Call for applicationsx
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The document provides information about the Study of the United States Institutes (SUSI) program for Brazilian student leaders. The 4-week academic program at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville will focus on US history, government, and contemporary issues. Students will take seminars, lectures, and participate in educational travel including trips to Atlanta and New York City. The program aims to enhance students' leadership skills and foster cultural understanding while providing an intensive study of the US. The US Department of State will fund all costs for 20 selected Brazilian undergraduate students who demonstrate leadership, English proficiency, and an interest in learning about the US.
Call for applicationsx
- 1. Call for Applications: Study of the United States Institutes (SUSI) for Brazilian Student Leaders on U.S. History and Government. 1. Program Description: The Institute for Training and Development (ITD) will administer Study of the U.S. Institutes (SUSI) for Student Leaders. SUSI is an intensive 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 Institute 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, and volunteer opportunities. The Institute will include an academic residency component of approximately four weeks and a domestic travel component of approximately one week. During the academic residency, participants will also have the opportunity to get out of the classroom. The Institute at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville will be conducted in English, and will focus on contemporary American life, as it is shaped by historical and/or current political, social, and economic issues and debates. Students will be provided with an overview of the foundations of democracy as they learn about the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights, the federal system of government, elections, the court system, etc. Students will explore the various complex historical and contemporary issues associated with identity throughout the Americas, including race, ethnicity, and color. Participants will discuss topics related to the Native American experience; and will visit Atlanta, GA where sites and lectures will center on the Civil Rights movement. During their study tour they will take a three-day trip to New York City to visit cultural and historic sites. The program will conclude in Washington, DC where the Brazilian students will meet participants from Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay who participated in concurrent Institutes at the University of Arizona and ITD. Other core components of the institute include leadership development, community service, and fostering cross-cultural understanding. Participants will engage with Americans on campus and will also participate in a weekend homestay. 2. Other Essential Program Information: A. Program Funding: The US Department of State will cover all participant costs, including: program administration; domestic travel and ground transportation; books, cultural, mailing and incidental allowances; and housing and subsistence. B. Housing and Meal Arrangements: Participants will reside at the Four Points Cumberland House Hotel, a full-service hotel close to the UTK campus. Most meals will be provided at campus facilities, though some meals will be provided by the program, and participants will also receive per diem that they can
- 2. use to go out to local restaurants. NOTE: Care will be taken to ensure that any special requirements regarding diet, daily worship, housing, and medical care are satisfied. C. Health Benefits: All participants will receive the Department of State's coverage of $50,000 with a $15 co-pay for the duration of the program. Pre-existing conditions are not covered. D. Program Requirements and Restrictions: Participants are expected to participate fully in the academic program. They are expected to attend all lectures and organized activities, and complete assigned readings. Candidates should be made aware that the Institute is very intensive and that there will be little time for personal pursuits unrelated to the program. Under no circumstances are participants allowed to arrive in the U.S. prior to the start date of the Institute or remain in the U.S. after its end date. Similarly, participants will not be allowed to leave the Institute to visit relatives or friends while in the U.S. If a relative or friend wishes to visit them, it will be addressed on a case by case basis, in consultation with ECA and the program director. Violations of program rules, host institution rules or local, state or federal laws can be grounds for immediate dismissal from the program. E. English Language Ability: English language proficiency is a requirement to participate in this program. The program will be conducted in English. The Institute is a rigorous and demanding program; participants will be expected to handle short reading assignments in English and to be full and active participants in all seminar and panel discussions. 3. Candidate Description and Qualifications: The participants are expected to be highly motivated 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. Their fields of study will be varied, and may include the sciences, social sciences, humanities, education, business, and other professional fields. Priority will be given to candidates from non-elite backgrounds with little or no prior experience in the United States or elsewhere outside their home country. Candidates nominated for this program will: • be proficient in English; • have at least one semester left of their undergraduate studies, and therefore be committed to return to their home universities following completion of the program; • be between 18-25 years old;
- 3. • have had little or no prior study or travel experience in the United States or elsewhere outside of their home country; • demonstrate strong leadership qualities and potential in their university and community activities; • indicate a serious interest in learning about the United States and about U.S. history and government; • have a sustained high level of academic achievement, as indicated in grades, awards, and teacher recommendations; • have demonstrated commitment to community and extracurricular university activities; • be mature, responsible, independent, confident, open-minded, tolerant, thoughtful, and inquisitive; • be willing and able to fully participate in an intensive academic program, community service, and educational travel program; and, • be comfortable with campus life, prepared to share living accommodations, and able to make adjustments to cultural and social practices different from those of their home country. The US Embassy in Brazil and the US Department of State will select twenty (20) principal nominations, and five (5) alternate nominations. The results will be announced on November 21, 2012.