Center for Language Studies

Doctoral Certificate in Language Pedagogy and Academic Engagement

The Certificate in Language Pedagogy and Academic Engagement (LAPEACE) gives formal recognition to the excellent professional training related to language pedagogy that happens across modern language departments and at Brown University more broadly. It further recognizes graduate students' contributions to the vitality of their department, the university, and the community, which often include duties and obligations required of most faculty in an academic setting.

The LAPEACE doctoral certificate provides a clear and structured pathway for graduate students in modern languages as they navigate through the many facets of their PhD program.  Its focus on language pedagogy and academic engagement encourages graduate students to deepen their professionalization in language pedagogy and to participate in academic service in order to be well prepared for the multiple facets of future academic positions.

Certificate Requirements 

Graduate students will successfully complete the doctoral certificate through a combination of course work, pedagogy and language training, professional development, proctorships, and academic engagement. The graduate training necessary for the certificate offers students the chance to develop a more holistic experience true to the expectations of many academic teaching positions.

Courses

  • LANG2900 or a comparable Language Pedagogy or Second Language Acquisition Course
  • 2 seminars in the language discipline eligible to earn graduate credit. Please consult the certificate advisor with questions about course selection.

Teaching and Professional Development

Graduate students pursuing the certificate are expected to

  • Teach 4 courses in the target language, including at least two courses at different levels (beginning, intermediate, etc), and ideally one course of one’s own design
  • Participate in 5 technology, pedagogy, or professionalization workshops (representing a variety of topics, minimum of 3 in CLS)
  • Design an online teaching portfolio and personal professional website
  • Demonstration of professional language proficiency (ex. seminar paper, publication, colloquium or professional presentation in target language) 

Community Engagement and Service

  • Completion of one Expanded Academic Experience (AcE). This may include participation in any of the following: undergraduate-facing co-curricular activities or graduate student liaison to department or to DUG for at least on semester, conference organizing, graduate school programming (BEST, Research Matters, etc), Fulbright committee, community-based learning projects - and much more - please consult the certificate advisor about other community engagement and service that you think may qualify
  • Submission of the required reflective paper on the AcE

Procedure

Please use this document to help you to keep track of your progress through the certificate's requirements.

Application

Please access ufunds.brown.edu to find additional details on applying or to apply to the LaPeace Doctoral Certificate.  After logging in to UFunds, please select "Doctoral Certificates," and then select "Language Pedagogy and Academic Engagement."  Ufunds will prompt you for a statement of support from your department.

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.

More Information

Please contact Jeremy Lehnen, Director of the Center for Language Studies, to learn more about the graduate certificate.