With support from Trinity, the Department of Romance Studies, the Center for Latin and Caribbean Studies, the Nicholas School of the Environment, and the Duke-UNC Middle Eastern Studies Center, the CLAC program offers optional 1/2-credit-hour world language tutorial sections to appropriate courses offered across the university, in all schools and institutes. CLAC’s objective is increase the opportunities available to our students for integrating language study into their curricula.
What are CLAC tutorials?
CLAC tutorials provide a guided, academic setting in which students with intermediate or advanced language skills explore topics from the main course in the designated language. CLAC tutorials are optional sections attached to non-language courses. For example, a Public Policy course might offer a CLAC section in Mandarin, or an Art History course may propose one in Japanese. Credit for CLAC participation — satisfactory/unsatisfactory — can be awarded independent of the main course.
Who teaches CLAC courses?
The CLAC director assists in identifying and supervising suitable instructors who are responsible for administering and conducting the CLAC sections. A CLAC section therefore adds no additional burden, apart from a brief initial consultation, to the load of the professor of the main course. Instructors of CLAC sections will be paid a stipend by the CLAC Program, and may include graduate students, non-regular rank or regular rank faculty.
What do CLAC courses offer students?
CLAC tutorials link content knowledge with language acquisition. They offer insights into world cultures and area studies, provide experience analyzing texts in their original language, connect students to local and global communities, and help deepen knowledge of specialized vocabulary. CLAC tutorials thus offer unique enrichment opportunities for students with the requisite language competence and can be a valuable supplement to regular curricular offerings in virtually any department or field. They are particularly valuable in supporting research, study away, and other meaningful international experiences.
How do I apply?
CLAC solicits applications from faculty who may be interested in having a CLAC tutorial attached to their course for Fall 2022 or Spring 2023. Interested faculty should send a brief letter of interest to the CLAC Director, Deb Reisinger, at deb.reisinger@duke.edu. Applications are due March 4.
