Category: Professional Development

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Prof. Devel.: STARTALK Summer Institute “Proficiency-based Pedagogy for Russian” (Middlebury School of Russian)

Application deadline: March 31, 2017

Middlebury School of Russian is pleased to announce the 2017 STARTALK Summer Institute “Proficiency-based Pedagogy for Russian” intended for novice teachers of Russian and graduate students with no or limited teaching experiences.

The Institute provides participants with unique opportunities to gain a solid foundation in second language acquisition theory and language proficiency framework, and to transfer this knowledge into classroom practice. Participants will create teaching materials for different levels of instruction, implementing STARTALK-endorsed best teaching practices, and engage in practice-teaching in a safe environment with guidance from experienced language practitioners.

The Institute consists of two parts: a 5-day online session (June 19-23, 2017) and a 12-day on-campus session in Middlebury, VT (July 12-23, 2017); both sessions are mandatory. During the on-line session participants will engage in learning and discussing theoretical approaches to language acquisition and principles of proficiency-based pedagogy, so that the on-campus session can be dedicated to applying this theoretical knowledge to classroom teaching and material development. During the on-campus session, participants will brainstorm, design, and implement curricular units, lessons and activities.

Institute’s participants will experience the unique immersive environment of the Middlebury Russian School. By living in the language, participants themselves will see how a learning community of people who speak Russian with varying levels of fluency can be built and sustained.

Tuition, lodging expenses, meals, textbooks, and classroom materials are covered by the STARTALK grant, and each participant is eligible to receive a travel reimbursement for up to $300. Participants will receive one course unit of graduate credit.

 NEW FOR 2017: This year the STARTALK Institute has received an award to offer up to 5 scholarships to cover tuition for the 1-Week Refresher Course (July 2-9). These scholarships are competitive and will be awarded to those admitted STARTALK participants who need to “update” their language skills before starting the on-campus program on July 12. More information about the Refresher Course is available here.

Please note that the application deadline is March 13, 2017. Finalists will be notified by April 1, 2017.

For information and to submit an application, please, visit:

http://www.middlebury.edu/ls/russian/startalkrussian.  If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact program director, Irina Dubinina, at idubinin@brandeis.edu or lead instructor, Olesya Kisselev, at ovk103@psu.edu

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Prof. Devel.: STARTALK: Transitioning to Teaching Language Online (U. of Minnesota)

Deadline for Applications: May 15, 2017

STARTALK: Transitioning to Teaching Language Online (TTLO)

June 12-July 2, 2017 (3-week, online course)

This STARTALK program is designed for K-16 teachers of Arabic, Chinese, Dari, Hindi, Korean, Persian, Portuguese, Russian, Swahili, Turkish, or Urdu who want to teach their language online.

Offered completely online, this 3-week, intensive course will give teacher participants the experience of being an online learner. Course content will focus on many different facets of a successful online language course, such as creating community, time management strategies for teachers and students, choosing appropriate technology tools for communicative-based activities, and developing a variety of online activity types. In addition to exploring these aspects of teaching online, participants will see these concepts in action in model online language activities. By the end of the course, participants will have a portfolio of activities ready to be incorporated in an online course.

Instructional Staff: Xiaowei Hunt (Course Facilitator), Ritu Jayakar (Course Facilitator), Shannon Spasova (Course Facilitator), Alyssa Bonnac (Lead Instructor), Frances Matos-Schultz (Lead Instructor), & Marlene Johnshoy (Program Director).

Applications are due May 15, 2017.

For more information see: http://carla.umn.edu/technology/STARTALK/

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Study Abroad: “Translate at City” Summer School (City U. of London)

Dates of Program: 26th June 2017 – 30th June 2017

Translate at City is the fourth literary translation summer school to be held at City, University of London. Organised in conjunction with the Translators Association of the Society of Authors, it offers the opportunity to translate texts across the literary genres into English, working with leading professional translators. Groups will be limited to a maximum of 15 students to allow for individual attention, and places will be allocated on a strictly “first come, first served” basis.

