Deadline: 28 December 2019
The United States Embassy in Armenia has announced a summer 2020 Study of the U.S. Institute for Student Leaders on Civic Engagement.
The Study of the U.S. Institutes (SUSI) on Civic Engagement is an intensive short-term academic program 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. The program will feature students from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Russia and Turkey.
The Study of the U.S. Institutes on Civic Engagement will provide participants with an overview of how citizens have shaped U.S. history, government, and society both as individuals and groups. The academic program will define civic engagement, examine its development in the United States, and explore topics such as citizenship, community building, economic development, grassroots activism, political leadership, and volunteerism. In order to enhance the academic experience, the institute will focus on a specific theme or sub-themes such as civil rights and protections, public health, education, entrepreneurship, ethics, leadership, or media. To the extent possible, academic sessions will be complemented with hands-on sessions or workshops designed to build skills in the topics mentioned above. The institutes will encourage participants to develop innovative and practical plans to become engaged citizens in their own communities.
The U.S. Government will cover all institute costs, i.e. international travel and allowances; domestic travel and ground transportation; book, cultural, mailing and incidental allowances; admissions; housing and subsistence.
The program will take place during the June to August timeframe in 2020.
Eligibility Criteria
- The participants are expected to be highly motivated, 18-25 years of age first through third year undergraduate students from colleges, universities, and other institutions of higher education, who demonstrate leadership through academic work, community involvement, and extracurricular activities; interested in the topic of civic engagement; indicate a serious interest in learning about the United States; be mature, responsible, independent, confident, open-minded, tolerant, thoughtful, and inquisitive.
- Their fields of study will be varied and may include the sciences, social sciences, humanities, education, business, and other professional fields.
- The applicants should have little or no prior experience in the United States or elsewhere outside their home country.
For more information, visit https://www.usa.am/cms/announcements.php