CALL FOR APPLICATIONS – SUMMER 2024 STUDY OF THE U.S. INSTITUTES (SUSI) FOR SCHOLARS!
Calling all New Zealand-based University Faculty, Scholars, Academic Professionals: Apply for a fully funded 2024 exchange program in the United States.
Apply by Friday, November 03, 2023 at 5pm New Zealand time using this online form.
What is the program about?
Study of the U.S. Institutes for Scholars (SUSIs) are intensive post-graduate level academic programs with integrated study tours. Their 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 academic institutions throughout the United States over the course of six weeks beginning in or after June 2024 (exact dates for each Institute will be communicated in spring 2024). Each Institute includes a four-week academic residency component and if possible, up to two weeks of an integrated study tour to another region of the United States. Prospective applicants are encouraged to visit our website to obtain general information about the Institutes: http://exchanges.state.gov/susi.
What will the program look like? When will it take place?
Study of the U.S. Institutes for Scholars take place in the U.S. summer on 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, U.S. Foreign Policy.
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 chemistry 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 (UM) in Missoula, MT will administer this program; the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, MA will host the Institute in Amherst, MA.
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 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 writing and suggest how the themes explored reflect larger currents within contemporary U.S. society and culture. The University of Montana (UM) in Missoula, MT 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 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, and other changes that are transforming the profession. The University of Montana (UM) in Missoula, MT will administer this program; Arizona State University in Tempe, AZ 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 ethnic, racial, social, economic, political, and religious 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 itself provide a model of how a foreign university might approach the study of American culture and society. The University of Montana (UM) in Missoula, MT will administer this program; New York University in New York, NY 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; 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 (UM) in Missoula, MT will administer this program; the Institute for Training and Development (ITD), in conjunction with Suffolk University, will host the Institute in Amherst and Boston, MA.
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 (UM) in Missoula, MT will administer this program; the University of Delaware will host the Institute in Newark, DE.
Who are the ideal candidates?
Study of the U.S. Institutes are highly competitive. 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 no or limited prior experience in the United States, and who have special interest in secondary education as demonstrated through past scholarship, accomplishments, and professional duties. In addition, the selection committee makes every effort to have both a geographic and gender balance in the makeup of the Institutes.
Candidates should be mid-career, typically between the ages of 30-50, highly motivated, experienced scholars and professionals generally from institutions of higher education or research focused organizations (not-for-profits, think tanks, etc.). 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 or a related field. 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, the potential impact and multiplier effect of the Institute is equally important. Ideal candidates will have little or no prior experience in the United States.
Candidates must demonstrate English language fluency. Institutes are rigorous and demanding programs; participants will be expected to handle substantial reading assignments in English and to fully and actively participate in all seminar and panel discussions. English fluency is vital to a successful experience in the Institute.
What do some of our recent alumni of the program have to say?
“The SUSI program was more than just an educational experience. Though classes, workshops, school and cultural visits I developed a deeper understanding of issues that were not just relevant in the US, but also to the New Zealand education system. Topics covered were as wide and varied as indigenous studies, artificial intelligence and digital tools for learning, Universal Design for Learning, impacts of immigration and gender studies. The program was intense, but deeply enjoyable and motivating. Through SUSI I have also forged lasting friendships that transcend borders and cultures”. – 2023 SUSI Secondary Educator participant, Daniel Wilson (Principal, Nayland College)
“Meeting academics from all over the world and sharing our strategies of working in the sector was mind-opening. We’ve had passionate discussions about democracy, migration, indigenous sovereignty, governance – the topics high on public agenda here in NZ.” – 2022 SUSI Scholar participant, Marta Rychert (Researcher, Massey University)
“If you have an interest in America and the Americans, my advice is to go for it. You will be challenged by the intense nature and expectations of the program, but you will also be rewarded in many ways, as I have been. Indeed, my SUSI experience was all that – and more than – I hoped it would be.” – 2019 SUSI Secondary Educator participant, Sam Englebretsen, (Teacher of History, Napier Boys’ High School)
How to Apply:
Apply using this online form by Friday, November 03, 2023 at 5pm New Zealand time.
Interviews for shortlisted applicants will take place the week of November 27, 2022.
Select applicants will be nominated by the U.S. Embassy New Zealand to main headquarters in Washington D.C. Washington D.C. officials will make the final decision as to whether the applicant may participate in the program in April 2024.