UTA Modern Languages faculty received over $500,000 in federal funding from the National Security Agency (NSA) and the U.S. Department of State to host educational programming in 2024-2025. For these programs, MODL faculty will train teachers of critical languages, teach Russian to high school and college students, and promote a U.S.-Russia partnership, even during these critical times. These grants not only serve the U.S. national security goals, but also support the goals and vision of the MODL department, the McDowell Center for Global Studies, and UTA at large.
The first NSA grant ($175,213) was received by Iya Price (PI), Barbara Berthold (co-PI), and Pete Smith (co-PI) for the purpose of sponsoring STARTALK: Teaching for Proficiency and Career Readiness, a year-round (May 2024-May 2025) training program for 30 secondary and post-secondary teachers of Arabic, Chinese, Korean, Persian, and Russian. The program is comprised of an online spring module, an intensive 9-day in-person summer module, and an online post-summer module. The primary goal of this teacher training is for participants to gain the knowledge and skills necessary to create learning experiences that have a real-world application, to increase their learners’ target language proficiency as well as preparedness for language-related careers.
The second NSA grant ($205,444) received by Iya Price (PI), Lonny Harrison (co-PI), and Pete Smith (co-PI), will support STARTALK: Path to Careers in U.S.-Russia Diplomacy, a year-round (January 2024 to December 2024) Russian language program for 30 high school and college students. The program will have three parts: an online pre-program in the spring of 2024, a two-week on-campus Russian immersion camp in the summer of 2024, and post-program online classes in the fall of 2024. Through a series of debates, guest-facilitated discussions, role-plays, community service, and other activities, this student-centered program will engage learners in topics relevant to U.S.-Russia affairs and prepare them for language careers to meet national security needs.
Finally, Iya Price (PI) and Lonny Harrison (co-PI) received a grant ($163,369) from the U.S. Department of state for a project titled U.S.-Russia Partnership for Global Solutions. This project will provide online and in-person opportunities for the meaningful exchange and building of connections between U.S. and Russian students and scholars. To find a common ground for collaboration, the U.S. and Russian participants will address global issues in search of sustainable solutions while also learning about each other’s cultures, values, and institutions. The first part (January 2024-May 2024) will be an online course (GLOBAL 3302) between U.S. students at UTA and Russian students from Omsk State University (OmSU). The second part (September 2024-December 2024) of the project is the visit of three Russian scholars and four student interns to the U.S. to gain first-hand experiences and further explore the issues focused on in this project.
For more information or if you’re interested in participating, please e-mail iya.khelm@uta.edu
