Name: Carli Steelman
E-mail: Carli.E.Steelman.1@nd.edu
Language: Bosnian/Serbo/Coatian
Location of Study: Sarajevo, Bosnia
Program of Study: Balkan Language Initiative
Sponsors: Center for the Study of Languages and Cultures
Blog URL: http://sites.nd.edu/sla2017/author/carli-e-steelman-1nd-edu/
A brief personal bio:
I am a first year PhD student at the Kroc institute. I am a sociology and peace studies student. My dissertation will use the cases of Bosnia and Northern Ireland to answer the following question: how do states use monuments and public commemoration ceremonies to craft narratives of conflict. The language skills learned during the course of this program will make such research possible.
Why this summer language abroad opportunity is important to me:
There are 2 reasons this grant is essential for my educational development. The first is that as a graduate student at the Kroc institute I am required to achieve fluency in a language. The languages that are currently offered on campus are not appropriate for my long-term goals. This grant will allow me to study a language relevant for my dissertation. The second reason this grant is important is that it will allow me to continue research in Bosnia. Without this kind of in-depth language training I would not be able to complete the field work required for the completion of my dissertation.
What I hope to achieve as a result of this summer study abroad experience:
Because i have elementary language skills, I intend to use this summer to achieve intermediate level proficiency. This will help be navigate my dissertation field sites, and to do rudimentary archival work.
My specific learning goals for language and intercultural learning this summer:
1) At the end of the summer I will be able to do preliminary archival work to determine what dissertation resources may be available in national archives.
2) At the end of the summer i will be able to read inscriptions on monuments.
3) At the end of the summer i would like to be able to communicate in Bosnian/Serbo/Croatia
with native speakers. Id like the contend of these conversation to be what day-to-day life is like for my host family.
My plan for maximizing my international language learning experience: