Announcing RLASP Tallinn!
American Councils for International Education (ACTR) is pleased to announce that, in addition to its current overseas sites, the Russian Language and Area Studies Program (RLASP) will be offered in Tallinn, Estonia beginning summer 2024 in partnership with Tallinn University’s School of Humanities, Department of Russian and East European Studies. One of Europe’s most manageable and scenic capital cities, Tallinn offers U.S. students a convenient, friendly environment in which to study and practice Russian while also learning about the history and culture of Estonia and the Baltic states. Approximately 30% of Tallinn’s residents currently identify as Russian speakers and Russian is widely spoken throughout the city.
Ranked among the world’s top 1,000 institutions of Higher Education, Tallinn University (https://www.tlu.ee/en/why-tallinn-university) enrolls roughly 7,000 students in such disciplines as the humanities, natural sciences, media, film, communications, education, and digital technology. Tallinn’s campus is a short walk from the city’s medieval Old Town, Kadriorg Place, and the Gulf of Finland. The University maintains active affiliation agreements with more than 400 universities in Europe, the U.S., Japan, and China; roughly 11% of the study body is international.
An immersion-based, intensive language program, RLASP provides 20 hours per week of in-class Russian instruction in groups of no more than five students. Students live with Russian-speaking host families, engage in weekly activities with Russian-speaking language partners, and participate in a wide array of weekly cultural excursions, as well as extended group-travel outside their city of residence. Students are strongly encouraged to join extracurricular activities and volunteer opportunities to fully engage with their host communities. Content courses, taught in Russian, explore the history and culture of Estonia and the Baltic States, with particular focus on relations with Russia. Students are encouraged to study Estonian in addition to Russian.
Throughout the program, a fully trained Resident Director provides participants with ongoing logistical support and assistance, including 24-hour emergency aid. The American Councils field office in Estonia is also available to assist program participants throughout their time in-country.
In addition to Tallinn, RLASP is currently offered in
Yerevan, Armenia with the Faculty of Russian Philology at Yerevan State University;
Tbilisi, Georgia with the American Language Center;
Almaty, Kazakhstan with the Department of International Affairs at Al-Farabi Kazakh National University.
At all sites, RLASP is designed to actively engage students with the people and communities surrounding them in order to gain a deeper understanding of their host country and its region while strengthening Russian proficiency and cultural competency. Open to both graduate and undergraduate students who have completed at least two semesters of Russian language study, the program offers academic credit (graduate or undergraduate) from Bryn Mawr College. Substantial financial aid, including Department of Education Fulbright Hays Fellowships, Department of State Title VIII scholarships for graduate students, the American Councils Diversity and Inclusion Scholarship, and the Dan E. Davidson Scholarship for advanced students of Russian, are available to program participants. RLASP meets all academic requires from FLAS funding.
The Summer 2024 deadline for all sites is February 15, 2024. To start an application, please click here