Four Notre Dame students awarded U.S. Department of State Critical Language Scholarships | News | Notre Dame News | University of Notre Dame Skip To Content Skip To Navigation Skip To Search University of Notre Dame Notre Dame News Experts ND in the News Subscribe About Us Home Contact Search Menu Home › News › Four Notre Dame students awarded U.S. Department of State Critical Language Scholarships Four Notre Dame students awarded U.S. Department of State Critical Language Scholarships Published: June 14, 2018 Author: Erin Blasko Critical Language Scholarship Three University of Notre Dame graduate students and one Law School student have been awarded U.S. Department of State Critical Language Scholarships (CLS) to study critical languages abroad this summer. The CLS program is part of the U.S. government’s effort to expand the number of Americans studying and mastering critical foreign languages in the name of U.S. economic competitiveness and national security. The program is eight to 10 weeks long and includes intensive language instruction and structured cultural enrichment experiences designed to promote rapid language gains. The four students are: • Evan Gage (theology) will study Turkish in Baku, Azerbaijan. • Patricia Hartland (creative writing) will study Urdu in Lucknow, India. • John Karian (law) will study Persian in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. • Catherine Perl (history) will study Arabic in Tangier, Morocco. Gage, Hartland and Perl are part of the Graduate School. Karian is part of the Law School. Regarding Gage, Hartland and Perl, Laura Carlson, vice president, associate provost and dean of the Graduate School, said, “Our students’ research contributions have the potential to effect meaningful and positive change around the world. We’re honored that the U.S. Department of State recognizes this as well, investing in our students’ abilities to communicate their findings in languages in which important global conversations are taking place.” Regarding Karian, Nell Jessup Newton, professor of law and Joseph A. Matson Dean of the Notre Dame Law School, said, “Mr. Karian was placed at the Department of Justice Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section as part of our Washington, D.C., externship program. Based on his experience in that program, he decided to pursue a career in the federal government in a policy role focused on the Middle East, in which he can use his legal background. Studying Persian in Tajikistan this summer will be another important step toward this goal. As his professor I could not be happier that our first-rate experiential learning programs have played an important role in his development.” More than 5,700 American students have benefited from the CLS program since 2006. This year’s class features more than 500 graduate and undergraduate students from more than 230 schools nationwide. Students interested in the program can visit cuse.nd.edu/cls or graduateschool.nd.edu/research for more information. Contact: Erin Blasko, assistant director of media relations, 574-631-4127, eblasko@nd.edu Posted In: International Home Experts ND in the News Subscribe About Us Related September 30, 2022 Nanovic Institute to welcome former President of Croatia Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović September 29, 2022 Notre Dame, Ukrainian Catholic University launch three new research grants September 27, 2022 Notre Dame, Trinity College Dublin engineers join to advance novel treatment for cystic fibrosis September 14, 2022 Apostolic nuncio to Great Britain to deliver the 2022 Keeley Vatican Lecture September 12, 2022 Can you tell me how to get to Sesame Street … in different countries? For the Media Contact Office of Public Affairs and Communications Notre Dame News 500 Grace Hall Notre Dame, IN 46556 USA Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube Pinterest © 2022 University of Notre Dame Search Mobile App News Events Visit Accessibility Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube LinkedIn