CLS Fellowship

The Language Study Committee is seeking applications for the Center for Language Study (CLS) Professional Development Fellowship for language lectors. The fellowship offers a one-course reduction in teaching load for language lectors in one term of their choice to work on a project closely related to their teaching and is intended to provide an opportunity for professional development in close collaboration with a cohort of colleagues. This course reduction will not result in any change in annual compensation. The program will support a cohort of up to three fellows for the fall term and up to three fellows for the spring term each year. We are currently accepting proposals for fall 2024 or for spring 2025. The deadline for proposals is February 19, 2024.

To be eligible for the fellowship, lectors must have held a multi-year full-time appointment in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Yale for at least three years and currently hold a multi-year full-time appointment that extends through the year following the proposed fellowship. A lector awarded this fellowship must wait a minimum of six terms before reapplying. This fellowship is independent of the existing Professional Development Leave for non-ladder faculty.

Applications must include a project proposal (see attached guidelines), a CV, and an application form, which must be endorsed by the department Chair and the Language Program Director, if applicable. Departments and programs may endorse as many applications as they deem worthy. In the case of language programs based in one of the Area Studies Councils of the MacMillan Center, the Center functions as the department and the director of the Center functions as the chair. Questions about the endorsement process should be sent to Jason Zentz (Jason.zentz@yale.edu).

All applications will be reviewed by the Language Study Committee, which will make its recommendations to the Teaching Resource Advisory Committee (TRAC) within the FAS Dean’s Office. The committee may take the following actions: (1) approve the proposal as-is; (2) approve, but suggest a different term in which the fellowship is taken; (3) request revision and resubmission; or (4) reject the proposal.

The fellows who are selected for this program will be expected to attend weekly or biweekly cohort meetings with the Center for Language Study to discuss their work in progress in a collaborative setting. At the end of the term of the fellowship, fellows will be expected to give a final public presentation of their projects.

For further information or to schedule an appointment, please contact Theresa Schenker (Theresa.schenker@yale.edu).

To assist the applicants with the proposed projects, the committee suggests the following application model.

1. Project Abstract (up to 500 words)

2. Rationale for the Project (500-1000 words)

In this section, the applicant should give pedagogical justification for the project, list available resources related to it, as well as demonstrate reasonable familiarity with the current state of research in the field.

3. Project Description (500-1000 words)

In this section the applicant should address the history and origins of the proposed project, the work already done for it, if any, describe the project’s overall structure and its specific elements. Applications must describe the proposed project and how it will advance the applicant’s teaching and professional development and serve the teaching program of the applicant’s department or program.

4. Bibliography

5. Detailed Timetable for the Project:

For each week of the fellowship, please indicate the specific goals you have and activities you might plan in service of your final objective. This timetable will likely change, of course, but it is helpful for the committees to see how the project requires effort roughly equivalent to teaching a course.

6. Digital Resources (if any): Indicate any online tools or multimedia resources that would be helful for your project.

7. Action Research Component (if any): This could, for example include conducting a survey, collecting data, or running a pilot.

CLS Fellowship Application Form