Apply for Summer 2020 Study of the U.S. Institutes programs
The U.S. Embassy is announcing the call for applications for Study of the U.S. Institutes (SUSI) for Student Leaders, School Educators and Scholars for summer 2020. Application deadline is December 31, 2019.
SUSI for Student Leaders
Program Description:
Study of the U.S. Institutes for Student Leaders from Europe are intensive short-term academic programs whose purpose is to provide groups of undergraduate student leaders with a deeper understanding of the United States while simultaneously enhancing their leadership skills. The five-week Institutes will consist of a balanced series of seminar discussions, readings, group presentations and lectures. The coursework and classroom activities will be complemented by educational travel, site visits, leadership activities, and volunteer opportunities within the local community. Each Institute will have 20 participants and will include a four-week academic residency component and a one-week integrated study tour to another region of the United States. During the academic residency, participants will also have the opportunity to engage in educational and cultural activities outside of the classroom.
Candidates for this program:
-are interested in the Institute topic;
-are between 18 and 25 years of age;
-have at least one semester left of their undergraduate studies, and therefore be committed to return to their home universities following completion of the program;
-demonstrate strong leadership qualities and potential in their university and community activities;
-indicate a serious interest in learning about the United States;
-have a sustained high level of academic achievement, as indicated by grades, awards, and teacher recommendations;
-demonstrate commitment to community and extracurricular university activities;
-have little or no prior study or travel experience in the United States or elsewhere outside of their home country;
-are highly motivated, mature, responsible, independent, confident, open-minded, tolerant, thoughtful, and inquisitive;
-are willing and able to fully participate in an intensive academic program, community service, and educational travel;
-are comfortable with campus life, prepared to share living accommodations, and able to make adjustments to cultural and social practices different from those of their home country;
-are from a different field of study which may include the sciences, social sciences, humanities, education, business, and other professional fields.
Institute Descriptions:
- TheStudy of the U.S. Institute on Education and the Future of Work, hosted by the University of Massachusetts-Boston, will explore how technology, the job economy, and skill based education are interconnected in the United States. The Institute willexpose participants to global issues in the context of the future of work by examining educational, social, and economic trends. Using an interdisciplinary approach, the academic program will examine the role of U.S. educational institutions, particularly community colleges, in preparing Americans with the skills needed to succeed in multiple industries and sectors including business, technology, science, higher education, the creative arts, and other fields. Topics will include, but are not limited to, communication, entrepreneurship, globalization and urbanization, innovation and technology, organizational development and management, skills development, and reskilling and retraining. The program will also provide opportunities for participants to engage with educational and industry leaders through site visits around the greater Boston metropolitan area. A study tour to a different region in the United States will explore the theme from a different perspective.
- The Study of the U.S. Institute on Entrepreneurshipand Economic Development hosted by the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga, will provide participants with an overview of entrepreneurial approaches by reviewing the development, history, challenges, and successes of U.S. entrepreneurial enterprises, including social enterprises, business leadership and women’s economic empowerment, in the United States and globally. Topics will include, but are not limited to, business development in a global setting, diversity in the workforce, management strategies and techniques, and the relationship among businesses, governments and NGOs. Academic activities will be supplemented by opportunities to engage with the local community, including meeting with local entrepreneurs, and a study tour to Atlanta, Georgia.
SUSI for Secondary Educators
Program Description:
The Study of the U.S. Institutes for Secondary Educators are intensive post-graduate level academic programs with integrated study tours whose purpose is to provide foreign secondary educators and administrators 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 secondary schools and other academic institutions abroad. The program will take place over the course of five weeks beginning in late May/early June 2020. Three types of Institutes for Secondary Educators will be offered – two with a focus on classroom teachers and the third with a focus on administrators including teacher trainers, curriculum developers, textbook writers, and ministry of education officials, among others.
Candidates for this program:
-are mid-career educators, typically between the ages of 30-50;
-are highly motivated and experienced secondary school teachers and administrators;
-are individuals who are seeking to introduce or enhance aspects of U.S. studies into their curricula or to offer specialized seminars/workshops for education professionals in U.S. studies or related fields.
-have little or no prior study or travel experience in the United States or elsewhere outside of their home country;
-have special interest in the secondary education as demonstrated through past scholarship, accomplishments, and professional duties;
-have firm plans to enhance, update or develop courses and/or educational materials with a U.S. studies focus or component.
Institute Descriptions:
The Study of the U.S. Institutes for Secondary Educators will provide three multinational groups of 20 experienced secondary school educators (including teachers, administrators, teacher trainers, curriculum developers, textbook writers, ministry of education officials, and others) with a deeper understanding of U.S. society, education, and culture – past and present. The focus of the Institutes will be on providing content and materials for participants to develop high school level curricula about the United States. Two of the Institutes are tailored for secondary school teachers; please note that the Institutes for Teachers focus on content and materials about the United States rather than teaching methods and pedagogy. The third 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 serve to illuminate contemporary political, social, and economic debates in American society. The four week academic residencies will take place at U.S. universities, colleges, or other academic institutions 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 to a different region of the United States will complement the four week academic residencies.
- The University of Montana (UM) in Missoula, MT will host first Institute for Teachers from approximately May 31 to July 5, 2020. The Institute will explore American studies through the lens of democracy and citizenship.
- The Institute for Training and Development (ITD) in Amherst, Massachusetts will host the second Institute for Teachers from June 6 to July 11, 2020. The Institute will explore the ways in which individual rights and social obligations have evolved through American history.
- California State University at Chico will host the Institute for Administrators from June 3 to July 9, 2020. Within the overarching shared theme, the Institute will focus on access and equity in U.S. education and society. All three Institutes will conclude with one-week study tours that end in Washington, D.C.
