Note: FLAS
competitions are offered annually and carry no presumption
of additional awards.
Academic Year FLAS awards
are made to students enrolled in graduate degree programs
at the University of Wisconsin-Madison for the
term of the award. A FLAS Fellowship recipient is required
to:
1) enroll in a course of
modern language study consistent with his/her application,
and
2) to enroll in a non-language
course (“area studies course”) with significant
South Asia content for both the Fall and Spring Semesters.
The FLAS Coordinator will make initial determinations on
the appropriateness of area studies courses. If necessary,
further determinations on the appropriateness of area studies
courses will be made by the FLAS Selection Committee.
Summer
FLAS awards
are made to:
1) students who are enrolled
in graduate degree programs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
who are seeking summer language study at the University
of Wisconsin-Madison;
2) students who are enrolled
in graduate degree programs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
who are seeking summer language study that is not offered
at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, in another approved
program located in the U.S. or abroad.
Summer FLAS recipients are
required to enroll in a course of modern language study
equivalent to one full academic year of study. No area studies
course is required or allowed.
LANGUAGES
AY:
Hindi, Persian (in relation to Pakistan and/or Afghanistan),
Telugu, Tibetan (modern spoken), Urdu
Summer: Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Malayalam, Marathi,
Nepali, Punjabi, Sinhala, Tamil, Telugu, Tibetan, Urdu
ELIGIBILITY
- Only U.S. Citizens or Permanent
Residents are eligible to apply for FLAS Fellowships.
-
Any “Incomplete”
on a student’s transcript when the FLAS Selection
Committee meets renders the student ineligible for a FLAS
Fellowship.
- A student is eligible for
a maximum of 3 years of FLAS support as follows:
- 3 academic years of language
study support at the pre-dissertation stage;
Please note: Summer
FLAS does not count against total FLAS eligibility.
- An academic year FLAS must
begin in the Fall Semester and be accepted by the recipient
for both the Fall and Spring Semesters during that academic
year.
- A summer FLAS must be the
equivalent of one full academic year of study (2 semesters).
Additional
note: The U.S.
Department of Education Title VI Program (funding agency
for FLAS) requires that the FLAS application process is
available to graduate students in all disciplines across
campus. We are also encouraged to fund students broadly
across disciplines and departments. The faculty Applicant
Review and Ranking Committee will evaluate applications
on the merit of language study need, rather than departmental
requirements for language study. Considering the number
of qualified applicants with justifiable need for language
acquisition, applicants are encouraged to consider FLAS
as potential funding for two years of language study, with
a long-term plan for other sources of funding.
For the 2006-2010 funding
cycle we have agreed to give some preference to applicants
who may terminate at the MA level and intent to pursue government
service.
METHOD
FOR RANKINGS
This is an annual
competition. The following application materials will be
given equal weight:
- Past academic performance
based on the transcripts and GRE scores submitted by the
applicant (note that these are annual competitions, individual
performance is measured against the performance of other
applicants every year).
- The one-page applicant
statement of purpose, plus answers to the questions on the
applicant form (note that career goals are requested on
the application).
- Letters of recommendation.
(Note that 2 non-language and 1 language reference are requested.
The language reference will be used to determine an applicant’s
ability to learn a language. Previous study of a South Asian
language is not required.)
PRIORITIES
FOR RANKINGS (2006-2010)
- Federal funding priority
is requested for students who will be studying “the
least commonly taught languages who are pursuing advanced-level
language proficiency.”
- Federal funding priority
is requested for “talented students pursuing master’s
degrees who may be more likely to pursue government service.”
LANGUAGE OF APPLICATION
- Applicants must demonstrate
that the language of application is significant to their
degree and career goals.
PROGRAM
OF STUDY IN RELATION TO RANKINGS
The Center for South Asia
is an interdisciplinary program, not a teaching department,
and is interested in the study of South Asia across
the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus. With
the exception of the “Priorities for Rankings (2006-2010)”
above, there is no priority discipline for FLAS Fellowships.
The FLAS faculty Applicant Review and Ranking Committee
reviews all applicants from any discipline and will make
rankings based on the materials of the application.
SELECTION
BASIS
Selection is “language
blind.” It is based on the quality of an applicant’s
overall record (including undergraduate and graduate student
performance and GRE scores), the applicant’s application
form, the applicant’s statement of purpose (with emphasis
on the need for language study), and letters of recommendation.
STUDENT
FINANCIAL STATUS WITH REGARD TO RANKINGS
A student’s financial
situation is not an allowable consideration.
DISSERTATOR
USE OF A TITLE VI FELLOWSHIP
Due to the alternative funds
available for fieldwork, academic year FLAS awards will
not be available for researching the dissertation. Note
that although dissertators may apply, the U.S. Department
of Education Title VI Program discourages centers from making
awards to dissertators.
INFORMATION
ON STUDENT RANKINGS
FLAS rankings are private
information and are not posted or conveyed in any way as
public information. To protect applicant privacy, an individual
may inquire from the FLAS Coordinator as to his or her rank.
The Coordinator will give a general indication of rank (i.e.
“top ten,” “middle rank,” or “unlikely
to receive an award,”). Additional information such
as total number of applicants or the rank of any other individual
will not be provided.
GRIEVANCES
Students wishing to file
a grievance should either speak with, or write to, the Director
of the Center for South Asia.
CHANGES
IN POLICY
The Center for South Asia
will post these Policies Governing title VI Foreign Language
and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships on its web site (http://www.southasia.wisc.edu).
Updates to the “Policies” will be made in compliance
with federal regulations and posted as currently as possible.
FLAS
Instructions and Application 2008-2009
Updated, November
2006
By Sharon Dickson in consultation with the Center for South
Asia Faculty Advisory Committee and according to regulations
of the US/DE IEPS Foreign Language and Area Studies Program.
