New Online Mongolian Course Spring 2011

The American Center for Mongolian Studies (ACMS) is pleased to announce the second semester of an online Mongolian course being offered at University of Maine at Augusta (UMA) from January 10 to May 7, 2011. The course is co-organized by UMA and ACMS. The course is open to anyone (you do not need to be a student at UMA to participate), and it is the second semester in a two semester offering of beginner Mongolian.

Course title: MON 102E - Introduction to Mongolian Language and Culture

Three Credits, Three Instructors, No Textbook;

One prerequisite (ability to read and write Mongolian Cyrillic);

Participation in MON 101E NOT required;

Taught totally online;

Highly interactive weekly assignments;

No required times for student meetings;

More information at: www.mongoliacenter.org

Register through University of Maine at Augusta

Please call 1-800-868-7000 and speak with Heidi or Lisa.

ACMS Now Accepting Fellowship Applications for 2011

The American Center for Mongolian Studies is pleased to announce its fellowship programs for 2011. Five programs offer up to 16 fellowship opportunities for students, faculty, and professional librarians. The application deadline for all of these programs is February 15, 2011. For more information visit: www.mongoliacenter.org/fellowship or Contact: info@mongoliacenter.org with questions.

ACMS Annual Meeting - Call for Posters

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: March 1, 2010
The American Center for Mongolian Studies (ACMS) is organizing a Mongolian Studies poster session and reception to be held on Friday, March 26, 2010 at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown Hotel (1201 Market Street Philadelphia, PA), in Grand Ballroom Salon G, in conjunction with the ACMS' Annual Meeting.

Posters on any topic related to Mongolia, the Mongolian people or historical subjects related to the Mongols are welcome. Poster presenters are required to appear at the meeting to discuss their work. Posters may be in either English or Mongolian language, and students and scholars from all countries and fields of study are invited to participate in the poster session and reception.

To propose a poster for the session, please send a brief abstract with a title (no more than 250 words) to Baigalmaa Begzsuren at info@mongoliacenter.org before March 1, 2010. Posters will be accepted on a rolling basis. Note: ACMS cannot provide funding for expenses related to attending the annual meeting or poster session.

For more information visit: www.mongoliacenter.org/poster.

The ACMS Annual Meeting is being held in conjunction with the Association of Asian Studies (AAS) Annual Conference. You do not need to be registered for the AAS conference to participate, but poster presenters should be members of the ACMS at the time of the meetings.

The American Center for Mongolian Studies (ACMS) is an American Overseas Research Center that supports research and academic exchange in Inner Asia. It maintains offices in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia and at University of Wisconsin-Madison. More information on the ACMS and academic resources related to Mongolia may be obtained at www.mongoliacenter.org.

Online Mongolian Language Course

ANS 193: Introduction to Mongolian Language and Culture
January 21-May 6, 2010

University of Alaska Fairbanks and the American Center for Mongolian Studies are pleased to announce an online introductory Mongolian language course for the spring of 2010. The course will be offered for credit and cover beginner level competencies. The course will be taught by three instructors entirely online, so participation is open to anyone, anywhere with an internet connection. The number of participants is capped, so sign up as soon as possible to ensure a spot in the course.

For more information visit: http://www.alaska.edu/distance or call 800-277-8060
Registration and other fees: $115
No prerequisites or textbooks
Course materials available at www.mongoliacourses.org
Course description at www.mongoliacourses.org/ANS193

About Instructors:

T. Naraantsetseg is a Mongolian language instructor with over 15 years experience and 8 language book publications. She is a language instructor at the State Department Foreign Service Institute. She will be teaching from Virginia.

Brian White is a advanced-level non-native speaker of Mongolian and experienced foreign language instructor. He is the US Director of the American Center for Mongolian Studies, and lived in Mongolia for five years. He will be teaching from Wisconsin.

Curt Madison is an expert in distance education. He is the Director of eLearning Program Development at UAF. He will be teaching from Alaska.

ACMS Faculty Research Fellowship 2010

American Center for Mongolian Studies is pleased to announce the first year of the ACMS Faculty Research Fellowship. The fellowship will support faculty members from US colleges and universities to conduct short-term field research in Mongolia between May and October 2010. Applicants must be US citizens or permanent residents currently teaching at a college or university in the United States.

