2008 Study of the United States Institutes

The U.S. Embassy in Ukraine is pleased to announce a competition for the
***2008 Study of the United States Institutes.*** This program is
sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S.
Department of State.

*Study of the United States Institutes* are intensive six-week academic
programs whose purpose is to provide participants with a deeper
understanding of American life and institutions, past and present, in
order to strengthen curricula and to improve the quality of teaching
about the U.S. in colleges and universities. Each program is designed
for a multinational group of university faculty, researchers and
secondary school educators and focuses on a particular American Studies
discipline or theme, and is planned and conducted by a U.S.-based host
institution (typically a college or university).

The *2008* *Study of the United States Institutes* will take place
during various six-week periods between early June and early August.
*One* institute will be offered for *secondary educators* and *six (6)*
institutes for *university level faculty*. Brief descriptions of each
institute follow.

Applications are available at no charge at the Public Affairs Section of
the U.S. Embassy or at the U.S. Embassy's website
**<http://kyiv.usembassy.gov/grants_exchanges_eng.html>**

[**Deadline for receiving applications at Public Affairs Section is
December 28, 2007**.]{.underline}

> [**I. Study of the United States Institute for Secondary
> Educators**:]{.underline}

**[Eligibility]{.underline}:** This program is designed for mid-career,
typically between the ages of 25-50, English-speaking, highly motivated
and experienced secondary educators, teacher trainers, curriculum
developers, textbook writers, and Ministry of Education officials, with
little or no prior experience in the United States, whose objectives are
to introduce aspects of American Studies in school curricula, to develop
new courses or enhance existing courses on the United States, or to
offer specialized seminars for education professionals in U.S. Studies.
Priority will be given to experienced professionals who are in a unique
position to have a significant and immediate impact on curricular
development in the program subject area on the regional level and have
demonstrated special interest in the program through past
accomplishments and professional duties.

Study of the United States Institute for Secondary Educators will
provide participants with a more comprehensive understanding of U.S.
politics, culture, and society. Through a variety of traditional,
multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches, the programs will
elucidate the history and evolution of U.S. institutions and values,
broadly defined, and have a strong contemporary component. They
illuminate contemporary political, social and economic debates in
American society. Classroom lectures, presentations, and discussions
will be integrated with relevant field trips (including school visits),
and supplemented with intensive direct exposure to American life. Please
note that teaching methodology and pedagogical techniques will not be
addressed formally in these Institutes.

> [**Study of the United States Institutes for University
> Faculty**:]{.underline}

**[Eligibility for all Institutes]{.underline}**: **University faculty
and curriculum developers.**

The program is designed for mid-career, typically between the ages of
25-50, highly motivated and experienced English-speaking professionals
from institutions of higher education who have a graduate degree and a
substantial knowledge of the thematic area of the Institute. Priority
will be given to experienced professionals with little or no prior
experience in the United States, whose home institutions are seeking to
introduce aspects of American Studies into its curricula, to develop new
courses in the subject of the institute, update existing courses on the
United States, and to offer specialized seminars for educators in U.S.
Studies areas related to the program theme. In this respect, an equally
important factor is how participation in the institute will enhance
course offerings in U.S. studies at the candidate's institution and
region.

**Please note** that linguistics and pedagogical techniques will not be
addressed formally in these Institutes.

**1.** **STUDY OF THE U.S. INSTITUTE ON** **AMERICAN** **CIVILIZATION\
[Designed for Specialists in:]{.underline}** [American History, American
Studies who are fluent in English and have substantial knowledge of the
subject.]{.underline}

The program examines some of the critical historical epochs, movements,
issues and conflicts that have influenced the development of the U.S.
nation and its people and includes a strong contemporary component,
particularly current political, social, and economic issues and debates.
The complexity and heterogeneous nature of American society is
highlighted, as well as the institutions and values that have enabled
the

nation to accommodate that diversity.

**2. STUDY OF THE U.S. INSTITUTE ON** **AMERICAN POLITICS AND POLITICAL
THOUGHT**

[**Designed for Specialists in:** Political Science, Political Theory,
Sociology, and Philosophy who are fluent in English and have substantial
knowledge of U.S. political system.]{.underline}

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 should be expanded to include the electoral
system, political parties and interest groups, the civil service system,
media and think tanks, or 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.

**3. STUDY OF THE U.S. INSTITUTE ON CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN LITERATURE**\
[**Designed for Specialists in**: American Literature who are fluent in
English and have substantial knowledge of the subject.]{.underline}

Study of the U.S. Institute on Contemporary American Literature will
provide a multinational group of up to 18 foreign university faculty
from throughout the world 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 ideal candidate
will be a specialist in American literature who is fluent in English and
has substantial knowledge of the subject.

**4.**  **STUDY OF THE U.S. INSTITUTE ON** **U.S. FOREIGN POLICY:
FOUNDATIONS FOR FORMULATION**

[**Designed for Specialists in**: Political Science, Government,
History, International Relations and American Studies who are fluent in
English and have substantial knowledge of U.S. foreign
affairs.]{.underline}

Study of the U.S. Institute on U.S. Foreign Policy will provide a
multinational group of 18 foreign university faculty from throughout the
world 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. The ideal candidate will be a specialist in Political Science
or International Relations who is fluent in English and has substantial
knowledge of U.S. foreign affairs.

**5.** **STUDY OF THE U.S. INSTITUTE ON** **JOURNALISM AND MEDIA**

[**Designed for:** Journalism instructors who are fluent in English and
have substantial knowledge of the subject.]{.underline}

Study of the U.S. Institute on Journalism and Media will provide a
multinational group of 18 journalism faculty and other related
specialists from throughout the world with a deeper understanding of
journalism\'s and the media\'s roles 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.

**6. STUDY OF THE U.S. INSTITUTE ON RELIGIOUS PLURALISM IN THE UNITED
STATES\
[Designed for Specialists in:]{.underline}** [History, Religious
Studies, and American Studies who are fluent in English and have
substantial knowledge of the subject.]{.underline}

Study of the U.S. Institute 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; examine the ways in which
religious thought and practice have

influenced, and been influenced by, the development of American-style
democracy; examine the intersections of religion and politics in the
United States in such areas as elections, public policy, and foreign
policy; and explore the sociology and demography of religion in the
United States today, including a survey of the impact on American
politics.