, training in distance course delivery, and time and
incentives to focus on offering quality global education programming for
Missouri community college students. These efforts will build on work
already begun, including the accomplishments of a previous Title VI-A
grant, and further ensure the sustainability and permanence of global
education in Missouri community colleges.

Africa, Southeast Asia & Asia: An Interdisciplinary Approach to

Understanding World Views

#### Joliet Junior College

Since its establishment in 1988, Joliet Junior College\'s International
Education Office has continuously sought new and innovative ways to
maintain a high level of internationalization of the general education
curricula and the improvement and expansion of world language courses.
Now through this grant proposal we intend to take our efforts to the
next level of commitment through the development of a new programmatic
vision that will take an interdisciplinary approach to understanding
world views in three world areas identified by faculty surveys as
currently neglected or underrepresented: Africa, Southeast Asia and
Asia. Further, we will develop four new language courses related to
these areas and identified by student surveys as necessary for their
professional and personal development.

The four grant objectives are:

1\. To internationalize courses with perspectives from countries in
Africa, Southeast Asia and Asia across the curriculum;

2\. To develop two additional semesters of Conversational Chinese;

3\. To develop two semesters of Conversational Tagalog;

4\. To develop an interdisciplinary approach to understanding world
views focusing on countries in Africa, Southeast Asia and Asia.

To achieve the first three objectives, we have enlisted the help of
experts from the University of Chicago\'s Center for International
Studies and Northern Illinois University\'s Center for Southeast Asia
Studies to both develop the new language courses and to work with the
Project Faculty to internationalize their selected courses with
perspectives from Africa, Southeast Asia and Asia. The disciplines,
which will be internationalized, are Anthropology, Art, Biology,
Engineering Physics, English, French, Horticulture, Literature,
Sociology and Veterinary Science. To accomplish the fourth objective, we
will continue to work with the abovementioned area experts who will also
serve as consultants and resource advisors in the classroom in the
International Negotiations Module Project (INMP) phase of this grant, an
innovative model for developing critical thinking and writing skills in
a global context across the curriculum that has been used in community
colleges and universities in various states since 1995 with great
success.

The Project Faculty has identified three global issues that will be
addressed in the first year of the International Negotiations Module
Project: Identity, Human Rights and the Environment. The second year\'s
issues will be Sovereignty, Immigration, and National Security. Half of
the sixteen courses to be internationalized under this project are in
the general education curriculum with a potential impact on the majority
of our 13,500 student population. Five of the courses are in the
Horticulture and Veterinary Science majors with annual enrollments of
approximately 1,200 students.

Arabic Language and Culture Program: Strengthening the Arabic Language
and Culture Instruction

George Mason University

George Mason University proposes to strengthen its Arabic language
program by building up advanced-level Arabic language and culture
training and proposes the creation of an undergraduate Arabic minor. In
doing so, the Arabic language program, as well as programs and
departments across the university will benefit, specifically through:

• a new undergraduate minor in Arabic language and culture;

• a new faculty member with expertise in Arabic language and culture;

• a faculty development seminar;

• curriculum and materials development focusing on Arabic for the
Professions and Dialect;

• four (4) new advanced-level Arabic courses;

• conversation sessions for students to practice outside the classroom;
and

• new library resources.

The strengthening of Arabic language and culture studies involves an
innovative approach that focuses on advanced-level courses, and
offerings in Arabic for the Professions and courses in Dialects. These
courses will include not only basic Arabic courses, but also courses
that focus on professional needs and services, such as Culture and
Civilization, Advanced Arabic Writing Skills, Topics in Arabic
Dialectology, and Arabic for the Professions. To this end, we propose to
hire a new faculty member, focus on curriculum and materials development
aimed at the professions and dialects, and hold faculty development
seminars once a semester, with invited experts as speakers. The seminar
series will also serve as a platform for sharing more broadly the
results of faculty research and expertise in the teaching and learning
of Arabic. Bolstering this area will allow Mason to bring together
existing programs in an innovative discussion and to add new advanced
core courses with benefits to undergraduate education and to the wider
community.

