The goal of the Community-Based Language Initiative (CBLI) is to integrate authentic community interactions into language learning. CBLI connects Duke language students with communities beyond the classroom that offer educational assets and perspectives to enrich and diversify learning outcomes. Students engage in community-engaged projects and cultural exchanges, then critically reflect on their experiences to deepen their academic, civic, and personal understanding.
Over the past two decades, Duke language faculty have made significant strides in building university–community partnerships with local language communities. Courses have been offered across a wide range of language units, including Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Haitian Creole, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Russian, Spanish, Turkish, and Persian.
Courses & Projects
We are in the process of adding course and project profiles—please check back for updates.
Projects & Resources
- The Mariposa Stories Project is a bilingual (English/Spanish) coloring book series for K-5 students, educators, and community organizations that is crafted from personal experiences of Latinx families in Durham, NC.
- LANGUAGES IN DURHAM is a website that documents the lives of native speakers of Arabic, Chinese, French, Haitian Creole, Persian, and Spanish living in Durham and beyond. It includes interviews with local artists, educators, religious leaders, business owners, politicians. It also houses “people portraits” of individuals from Iraq, Palestine, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen created from 2015-2022.
- Find additional resources at Languages at Trinity
Learn More:
- Hear how students describe this initiative → [watch the video]
- If you would like to learn more about the Community-Based Language Initiative email Joan Clifford, PhD.
- Want to find out more about language study at Duke? Find additional resources at Languages at Trinity.
