The University of Wisconsin-Madison was recently awarded three summer language programs: IFLI (Indonesian Flagship Language Initiative), SAFLI (South Asian Flagship Languages Initiative), and TURFLI (Turkish Flagship Language Initiative). These programs will bring approximately 40 students to UW-Madison this summer for intensive language study of Indonesian, Hindi, Urdu, and Turkish at the Wisconsin Intensive Summer Language Institutes. Students will then continue their studies overseas in Indonesia (IFLI), India (SAFLI), or Azerbaijan (TURFLI) during the fall semester. Beginner language students typically meet the ILR 1+/2 level of proficiency (Intermediate High to Advanced Low) by the end of their program. These three programs are special initiatives of the Boren Awards for international study and will be hosted by UW-Madison until 2023
Indonesian Flagship Language Initiative
IFLI students participate in a full-time domestic summer program offered at UW-Madison through the Southeast Asian Summer Studies Institute (SEASSI). Students will then travel abroad to Malang for a full-time fall semester of language and culture study. Requests for additional study through the spring semester can be made to Boren during the application process. All participants must complete both the summer domestic and fall abroad programs.
In addition to full-time language courses, students will have tutors, language conversation tables (summer), homestays (fall), and cultural excursions to help ensure that language goals are being met. Details on these additional benefits will be provided at the start of each program in summer and fall.
South Asian Flagship Languages Initiative
SAFLI students participate in a full-time domestic summer program offered at UW-Madison through the South Asia Summer Language Institute (SASLI). Students will then travel abroad to Jaipur (Hindi) and Lucknow (Urdu) for a full-time fall semester of language and culture study. Requests for additional study through the spring semester can be made to Boren during the application process. All participants must complete both the summer domestic and fall abroad programs.
In addition to full-time language courses, students will have tutors, language conversation tables (summer), homestays (fall), and cultural excursions to help ensure that language goals are being met. Details on these additional benefits will be provided at the start of each program in summer and fall.
Turkish Flagship Language Initiative
TURFLI students participate in a full-time domestic summer program offered at UW-Madison through the Middle Eastern and Mediterranean Language Institute (MEDLI). Students will then travel abroad to Baku for a full-time fall semester of language and culture study. Requests for additional study through the spring semester can be made to Boren during the application process. All participants must complete the summer domestic and fall abroad programs.
In addition to full-time language courses, students will have tutors, language conversation tables (summer), homestays (fall), and cultural excursions to help ensure that language goals are being met. Details on these additional benefits will be provided at the start of each program in summer and fall.
RFLI Culture Initiative
Piloted with the 2021 Boren Regional Flagship Language Initiatives (RFLI), the Culture Initiative is funded by the Institute of International Education (IIE) to provide supplemental culture materials to RFLI program participants (to include SAFLI Hindi and Urdu awardees). These materials are provided in the form of interactive scenarios and moderated roundtables through which the participants develop a better understanding of the culture of their host site and how elements of that culture may influence the interactions that they have while there.
The first module is delivered during the summer intensive language program (SASLI) and covers 3 topics across 6 to 9 scenarios depending on the language. During the summer, participants also attend 3 roundtables during which a program coordinator moderates discussions on the scenarios within each topic. During the fall abroad (which was not piloted in 2021 due to COVID-19) participants work through a second module while attending roundtables moderated by their Resident Director.
These culture scenarios and guided roundtables give RFLI students a cultural framework through which they can improve their intercultural communicative competency and more confidently and appropriately apply the language skills they develop through their intensive domestic program and fall abroad.