Improving the Asian Studies Curriculum through a Focus on China

#### University of Central Arkansas

This project aims to add a Chinese language minor and eventually a major
in Chinese studies to the existing Asian studies program at the
University of Central Arkansas (UCA). Centrally located in Arkansas with
over 11,500 students, UCA is the second largest college in Arkansas.
Yet, nearly 70 percent of the undergraduates come from small rural towns
with limited knowledge about Asia, a region critical to the world
economy and politics. Thus, this project is critical to
internationalizing UCA's undergraduate curriculum. It aims:

1\. To improve the Asian studies minor through course revisions and the
addition of an emphasis in Chinese studies;

2\. To create eight language courses to develop a Chinese minor as the
backbone of the Chinese studies program;

3\. To develop a language immersion program to support the Chinese
language minor;

4\. To support faculty development in curricular internationalization,
including Chinese

teacher preparation; and

5\. To reach out to schools and enhance student exposure to Chinese
culture by showcasing Chinese performing arts.

For these objectives, UCA has completed the groundwork through
curriculum and faculty development and outreach to Arkansas schools. For
example, UCA has built the language immersion site in China and will
offer the first Chinese language class in spring 2007. It has supported
more than a dozen faculty members to attend national workshops on
teaching about Asia. In fall 2007, it will add several tenure-line
positions in China-related specialties, such as Chinese language and
history. Currently, a general education course, Global Environment of
Business, reaches more than 300 undergraduates each year. The
International Studies major has been approved by the Arkansas Higher
Education Coordinating Board. The East-West Regional Center at UCA, a
regional center designated by the East-West Center at the University of
Hawaii, held regional workshops in 2003 and 2005 and will host another
one in February 2007.

Further, the Arkansas State Board of Education has approved Chinese as a
subject in foreign language education, and the Arkansas Department of
Education has invited UCA to develop a Chinese teacher preparation
program for the state. The two-year funding period will witness the
development of an interdisciplinary Chinese studies curriculum through
an inter-college consortium, the development of a Chinese minor enriched
by language immersion, and art activities to reach out to schools and
enhance UCA students\' exposure to Chinese culture. By the end of the
funding period, UCA will have a Chinese language minor to support
Chinese studies as an integral part of the Asian studies curriculum and
will begin to develop the Chinese studies program into a major in order
to provide Arkansas schools with Chinese language teachers within five
years. This project, a first of its kind in Arkansas, will meet urgent
student and state needs in cross-cultural understanding and
communication demanded by global economic and strategic issues
increasingly connected to China.

Initial Certification in the Teaching of Asian Languages

#### State University of New York at Stony Brook

There is a severe shortage of certified Asian language teachers in
secondary schools nationwide. In New York state, among teachers of all
subject areas, foreign language teachers at 7-12 grades are the single
most difficult to recruit, whether it is individuals with professional
certification at the graduate level or those with initial certification
at the undergraduate level. At Stony Brook University we have the rare
concentration of academic expertise, administrative experience, and
institutional infrastructure necessary for building a pedagogically
sound and theoretically informed, state-of-the-art program to provide
Initial Certification in the teaching of Asian languages (hereafter
ICTAL) that are crucial to national security. Our objective is to pursue
federal funding to establish such a program within our existing
Department of Asian & Asian American Studies.

The proposed ICTAL program will provide a much needed opportunity for
undergraduate students to develop knowledge and skills necessary for and
unique to the teaching of Asian languages. It will require that its
students enter the program with two years of college level courses (or
equivalent) in Chinese, Hindi, Japanese or Korean and complete two
additional years of Asian language studies at advanced levels in the
university as well as a total of 45 credits of undergraduate course work
(which includes pedagogical grammars of Asian languages, theories and
methodologies appropriate to the teaching of Asian languages, theories
of language acquisition sensitive to the experience of Asian language
learning, intercultural communication, human development, and
foundations of education) and teaching practicum that build linguistic
and cultural foundations and satisfy professional educational
requirements for the teaching of Asian languages.

