Research and Language Programs in South East Europe

American Councils offers academic year and semester programs for independent research and language study in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania and Serbia. The U.S. Department of State provides funds under the Program for Research and Training on Eastern Europe and the Independent States of the Former Soviet Union (Title VIII). Participants seeking Title VIII funding for research must spend at least three months in the field; language program participants must study for at least one month in the region in order to receive Title VIII funding.

The Research Scholar Program offers graduate students, Ph.D. candidates, faculty and scholars seeking to conduct research in the field for at least three months the opportunity to study and conduct research at key academic centers in Southeast Europe. In their proposals, all applicants should address the policy-relevance of their work, be it in anthropology, literature, history, international relations, political science or some other field. All funded research must contribute to a body of knowledge enabling the U.S. to better understand the region and formulate more effective policies within it.
Scholars may conduct research in more than one country during a single trip. Scholars may also request financial support for advanced language classes in order to facilitate their research.

The Language Training Program is open to graduate and undergraduate students who have at least a beginner level of proficiency in the target language. The main goal of the program is to maximize linguistic and cultural immersion into Southeast European society. Classes focus on vocabulary expansion, development of conversational skills, grammar, phonetics, syntax and stylistics, and literature and linguistics. Courses in literature and cultural studies may be available depending on the student's language proficiency.

To receive Title VIII funding, applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents.
Competition for funding is open and merit-based. Admission and fellowship awards are made on the basis of language ability, academic and professional record, research proposal (if applicable), and references.

To apply for Title VIII funding, you must send the American Councils the following documentation:

If you apply for the Research Program, you must add your research proposal (bibliography included), the synopsis of your research in the language of your proposed host country, and an essay discussing the policy relevance of your research.
If you apply for the Language Program, you must add a statement of purpose in English and in the language of your host country, and an essay discussing the policy relevance of your current work and long-term goals.
 
Get detailed information about the requested documentation at these programs website.
 
The deadline to apply for the fall and the academic year program is January 15, 2008.

American Councils for International Education

American Councils for International Education
Program Officer, Southeastern Europe Programs
address: 1776 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Suite 700
20036 Washington, D.C.
tel. 001.202.8337522
mail. outbound@americancouncils.org.