GUIDELINES FOR FLAS APPLICANTS:
THE LLILAS NONTRADITIONAL LANGUAGE PROGRAM

LLILAS at UT considers applications annually for FLAS awards to study languages spoken in Latin America.

The nontraditional language program route*
FLAS awards may be made to students who wish to study Portuguese or Quechua, both languages taught in regularly scheduled classes at UT.

The nontraditional language program.
Students may also apply for FLAS awards through LLILAS to study indigenous languages of Latin America that are not regularly taught at UT. In these cases, successful applicants are expected to design and implement a self-study language course equivalent to a standard semester-long language course at the appropriate level. Self-study courses are monitored by members of the UT faculty, whose responsibilities are strictly supervisory. The task of constructing learning courses for languages not commonly taught is time-consuming and typically requires an unusually high degree of commitment and initiative on the part of the student learner. For this reason, successful applicants for FLAS awards in the nontraditional language program tend to be graduate students who are especially highly motivated for professional reasons to learn the languages. (For example, in many cases, students intend to learn the heritage language of the indigenous community in which their work is based.)

The following information and guidelines are relevant for students seeking FLAS awards in the nontraditional language program. (Students applying for FLAS awards to learn Portuguese or Quechua should seek guidance in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese.)

The duration of FLAS supported language courses.
Awards may be made for courses to be implemented during the summer only, or for courses to run over the two long semesters of a single academic year. Summer courses are expected to have the same number of course hours as two-semester courses: a minimum of 120 hours for introductory courses, and 160 hours for intermediate and advanced courses.

What can FLAS funds be used for?
FLAS awards are used exclusively to support language learning activities. In particular, students are not permitted to focus on research activities during the period of a FLAS award.

Location.
Because FLAS grantees are expected to focus on language learning activities and not on research, it is typically expected that courses will be implemented on the UT campus. This is especially true for year-long courses. In special cases, a different arrangement may be considered if a student demonstrates the need to pursue language studies externally.

As a typical example of an exception, summer FLAS grantees may seek permission to use the FLAS award to attend a reputable summer language program at a different institution in the USA or Latin America. In all such cases, appropriate documentation will be presented to the Nontraditional Language Program Advisor on the completion of the summer program.

Who designs the course?
The burden for all aspects of course design and implementation falls on the student. The student needs to review and select appropriate course materials (e.g. dictionaries, grammars, collections of texts, and audio recordings); construct a learning plan; create appropriate materials for evaluation, etc.

The faculty supervisor.
Who can be a faculty supervisor?Supervisors of nontraditional language courses must be members of the UT faculty who know the language of the course well enough to be a useful resource to the student, and to serve as an effective evaluator of the student's learning. This means that in general, students may propose courses only for languages falling within the range of expertise of the faculty. (In very special cases, alternative arrangements may be considered, for example, if a student is able to demonstrate the ability to work under external supervision.)

Role. The faculty supervisor's role is that of a monitor, not of a language teacher, as would be the case in a standard French or Spanish course. The supervisor is also present to serve as a language resource for the student.

The Nontraditional Language Program Advisor.
The NLPA's role is initially to provide students seeking FLAS awards with information, and to assist them in preparing their applications.

The NLPA is also responsible for ensuring that FLAS grantees have carried out their learning objectives. Grantees are responsible for submitting to the NLPA photocopies of all tests and other evaluation materials used to track students' learning throughout the course, as they become available (typically at the midpoint and end of each semester during the period of the award). Students pursuing language studies at other institutions are responsible for providing the NLPA with documentation on completing their courses. At the end of the FLAS period, the NLPA will request from the faculty supervisor for each grantee a brief assessment of the student's performance.

The FLAS application process.

Deadlines.
The deadlines for FLAS applications for the next academic year and for the summer following the current academic year is in the spring. (The deadline for 2004 is February 16.)

At least one week (preferable two weeks) before the deadline, award seekers should consult with and submit their proposals to the NLPA for assistance and feedback. This step is intended to ensure that students are familiar with program guidelines, and to assist them in preparing a competent final proposal for submission to LLILAS' FLAS review committee.

What should be included in the FLAS application?
  • The FLAS cover form, available from Anne Dibble at LLILAS.
  • A statement of intent that outlines the student's plans for the FLAS award period, and a discussion of the importance of the proposed language study course for the applicant's overall program of research, and/or professional goals more generally.
  • A detailed study plan that includes information (as specific as possible) about the reference materials and other resources to be used in the course; a study plan that clearly indicates goals to be satisfied at intervals throughout the course; a clear indication of how the student's progress will be evaluated; an indication of where the course will be implemented, and who will supervise.

    Resources:
  • Examples of applications for previously funded FLAS applications are on file at LLILAS.
  • Additonal information, and the FLAS application template, are available online at http://www.utexas.edu/cola/llilas/students/financial/fellowships.html

    Languages for which nontraditional language courses have been designed at UT:

  • Nanti (Kampa; not generally available)
  • Tzeltal (Mayan)
  • Ch'orti' (Mayan)
  • Mam (Mayan)
  • Guarani (Tupi-Guarani)
  • Mixe (Mixe-Zoque)

    For further assistance, contact:

    Ms. Anne Dibble
    Lozano Long Institute for Latin American Studies, UT
    512-471-5551

    Dr. Megan Crowhurst
    Nontraditional Language Program Advisor, LLILAS, UT
    Department of Linguistics
    512-471-1701


    *The terms "traditional" and "nontraditional" are used in this document only to distinguish between languages traditionally taught in scheduled classes at UT, and those languages which have not been taught in the usual manner at UT.

    This webpage was created by Megan Crowhurst. Last revised Dec. 3, 2002.