The U.S. Embassy in Ukraine is pleased to announce a competition for the 2024 Study of the United States Institutes for Scholars. 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 Institutes will be conducted as traditional in-person programs at U.S. host institutions. Should health, safety, and travel conditions continue to pose significant challenges, the programs will pivot to a modified virtual format.
Study of the U.S. Institutes for Scholars comprise the following themes in U.S. Studies: American Politics and Political Thought; Contemporary American Literature; Journalism and Media; U.S. Culture, Identity, and Society; U.S. Economics and Sustainable Development; and U.S. Foreign Policy.
The highly competitive Study of the U.S. Institutes for Scholars (SUSIs) 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 U.S. society, culture, values, and institutions. The ultimate goal of the Institutes is to strengthen curricula and to enhance the quality of teaching about the United States in academic institutions abroad. Study of the U.S. Institutes for Scholars will take place at various colleges, universities, and institutions throughout the United States over the course of five to six weeks each and will take place between late May and early July 2024; exact dates for each Institute will be communicated in spring 2024. Each Institute includes a four-week academic residency component and up to two weeks of an integrated study tour to another region of the United States. Each program is designed for a multinational group of 18 educators and professionals and focuses on a particular American Studies discipline or theme and is planned and conducted by a U.S.-based host institution. Participants are expected to attend all lectures and organized activities and complete all assigned readings. The institutes should not be viewed as research programs. Candidates should be willing and able to fully take part in an intensive post-graduate level academic program and be comfortable with campus life and an active program schedule.
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.
Applications should be submitted by email to KyivSUSI@state.gov.
Deadline for receiving applications at the Public Diplomacy Section is COB December 18, 2023.
Eligibility for all Institutes: University faculty and curriculum developers.
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, experienced scholars and professionals from institutions of higher education or research focused organizations (not-for-profits, think tanks, etc.). He or she should be a specialist in the field related to the institute title, have a graduate degree and a substantial knowledge of the thematic area of the Institute as demonstrated through past scholarship, accomplishments, publications, 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.
Ideal candidates are individuals whose home institution is seeking to introduce aspects of U.S. studies into its curricula, to develop new courses in the subject of the Institute, to enhance and update existing courses on the United States, or to offer specialized seminars/workshops for professionals in U.S. studies areas related to the program theme. While the nominee’s scholarly and professional credentials are an important consideration, an equally important factor is how participation in the institute will enhance course offerings in U.S. studies at the candidate’s home institution.
Ideal candidates will have little or no prior experience living in or visiting the United States.
Program Requirements and Restrictions: All participants are expected to participate fully in the program. Candidates should be aware that they are applying for an intensive program and there will be little time for personal pursuits unrelated to the program. The Institute is not a research program. Participants must attend all lectures and organized activities and complete assigned readings. Family members and/or friends may not accompany participants on any part of the program. If the program is conducted virtually, the same participation requirements apply. Note that Institute curriculum will not formally address teaching methodology and pedagogical methods. Institutes focus on U.S. studies with only a brief focus on the U.S. education system itself.
Relatives of U.S. embassy or Fulbright commission employees are not eligible for SUSIs. Candidates must be willing to respectfully engage with fellow participants representing different backgrounds and points of view.
The Institutes description:
- The Institute on American Politics and Political Thought will provide a multinational group of 18 experienced and highly motivated foreign university faculty and practitioners insight into how intellectual and political movements have influenced American political institutions and American democracy. The Institute will explore the shaping of American identity and the interaction between that identity and U.S. history, politics, and the democratic process. The Institute will cover a broad range of American experiences that have influenced and been influenced by American national identity. The Institute will provide a deeper understanding of major currents in U.S. political thought, from the colonial period to the present, and explore contemporary U.S. political and social debates and public policy, relating them back to U.S. political thought and American identity. The University of Montana will administer this program while the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, Massachusetts, will host this Institute.
- The Institute on Contemporary American Literature will provide a multinational group of 18 experienced and highly motivated foreign university faculty and practitioners with a deeper understanding of U.S. society and culture, past and present, through an examination of contemporary American literature. The Institute will examine how major contemporary writers, schools, and movements reflect the traditional, and evolving, U.S. literary canon. The Institute will also explore the diverse communities and voices that constitute the American literary landscape and expose participants to writers who are establishing new directions for American literature. The Institute will cover a variety of contemporary American writers and texts and suggest how the themes explored reflect larger currents within contemporary U.S. society and culture. The University of Montana in Missoula, Montana, will administer and host this Institute.
- The Institute on Journalism and Media will provide a multinational group of 18 experienced and highly motivated foreign journalism instructors and other related specialists with a deeper understanding of the roles that journalism and the media play in U.S. society. The Institute will examine the role of journalists in recognizing, pointing out and preventing disinformation and will explore strategies for media and information literacy to counter disinformation. Additionally, the Institute will examine best practices in journalism by discussing the rights and responsibilities of the media in a democratic society, including editorial independence, journalistic ethics, legal constraints, and international journalism. The program will also highlight the impact of technology in journalism, including the influence of the digital economy, globalization of the news media, shifting business and funding models, and other changes that are transforming the profession. The University of Montana will administer this program while Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona, will host the Institute.
- The Institute on U.S. Culture, Identity, and Society will provide a multinational group of 18 experienced and highly motivated foreign university faculty and other specialists with a deeper understanding of U.S. society, culture, values, and institutions through the lens of diversity and national unity. The Institute will examine the economic, ethnic, gender, political, racial, religious, and social contexts in which various cultures have manifested in U.S. society while focusing on the ways in which these cultures have influenced social movements and American identity throughout U.S. history. The program will draw from a diverse disciplinary base and will provide a model of how a foreign university might approach the study of American culture and society. The University of Montana will administer this program while Seattle University in Seattle, Washington, will host the Institute.
- The Institute on U.S. Economics and Sustainable Development will provide a multinational group of 18 experienced foreign university faculty, researchers, practitioners, and policymakers with a deeper understanding of key components and structures of the U.S. economy. Using a multidisciplinary approach, the program will explore various topics of socioeconomics such as how financial institutions, investors, and businesses interact to support sustainable economic development, innovation, and growth; and increasing diverse and equitable employment through institutional regulation, social inclusion strategies, and private and public policies. Throughout the Institute, participants will examine the interplay of climate change, U.S. business innovation, corporate regulation, entrepreneurship, and economic theory. Participants will have opportunities to learn about key institutions and stakeholders in the U.S. economy and meet with a diverse range of business leaders and small business owners, among others. The University of Montana will administer this program while the Institute for Training and Development (ITD), in conjunction with Suffolk University, will jointly host the Institute in Amherst and Boston, Massachusetts.
- 6. The Institute on U.S. Foreign Policy will provide a multinational group of 18 experienced and highly motivated foreign university faculty and practitioners with a deeper understanding of new approaches to U.S. foreign policy and how U.S. foreign policy is formulated and implemented. The Institute will include a historical review of significant events, individuals, and philosophies that have shaped U.S. foreign policy. The program will explain the role of key influences on U.S. foreign policy including the executive and legislative branches of government, the media, the U.S. public, think tanks, non-governmental organizations, and multilateral institutions. The Institute will also examine the current U.S. foreign policymaking landscape and emerging trends that are shaping policy. The University of Montana will administer this program while the University of Delaware will host the Institute in Newark, Delaware.
