Student support (Korean): National Flagship language program, University of Hawai'i -- IMMEDIATE DEADLINE

[McGinnis, Scott]

Note that the target population for this program includes heritage
language learners of Korean.

UH-Manoa has been awarded substantial federal funding to mount a pilot
three-year National Flagship language program (2002-2005) designed to
help qualified students, as well as college graduates now in the
workplace but wishing to return to school, achieve superior Korean
language proficiency. The aim is to produce individuals with
professional competence in Korean.
They will be capable of pursuing successful federal government careers
in their chosen fields -- with sufficient Korean language abilities to
work in and with Korean in those fields if need be.

To be accepted into the program, applicants must be US citizens or
permanent residents (but AED scholarships are only available for US
citizens). They can be undergraduates or graduates in any year of their
major program of study, or individuals already out in the workplace.
They will first be interviewed and tested (either in person or by
telephone) to ensure that that their career goals are suitable and that
they have already reached an advanced level in Korean. Some applicants
may have achieved that level through five or six semesters of Korean
language classes, some through having heard Korean at home while growing
up, some through visits to, or periods of residence in, Korea, and some
through a combination of those experiences.

Students accepted into the program will begin coursework this fall
semester, 2003, on either a part-time or full-time basis. They will work
with top quality instructors in small, specialized classes designed to
meet their particular academic, professional, and future career needs.
Some will be Korean language majors; most will be majoring in other
fields but want advanced Korean skills as a way of enhancing their
career prospects at the federal level.

In addition to innovative uses of technology and state-of-the-art
materials written especially for the program, course options will
include specialized classes in the student's major field of study
(architecture, economics, engineering, law, business administration,
psychology, oceanography, political science, medicine, nursing, TIM,
computer science, sociology, etc.) taught in Korean and supported by a
Korean language instructor. Also available will be supervised placements
in Korean-speaking businesses and other institutions on O'ahu, and
funded 3-, 6-, or 9-month individually tailored internships in the
student's career field at universities, businesses, government agencies,
etc., in Korea. The exact shape and duration of each student's program
will depend on the results of initial testing, but all students will
receive considerable individual tutoring and other faculty support, as
needed. Excellent funding opportunities are available for successful
applicants who are US citizens.

Depending on each person's Korean abilities at the time they enter the
Flagship program, on how many Flagship courses they take each semester
(some students will be full-time, others part-time), and on how fast
their language skills improve, it is expected that students will spend
between two and four semesters in the program. Most will simultaneously
be completing a bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degree in their major
field of study. Students who are US citizens may apply to enroll in the
Flagship program as fully federally funded participants (full government
coverage of their tuition and living expenses while at Manoa) through an
AED scholarship. If awarded such a scholarship (only a limited number
are available), they will incur a service obligation with the government
which they must begin to fulfill no later than five years after the date
of graduation or termination of Flagship study.

For further information, including an application form, please contact:

Professor Dong Jae Lee
Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures
Moore Hall 419
University of Hawai'i at Manoa
1890 East-West Road
Honolulu, HI 96822
Tel. (808) 956-8031
dongjlee at hawaii.edu