Study of the United States Institutes (SUSI) for Scholars

Institutes Description

1\. **[SUSI on American Civilization]{.underline}** 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 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. The institute will
take place at New York University.

2\. **[SUSI on American Politics and Political Thought]{.underline}**
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]{.underline}** 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.

4\. **[SUSI on U.S. Foreign Policy]{.underline}** 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]{.underline}** 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 institute will take place at the University of

Florida, Gainesville.

6\. **[SUSI on Religious Pluralism in the United States]{.underline}**
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.