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A group of students arrive in Baku from US to study Azerbaijani

10 June 2011 10:55 (UTC +04:00)

The US Embassy in Azerbaijan told APA that the CLS Program, administered by American Councils, provides opportunities for American university and graduate students to study Azerbaijani, which the United States government recognizes as a strategically important foreign language.
This yearâ€™s Critical Language Scholars include beginner, intermediate, and advanced Azerbaijani-speakers. The program will be hosted by the Azerbaijan University of Languages and provides group-based intensive language instruction for a minimum of 20 hours per week and structured cultural enrichment experiences. Participants will develop fluency in the Azerbaijani and learn more about Azerbaijanâ€™s rich culture by being paired with â€œlanguage peersâ€ (host-country university students), engaging in volunteer activities in their host communities and living with host families in Baku. CLS participants are expected to continue their language study beyond the scholarship and apply their critical language skills in their future professional careers.
This yearâ€™s Critical Language Scholars are among 575 U.S. university and graduate students studying in 14 priority languages, including Azerbaijani. They were chosen from more than 5,200 applicants through a merit-based selection process.
The U.S. Department of State launched the Critical Language Scholarships for Intensive Summer Institutes in 2006 to increase opportunities for American students to study critical languages overseas. The program is part of a wider U.S. government effort to expand the number of Americans studying and mastering critical languages, such as Azerbaijani.