The American Society of the French Academic Palms (ASFAP) will offer 3 summer scholarships of $4000 each to be used in a French-speaking country to students whose interest in the French language and Francophone cultures has been identified by their French instructors. Their primary purpose is to provide students with the opportunity to become more proficient in the language and to understand and appreciate cultures found in the French- speaking world.  Recipients will be announced by the end of March, 2024.

 

The scholarships are for study in an institution that promotes active French language learning in an immersion-style environment. Applicants select their institution as well as arrange for their own travel to the French-speaking country. The minimum stay in the Francophone country is four weeks.

 

These scholarships should by no means be viewed as a pretext for paid holidays in a French-speaking country. Ideally, every French major in college or advanced-level French student in high school should have the experience of living and studying in France or in another French-speaking country.

 

Therefore, priority will be given to those:

1. who have never studied in a French-speaking country;

2. who have not had extensive experience in traveling to or living in French-speaking countries;

3. whose French professors have vouched for their interest and commitment to the study of French and francophone cultures;

4. who have identified an appropriate program of study for at least four weeks in a French-speaking country.

 

All finalists will be interviewed by telephone or by videoconferencing by a scholarship committee member.  Recipients agree to submit a short description of the chosen program as well as a 300-word follow-up article on the experience, both in French.

 

ELIGIBILITY:

• University candidates must be pursuing a French major or minor and be in their sophomore or junior year in college.

• High school candidates must be juniors or seniors and enrolled in an advanced French course (minimum: 3rd year French).  Preference may be given to Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, or honors level students.

• The scholarship should ideally be used during the summer of 2023, though COVID-19-related concerns will of course add flexibility to this expectation.

• All applicants must be American citizens by birth or by naturalization.

• Applicants may NOT be native speakers of French who have spent the majority of their lives in a Francophone country

 (Exceptions: those whose linguistic competence in French cannot be qualified as native or near-native).

• One of these 3 awards, The Turan Future Educator Scholarship, is earmarked for someone who has a

primary future career goal of teaching French at the elementary and/or secondary level.