[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 184 (Thursday, September 23, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51580-51583]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-24790]
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UNITED STATES INFORMATION AGENCY
Summer Institutes in American Studies for Foreign University
Teachers; Request for Proposals
SUMMARY: The Study of the U.S. Branch, Office of Academic Exchange
Programs, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs announces an open
competition for three (3) assistance awards. For applicants'
information, on October 1, 1999, the Bureau will become part of the
U.S. Department of State without affecting the content of this
announcement or the nature of the program described. Public and private
non-profit organizations meeting the provisions described in IRS
regulation 26 CFR 1.501(C) may apply to develop and implement one of
the following three post-graduate level American Studies programs
designed for multinational groups of 18 experienced foreign university
faculty:
1. Summer Institute on the U.S. Political System: Origin, Structure and
Contemporary Issues
2. Summer Institute on the Cultural Geography of the United States:
American Regions
3. Summer Institute on the United States Through Literature: Content
and Method in American Studies
These programs are intended to provide participants with a deeper
understanding of American life and institutions, past and present, in
order to strengthen curricula and to improve the quality of teaching
about the United States at universities abroad.
Programs are six weeks in length and will be conducted during the
Summer of 2000.
The Bureau is seeking detailed proposals from colleges,
universities, consortia of colleges and universities, and other not-
for-profit academic organizations that have an established reputation
in one or more of the following fields: political science,
international relations, law, history, sociology, literature, American
studies, and/or other disciplines or sub-disciplines related to the
program theme. Applicant institutions must demonstrate expertise in
conducting post-graduate programs for foreign educators, and must have
a minimum of four years experience in conducting international exchange
programs. The project director or one of the key program staff
responsible for the academic program must have an advanced degree in
one of the fields listed above. Staff escorts traveling under the
cooperative agreement must have demonstrated qualifications for this
service.
Programs must conform with Bureau requirements and guidelines
outlined in the Solicitation Package. Bureau programs are subject to
the availability of funds.
Program Information
Overview and Objectives
The ``Summer Institutes in American Studies'' are intended to offer
foreign scholars and teachers whose professional work focuses on the
United States the opportunity to deepen their understanding of American
institutions and culture. Their ultimate goal is to strengthen
curricula and to improve the quality of teaching about the U.S. in
universities abroad.
Programs should be six weeks in length, and must include an
academic residency segment of at least four weeks duration at a U.S.
college or university campus (or other appropriate location). A study
tour segment of not more than two weeks should also be planned. It must
directly complement the academic residency segment and should include
visits to one or two additional regions of the United States.
All institutes should be designed as intensive, academically
rigorous seminars intended for an experienced group of fellow scholars
from outside the United States. The institutes should be organized
through an integrated series of lectures, readings, seminar
discussions, regional travel, site visits, and should also include some
opportunity for limited but well-directed independent research.
Institutions submitting proposals are encouraged to design
thematically coherent programs in ways that draw upon the particular
strengths and resources of their institutions as well as upon the
nationally recognized expertise of scholars and other experts
throughout the United States. Within the limits of the program's
thematic focus and organizing framework, proposals should also be
designed to:
A. Provide participants with a survey of contemporary scholarship
within the institute's governing academic discipline, delineating the
current scholarly debate within the field. In this regard, the seminar
should indicate how prevailing academic practice in the discipline
represents both a continuation of and a departure from past scholarly
trends and practices. A variety of scholarly viewpoints should be
included;
B. Bring an interdisciplinary or multi-disciplinary focus to bear
on the program content when appropriate;
C. Give participants a multi-dimensional view of U.S. society and
institutions that includes a broad and balanced range of perspectives.
Programs should include the views not only of scholars, cultural
critics and public intellectuals, but also those of other professionals
outside the university such as government officials, journalists and
others who can substantively contribute to the topics at issue; and,
D. Insure access to library and material resources that will enable
grantees to continue their research, study and curriculum development
upon returning to their home institutions.
Program Description
1. The U.S. Political System: Origin, Structure and Contemporary Issues
This institute seeks to provide grantees with an overview of the
U.S. political system--its Constitutional roots, its Federal structure,
the role of
[[Page 51581]]
political parties, media, and public opinion--and, at the same time, to
demonstrate how the institutions of the American government at the
local, state and national levels address particular political and
social issues confronting Americans at the beginning of the 21st
century. The program thus aims to provide a seminar on both the
structure and organization of the American political system and how
that system responds to and, in turn, is influenced by the shifting
social currents in contemporary American life. Issues that relate to
contemporary debates in such areas as the competing roles of Federal,
state and local government, voting and electoral reform issues, urban
and regional development, race relations, immigration, multi-
culturalism and ethnicity, the environment, crime, and education
represent some of the areas that would be suitable topics for
investigation. The strongest proposals will be imaginatively integrated
in such a way that the structure of the American political system and
the contemporary debates within American society serve to illuminate
each other, thus providing insights into the nature of American
institutions and values, broadly defined.
