Welcome!
Dear Participant:
Welcome to the 2008 Study of the United States Institute on U.S. Foreign Policy! We look forward to your arrival at the University of Florida. Please note that the Schedule and Syllabus and 2008 Participants links remain under construction. All other links are available.
Participants in Study of the U.S. Institutes are among the approximately 30,000 individuals who participate in exchanges managed by the Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) Study of the U.S. Branch each year. Other ECA exchange programs include the Fulbright Program and the International Visitor Leadership Program. Through a range of academic and professional exchanges, the Bureau seeks to increase mutual understanding between the United States and other countries.
The Study of the United States Institute on U.S. Foreign Policy will commence on June 9 and end on July 20, 2008. The Institute’s theme—“Domestic Sources of U.S. Foreign Policy: Beyond the Beltway, Behind CNN”—will be incorporated into a four-week academic residency program in Gainesville, Florida, and two weeks of study tours of three economically, demographically, and geographically-diverse loci of foreign policy-making: Miami, Chicago, and Washington, DC. Additionally, the Institute program will include daylong visits to Orlando, Tampa, Tallahassee, historic St. Augustine, and Jacksonville.
Participants will learn from more than 30 experts in international affairs and U.S. politics, including scholars, diplomats, political leaders, lobbyists, journalists, and activists. The objectives of the Institute are that participants will acquire a solid grasp of competing analytical perspectives on U.S. foreign policy; gain knowledge of classic and recent writings on U.S. foreign relations; develop an appreciation for the complexity of the foreign policy-making process and the important role played by actors “beyond the beltway;” last but not least, acquire an enhanced understanding of the working of the U.S. academic and philanthropic foundation system, especially in the area of international studies.
The Institute will enable participants to update course syllabi and/or develop new courses on international affairs, U.S. politics, and U.S. foreign relations. It will also enable them to enhance their research in these areas, as well as to establish links with UF and other U.S.-based scholars, which may result in collaborative research projects and academic exchange agreements.
Professors Aida Hozic and Ido Oren will serve as the Institute’s academic co-directors. Their research and teaching are focused on international relations, U.S. foreign policy, and the politics of U.S. and global culture; both of them have taught, lectured, studied, and traveled extensively overseas.
This Web site is your source of practical information to prepare for your trip. Please look through the topics we have prepared for you, and contact us if we missed anything. You will be able to return here again and again to get resources, stay in touch with Institute staff and alumni, and much more.
We hope you will find the Institute a valuable experience. You will be living and working with other participants for six weeks. You’ll spend a lot of time working and studying, but we believe you’ll leave with a new view of what is possible in teaching of American Foreign Policy through international cooperation and sharing.
In addition to the hard work, you will have plenty of time to meet with American colleagues and explore your own interests. We have planned a number of optional activities for you both in Gainesville and on our trips, but you are always welcome to explore on your own. We will support you any way we can in your endeavor to get to know our country.
As you look over the program itinerary, please note that event dates and times are tentative and are subject to change. A final itinerary will be distributed upon your arrival in Gainesville.
In conclusion, we want to tell you how pleased we are to have you as our guest this summer. If you need to reach us before your arrival, we may be contacted at the Institute office at TBD. The office fax number is TBD. Please keep this letter with you so that you will have our contact information handy.
Sincerely,
Aido Hozic and Ido Oren |