Transatlantic Studies Degree

#### North Georgia College and State University

Seven institutions within the University System of Georgia are proposing
to deepen their existing consortium to create a Bachelor of Arts (BA)
degree in Transatlantic (TA) Studies. The momentum to launch the degree
is driven by a range of factors. These include regional needs (economic
development and graduate-level education), student interest, and
institutional internationalization strategies. The transatlantic
relationship between the United States and the European Union
constitutes the bedrock alliance for each partner in terms of
commercial, security, and cultural collaboration. Yet recent research
has revealed growing academic indifference to the study of transatlantic
issues. This situation undermines national interests and leaves students
unprepared for the primary international context they will confront in
their lives. The objective of this proposal is to restore vitality to
the understanding of the transatlantic relationship.

The project will construct twenty new courses in an online format. Five
courses will examine how the transatlantic partnership interacts with
other global regions: the Americas, Asia and the Pacific Rim, Africa,
the Middle East, and Eurasia. In addition, five courses--- Environment
and Energy, Health and Welfare, Trade and Economics, Religion and
Culture, and Security ---will focus on key policy issues to determine
how transatlantic influence shapes international approaches toward them.
This curricular structure is being adopted to build a bridge between the
competing schools of international affairs---area studies and policy
analysis ---by incorporating both methodologies to ensure students
obtain an optimal learning experience. Moreover, each course will be
composed by an interdisciplinary team of faculty so that students are
presented with an integrated overview on a topic, not a
discipline-specific perspective. The goal is to equip students with a
broad set of skills and a wide knowledge base to enable them to become
life-long learners. A dedicated minor in either French or Spanish will
be mandated as a degree requirement. To accommodate this requirement,
the area and policy courses will have a co-requisite one-hour language
course (French or Spanish) and students can apply three of these hours
toward the minor. The degree will also strive to promote professional
education in international affairs. A professional orientation is
increasingly being prescribed at the undergraduate level to apply
practical, rather than theoretical, solutions to global problems.

Thus courses will utilize problem-based and applied research assignments
to challenge students to address real-life social and economic concerns.
An internship or study abroad experience will deepen professional
credentials. Each of the ten new courses will be developed by
interdisciplinary faculty teams, involving one member from four
discipline areas: Arts and Humanities, Social Sciences, Business and
Economics, and Natural and Health Sciences. Faculty members will be
drawn from consortium institutions through a call for participants
issued in the first year of the grant. The remaining ten courses will
involve language instruction that accompanies each of the regional and
policy courses. A parallel set of language designers (French and
Spanish) will coordinate with content designers to determine what
readings and research would be appropriate to the subject matter. The
language courses will be at the 3000-level and will carry one hour of
credit. Students will need to complete six of these courses and also
must fulfill a dedicated minor in either French or Spanish.

## Enhancing Latin American Studies and Global Studies

#### Lewis University

Lewis University is located 35 miles southwest of Chicago in suburban
Romeoville. Since its founding in 1932 as a technical and aeronautical
school, Lewis has grown and evolved tremendously. Today, Lewis is a
comprehensive Catholic and Lasallian university with an enrollment of
more than 5,300, including 3,500 undergraduates, offering 70
undergraduate majors and 13 graduate programs at our Romeoville campus
and four other centers located throughout the Chicago metropolitan area.
Lewis University is proud to have been recently named one of the best
colleges in the Midwest by the Princeton Review, and one of America's
best colleges by U.S. News and World Report. Lewis University has
devoted considerable energy and resources over the past five years to
improving its capacity to deliver international studies and foreign
language instruction. Lewis is seeking Title VI funding to strengthen
Latin American area and language studies by connecting with the network
of 14 Lasallian universities across Latin America (attached as Appendix
1).

