Program Details

Study of the US Summer Institutes - 2010

The Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy in Brazil is pleased to announce another round of Study of the United States Summer Institutes (SUSI). Please note that we will accept applications between February 1, 2010 and February 21, 2010.
This time there will be 6 Institutes for university professors, as described below.

General Program Description

This message solicits candidate applications for six Study of the United States Institutes (SUSI) for multinational groups of university faculty and other related scholars; and for one Study of the United States Institute for Secondary Educators. Deadline for candidate applications to be received by the US Embassy in Brasília is February 21, 2010. A description of each individual institute can be below. Participants must be fluent in English.

The institutes will take place at various colleges and universities throughout the United States over the course of six weeks beginning in June 2010. Candidates will be notified of their selection mid to late March, 2010

The Programs:

INSTITUTES FOR UNIVERSITY FACULTY: 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. Pending confirmation, the institutes will take place at various colleges and universities throughout the United States over the course of six weeks beginning in June 2009, according to description below.

  • The Study of the U.S. Institute on U.S. Culture 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.  The Institute will examine 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 both social movements and historical epochs throughout U.S. history.  The program will draw from a diverse disciplinary base, and will itself provide a model of how a foreign university might approach the study of U.S. culture and society.  The institute site will be determined at a later date.
  • 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. Pending ECA grant approval, the institute will take place at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
  • 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. Pending ECA grant approval, the institute will take place at the University of Louisville.
  • 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.  Pending ECA grant approval, the institute will take place at 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 medias 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 technologies 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. Pending ECAs grant competition, the institute site will be determined at a later date.
  • 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. Pending ECA grant approval, the institute will take place at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Candidates should be mid-career, highly-motivated and experienced professionals from institutions of higher education. While the educational level of participants will likely vary, most should have graduate degrees and have substantial knowledge of the thematic area of the Institute. The ideal candidate will also be an experienced professional 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 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. In this respect, while the candidate’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 nominee's home institution.

OTHER ESSENTIAL PROGRAM INFORMATION:

Program Funding: Through the grant to the host institutions, the US Department of State will cover all participant costs, including: program administration, domestic travel and ground transportation, housing and subsistence, book, cultural, mailing and incidental allowances.

Housing and Meal Arrangements: Typically, participants will have a private room with a shared bathroom during the residency portion (four weeks) of the institute, and will have to share a hotel room during the study tour (up to two weeks). Housing will typically be in college or university owned housing. Most meals will be provided at campus facilities, though participants may have access to a kitchen to cook some meals on their own. It is important that these arrangements are clear to candidates and that they are comfortable with such housing arrangements, particularly sharing a hotel room with another participant for up to two weeks.

Health Benefits: All participants will receive the Department of State's coverage of $50,000 with a $25 deductible for the duration of the program. Pre-existing conditions are not covered.

Program Requirements and Restrictions: Participants are expected to participate fully in the program. They are expected to attend all lectures and organized activities, and complete assigned readings. Family members and/or friends cannot accompany participants on any part of the program. Please note that teaching methodology and pedagogical methods will not be addressed formally in the institute. Candidates should be made aware that this is an intensive institute and there will be little time for personal pursuits unrelated to the program. The institute should not be viewed as a research program. It is important that these requirements and restrictions are clear to all candidates before applications are submitted.


Selection criteria: The following factors will be used in selecting participants from among the candidates:

  1. Justification: In order to get a better sense of potential participants' motivations and goals, the US Department of State requests that each candidate provide a short personal statement (one page) indicating why he or she is interested in participating in the program and what he or she expects to get out of the experience.
  2. English Language Ability: It is imperative that all candidates demonstrate English language fluency. Institutes are rigorous and demanding programs; participants will be expected to handle substantial reading assignments in English and to be full and active participants in all seminar and panel discussions. English fluency is vital to a successful experience in the institute, both for your participant and participants from other countries.
  3. Priority Consideration: Priority will be given to candidates who have firm plans to enhance, update or develop courses and/or educational materials with a U.S. studies focus or component, who have limited experience in the United States, and who have special interest in the program subject areas as demonstrated through past scholarship, accomplishments, and professional duties.
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