This program was made possible by combining the resources and expertise of three exceptional programs: from the federal government, we have STARTALK’s cutting-edge language learning programs; at the University of Connecticut, a collaboration between the Department of Literatures, Cultures, and Languages and the Office of Early College Programs.
The STARTALK grant’s generous funding is designed to make the Chinese and Korean Culture and Language Immersion through Gaming and Storytelling programs as accessible as possible. All students admitted to either program will be invited to participate free of charge. This includes a two-weeklong summer residential program that begins on June 23rd, 2024 complete with room and board.
The STARTALK Grant
STARTALK’s mission is to increase the number of U.S. citizens learning, speaking, and teaching critical need foreign languages. STARTALK offers students (K–16) and teachers of these languages creative and engaging online learning and summer experiences that strive to exemplify best practices in language education and in language teacher development. STARTALK is a federal grant program funded by the National Security Agency.
Literatures, Cultures, and Languages Department
The programs offered by Literatures, Cultures, and Languages approach the study of language and culture through an interactive and transdisciplinary engagement with literature, media, history, and human rights. It houses eight language programs in which it is possible to major or minor including Arabic, Chinese, Classic and Ancient Mediterranean Studies, French, German, Hebrew and Judaic Studies, Italian, and Spanish along with a host of other language programs that include Korean, Japanese, Irish, and Modern Greek. Students can earn earn minors in Literary Translation, Film Studies, and Digital Humanities and Media Studies. We also offer nine graduate programs, that include Chinese, French, German, Hebrew and Judaic Studies, Italian, and Spanish, as well as Applied Linguistics and Discourse Analysis and Comparative Literature and Cultural Studies.
Office of Early College Programs
Early College Experience programs allows students to explore the transition to collegiate life prior to their first semester at college.
Early College Experience programs provide students with meaningful academic engagement in high school to support their transition into college. Our programs offer educational opportunities at the high school, in University classrooms, and through on-campus residential summer programs.
STARTALK is working in close partnership with UConn Early College Experience (ECE) and UConn Pre-College Summer (PCS). ECE will act as a bridge to support Connecticut high school students for the Spring and Fall semesters parts of the STARTALK program. PCS will partner with the Startalk Chinese and Korean and Language Immersion through Gaming and Storytelling program to bring students to UConn’s Storrs campus for a two week intensive residential program that is the centerpiece of this three-part program. To learn more about ECE and PCS please visit the OECP website.