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CALL FOR APPLICATIONS TO PARTICIPATE ON
STUDY OF THE UNITED STATES INSTITUTES (SUSI) FOR SCHOLARS
JUNE – JULY 2010
BACKROUND TO THE STUDY OF THE UNITED STATES INSTITUTES (SUSI)
Study of the United States Institutes (SUSI) are intensive post-graduate level academic programs with integrated study tours whose purpose is to provide foreign university faculty and other scholars the opportunity to deepen their understanding of American society, culture and institutions. The ultimate goal is to strengthen curricula and to improve the quality of teaching about the United States in academic institutions abroad.
For 2010 the following 6 Institutes are being offered:
1. SUSI on U.S. Culture and Society will provide a multinational group of 18 foreign university faculty and scholars with a deeper understanding of U.S. society, culture, values and institutions. The program examines some of the critical ethnic, racial, economic, political, and religious contexts in which various cultures have manifested themselves in U.S. society, and the ways in which these cultures have influenced both social movements and historical epochs throughout U.S. history, The program will draw from a diverse disciplinary base, and will itself provide a model of U.S. culture and society. The site for the institute will be confirmed at a later date.
2. SUSI on American Politics and Political Thought will provide a multinational group of 18 foreign university faculty with a deeper understanding of U.S. political institutions and major currents in American political thought. The institute will provide the participants insight into how intellectual and political movements have influenced modern American political institutions. The institute will provide an overview of political thought during the founding period (constitutional foundations), and the development and current functioning of the American presidency, Congress and the federal judiciary. The examination of political institutions will include the electoral system, political parties and interest groups, the civil service system, media and think tanks, and the welfare/regulatory state. The institute will address modern political and cultural issues in the United States (including but not limited to civil rights, women's rights, immigration, etc.), and the significance of public discourse in the formulation of public policy. The institute will take place at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
3. SUSI on Contemporary American Literature will provide a multinational group of up to 18 foreign university faculty and scholars with a deeper understanding of U.S. society and culture, past and present, through an examination of contemporary American literature. Its purpose is twofold: to explore contemporary American writers and writing in a variety of genres; and to suggest how the themes explored in those works reflect larger currents within contemporary American society and culture. The program will explore the diversity of the American literary landscape, examining how major contemporary writers, schools and movements reflect the traditions of the American literary canon. At the same time, the program will expose participants to writers who represent a departure from that tradition, and who are establishing new directions for American literature. The institute will take place at the University of Louisville, Kentucky.
4. SUSI on U.S. Foreign Policy will provide a multinational group of 18 foreign university faculty and scholars with a deeper understanding of how U.S. foreign policy is formulated and implemented with an emphasis on the post Cold War period. This institute will begin with a review of the historical development of U.S. foreign policy and cover significant events, individuals, and philosophies that have dominated U.S. foreign policy. In addition, the institute will explain the role of key players in the field of foreign policy, including the executive and legislative branches, the media, public opinion, think-tanks, non-governmental and international organizations and how these players debate, cooperate, influence policy, and are held accountable. Regional sessions, for the entire group, highlighting salient topics such as energy security and environmental policy in Europe; trade and human rights issues in Asia; foreign aid and humanitarian assistance in Africa; drug trafficking and immigration issues for the Western Hemisphere; and combating terrorism in the Near East and South Asia are among the relevant issues that might be explored. In addition, sessions focusing on current issues such nuclear disarmament, the Middle East peace process, or U.S. military actions would be appropriate. The institute will take place at the University of Florida, Gainesville.
5. SUSI on Journalism and Media will provide a multinational group of 18 journalism faculty and other related specialists with a deeper understanding of the role of journalism and the media in U.S. society. It will examine major topics in journalism, including the concept of a "free press," First Amendment rights, and the media's relationship to the public interest. The legal and ethical questions posed by journalism will be incorporated into every aspect of the institute. The institute will cover strategies for teaching students of journalism the basics of the tradecraft: researching, reporting, writing, and editing. The program will also highlight technology's impact on journalism, addressing the influence of the internet, the globalization of the news media, the growth of satellite television and radio networks, and other advances in media that are transforming the profession. The site for the institute will be confirmed at a later date.
6. SUSI on Religious Pluralism in the United States will provide a multinational group of up to 18 foreign university faculty and practitioners with a deeper understanding of U.S. society and culture, past and present, through an examination of religious pluralism in the United States and its intersection with American democracy. Employing a multi-disciplinary approach, drawing on fields such as history, political science, sociology, anthropology, law and others where appropriate, the program will explore both the historical and contemporary relationship between church and state in the United States. Participants will examine the following aspects of religious pluralism in the United States: the ways in which religious thought and practice have influenced, and been influenced by, the development of American-style democracy; the intersections of religion and politics in the United States in such areas as elections, public policy, and foreign policy; and the sociology and demography of religion in the United States today, including a survey of the diversity of contemporary religious beliefs and its impact on American politics. The institute will take place at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
More Information and application form
Prospective applicants are encouraged to visit the following website for more information: http://exchanges.state.gov/academicexchanges/scholars.html
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