Seven short-term seminars in the United States

Study of the United States Institutes

Fact sheet

The United States Government is offering the opportunity for Australian academics to attend a series of fully funded six-week study seminars on the study of the United States commencing in June 2012.

The seminars are intended to promote a better understanding of the United States among educators and government officials whose professional responsibilities center on study of the humanities and social sciences.

The U.S. Department of State will pay costs associated the program, including international travel and allowances.

The timelines for the selection process are also tight so those interested in applying to the seminars are encouraged as a matter of priority to contact the Office of Public Affairs at Canberra-PAS@state.gov for further details and to be issued with the selection criteria.

Applications close November 30, 2011

Seven separate seminars cover a wide range of topics

The Institute on American Politics and Political Thought
Hosted by: The University of Massachusetts, Amherst

The 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 country's democratic founding. Discussions of race, religion, immigration, gender, and civil rights weave together a strong understanding of the development of American political institutions. The academic program consists of discussions with practicing politicians and policy makers as well as lecture and seminar style instruction. Participants also have time to work on an independent research project with the assistance of university faculty. Participants travel to Boston; New York; Harrisburg, Pa.; Charlottesville, Va.; and Washington, D.C., to experience and examine places relevant to American politics and political thought.

The Institute on Contemporary American Literature
Hosted by: The University of Louisville

The Institute on Contemporary American Literature provides a multinational group of 18 experienced and highly-motivated foreign university faculty and scholars an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of contemporary American literature. The institute surveys contemporary American writers and writing in a variety of genres and investigates how the themes explored in those works reflect larger currents within contemporary American society and culture. Seminars, lectures and discussions address broad themes such as: the transition from modernism to postmodernism; questions of race, history and identity; and cultural scripting and rescripting. In investigating these topics, participants are exposed not only to the present diversity of the American literary landscape but to writers who represent a departure from that tradition and are establishing new directions for American literature.

Integrated into the participants academic program are opportunities for related site visits. A study tour takes participants to Albuquerque and Santa Fe, N.M.; San Francisco, Calif.; Cincinnati, Ohio; and Washington, D.C. where they participate in seminars conducted by a variety of authors, attend a theatrical production, and visit sites related to their assigned readings.

The Institute on Journalism and Media
Hosted by: Ohio University

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 specialists with an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the unique role of the media plays in American society and government. The institute includes lectures and discussions on various themes such as media, ethics and society; the legal framework for press freedoms; the roles and responsibilities of journalism in a democracy; and media business models in an era of technological change. The institute includes dedicated time spent completely on pedagogy and improving journalism curriculum design; such sessions include teaching media ethics, designing a student run newscast, and developing workshops for professional journalists. During the course of their study at Ohio University, participants also observe local media outlets and news organizations in Athens, Ohio.

The academic program is complemented by a study tour during which participants have the opportunity to visit ABC and CBS affiliates in Cleveland, Ohio, and a major radio station and production company in Pittsburgh, Pa. In Atlanta, Ga., participants visit the CNN International Newsroom. The institute concludes in Washington, D.C., where participants meet with executives from Voice of America and WorldNet as well as visit national monuments and historical landmarks.

The Institute on Religious Pluralism in the United States
Hosted by: The University of California, Santa Barbara

The 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. The institute explores both the historical and contemporary relationship between church and state in the U.S and the ways in which religious thought and practice have influenced, and been influenced by the development of American-style democracy. Participants have an opportunity to share their perspectives on the study of religion and to investigate the history and sociology of American religion and the many religious majority and minority groups in the country. Participants visit local places of worship and examine films to provide context to classroom discussion. In addition, participants work with university faculty to develop, conduct, and present a related research project.

Participants also travel to Salt Lake City, Utah, where they visit the Church History Museum and attend a panel discussion on religious minorities in Mormon populated areas. In Atlanta, the participants visit a Jewish Synagogue, Hindu Temple and Islamic Mosque, as well as Georgia State University to discuss Southern religions. The institute concludes in Washington, D.C., where participants will investigate related topics at the Holocaust Museum, the National Cathedral and other related sites.

The Institute on U.S. Culture and Society
Hosted by: New York University

The Study of the U.S. Institute on U.S. Culture and Society provides 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. The institute examines the ethnic, racial, economic, political and religious contexts in which various cultures have manifested themselves in U.S. society, and the ways in which these cultures have influenced social movements throughout U.S. history. The program draws from a diverse disciplinary base, and provides a model of how a foreign university might approach the study of U.S. culture and society. It includes over 60 different speakers and panelists drawn from leading universities, political organizations, the media, labor unions, business and the arts.

Participants also have the opportunity to travel to New England, Arizona and Washington, D.C. – three demographically and geographically diverse areas of the country.

The Institute on U.S. Foreign Policy
Hosted by: The University of Florida

The 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. The institute examines the intersection of ideas and structures in the development of U.S. foreign policy with an emphasis on the main philosophical traditions behind U.S. foreign policy; the grand strategies and frameworks that have developed as a result; and who shapes these policies from their conceptualization to enactment. The program emphasizes the relationship between U.S. policies and the political, social, and economic forces in the country that constitute the domestic context for debating, formulating, and executing policies. The institute also examines the role of U.S. foreign policy within the context of international relations and international institutions.

For additional study and discussions, participants tour three major cities that shape U.S. foreign policy: Miami, Chicago and Washington, D.C.

The Institute on U.S. National Security
Hosted by: The University of Delaware

The Institute on U.S. National Security provides a group of 18 experienced and highly-motivated foreign university faculty and related professionals with a deeper understanding of the foundations and formulation of U.S. national security policy, with specific emphasis on American views about what constitutes basic U.S. national security and defense requirements and how those views have evolved in the post-Cold War era, especially within the context of the ongoing war against terrorism.
Participants explore continuity and change in U.S. national security policy, examining how U.S. national security policy has dealt with specific areas of concern over time, for example nuclear proliferation, weapons of mass destruction, and combating international terror networks. Utilizing a multi-disciplinary approach, the program examines the various historical, geographic, economic, cultural, and political factors involved in setting U.S. national security policy. The institute is structured to give attention to U.S. national security policy from multiple perspectives, domestically, globally, and in particular geographic areas.

Participants deepen their understanding of the topic by taking study tours to Gettysburg, Pa.; New York City; Boston and Washington D.C., where they will visit sites of historical significance and meet with professionals in the field.

Updates and further detail on the above seminars will be posted to this website in mid February. Placements are strictly limited so there can be only one successful candidate per seminar.