DEADLINE TO APPLY: March 1, 2010
APPLICATION MATERIALS AT: www.mongoliacenter.org/faculty

The program priority is to support faculty from non-research intensive universities and colleges, especially faculty who are helping guide student research projects or who can show how the experience will enhance their teaching and outreach. This grant may be paired with the US-Mongolia Field Research Fellowship (see www.mongoliacenter.org/field), which funds student field research in Mongolia, to create a student faculty research team. The faculty member and student must each submit applications to the appropriate program, and should indicate in their research statement their intention to work together. Prior experience working in Mongolia is not a requirement, and the program is open to all fields.

Applicants must have an identified Mongolian institution or individual who will serve as their Research Sponsor in Mongolia. Applicants without formal contacts in Mongolia can contact the ACMS at info@mongoliacenter.org to inquire about assistance in finding an appropriate Research Sponsor.

The fellowship award will include up to $2,500 for travel and living expenses. The funding is intended to serve as a catalyst and may be used in conjunction with funds from other sources.

More information about the program at www.mongoliacenter.org/faculty.
More information about the ACMS at www.mongoliacenter.org.

US-Mongolia Field Research Fellowship

The American Center for Mongolian Studies (ACMS), with funding support from the US Department of State Education and Cultural Affairs Bureau, is pleased to announce the fifth year of the ACMS US-Mongolia Field Research Fellowship Program to support student field research in Mongolia in summer or fall 2010. The program will provide $500-$3000 grants to approximately 5 students from US universities to conduct academic field research in Mongolia between May and October 2010. Student applicants can be at an advanced undergraduate, masters or pre-dissertation doctoral level, and all fields of study are eligible. Applicants must be either US citizens or permanent residents currently enrolled full-time in a university or college in the United States. Students graduating in spring 2010 are eligible to apply. No previous experience in Mongolia required.

DEADLINE TO APPLY: March 1, 2010
APPLICATION MATERIALS AT: www.mongoliacenter.org/field

The field research project should be conducted in conjunction with a Research Sponsor, such as a faculty member or senior researcher, and involve at least 6 weeks of fieldwork in Mongolia. Preference is given to projects in which the Research Sponsor will work directly with the student researcher in the field in Mongolia. To open the program to more potential collaborations, in 2010 the program will continue to consider funding well designed projects that demonstrate close collaboration between the student researcher and the Research Sponsor, even if the Research Sponsor is unable to travel to Mongolia to oversee the field research work. There are no eligibility restrictions with regards to the Research Sponsor's citizenship.

More information about all of ACMS fellowship opportunities at: www.mongoliacenter.org/fellowship.
For questions, contact info@mongoliacenter.org.

ACMS Research Fellowship 2010-2011

The American Center for Mongolian Studies (ACMS), with funding support from the Henry Luce Foundation, is pleased to announce the third year of the ACMS Research Fellowship Program. The ACMS Research Fellowship Program annually supports three fellows to conduct up to 12-months of doctoral dissertation or post-doctoral research in Mongolia on topics in the Social Sciences or Humanities. Natural Science research is not eligible, unless there are clear areas in which the research furthers social, cultural, political, or policy knowledge relevant to Mongolia or the region.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: March 1, 2010
APPLICATIONS AT: www.mongoliacenter.org/fellowship

The program seeks to promote research opportunities in Mongolia among scholars who have not included the country in their previous research, and to broaden the knowledge base of scholars already working in the country. Previous Mongolian Studies experience is not required, but projects should enhance knowledge of Mongolia and the Mongols within relevant academic disciplines or fields of study. Projects that link research conducted in Mongolia to research in other parts of Asia or across academic fields are especially encouraged.

Fellowship awards will include travel expenses to and from Mongolia, an accommodation and food allowance, and a stipend to cover research expenses. Awards will be adjusted based on the length of time spent conducting research in the region with a maximum award of $27,000 per fellow. Fellows will also have the opportunity to take intensive Mongolian language courses, select resources for inclusion in the ACMS Library, and participate in an annual academic seminar in Mongolia that will bring together international, regional and local scholars and students.

Research work under this program must begin between September 2010 and March 2011, and last for a continuous 6-12 months. Fellowship recipients must be based in Mongolia for the duration of their fellowship, but research travel in the broader region is encouraged. The 12-month term will allow recipients to stay in Mongolia for the academic year, which runs from September to June, and the summer months, which offer the best weather for field research.

More information about the program is available at www.mongoliacenter.org/fellowship or contact info@mongoliacenter.org.