Teaching by Language

This page will be updated as we confirm Terms of Award. Please note that FLTAs at MSU will have some differences in their teaching assignments based on language.

You will receive example syllabi and other documents from the FLTA Supervisor soon after we get confirmation of Terms of Award, but this information can help give you an idea of what you will be teaching.

LCTL = Less Commonly Taught Language

Due to the nature of our program, the exact duties and the hours listed on your terms of award will vary depending on language. Flexibility and adaptability will also be required throughout the year in assigning and adjusting duties as individual circumstances necessitate. In all cases, the total workload will be a minimum of 10 hours per week to a maximum of 20 hours a week. All FLTAs will have two primary responsibilities:

some level of teaching and materials development,
some involvement in community outreach programs

but the exact distribution of hours will vary by language. A few languages will also include some on-campus promotion through clubs and cultural activities. For teaching, many FLTAs will be assisting another instructor or instructors in established classes, but some will teach a section on their own with weekly or bi-weekly lesson-planning guidance from coordinators and other instructors. Most languages have well-established syllabi, program-level curriculum, and language learning materials. For the very few that don’t, the FLTA, coordinator, and instructors will work to improve and/or create them. Attending and participating in various community outreach programs is the second component. Several outreach events may be pre-planned. Some FLTAs go beyond this to teach a weekly exploratory class at a local middle school, give cultural presentations in local libraries, or work with heritage speaker communities in the area. Some more detailed descriptions of the individual language programs and the likely FLTA duties are below.

Arabic

Well-established LCTL. Undergraduate Major available. Enrollments are approximately 50-100 students. The Fulbright scholar will begin by observing Arabic classes and assisting in teaching ARB 101 at the beginning, perhaps for 10 to 20 minutes per class. Eventually, the Fulbright will teach an entire class in the presence of the main instructor once a week. In addition, the Fulbright will hold weekly office hours, organize a weekly tea hour, and meet with students regularly — either in person or via Zoom.

Bengali

New LCTL. Minor in Indian and South Asian Studies (ISA) available. One to two levels of instruction. Enrollments of 2-10 students. The FLTA will be the instructor of 1 or 2 sections, with weekly assistance/guidance from the ISA coordinator, Rajiv Ranjan. Duties: instructions (3 hrs./wk.), office hrs. (2 hrs./wk.), Conversation hours (3 hrs./wk.), outreach projects (3 hrs./wk.), materials development (3 hrs./wk.).

Chinese

The Chinese Program is a well-established LCTL with an undergraduate major and minor. Current enrollment is approximately 150 students across multiple instructional levels. All Chinese language courses at MSU are listed under the subject code CHS in the MSU Course Descriptions. The program provides a strong co-curricular environment, including Chinese conversation hours and cultural events, in which the FLTA will be fully engaged. These activities support students beyond the classroom and offer authentic opportunities for language and cultural exchange.

The FLTA will have opportunities to teach advanced-level Chinese courses, observe classes at various levels, and participate in curriculum-related discussions. Our program has hosted FLTAs from diverse Chinese-speaking regions, including the People’s Republic of China, Taiwan, and Singapore. Teaching and conversation hour duties will be determined collaboratively to align with the FLTA’s proficiency and availability. These responsibilities are typically scheduled around the FLTA’s own course schedule to ensure an appropriate academic balance.

Hindi

Established LCTL. Minor in Indian and South Asian Studies (ISA) available. Four levels of language instruction are available. Enrollments regularly 10-15 per in the first year, slightly smaller enrollments at higher levels. The FLTA would assist the instructors of various sections, with weekly assistance/guidance from the ISA coordinator, Rajiv Ranjan. Duties: Assist instructor in multiple sections in fall (4 hrs./wk.), possibly teach 1 section in spring (3 hrs./wk.), Office hrs. (2 hrs./wk.), Conversation hours (3 hrs./wk.), outreach projects (3 hrs./wk.), materials development (3 hrs./wk.).

