Projects
Since her start at the University of Central Florida, Dr. Kourova has worked to curate projects that make Russian language and culture more accessible to those at UCF and in the community. Below is a non-exhaustive list of projects that are or have been active at UCF. More information about these projects, as well as other projects, can be found under the "Projects" tab and the "Fulbright-Hays GPA" tab.
Fulbright-Hays Group Project Abroad: Building Bridges with Language and Culture in Russia
July 2017 – December 2018)
Funding Agency: US Department of Education
Role: Principal Investigator
Total Grant/Funding Amount: $91,795.00
Percentage of Funding Attributed to the Applicant: 50%
Description: The grant was only one of five awarded out of 149 applicants, which was also the only federal grant awarded to the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures. The specific aim of the grant is curriculum development, focusing on Russian language, culture, history, and politics as the means to understand the roles and realities of Russia in the international community.
STARTALK: Preparation for a Business Trip to Russia
(February 2018 – February 2019)
Funding Agency: US Department of State
Role: Principal Investigator
Total Grant/Funding Amount: $89,599.00
Percentage of Funding Attributed to the Applicant: 100%
Description: STARTALK is the newest program of the National Security Language Initiative, sponsoring critical language curricula development and intensive language and cultural immersion programs. The specific aims of STARTALK at UCF are to promote greater fluency in critical foreign languages (Russian) in central Florida, while also disseminating educational resources to be used nationwide.
STARTALK: Preparation for a Business Trip to Russia
(February 2017 – February 2018)
Funding Agency: US Department of State
Role: Principal Investigator
Total Grant/Funding Amount: $87,778.28
Percentage of Funding Attributed to the Applicant: 100%
Description: STARTALK is the newest program of the National Security Language Initiative, sponsoring critical language curricula development and intensive language and cultural immersion programs. The specific aims of STARTALK at UCF are to foster critical language acquisition, intercultural skills, and a desire for international travel.
STARTALK: Preparation for a Business Trip to Russia
(February 2016 – February 2017)
Funding Agency: US Department of State
Role: Principal Investigator
Total Grant/Funding Amount: $88,778.00
Percentage of Funding Attributed to the Applicant: 100%
Description: STARTALK is the newest program of the National Security Language Initiative, sponsoring critical language curricula development and intensive language and cultural immersion programs. The specific aims of STARTALK at UCF are to foster critical language acquisition, intercultural skills, and a desire for international travel.
U.S. – Russia Dialogue Program “Getting Closer: A Cross-Cultural U.S. – Russian Project Focusing on Teaching Foreign Languages to U.S. Students and Blind/Visually Impaired Students in Russia”
(Fall 2014 – Spring 2016)
Funding Agency: US Department of State
Role: Principal Investigator
Total Grant/Funding Amount: $99,203.00
Percentage of Funding Attributed to the Applicant: 100%
Description: The US-Russia Dialogue Program is a grant focusing on peer-to-peer engagement in order to foster intercultural communication between American students and blind or visually impaired Russian students. The specific aim of the grant was to create a collaborative team model of digital language and cultural exchange for both Russian and American students, with emphases on foreign language development and native speaker perspective.
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