The Fries Center for Global Studies is excited to inform you that, the application is now open for the 2026 Critical Language Scholarship Program! The Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Program is an intensive language and cultural immersion summer study abroad opportunity for American college and university students to learn languages essential to America’s engagement with the world. Students spend eight to ten weeks over the summer studying one…
Hindi-Urdu
Introducing 2025-2026 FLTAs
Each year, Wesleyan welcomes a group of Foreign Language Teaching Assistants (FLTA) from around the world to facilitate linguistic and cultural exchange! While here, the FLTAs will help teach their native language to Wesleyan students while also taking a few courses themselves. This year, we welcome 11 FLTAs from around the world, teaching Arabic, Chinese,…
The FLTA Review: The Foreign Language Teaching Assistant’s View of Life at Wesleyan
by Oleksandra Volakova Every year, Wesleyan welcomes new FLTAs (Foreign Language Teaching Assistants) from all over the world – foreign students interested in teaching others their native language and immersing themselves into foreign culture. 11 people, coming from different backgrounds, help Wesleyan students to understand the culture and language better, becoming an irreplaceable support to…
FLTA Carnival: Learning Through Games
by Oleksandra Volakova The very first event of International Education Week – a week celebrating cultures and languages all around the globe – was organized by representatives from various cultures worldwide. Wesleyan’s Foreign Language Teaching Assistants (FLTAs) collaborated with Fries Center for Global Studies to organize a FLTA Carnival – a festival featuring specific games,…
Summer and Winter Study Abroad Opportunities
by Julia Gardner Interested in studying abroad, but not able to fit a full semester into your schedule? Many program providers also offer winter and summer study abroad experiences, and you can even transfer credits earned back to Wesleyan! Many winter abroad programs have deadlines throughout October or at the beginning of November. Some of…
Bridging Politics, Culture & Development: A Conversation with Antonia Moran and Areeba Shabbir
by Areeba Shabbir Antonia Moran has been a Mansfield resident for over five decades, holding both a graduate degree and a law degree from the University of Connecticut. In her retired years, she served as the State Coordinator for the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), teaching state and local government and law at the Central…
Hindi-Urdu FLTA Priyanka Chakraborty Rediscovers Indian Classical Dance at Wes
Priyanka Chakraborty, our Fulbright Foreign language Teaching Assistant for Hindi-Urdu 2022-2023 participated in the Spring Semester Concert of ‘World of Dance’. She performed Swarajathi, an 18th century piece and a popular form of Carnatic music. This 21st century rendition was choreographed by Professor Hari Krishnan of the Wesleyan Dance Department and performed with live music by students of the Music department. Coming…
Perspectives on the Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) in India from Wesleyan CLS Alumni
article by Julissa Mota, ’26, Fellowships Assistant at the Fries Center for Global Studies, Fall 2022 The Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Program is an immersive summer program that provides US citizens 8-10 weeks of language learning at various study abroad institutes around the world. These institutes promote rapid language gains in 14 different languages essential…
Language Units Strengthen Connections in a Time of Isolation
Written by Camilla Zamboni, Assistant Professor of the Practice in Italian, and Natalia Román Alicea, Assistant Director, Intercultural and Language Learning In a trying time of social distancing and reduced interaction, language units at Wesleyan are acutely aware of how important it is to preserve connections across languages and cultures. Language learning relies and thrives…
Foreign Language Teaching Assistants Find New Ways to Engage Students under COVID
Written by Natalia Román Alicea, Assistant Director, Intercultural and Language Learning, and Camilla Zamboni, Assistant Professor of the Practice in Italian As the covid-19 pandemic continues to affect Wesleyan’s study abroad programs and the ability of our students to travel abroad, language faculty, Foreign Language Teaching Assistants (FLTAs), and the Assistant Director of Intercultural and…