Kiswahili

Growing LCTL. Three levels of instruction. Enrollments average about 6-12 students. Active language table and involvement in various African Studies events. The FLTA will most likely teach a higher level course with weekly assistance from the coordinator, Deo Ngonyani and other Swahili professor, Jonathon Choti. In the spring semester, the FLTA will likely teach two courses. The times our FLTA needs to keep free for teaching :

AFR 101A: 9:10 am-10:00 am, MTWR
AFR 201A: 3:00 pm – 3:50 pm, MTWR
AFR 301A: 3:00 pm – 4:20 pm, TR
AFR 450A: 4:10 pm – 5:30 pm, MW

Korean

(firmly established) Duties: Assist instructors in multiple sections, most likely first or second year, potentially teaching independently on occasion (5 hrs/wk), Office hrs (2 hrs/wk), Conversation hours and/or outreach projects (6 hrs/wk), materials development (3 hrs/wk) . Class size 15-25 per section.
Materials: Syllabi, curriculum, program-generated materials; Support: 1 Korean coordinator, 2 full-time professors, 1 new incoming professor.

Portuguese

Established LCTL. Minor available. Three levels of instruction. Enrollments average around 20 students. The FLTA will serve as a teaching assistant in one course per semester and possibly a high level tutorial, with weekly assistance/guidance from the Portuguese coordinator, Saulo Gouveia. Duties involve teaching segments of a lesson, participating in the PRT (Portuguese) Club events, and helping students.

Quechua

Newer LCTL. One to two levels of instruction. Enrollments 1-10 students (possibly including some faculty.) The FLTA will be the instructor of 1 or 2 sections, with weekly assistance/guidance from the LCTL coordinator, assistance from the Center for Caribbean and Latin American Studies, and collaboration with a national network of Quechua instructors. Teaching schedule arranged with the students.

Russian

Established LCTL. Four levels of language instruction available. Enrollments regularly 19-22 per section of first year, slightly smaller enrollments at higher levels. The FLTA would assist the instructors of various sections, with weekly assistance/guidance from the Russian coordinator, Jason Merrill. The FLTA would also take a lead in the Russian Club. The FLTA would be given the opportunity to teach a one-credit phonetics and pronunciation course in the spring. Russian teaching schedule: MWF 3-3:50. Ideally also some days MWF at 9:10, 10, and 11:20, but these are not mandatory.

Tagalog/Filipino

Newer LCTL. One to two levels of instruction. Enrollments 1-10 students (possibly including some faculty), active student group and current Filipino conversation hour. The FLTA will be the instructor of 1 or 2 sections, with weekly assistance/guidance from the LCTL coordinator and assistance from the Asian Studies Center. Teaching schedule arranged with the students.

Thai

Previous LCTL. Typically one level of instruction available. Enrollments would be small (1-4 students). The FLTA would be the instructor of 1 or 2 sections, depending on demand, with weekly assistance/guidance from the LCTL coordinator. Fully developed syllabus available and curriculum that can be modified to fit FLTA’s teaching style.

Turkish

Small LCTL, typically FLTA-led. Enrollments small, with a few students per section, with potential for growth. The FLTA would be the instructor of 1-2 sections, with weekly assistance/guidance from the coordinator. The FLTA would also work on creating materials for online/hybrid courses. Active Turkish coffee hour. Turkish teaching schedule is arranged with the students.

Ukrainian

New LCTL. One to two levels of instruction. Enrollments 1-5 students (possibly including some faculty.) The FLTA will be the instructor of 1 or 2 sections, with weekly assistance/guidance from the LCTL coordinator and assistance from the Center for European and Eurasian Studies. Teaching schedule arranged with the students.

Urdu

Vietnamese

Currently FLTA-led, with hopes for bringing back a regular instructor. Enrollments are lower now, but were historically were 8-12 for first year, 5-10 for second year, and 2-4 for third year. Currently only offering first year, which is online and shared with other universities. The FLTA would be the instructor of 1 section, with assistance/guidance from the LCTL coordinator. The FLTA would also work on creating materials for online/hybrid courses. We hope the new FLTA would also help build enrollments by being active in the Vietnamese student club. Vietnamese courses can be found listed under LL course code.

Yoruba

Beginning LCTL. Two to three levels of instruction available. Enrollments 2-6 students, but growing. Active language table and involvement in various African Studies events. The FLTA would be the instructor of 1 or 2 sections, with weekly assistance/guidance from the African Languages coordinator, Galen Sibanda. Yoruba courses can be found in the MSU Course Descriptions listed under AFR.

Zulu

Beginning LCTL. Two to three levels of instruction available. Enrollments 2-10 students. Active language table and involvement in various African Studies events. The FLTA would be the instructor of 1 or 2 sections, with weekly assistance/guidance from the African Languages coordinator, Galen Sibanda. Zulu courses can be found in the MSU Course Descriptions listed under AFR.