With federal support, Lewis will make significant progress toward its
strategic goals for international education by weaving together the
University's various existing international initiatives and programs
with the targeted, Latin American-focused language and area studies
initiatives described below, resulting in enhancements to the Latino
studies minor and the Global Studies major. By weaving these elements
together, Lewis will have created a rich tapestry of opportunities for
teaching and learning about Latin America.

1\. Foreign Language The grant will allow Lewis to strengthen foreign
language instruction by providing increased coordination,
standardization and support for Spanish and Portuguese instruction,
including the development of intermediate and advanced Spanish courses.
Title VI funding will also allow Lewis to integrate the study of
languages into more majors and minors, and provide increased library
resources to support language study and Latin American area studies.

2\. Increased Undergraduate Study Abroad Additional Short-Term Travel
Study opportunities to Latin America will be developed. Predeparture and
re-entry programming specific to Latin America will be developed at
Lewis University. Study abroad opportunities created through the grant
will be integrated into a number of degree programs including Latino
Studies, Contemporary Global Studies, History, Sociology and Theology.

3\. Curriculum Development Lewis will develop new courses and revise
existing courses to infuse Latin American content and build on the Latin
American network. The existing Latino Studies minor will be enriched
through this curriculum development, and the Latin America track in the
Contemporary Global Studies major will be strengthened as well.

4\. Faculty Development - Through a United States and Latin American
Lasallian faculty network, Lewis University will provide faculty
development opportunities. Lewis's primary partner will be the Lasallian
university in Mexico City, Universidad La Salle.

Strengthening Asian Studies and Languages across the Curriculum

#### University of Kentucky

With the support of the Undergraduate International Studies and Foreign
Languages initiative, the University of Kentucky Asia Center will
strengthen Asian studies and languages in three ways:

### Faculty Development

Twelve faculty with experience or research interests in Asia from the
colleges of Agriculture, Arts and Sciences, Business, Education, and
Fine Arts will be selected to participate in the program. The faculty
will attend workshops at national resource centers or study tours to
deepen their knowledge about the region. They will also participate in
summer curriculum development workshops to read across the represented
disciplines and to plan new courses and new course components on Asia.
The Asia Center will establish an Asian Studies faculty colloquia series
that will meet at least twice a year for presentations by project
participants to their colleagues across the campus.

### Curriculum Enhancement

We will enhance the curriculum for Asian Studies in five colleges and
augment the offerings for an Asian Studies concentration in an
International Studies major that commences in 2007. At least four new
courses will be created including three courses in a new series on Asia
for Honors students and a "Discovery" seminar for freshmen, as well as
at least eight revised courses with significant content on Asia added.
This expansion will also enhance the FLIE (foreign language and
international economics major) and new international programs for
pre-service teachers and business majors. We will also establish one
undergraduate study abroad course in Asia. The faculty participants will
select and procure appropriate research and instructional materials for
our library.

### Asian Languages

We will solidify both the Japanese and Chinese language programs. This
program will allow the Japan Studies department to begin an intensive
first-year Japanese language program, which will increase the number of
students in the advanced level Japanese courses, and serve students from
other colleges and universities in Kentucky. This program and federal
support will also support the Chinese language program through the
hiring of third and fourth year language instructors, in stages,
allowing an incoming Chinese language faculty member to create new
literature and culture courses.

An Integrative and Multidisciplinary Approach Engaging Students and
Faculty with a Local Resource \-- the Mexican Borderlands

#### University of Arizona

The University of Arizona (UA), through the Center for Latin American
Studies (CLAS), is requesting funds to: (1) transform international
studies by drawing on a unique but underutilized local resource, the
United States -Mexico border region; (2) strengthen and internationalize
undergraduate training in professional programs; specifically
journalism, business, and public health; (3) create two new certificates
within the Latin American Studies Program that would include research
and translation training; (4) develop new language and professional
tracks for heritage Spanish learners; (5) deepen undergraduate
international training through learner-centered and conference-based
courses; (6) design a new course to link study abroad programs to career
planning (7) create a faculty international enhancement program; (8)
create new internship and research opportunities for undergraduates in
the borderlands, and (9) support a comprehensive summative and formative
evaluation program.

