English for Heritage Language Speakers Program at Georgetown University

Program Description

The EHLS Scholarship Program is designed to take students from advanced English proficiency to professional-level proficiency within eight months. This is the only program of its kind to help students achieve this goal in such a short time.

The program requires a full-time commitment to classes and homework throughout the first six months of the course. For the final two months, classes are conducted on-line with workshops on campus on Saturdays.

Scholarships with living stipends are offered to all accepted students in the program. By accepting, scholars agree to concentrate solely on the course work and not hold any other form of employment during the first six months.

The curriculum focuses on communication skills and strategies for government-related jobs. It provides many opportunities for students to:
• practice their skills in authentic communication situations, and
• learn directly from people who work in various branches of the government.

The GU-EHLS Program includes:

• Field trips: Students will have the opportunity to visit various government and non-government agencies. Among those scheduled in 2009 were the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the National Security Agency (NSA).
• Guest speakers: Speakers from various branches of the government and other renowned experts are invited to meet with the students. Guests this year included representatives from the National Ground Intelligence Center, the CIA Open Source Center, and Open Source Works. 
• Research projects: Scholars develop final research projects to present to members of the intelligence community. For the previous two years, scholars have worked on individual projects selected by the Defense Intelligence Agency, using non-classified open-source materials. Read about the 2007 student projects in this article from the DIA Communique, "The World Comes to DIA's Doorstep."  In 2009 the Open Source Analysis Project was redesigned and expanded to include eight government agencies, each of which submitted topics to be researched by EHLS scholars. These agencies ranged from the Defense Intelligence Agency to the Library of Congress.
• Seminars with recruiters: Representatives from agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the National Security Agency (NSA) meet with our students to talk about career opportunities in their areas. 
• Language exchange partners: Students are matched with Georgetown foreign language students for regular conversation practice. 
• One-on-one faculty tutorials to support each student. 
• Weekly one-on-one pronunciation tutorials for individual coaching.
• Seven-week part-time session: The objective of the final seven-week session is to provide continued language support for the scholars as they are completing and submitting job applications and having employment interviews.
  o Seven-week online courses after the intensive six-month program: Students continue to receive language training in government writing and career skills on a schedule that allows them to work during the week.
  o Saturday workshops on campus: Students continue to receive training in oral presentation skills, with an emphasis on giving intelligence briefings. The purpose is to replicate the work environment in a government agency.

Sample Daily Schedule

January 4 – June 25, 2010

July 5 – August 20, 2010

Part-time on-line program with Saturday workshops on campus. Students are permitted and encouraged to work during the week while studying in this part of the program.

2010 Program Schedule

Jan 4 – Feb 26: Session 1 classes, including Reading/Writing, Listening/Speaking, Career Skills, News Analysis/Accent Modification.

Mar 1 – Mar 5: One-week Break (no classes)

Mar 8 – April 30: Session 2 classes, including Reading/Writing, Listening/Speaking, Career Skills, News Analysis/Accent Modification.

May 3 – May 7: One-week Break (no classes)

May 10 – Jun 25: Session 3 classes, including Reading/Writing, Listening/Speaking, Career Skills, News Analysis/Accent Modification.

Jun 28 - Jul 2: One-week Break (no classes)

Jul 5 – Aug 20: Session 4 classes, including on-line courses in writing and career skills, and an on-campus course in oral skills on Saturdays.

Aug 21: Graduation Ceremony