Mornings will be spent working on a piece of fiction on a continuous basis and the afternoons will be dedicated to translating short pieces in a variety of genres. There will be plenty of opportunities for networking with publishers,  City staff and one another, particularly at our lunchtime and evening events, which include:

  • A French Translation Slam, with Ros Schwarz and Frank Wynne, chaired by Professor Amanda Hopkinson
  • A Keynote Lecture, Who Dares Wins, by Professor Gabriel Josipovici
  • Author and translator Daniel Hahn speaking on Translation and Children’s Books
  • Buffet supper at a local gastro pub sponsored by the European Commission following a talk from Paul Kaye, Language Officer at Europe House, London
  • The launch of a literary translation competition, open to all participants, sponsored by prize-winning Comma Press
  • Short lunchtime talks on topics related to developing your skills and getting published as a literary translator. Continue reading “Study Abroad: “Translate at City” Summer School (City U. of London)”
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Prof. Devel.: Summer Research Laboratory (U. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)

Deadline for Applications: March 15, 2017

2017 SUMMER RESEARCH LABORATORY ON RUSSIA, EASTERN EUROPE, AND EURASIA

June 12 – August 4, 2017

OVERVIEW

For more than 40 years, the Summer Research Laboratory (SRL) on Russia, Eastern Europe, and Eurasia has provided a vital comprehensive research opportunity, giving researchers access to unparalleled library services and to one of the top five library collections for the REEE region in North America. SRL allows scholars to advance their research, forge professional connections through workshops and conferences, and share their research data, methods, and findings with US government (USG) departments and agencies.

REEEC originally established SRL to provide access to the extensive holdings in the Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Collection at the International and Area Studies Library to scholars with limited resources at their home institutions. Over time, REEEC and SRS have developed a range of integrated programs to enhance the research experience of associates. SRL is held during an eight-week summer session, the first four weeks of which often include discussion groups, lectures, conferences, and other networking events, while the final four weeks are dedicated independent library research.

SRL is open to all scholars with research interests in the Russian, East European and Eurasian region for eight weeks during the summer months from mid-June through the first week of August. The SRL provides scholars access to the resources of the world renowned Slavic, East European, and Eurasian collection within a flexible time frame where scholars have the opportunity to receive one-on-one research assistance from the librarians of the Slavic Reference Service (SRS).

For graduate students, it provides an opportunity to conduct dissertation research prior to going abroad and a way to prioritize which resources to target after exhausting materials found within the US.

Applicants to the Summer Research Laboratory are encouraged to consider studying an area language at the Indiana University Summer Language Workshop from June 5 to July 28. Funding in the form of Title VIII fellowships and other sources is available to eligible applicants. For more information and to apply: http://www.indiana.edu/~swseel Continue reading “Prof. Devel.: Summer Research Laboratory (U. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)”

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Funding Opportunity: Graduate Student Essay Prize (ASEEES)

Deadline for Submissions: June 1, 2017

The ASEEES Graduate Student Essay Prize was established in 2006 and is awarded for an outstanding essay by a graduate student in Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies. The winner of the competition receives free roundtrip domestic airfare to and room at the ASEEES Annual Convention and an honorary ASEEES membership for the following year. The prize is presented during the awards presentation at the Annual Convention.

RULES OF ELIGIBILITY

Rules of eligibility for the ASEEES Graduate Student Essay Prize competition are as follows:

ASEEES Regional Affiliates and Institutional Members are invited to hold their own competitions for best essay among their graduate students, and submit the winning paper to the ASEEES Grad Student Prize Committee.

Essay author must be a graduate student and must have written the essay in English while in a graduate program.