2. The Cultural Geography of the United States: American Regions
This institute seeks to acquaint foreign scholars with the
diversity of the American landscape and the complexity of American
society and culture through the lens of cultural geography. The
program's aim is to examine at least three separate and distinct
regions of the United States with reference to each region's respective
history and culture, political experience, economic development, social
and ethnic composition, artistic and literary heritage. An overriding
purpose of the program will be to explore how particular geographic
regions of the United States are representative of the national
experience, taken as a whole, and, at the same time, how they reflect a
separate and distinct identity that differs from the whole in
significant ways. For each region, the program should thus explore the
competing claims of regional and national identity through an approach
that provides a balance between contemporary issues and their
historical antecedents; and it should do so through a variety of
disciplinary perspectives. Overall, proposals should offer a scholarly
program whose various elements serve to give participants an
understanding of the complexity, the unity, and the diversity of the
American experience.
3. The United States Through Literature: Content and Method in American
Studies
This program on the literature, history and society of the United
States is designed to assist faculty from overseas colleges and
universities who are seeking to establish or enhance programs that
focus on American literature and civilization at their home
institutions. Some grantees will have limited experience in the
teaching of U.S. subjects. Because most participants will come from
departments of language and literature, the institute should explore
themes in American civilization using literature and literary studies
as the primary disciplinary vehicle. At the same time, the program's
literary focus should be sufficiently interdisciplinary or multi-
disciplinary in scope to allow grantees to explore broad themes in the
history, society and culture of the United States. Primary works of
literature should thus be supplemented not only by background readings
in literary history and criticism, but also by the writings of
historians, political scientists, and sociologists, as they relate to
the overarching themes of the program. While the broad sweep of the
U.S. experience should be considered, proportionately more time should
be given to 20th century literature, including contemporary writers.
Finally, proposals should address curricular issues of how overseas
institutions might choose to organize an American studies program
outside the United States in terms of both content and organization.
This aspect of the proposal should present a variety of curricular
models that can be employed to study the United States, ranging from
traditional disciplinary approaches to the study of the U.S., to
interdisciplinary and multi-disciplinary approaches, to foreign area
studies models. The best proposals will offer a program that in its
overall design and scope is itself a model of how to pursue
interdisciplinary or multi-disciplinary scholarly investigation into
American life and institutions, past and present.
Program Dates: Ideally, the program will begin in mid to late June.
The Bureau is willing to consider other dates, based on the needs of
the host institution. However, the institute must be 42 program days in
length and should take place sometime between June 1 and August 27,
2000.
Participants: Programs should be designed for a total of 18 highly-
motivated and experienced foreign university faculty who are interested
in participating in an intensive seminar on aspects of U.S.
civilization as a means to develop or improve courses and teaching
about the United States at their home institutions. Most participants
can be expected to come from educational institutions where the study
of the U.S. is relatively well-developed. Thus, while they may not have
in-depth knowledge of the particular institute program theme, most will
have had some experience in teaching about the United States. Many will
have had sustained professional contact with American scholars and
American scholarship, and some may have had substantial prior
experience studying in the U.S. Participants will be drawn from all
regions of the world and will be fluent in English.
Participants will be nominated by Fulbright Commissions and by U.S.
Embassies abroad. Nominations will be reviewed by the Branch for the
Study of the U.S. Final selection of grantees will be made by the
Fulbright Scholarship Board.
Program Guidelines
While the conception and structure of the institute program is the
responsibility of the organizers, it is critically important that
proposals provide a full, detailed and comprehensive narrative
describing the objectives of the institute, the subject of each
session, and how each individual session relates to the overall
institute theme. The syllabus must therefore indicate the subject
matter for each lecture or panel discussion, confirm or provisionally
identify proposed lecturers and discussants, and clearly show how
assigned readings will support each session. A calendar of all
activities for the program must also be included. Overall, proposals
will be reviewed on the basis of their fullness, coherence, clarity,
and attention to detail.
Programs must comply with J-1 visa regulations. Please refer to the
Solicitation Package for further details on program design and
implementation, as well as additional information on all other
requirements.
Budget Guidelines
Unless special circumstances warrant, based on a group of 18
participants, the total Bureau-funded budget (program and
administrative) should not exceed $172,000, and Bureau-funded
administrative costs as defined in the budget details section of the
solicitation package should not exceed $51,000. Justifications for any
costs above these amounts must be clearly indicated in the proposal
submission. Any grants awarded to eligible organizations with less than
four years of experience in
[[Page 51582]]
conducting international exchange programs will be limited to $60,000.