The University of Arizona is located 60 miles from the Mexico-United
States border, yet it does not take advantage of the proximity to
educate undergraduates about the Mexican border region. CLAS proposes to
change this by introducing students to international and trans-border
themes including: immigration, co-management of natural resources,
conflict resolution, trade and popular culture. Advanced students will
have the option of internships and participating in faculty research.
Students who go through this intercultural program early in their
academic career will be stimulated to take advantage of long-term study
abroad opportunities in Latin America and around the world.

We will draw on ties with professional school colleagues to strengthen
undergraduate international training. We are proposing to develop a new
broadcast and print journalism training program on the border.
Undergraduates interested in health sciences will be able to take a
course on border health developed by the College of Public Health. New
modules on Latin American business and public administration will be
developed to draw on Mexican colleagues' expertise in the border region.
A new set of internships for professional school students as well as LAS
majors will be developed as part of the grant.

One of the major resources of the Arizona/Mexico border region is the
large number of bilingual students. The proposal would enhance students'
ability by creating a new heritage language program in Mexico and by
drawing students into professional training programs with a new emphasis
on language training for work internationally. Funding of the proposal
will attract students at the beginning of their academic career,
stimulating them to deepen their international education and critically
examine how international experience relates to domestic issues and
solutions. The UA administration, with a new emphasis on quality
international training for its students, is committed to building on
this program.

Global Horizons Project

#### Madison Area Technical College

Madison Area Technical College (MATC) will launch a dynamic program of
foreign language expansion and internationalization of the curriculum.
This project will establish new languages sequences Arabic and Chinese;
develop 20 new courses in international studies; support the
internationalization of 12 existing offerings; and establish an
Interdisciplinary Global Studies Certificate program. Faculty
development will be supported through the establishment of summer
institutes for international curriculum development and other training
opportunities.

This project represents a significant leveraging of regional resources.
Language curriculum will be developed in partnership with the University
of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison) African and East Asian Languages and
Literature Departments and courses will articulate with the UW system.
Curriculum development workshops will be developed in cooperation with
the UW-Madison area studies centers including centers for Global
Studies, African Studies, and East Asian Studies. Other national and
regional partnerships are support the project plan, including the United
States Institute for Peace, the Midwest Institute for
International/Intercultural Education, the Wisconsin Technical College
System, the Wisconsin Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies, the
Illinois Consortium for International Studies and Programs, and the
Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.

Creating A Program in Latin American and Caribbean Studies

#### Morgan State University

Morgan State University seeks funds to create a fully interdisciplinary
undergraduate program in Latin American and Caribbean Studies (LACAS)
with a primary focus on the African experience in Latin America and the
Caribbean. Our commitment to international studies, our status as an
HBCU (Historically Black College / University), and the changing
demographics of Baltimore make this institution a logical home for such
a program. Yet, our curriculum does not adequately reflect the
importance of this region to our city and to our nation. Few of our
faculty members have expertise in this area. Funds from the U. S.
Department of Education would allow us to strengthen this aspect of our
curriculum and would allow our faculty to receive adequate training to
teach new courses and/or enhance and infuse pertinent information on
Latin America and the Caribbean into existing ones.

With the support of the U.S. Department of Education, the university
will:

\--strengthen the programs in French and Spanish and add courses in
elementary Portuguese;

\--offer faculty members the opportunity to work with colleagues to
develop expertise in LACAS;

\--strengthen and enhance existing courses dealing with Latin America
and the Caribbean;

\--add 16 new courses with a Latin American and Caribbean focus to the
curriculum;

\--pull new and existing courses together to form a LACAS minor;

\--procure relevant national and international internships and service
learning opportunities for undergraduates through the United States
Department of State, Intelsat, the Organization of American States, the
Washington Office on Latin America and the World Trade Center in
Baltimore;

\--organize lectures and on-campus workshops dealing with Latin American
and Caribbean studies;

\--arrange for an artist-in-residence to spend one month at the James E.
Lewis Museum of Art, in conjunction with a special exhibition of Latin
American and Caribbean art;

\-- prepare for faculty exchange and study abroad in Honduras, Peru,
Colombia, Brazil, and the Caribbean (University of the West Indies and
Université des Antilles et Guyane).

