General Program Description
Study of the United States Institutes are six-week academic programs for multinational groups
of university faculty from outside the United States. Institutes are held at university campuses
throughout the U.S. and focus on a particular theme or topic about the U.S. Eighteen foreign
educators participate in each Faculty Institute. The Secondary Institutes have 30 participants
each.
The purpose of these institutes is to strengthen curricula and improve the quality of teaching
about the United States in academic institutions overseas. Each program includes two
components: an intensive, four-week academic seminar and a study tour of up to two weeks
designed to reinforce the academic content of the seminar.
Program requirements and restrictions:
Attendance: Participants are expected to attend the entire program. They are also expected to
attend all lectures and non-optional organized activities and to complete assigned readings.
Family members and/or friends may not accompany participants on any part of the program.
Methodology and Personal Research: Teaching methodology will not be addressed formally in
the institutes. Applicants should be aware that the institutes are very intensive and that there
will be very little time for personal pursuits unrelated to the program. While the equivalent of
one day a week will be set aside for curricular research and independent study, the Institute
should NOT be viewed as a personal research program.
Health Conditions: It is important for U.S. host universities to know in advance about any
medical conditions which might require special assistance (wheelchair access, limitations on
walking, etc.) or chronic conditions, such as diabetes, for which treatment may be necessary
during the program. All Institute programs include substantial travel, as well as day or
weekend trips which may require long walks or time spent standing. It is therefore very
important to include information on any medical conditions an applicant may have.
Smoking: All applicants should be aware that smoking areas are often restricted in the
United States, especially during domestic airline flights, in public buildings and on college and
university campuses.
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Study of the United States Summer Institutes
American Civilization
The Study of the U.S. Institute on American Civilization provides a multinational group of
18 experienced and highly-motivated foreign university faculty and scholars with a deeper
understanding of U.S. society and culture, past and present. While the Institute examines some
of the critical historical epochs, movements, issues and conflicts that have influenced the
development of the nation and its people, it also includes a strong contemporary component,
particularly current political, social, and economic issues and debates. The complexity and
heterogeneous nature of American society are highlighted, as are the institutions and values
that enable the nation to accommodate that diversity. The Institute is designed to assist faculty
who are attempting to develop or enhance courses focusing on the United States; it draws from
a diverse disciplinary base and provides a model of how a foreign university might approach
the study of the United States.
American Politics and Political Thought
The Study of the United States Institute on American Politics and Political Thought provides a
multinational group of 18 experienced and highly-motivated foreign university faculty and
related professionals with a deeper understanding of U.S. political institutions and major
currents in American political thought by focusing on the interplay between ideas and
institutions in shaping the contemporary American polity. The Institute provides an overview
of the origins, development, and current functioning of the American presidency, Congress
and the federal judiciary. Examination of political institutions is further expanded to include
the two-party system, the civil service system, interest groups, and the welfare/regulatory
state. Participants also examine competing strains in modern American political
thought/culture, such as liberalism, republicanism, libertarianism, communitarianism,
conservatism, neo-conservatism, etc. The Institute reviews the provenance and trajectory of
these different intellectual strands or movements, and highlights how they have intersected
with American political institutions to shape public discourse and public policy formulation in
the contemporary United States.
Contemporary American Literature
The Study of the United States Institute on Contemporary American Literature provides a
multinational group of 18 experienced and highly-motivated foreign university faculty and
scholars with a deeper understanding of contemporary American literature. Its purpose is
twofold: 1) to explore contemporary American writers and writing in a variety of genres; and,
2) to suggest how the themes explored in those works reflect larger currents within
contemporary American society and culture. The Institute explores 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 Institute
exposes participants to writers who represent a departure from that tradition, and who are
establishing new directions for American literature.
U.S. Foreign Policy: Foundations and Formulations
The Study of the United States Institute on U.S. Foreign Policy provides a multinational group
of 18 experienced and highly-motivated foreign university faculty and related professionals
with a deeper understanding of how U.S. foreign policy is conceptualized and enacted with
emphasis on the post cold war era. The Institute examines the intersection of ideas and
structures in the development of U.S. foreign policy, but focuses primarily on the main
philosophical traditions on which U.S. foreign policy has been based; the grand strategies and
frameworks that have been developed out of these philosophical trends; and, what actors--both
governmental and non-governmental--shape U.S. foreign policy from its conceptualization to
its enactment. An overarching goal of the Institute is to illuminate the relationship between
U.S. policies and the political, social, and economic forces in the United States that constitute
the domestic context in which such policies are debated, formulated, and executed. Lastly, the
Institute is structured to give attention to U.S. policy both globally and in particular
geographic areas, by examining the role of U.S. foreign policy within the context of
international relations and international institutions.
Journalism and Media
The Study of the U.S. Institute on Journalism and Media provides a multinational group of
18 experienced and highly-motivated foreign journalism instructors and other related
professionals with a deeper understanding of the roles of journalism and the media in
U.S. society. The Institute examines 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 are also incorporated into every aspect of the
institute. The Institute covers strategies for teaching students of journalism the basics of the
tradecraft: researching, reporting, writing, and editing. Technology’s impact on journalism, 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 are also
explored in depth.
Religious Pluralism in the United States
The Study of the United States Institute on Religious Pluralism in the United States provides a
multinational group of 18 experienced and highly-motivated foreign university faculty and
related practitioners with a deeper understanding of religious pluralism in the United States
and its intersection with American democracy. Employing a multi-disciplinary approach, and
drawing on fields such as history, political science, sociology, anthropology, and law, the
Institute explores both the historical and contemporary relationship between church and state
in the United States. Additionally, the Institute examines the ways in which religious thought
and practice have influenced, and been influenced by the development of American-style
democracy; examines the intersections of religion and politics in the United States in such
areas as elections, public policy, and foreign policy; and explores 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 Institutes for Secondary Educators will provide two multinational groups of 30 secondary
educators each (English teachers, teacher trainers, curriculum developers, textbook writers,
ministry of education officials, etc.) 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. The
institutes serve to illuminate the contemporary political, social, and economic debates in
American society. The ultimate goal is to promote the development and improvement of
courses and teaching about the U.S. at academic institutions abroad.