Departmental News
From Maryland to Montevideo, Bly Receives Fulbright
M.A. graduate student Jennifer Bly has been awarded a Fulbright Program English Teaching Assistantship to spend six months studying and teaching in Uruguay. Jennifer studies rhetoric and political culture and is interested in studying the rhetoric of globalization, nationalism, cultural identity, and corporate production through various media outlets. Her research program is informed by globalization studies, cultural studies, branding studies, and media studies.
The Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship (ETA) Program aims to improve the quality of the English language instruction provided in Uruguayan public schools and high schools. Future and current Uruguayan English teachers as well as their students, will benefit from the native-speaker presence and cross-cultural understanding.
Teaching assistants will be assigned as language learning assistants at schools and teacher training centers. Teaching Assistant activities will include but are not be limited to:
1) Sharing American culture and way of life with the students;
2) Giving presentations on different topics related to the United States;
3) Preparing classroom activities;
4) Creating activities to encourage students to communicate in English; and
5) Participating in or leading seminars, workshops and/or training.
To allow for maximum exposure to the Uruguayan culture and the education environment, the ETA program will take place in two stages. The first stage will take place in the provinces and the second stage will take place in Montevideo, for an urban experience.
In addition to Teaching Assistant activities, grantees may enroll in up to two academic courses per semester at a Uruguayan university or engage in an independent project related to their field of study under the supervision of a faculty member. These activities, combined with the Teaching Assistant’s responsibilities, will comprise a full-time program. In the Statement of Proposed Study, applicants should describe their study and career interests in addition to providing a well-thought-out and feasible project proposal. The Commission will facilitate placement at a Uruguayan university.
