Scholarship Announcement

2009 STUDY OF THE UNITED STATES INSTITUTES
FOR SCHOLARS AND SECONDARY SCHOOL EDUCATORS

The Public Affairs Section (PAS), U.S. Embassy Hanoi, is pleased to announce the seven Study of the United States Institutes (SUSI)  for scholars and secondary school educators in 2009 and seeking suitable candidates to nominate for these programs. University lecturers and researchers in American Studies and secondary educators who wish to apply for the programs are invited to complete the attached application form and send it to PAS by Monday, January 19, 2009. Selections will be announced in early April 2009.

Program Overview

Study of the United States Institutes 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. Knowledge and experience gained from these programs are expected to help the participants to strengthen curricula and to improve the quality of teaching about the United States in their own universities and institutions when they return to their home country.

Each program will host 18 participants from different countries around the world (except for SUSI for Secondary School Educators) and take place over the course of six weeks beginning in mid June 2009. All participant costs, including: program administration, international and domestic travel and ground transportation, housing and subsistence, book, cultural, mailing and incidental allowances will be sponsored by the U.S. Department of State.

Summary of the Institutes

1. American Civilization
   Hosted by New York University, SUSI on American Civilization 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.
       
2. American Politics and Political Thought
   Hosted by the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, 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.
      
3. Contemporary American Literature
   Hosted by the University of Louisville, 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.
       
4. U.S. Foreign Policy
   Hosted by the University of Florida, 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.
     
5. Journalism and Media
   Hosted by the University of Florida, Gainesville, 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.
       
6. Religious Pluralism in the United States
   Hosted by the University of California, Santa Barbara, 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.
     
7. For Secondary School Educators
   Hosted by the Institute for Training and Development in Amherst, Massachusetts, and the University of Illinois at Chicago, SUSI for Secondary School Educators will provide two multinational groups of 30 secondary educators each (classroom teachers, teacher trainers, curriculum developers, textbook writers, ministry of education officials, etc.) with a deeper understanding of U.S. society, education, and culture, past and present. The programs will be organized around a central theme or themes in U.S. civilization and will have a strong contemporary component.  Through a combination of traditional, multi-disciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches, the programs will elucidate the history and evolution of U.S. educational institutions and values. The programs also serve to illuminate contemporary political, social, and economic debates in American society.

Candidate Qualifications

Eligible candidates for the Study of the United States Institutes must be:

• Between the ages of 25-50;
• For SUSI No. 1-6: Highly motivated and experienced university lecturers or researchers in American Studies, preferably those having graduate degrees and substantial knowledge of the thematic area of the Institute;
• For SUSI No.7:  Highly-motivated secondary teachers, teacher trainers, curriculum developers, textbook writers, ministry of education officials, or other related professionals with responsibility for secondary education who is seeking to introduce aspects of U.S. studies into their curricula;
• Comfortable with campus life and willing and able to fully take part in an intensive post-graduate level academic program and study tour; and
• Having excellent command in English.
  

Young and experienced university lecturers, researchers or secondary school educators with little or no prior experience in the United States, whose home institution is seeking to introduce aspects of U.S. Studies into its curricula, to develop new courses in the subjects of the program they apply for, to enhance and update existing courses on the United States, or to offer specialized seminars/workshops for colleagues in areas related to the program theme are highly encouraged to apply for the programs.

Application

Eligible candidates are invited to email complete application forms (attached to the bottom of this document) to the email address pas.culture@gmail.com no later than 5:00 PM, Monday, January 19, 2009.  Hard copies of applications should be sent to the following address by the same deadline. 

The SUSI for Scholars Program
Public Affairs Section
United States Embassy
7 Lang Ha Street
Hanoi

No exception will be made regarding the deadline.

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APPLICATION FOR THE 2009 STUDY OF THE UNITED STATES INSTITUTE
ON …………………………………………….

A. Full Name (exactly as it appears on your passport)

• First Name:
  
• Middle Name:
  
• Surname(s):
  

B. Date of Birth (mm/dd/yyyy)

C. City of Birth

D. Country of Birth

E. Country of Residence

F. Country(ies) of Citizenship

G. Home Address, Telephone and E-mail

H. Gender

I. Medical, Physical, Dietary or other Personal Considerations:
Please state if the candidate has any existing medical conditions or is currently taking any prescription medication.  This will not affect candidate selection, but will enable the host institution to make any necessary accommodations.

J. Current Position and Title

K. Current Institutional Affiliation and complete address

L. Work Experience, including previous positions and titles

M. Education, Academic and Professional Training, including degree earned and fields of specialization

N. Active Professional Memberships

O. Publications (please do not list any more than 10)

P. Previous Experience in the United States:
Please list any and all trips the candidate has made to the United States and include approximate dates and the reason for travel.

Q. Family Residing in the United States:
Please list any immediate family members who are currently residing in the United States, including city and state.

R. Evidence of English Fluency (e.g. degree, test score, etc.)

T. Personal Statement (no more than one page)