Essays can be any of several formats:

  • Expanded versions of conference papers
  • Graduate level seminar papers
  • Master’s Thesis Chapters
  • Dissertation Chapters

Continue reading “Funding Opportunity: Graduate Student Essay Prize (ASEEES)”

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Funding Opportunity: Robert C. Tucker/Stephen F. Cohen Dissertation Prize (ASEEES)

Deadline for Nominations: May 15, 2017

The Robert C. Tucker/Stephen F. Cohen Dissertation Prize, established in 2006 and sponsored by the KAT Charitable Foundation, is awarded annually (if there is a distinguished submission) for an outstanding English-language doctoral dissertation in Soviet or Post-Soviet politics and history in the tradition practiced by Robert C. Tucker and Stephen F. Cohen. The dissertation must be defended at an American or Canadian university, and must be completed during the calendar year prior to the award. The prize carries a $5,000 award intended to help the author turn the dissertation into a publishable manuscript. The prize is awarded at the ASEEES Annual Convention.

RULES OF ELIGIBILITY

Rules of eligibility for the ASEEES Robert C. Tucker/Stephen F. Cohen Dissertation Prize are as follows:

    • The dissertation must be written in English and defended at a university in the United States or Canada;
    • The dissertation must be completed and defended during the calendar year prior to the award (for example, the dissertation must have been defended in 2012 to be eligible for the 2013 competition);
    • The dissertation’s primary subject and analytical purpose must be in the realm of the history of domestic politics, as broadly understood in academic or public life, though it may also include social, cultural, economic, international or other dimensions. The dissertation must focus primarily on Russia (though the topic may also involve other former Soviet republics) during one or more periods between January 1918 and the present.

NOMINATING INSTRUCTIONS

A nomination will consist of a detailed letter from the dissertation’s main faculty supervisor explaining the ways in which the work is outstanding in both its empirical and interpretive contributions, along with an abstract of 700-1000 words, written by the candidate, specifying the sources and general findings of the research. A faculty supervisor may nominate no more than one dissertation a year.

Faculty supervisors should send each committee member listed above their letter and the 700-1000-word abstract. (Candidates may also initiate the nomination, but it must come from their advisers.) The committee will read this material and then request copies of the dissertations that best meet the criteria, as defined in the statement above. Nominations must be received no later than May 15.

2017 TUCKER/COHEN DISSERTATION PRIZE COMMITTEE

The winner of the Tucker/Cohen Dissertation Prize will be chosen by the following scholars:

Juliet Johnson, McGill University (Canada); 2015-2017, Committee Chair
(e-mail): juliet.johnson@mcgill.ca

Robert English, U of Southern California, 2017-2019
(e-mail): renglish@usc.edu 

Andrew Jenks, California State U, Long Beach, 2016-2018
(e-mail): Andrew.Jenks@csulb.edu

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Prof. Devel.: Mentoring Program (ASEEES)

Registration Deadline: April 24, 2017

ASEEES is sponsoring a new network to match volunteer mentors and mentees who are interested in conversation on these and other topics over the course of a single academic year.

MENTORS

Mid-career or senior scholars, as well as professionals from outside the academy.

MENTEES

Graduate students at any stage of their careers or post-graduates within five years of receipt of their terminal graduate degree (including PhD, MLS, MA and JD). Mentees must be members of ASEEES.

HOW IT WORKS

  • Mentors and mentees are matched by the ASEEES Mentoring Committee.
  • This one-year mentoring relationship is intended for September 2017 through August of 2018.
  • Communications may take place as often as once a month, either electronically or where possible, in-person, but are intended more commonly as three to four conversations over the course of a year about the state of a given field; an exchange of experiences on entering these fields; and how a mentor can offer a fresh perspective on a junior colleague’s plans.
  • Participants are encouraged, but not required, to meet once in person at the annual ASEEES convention.
  • Mentoring conversations are intended to be reciprocal, in the sense that junior and senior colleagues are interested in sharing ideas and experiences at different locations on a career spectrum;
  • While reading of dissertation chapters or grant proposals aids every young scholar, this program defers that labor to the mentee’s local networks. No commitment to reading is required of the mentor in this program.

Also see: Mentoring Resources

HOW TO PARTICIPATE

To take part in these conversations, please register online by Monday, April 24.

For more information, and to register, click here.