\--enhance the library holding and collection so that it can effectively
support the new program and the greater Baltimore community and beyond;
and

\--provide outreach activities to Maryland K-12 schools by hosting
in-service training for teachers.

A short-term goal of the program will be the establishment of a minor in
LACAS. Mid- term goals are offering Portuguese on the intermediate as
well as the elementary level and reviving majors in French and Spanish.
A long-term goal will be for the LACAS minor to feed into a future major
in Africana Studies.

Enhancing Chinese Studies

#### East Tennessee State University

East Tennessee State University (ETSU) does not have a Chinese language
program. Chinese Language is being offered this year by professors from
North China University of Technology (NCUT). We wish to establish a
permanent Chinese Language program and an interdisciplinary China
studies program that includes a summer semester of study in China and an
additional month of language study at NCUT in China. Except for Chinese
Language, we already have courses in place for an interdisciplinary
study of China in Political Science, History, Philosophy, Foreign
Languages (Film), and Biology. We want to add an introductory course on
Chinese Culture/Tradition and a capstone course. Unique to our program
will be the one-month intensive language study at NCUT in China after
our students' completion of a one-year Chinese language study at ETSU.
Students will sit for the standard Basic Chinese Language Proficiency
Exam after the one-month study, the passing of which earns a student a
Chinese Language Proficiency Certificate. We are cooperating with NCUT
on this course. In 2006 we took a group of students to NCUT as a test
run. This effort was successful in our eyes and in those of the
students. Thus, we have tested the rudiments of our program. The funding
will help us establish a permanent Chinese language program and an
interdisciplinary China Studies Program.

Broadening the Reach: Enhancing African Studies in the Curriculum and
Beyond

#### University of Pittsburgh

The University of Pittsburgh proposes to enhance the breadth and quality
of its undergraduate education in African Studies and African languages.
The African Studies Program, established in 2001, has grown tremendously
due to the increasing interests of students and faculty in African
Studies. However, the program remains limited in course offerings across
disciplines, in African language instruction and study abroad
opportunities for students. This proposal seeks funding to enhance the
existing program through a series of activities that include: (1)
curriculum development (designing new interdisciplinary courses,
revising and updating existing courses, and expanding and strengthening
language programs in Swahili and Xhosa); (2) developing study abroad
programs (Ghana, Kenya, South Africa); (3) enhancing Africanist faculty
capacity (through a seminar series, visiting scholars program and
regional conference); and (4) expanding community outreach by
establishing K-12 summer workshop programs for teachers in Western
Pennsylvania in collaboration with the World Affairs Council of
Pittsburgh. The proposed activities will build on the University of
Pittsburgh's outstanding resources that already support vibrant
international studies programs in other world regions and have nourished
the nascent focus on Africa.

While there has always been a healthy scholarly foundation for the study
of Africa at the University of Pittsburgh, a strategic focus on East
Asia, Europe and Latin America has historically limited the growth of
African Studies. However, the establishment in 2001 of the undergraduate
certificate in African Studies and the growing enthusiastic interest of
students reflected in enrollment trends make this proposal to enhance
and further institutionalize academic programs focused on Africa at Pitt
both timely and appropriate.

