Study of the United States Institutes (SUSI) for Scholars is an intensive post-graduate level academic program whose purpose is to provide foreign scholars and university faculty the opportunity to deepen their understanding of U.S. society, culture, values, and institutions. The ultimate goal of the program is to strengthen curricula and to enhance the quality of teaching about the United States in universities and other academic institutions abroad.
The five or six-week 2024 program for scholars and university instructors will take place in the United States starting around late May, and ending around early July. contingent upon health, safety, and travel conditions. Exact dates will be determined at a later time.
Each of the six programs will focus on a different topic, as follows:
- 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 following criteria apply:
- Candidates should be mid-career with at least 5 years of work experience in their field of study, and be around 30-50 years old.
- Candidates must be motivated and experienced professionals from institutions of higher education or research.
- Candidates should have little or no prior experience in the United States.
- Priority will be given to candidates who have firm plans to enhance, update or develop courses or educational materials with a U.S. studies focus or component, develop new courses in the subject of the visited institute, enhance and update existing courses on the United States, or offer specialized seminars for professionals in US studies areas related to the program theme.
- Candidates must be fully fluent in English, able to handle substantial reading assignments in English, and to fully and actively participate in all seminar and panel discussions.
Each candidate should provide a short personal statement (one page, as part of the application) indicating why he or she is interested in participating in the program and what he or she expects to get out of the program.
Priority will be given to candidates who have special interest in the program subject areas as demonstrated through past scholarship, accomplishments and professional duties.
The program covers all costs – travel, living expenses, books, incidentals and medical insurance.
Applications can be downloaded here: MS Word version, you can fill in and print (DOC 42 KB) or in Adobe PDF format (PDF 55 KB); Full descriptions of Institutes can be downloaded here (PDF 32 KB). Applications can be submitted by email or in person. For additional information please email: AshgabatEducation@state.gov.
Deadline for applications is December 31, 2023.