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Prof. Devel.: Call for Nominations-Graduate Student Rep. on the Board of Directors (ASEEES)

Deadline for Nominations: April 15, 2017

The ASEEES Board of Directors invites nominations for the position of the Graduate Student Representative on the ASEEES Board.  The duration of the two-year term is Jan. 1, 2018 – Dec. 31, 2019.

Students can self-nominate or be nominated by a faculty who is a member of ASEEES. The Nominating Committee will then review all nominations and select two to stand as candidates. The two candidates’ names will be placed on the ASEEES Board election ballot to be voted on by all ASEEES members.

All nominees for the position of Graduate Student Representative should be doctoral students post comprehensive examinations and in good academic standing. They may be in any academic discipline associated with Slavic, East European, and Eurasian studies. Nominees also should be current ASEEES members and have a record of active contribution to the field outside of their department that demonstrate their initiative and engagement.

Please submit:

  • a short statement that includes a brief academic biography, a list of relevant activities and contributions, and reasons why she or he is interested in serving on the Board

  • current curriculum vitae

  • a letter of reference from the nominee’s advisor or department chair.

All materials should be sent by e-mail to ASEEES@pitt.edu by April 15, 2017.

Inquiries should be sent to Lynda Park, executive director, at lypark@pitt.edu

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Prof. Devel.: Russian Heritage Learners and Speakers Webinar Series (UCLA)

Russian Heritage Learners and Speakers Webinar Series: February 28 at 4PM EST

Russian heritage learners and speakers webinar series organized by ACTR continues with the webinar which will be led by Dr. Olga Kagan (UCLA) on February 28 at 4PM EST:

Heritage Language Curricular Development for Russian Heritage Speakers: Foundations and Rationale

Dr. Kagan will discuss curricular development for HL speakers of Russian addressing 1) the foundations of HL curriculum built on From-To principles (e.g., exploiting existing strengths as a point of departure); and 2) the rationale for an outcome/proficiency-based curriculum for HL learners. She will base some of her recommendations on data from the UCLA Russian HL placement test.

Dr. Olga Kagan is a professor in the UCLA Department of Slavic, East European and Eurasian Languages and Cultures and the director of the Title VI National Heritage Language Resource Center (NHLRC). Dr. Kagan is in charge of the Russian Language Program and is the director of the Russian Flagship Center at UCLA. She has published textbooks of Russian both as a foreign language and as a heritage language. Her textbook of Russian as a Heritage Language, Russian for Russians, received a book award from the American Association of Teachers of Russian and Eastern European Languages (AATSEEL). Her current main research interest is the teaching of heritage languages. In 2015 she received the MLA Award for Distinguished Service to the Profession.

The webinars are free for all ACTR members. Non-members of ACTR pay $15 per webinar or $40 for all three.

All registered participants will receive access to the video recording of the webinar(s).

Register for the webinars here: http://www.actr.org/heritagewebinar.html

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Funding Opportunity: Public Fellows Competition for Recent Ph.D.s (ACLS)

Deadline for Applications: March 22, 2017

Title: ACLS Public Fellows Competition for Recent Ph.D.s
Sponsor: American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS)
Amount: $67,500/yr., 2 yrs.

Description: ACLS invites applications for the seventh competition of the Mellon/ACLS Public Fellows program. This year, the program will place up to 22 recent PhDs from the humanities and humanistic social sciences in two-year term staff positions at partnering organizations in government and the nonprofit sector. Fellows will participate in the substantive work of these organizations and receive professional mentoring. Fellows receive a stipend of $67,500 per year, with individual health insurance and up to $3,000 to be used toward professional development activities over the course of the fellowship term.  This initiative, made possible by a grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, aims to expand the role of doctoral education in the United States by demonstrating that the capacities developed in the advanced study of the humanities have wide application, both within and beyond the academy. The Mellon/ACLS Public Fellows program allows PhDs to gain valuable, career-building experience in fields such as public policy, development, conservation, arts and culture, and digital media. 

How to Apply: Apply directly to the sponsor by March 22. See the grant announcement for a complete list of materials to be submitted with the application.

More Info: http://www.acls.org/programs/publicfellowscomp/

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