Furman Receives Grant to Conduct Second Chinese Language Camp
April 11, 2011
Applications for high school students now open
GREENVILLE, SC – April 11, 2011 – The Asian Studies Department at Furman University has received a grant from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence to run a 2011 Furman STARTALK Chinese Language Camp for high school students July 10–24.
This is the second consecutive year that Furman will operate a STARTALK camp, which is part of the National Security Language Initiative launched in 2006 by President George W. Bush. The initiative seeks to expand and improve teaching and learning of strategically important world languages not widely taught in the U.S.
During this summer’s intensive two-week residential camp at Furman, 24 highly motivated high school students from all over the U.S. will live and study with experienced Chinese language teachers from China and bilingual camp counselors from the Asian Studies Department. All students pledge to speak only Chinese from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day.
STARTALK camp scholarships are open to rising 10th –12th grade students who have completed at least one year of Chinese language or equivalent. Campers study in small classes of eight each morning and engage in fun hands-on activities every afternoon designed to build language skills while introducing China’s rich cultural diversity.
Students will be exposed to Chinese cooking, Tai Chi, traditional dances and games. All participants will have language partners based in China to chat online and help complete creative classroom assignments. Each student will receive an iPod Touch to stay in contact with language partners after the program’s conclusion.
All student expenses during the two-week program are covered after arrival on Furman’s campus. Application deadline for STARTALK is April 25, 2011 with notification of acceptance on or before May 9, 2011. Scholarship application information can be found at:
https://furman.wufoo.com/forms/startalk-furman-2011-chinese-language-camp/
Students and parents interested in learning more about Startalk should contact Melissa Hammer in Furman’s Asian Studies Department at 864-294-2878.
Media should contact Program Director Kate Kaup, Chair of the Asian Studies Department, at 864- 241-1086 or [email protected].