SUSI for Scholars
Program Description:
Study of the U.S. Institutes for Scholars 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 six weeks beginning in or after June 2020. Each Institute includes a four week academic residency component and up to two weeks of an integrated study tour.
Candidates this program:
– are mid-career scholars, typically between the ages of 30-50;
-are highly-motivated, experienced scholars and professionals generally from institutions of higher education or research focused organizations (not-for-profits, think tanks, etc.).
-are ideally individuals who are seeking to introduce or enhance aspects of U.S. studies into their curricula or to offer specialized seminars/workshops for education professionals in U.S. studies or related fields;
-have graduate degrees and have substantial knowledge of the thematic area of the Institute or a related field;
-have little or no prior study or travel experience in the United States or elsewhere outside of their home country;
-have special interest in the program subject areas as demonstrated through past scholarship, accomplishments, and professional duties;
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.
Institute Descriptions:
- 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 and preventing disinformation and will explore strategies for media and information literacy to counter disinformation;
-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;
-will examine pedagogical strategies for teaching students of journalism the basics of the tradecraft: researching, critical thinking, reporting, interviewing, writing, and editing;
-highlight the impact of technology in journalism, including the influence of the Internet, globalization of the news media, and other changes that are transforming the profession;
-take place between June 7 until July 19, 2020.
- The Institute on Religious Freedom and Pluralism will provide a multinational group of up to 18 foreign university faculty, scholars, researchers and religious leaders with a deeper understanding of U.S. society and culture, past and present, through an examination of religious freedom as a foundational American value.
The Institute will:
-include a survey of the religious landscape of the United States, including major and minor religious groups; historic religious traditions and contemporary American religious groups;
-explore both the historical and contemporary relationship between church and state in the United States;
-examine interfaith understanding and dialogue, religious pluralism, freedom of religion as a fundamental unalienable human right and source of stability;
-discuss ways in which religious freedom is protected;
-examine the intersections of religion and politics in the United States, especially in U.S. foreign policy;
-participants will have opportunities to meet with U.S. community leaders of different faiths who advocate for collaboration and tolerance among religious groups;
-take place during the June to August timeframe in 2020.
- The Institute on American Culture and Values will promote American culture, leadership, and values by providing a multinational group of 18 experienced and highly motivated foreign university faculty and other specialists with a deeper understanding of U.S. society, civil society institutions, democratic principles, human rights, and the rule of law.
The Institute will:
-examine the concepts of American exceptionalism and American resilience through social, economic, political, and religious contexts in which, historically, various cultures have manifested and shaped contemporary U.S. culture, values, and society;
-draw from a diverse disciplinary base and should itself provide a model of how a foreign university might approach the study of U.S. culture and values;
-take place between June 6 to July 18, 2020.
- The Institute on U.S. Foreign Policy will provide a multinational group of 18 experienced 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;
-explain the role of key players in 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;
-examine the current U.S. foreign policymaking and the new trends that are shaping policy;
-include topics such as the concept of American sovereignty, shifting attitudes towards globalism, U.S. foreign aid, the monitoring of foreign investment in the United States, the efforts to combat terrorism and radicalization, new trade policies and agreements, immigration and border safety, and cybersecurity;
-discuss the reorganization of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the new U.S. approaches to international organizations such as the United Nations (UN), the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
-take place during June 11 to July 24, 2020.
- The Institute on Youth, Workforce Development, and Closing the Skills Gap will provide a multinational group of 18 experienced foreign faculty and practitioners with a deeper understanding of how new socioeconomic trends have changed the concept of work, workforce development, and career paths in the United States.
The academic program will:
-include a thorough discussion of the role of U.S. educational institutions, particularly community colleges, in preparing Americans with the skills needed to succeed in multiple industries including business, technology, science, the creative arts, and other emerging fields;
-include topics such as urbanization, globalization, economic development, and advances in technology such as automation, robotics, and artificial intelligence will also be included;
-offer opportunities for participants to research new ideas, in conjunction with American peers, to better understand the evolution of work, the changing demand for skills, and the advancements in workforce development through retraining, reskilling, and closing the skills gap;
-take place between July 6 to August 17, 2020.
- The Institute on U.S. Economics and Business will provide a multinational group of 18 experienced foreign university faculty, researchers, experts and policymakers with a deeper understanding of key components and structures of the U.S. economy as the world’s largest economy.
The program will:
-discuss how the United States, as the leading nation for global trade, influences industries, free markets and financial sectors around the world and advances trade, investment, and capital flows.
-provide participants with a firsthand look at key institutions and stakeholders in U.S. economy and the opportunity to meet with business and corporate leaders, Wall Street executives and board members, and small business owners, among others;
-take place during the June to August timeframe in 2020.
Other essential information:
English language ability: All candidates must be proficient in English so that they can actively participate in the academic program.
Program funding: The programs are fully covered by U.S. government.
Housing and meal arrangements: Housing will be in shared university dorms on campus with common bathrooms and living quarters during the residency portion (four weeks) of the Institute. During the study tour (up to one week), participants may share a hotel room with a participant of the same gender. Most meals will be provided at campus facilities, though participants may have access to a kitchen to cook some meals on their own. Care will be taken to ensure that any special requirements regarding diet, daily worship, housing, and medical care are satisfied.
Application:
To apply please write an essay conveying your interest in participating in the Institute, what you expect to gain and what you will contribute to the Institute. Please also include how the participation in the program would help you achieve your professional goals.
Submit the essay along with your CV to Education-Moldova@state.gov no later than December 31, 2019. (Please indicate in the subject line the Program’s name and topic you are applying to)
