Careers
Diffusion of Innovation
Special Initiatives
Contact Us
African Languages
African Languages

Masai girl with American student

Howard University

The African Flagship Program is located at Howard University. The program offers intensive instruction in Swahili. Full-time undergraduate students from any academic major are eligible to apply. The student selection process is competitive.

Flagship students  participate in a unique language and culture learning experience during the academic year and summer sessions. The innovative Flagship curriculum is designed to lead students to Superior Level proficiency as measured by the ILR (International Language Roundtable) scale over a four-year period by:

  • Providing many experiential learning opportunities by designing hands-on and language use activities/tasks
  • Emphasizing elaborated and rich input in all classes
  • Training students for chunk learning and for focusing on both language forms and functions
  • Providing opportunities for cooperative and collaborative learning through group tasks
  • Emphasizing corrective feedback whenever possible
  • Making individualized instruction an integral part of the curriculum

Student proficiency levels will be constantly monitored by class instructors and by professional evaluators at each level of instruction. As cultural understanding is a major goal of the Flagship curriculum, eligible Swahili students will study in Tanzania. These carefully-designed and challenging overseas programs will allow students to engage in real-life situations with local Swahili-speaking families and communities. The overseas study component will be administered for Flagship by the American Councils for International Education.

How to apply to the domestic programs:

  • Completed Application
  • Statement of Purpose and Commitment
  • Two letters of recommendation from Faculty at your current institution
  • Academic Transcript

For more information about the overseas program and to apply, please go to: http://flagship.americancouncils.org/african/

Contact: James J. Davis, Ph.D.
Director, African Flagship Center - Swahili
Department of World Languages and Cultures
Howard University Washington, DC 20059
202 806-6758
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it