The U.S. Embassy in Ukraine is pleased to announce a competition for the 2024 Study of the United States Institute for Secondary Educators and Teachers. This program is sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State and will cover all participant costs, including program administration, international travel, housing and subsistence, as well as book, cultural, and incidental allowances. The Institute will be conducted as traditional in-person five-week program at U.S. host institution and will take place between late May and early June 2024; exact dates will be communicated in spring 2024. Should health, safety, and travel conditions pose significant challenges, the programs will pivot to a modified virtual format. Please visit the website page to obtain general information about the Institutes: http://exchanges.state.gov/susi.
The highly competitive Study of the U.S. Institute for Secondary Educators is an intensive post-graduate level academic program with integrated study tours whose purpose is to provide foreign secondary educators the opportunity to deepen their understanding of U.S. society, culture, values, and institutions. The ultimate goal of the Institute is to strengthen curricula and to enhance the quality of teaching about the United States in secondary schools. Participants are expected to attend all lectures and organized activities, and complete all assigned readings. If the program is conducted virtually, the same participation requirements apply. The institutes should not be viewed as research programs. The Institute is tailored for secondary school teachers, teacher trainers, curriculum developers, textbook writers, and ministry of education officials.
The goal of the Institute for teachers is to provide content and materials to develop high school curricula about the United States. It will focus on content about the United States rather than teaching methods and pedagogy. The second Institute is tailored for experienced administrators including teacher trainers, curriculum developers, textbook writers, ministry of education officials, and others.
Through a combination of traditional, multi-disciplinary, and interdisciplinary approaches, program content will examine the history and evolution of U.S. institutions and values, broadly defined. The programs will also illuminate contemporary political, social, and economic debates in American society. The four-week academic residencies will take place at U.S. university and college campuses and will consist of a balanced series of lectures, panels, seminar discussions, readings, workshops, site visits, meetings with practitioners in the field, and cultural activities. One-week study tours in a different region will complement the academic residencies and showcase the cultural, geographic, and ethnic diversity of the United States. The program features curriculum based on the study of how America’s foundations and historical development have shaped and continue to inform U.S. politics, economics, and society. Community service activities are a key cultural component of the program and provide participants with a first-hand experience of how volunteerism plays a vital role in U.S. civil society. The program will offer multiple opportunities for follow-on engagement through alumni webinars, grant-funded follow-on projects, social media, and an alumni workshop.
Virtual Program Contingency: Should health, safety, and travel conditions continue to pose significant challenges, the SUSI will pivot to a virtual format. The virtual program will consist of a minimum of 36 hours of required programming and will be a combination of synchronous and asynchronous learning. To the extent possible, the virtual programming will include lectures, small group discussions, videos, readings, panels, site visits, assignments, and individual and group activities. Participants are required to fully participate in the entire virtual program from their home location outside the United States.
Connectivity: Should the program need to pivot to a virtual format, participants would need access to a computer and a stable internet connection. If a participant does not have a computer or adequate internet access, the University of Montana (UM) will work with the participant to facilitate computer access on an as-needed basis. Participants would be expected to actively engage in all program activities, and therefore, they should notify immediately the host institution and post of any issues with their online access during the duration of the program as well as any difficulties affecting their participation.
Housing and Meal Arrangements: Each participant will have a private room but may be required to share a bathroom with a participant of the same gender during the Institute. Most meals will be provided at campus facilities; participants may have access to a kitchen to cook some meals on their own.
Candidate description and qualifications: Candidates should be citizens of Ukraine currently residing and working in Ukraine.
Candidates should be mid-career, typically between the ages of 30-50, highly-motivated and experienced secondary school teachers, teacher trainers, curriculum developers, textbook writers, and ministry of education officials. Ideal candidates are individuals who are seeking to introduce or enhance aspects of U.S. studies into their curricula, to develop or enhance courses focused on the United States, or to offer specialized seminars/workshops for professionals in U.S. studies theme. While the nominee’s scholarly and professional credentials are an important consideration, the potential impact and multiplier effect of the Institute is equally important. Priority will be given to candidates who have firm plans to enhance, update or develop courses and/or educational materials with U.S. studies focus or component, who have no or limited prior experience in the United States, and who have special interest in the institute topic as demonstrated through past scholarship, accomplishments, and professional duties.
Candidates must demonstrate English language fluency. SUSI Institutes are rigorous and demanding academic programs conducted entirely in English. Participants will be expected to read and comprehend substantial written materials and assignments in English and to participate in all seminar and panel discussions fully and actively.
Applications should be submitted by email to KyivSUSI@state.gov.
Deadline for receiving applications at the Public Diplomacy Section is COB December 18, 2023.