The proposed new courses will help build bridges between the African
Studies Program and other campus departments and schools, and connect
the undergraduate experience to Africa and the world. We will fortify
our team of faculty specializing on Africa through seminars, a grants
program for travel to conferences or research and hosting a regional
conference on campus. African language instruction will be strengthened
by (a) creating a summer immersion program in Kenya and offering a
second year of Swahili, and (b) developing and offering a two-year
instruction sequence in Xhosa. Our focus on faculty development
acknowledges the importance of engaging the students and academic
colleagues into meaningful dialogs on issues pertaining to Africa. The
K-12 summer workshop recognizes the importance of promoting African
Studies through outreach to schools. By the closure of this grant we
will have developed a stronger program in African studies that will
provide our students a wider understanding through which they can better
evaluate current African events through African perspectives and within
a broader global context. They will also be equipped with the necessary
skills to fill crucial needs in government, business, education and
other fields dealing with this strategically important world region.

Training the Next Generation of Africanists:

Developing an Undergraduate Major (B.A.) in African Languages and
Cultures

#### University of California -- Los Angeles

The main objectives for the program at the University of California -
Los Angeles (UCLA) are to increase opportunities for undergraduates to
study African languages through at least the intermediate level, to
contextualize language study within African area studies and through
study abroad opportunities, to expose undergraduates aware to the
diverse career opportunities available to those with expertise in
Africa, and to prepare them for such careers. The proposed program is
driven by the belief that cultural and linguistic proficiency are
deeply, and necessarily, interrelated. Knowledge of African languages
not only provides access to the many disciplines through which one can
study African area studies, but also deepens the knowledge gained in
those disciplines, while also providing numerous career opportunities in
diverse fields.

Specific activities of the proposed program will include:

• Change of existing B.A. in African Languages to the new B.A. in
African Languages and Cultures.

• Introduction of beginning and intermediate Chichewa, Yoruba, and Zulu
courses to expand African language instruction.

• Training opportunities for language instructors to encourage
pedagogical excellence.

• Development of online materials for new language offerings to extend
learning beyond the classroom and to facilitate distance learning
opportunities with other University of California campuses.

• Three new culture courses, Malawian Cultures, Yoruba Culture, and
South African Cultures, to teach undergraduates about the relationship
between the languages and cultures they are studying and to encourage
study of Africa within and across the disciplines.

• A new sociolinguistics course: Language in African Societies, to teach
undergraduates about the role of African languages in culture, politics,
education, and the arts.

• Enhancement of existing undergraduate study abroad opportunities to
Egypt, Ghana and South Africa, Senegal and Tanzania through the
development of a new team taught pre-departure course, Preparing to
Study in Africa.

• A lecture series, Building Careers through Knowledge of Africa, open
to the public with the option of one credit for undergraduates who
attend.

• Increased outreach to undergraduates through partnerships with the
International Institute's interdepartmental degree programs, the
National Heritage Language Resource Center, the Center for World
Languages, the Academic Advancement Program, Freshman Orientation, the
College Academic Counseling services, the Career Center, the Education
Abroad Program, and Summer Sessions. To develop and sustain these
initiatives, federal funds will be matched with an equivalent of
\$87,240 in the form of resources from UCLA.

Developing Middle Eastern Studies and Arabic Language Instruction

#### Elon University

Today, more than ever, events in the Middle East and American national
interest require that our universities provide students with
opportunities to learn about the region's languages, history, culture,
religion and politics. Our proposal will support the development of
Middle Eastern Studies and Arabic language instruction at Elon
University. Successful completion of the project would allow us to offer
a Middle Eastern Studies minor and a Middle Eastern Studies regional
concentration within Elon's International Studies major.

The heart of the project will be the development of 11 new courses on
the Middle East, supported by release time for Elon faculty, and the
creation of a full-time faculty position for teaching Arabic in
2007-2008 and 2008-2009. We view these efforts as complementary. The new
course offerings on the Middle East will create interest in studying
Arabic. Arabic language skills will enable student research on and a
better understanding of the Middle East.

The project builds on Elon's strong International Studies major, Foreign
Language Department and study-abroad programs. It is both supported by
and supportive of the Religious Studies Department's hiring of a
specialist on Islam. The widespread participation and commitment to the
project by the campus community will help ensure its success and
interdisciplinary character.

07/16/07