Applicant proposals should try to maximize cost-sharing in all facets
of the program and to stimulate U.S. private sector, including
foundation and corporate, support. Applicants must submit a
comprehensive budget for the entire program. The Bureau reserves the
right to reduce, revise, or increase proposal budgets in accordance
with the needs of the program, and availability of U.S. government
funding.
Please refer to the ``POGI'' in the Solicitation Package for
complete institute budget guidelines and formatting instructions.
Announcement Name and Number
All communications with the Bureau concerning this announcement
should refer to the following titles and reference numbers:
1. Summer Institute on the U.S. Political System: Origin, Structure and
Contemporary Issues, (E/AES-00-01-Dardeli)
2. Summer Institute on the Cultural Geography of the United States:
American Regions, (E/AES-00-02-Dardeli)
3. Summer Institute on the United States Through Literature: Content
and Method in American Studies, (E/AES-00-03-Taylor)
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: To request a Solicitation Package containing
more detailed award criteria, required application forms, specific
budget instructions, and standard guidelines for proposal preparation,
applicants should contact: U.S. Department of State, Bureau of
Educational and Cultural Affairs, Office of Academic Exchange Programs,
Study of the U.S. Branch, E/AES--Room 252, 301 4th Street, SW,
Washington, DC 20547, Attention: Richard Taylor, Telephone number:
(202) 619-4557, Fax number: (202) 619-6790, Internet address:
rtaylor@usia.gov.
Please specify Senior Program Officer Richard Taylor on all
inquiries and correspondence. Interested applicants should read the
complete Federal Register announcement before addressing inquiries to
the office listed above or submitting their proposals. Once the RFP
deadline has passed, Bureau staff may not discuss this competition in
any way with applicants until after the proposal review process has
been completed.
To Download a Solicitation Package via Internet: The entire
Solicitation Package may be downloaded from the Bureau's website at
http://e.usia.gov/education/rfps/. Please read all information before
downloading.
Deadline for Proposals
All proposal copies must be received at the Bureau of Educational
and Cultural Affairs by 5:00 p.m. Washington, DC time on Friday,
January 14, 2000. Faxed documents will not be accepted, not will
documents postmarked January 14, 2000 but received at a later date. It
is the responsibility of each applicant to ensure that proposal
submissions arrive by the deadline.
Submissions: Applicants must follow all instructions in the
Solicitation Package. The original and 13 copies of the complete
application should be sent to: U.S. Department of State, Bureau of
Educational and Cultural Affairs, Reference: (insert appropriate
reference number from above, e.g. E/AES-00-xx-xxxxxx) Program
Management Staff, ECA/EX/PM, Room 336, 301 4th Street, SW, Washington,
DC 20547.
Applicants should also submit the ``Executive Summary'' and
``Proposal Narrative'' sections of the proposal on a 3.5'' diskette,
formatted for DOS. This material must be provided in ASCII text (DOS)
format with a maximum line length of 65 characters.
Diversity, Freedom and Democracy Guidelines
Pursuant to the Bureau's authorizing legislation, programs must
maintain a non-political character and should be balanced and
representative of the diversity of American political, social, and
cultural life. ``Diversity'' should be interpreted in the broadest
sense and encompass differences including, but not limited to
ethnicity, race, gender, religion, geographic location, socio-economic
status, and physical challenges. Applicants are strongly encouraged to
adhere to the advancement of this principle both in program
administration and in program content. Please refer to the review
criteria under the ``Support for Diversity'' section for specific
suggestions on incorporating diversity into the total proposal. Public
Law 104-319 provides that ``in carrying out programs of educational and
cultural exchange in countries whose people do not fully enjoy freedom
and democracy,'' USIA ``shall take appropriate steps to provide
opportunities for participation in such programs to human rights and
democracy leaders of such countries.'' Proposals should reflect
advancement of this goal in their program contents, to the full extent
deemed feasible.
Year 2000 Compliance Requirement (Y2K Requirement)
The Year 2000 (Y2K) issue is a broad operational and accounting
problem that could potentially prohibit organization from processing
information in accordance with Federal management and program-specific
requirements, including data exchange with the Bureau. The inability to
process information in accordance with Federal requirements could
result in grant recipients being required to return funds that have not
been accounted for properly.
The Bureau therefore requires that all organizations use Y2K
compliant systems, including hardware, software, and firmware. Systems
must accurately process data and dates (calculating, comparing and
sequencing) both before and after the beginning of the year 2000 and
correcting adjust for leap years.
Additionally information addressing the Y2K issued may be found at
the General Services Administration's Office of Information Technology
website at http://www.itpolicy.gsa.gov.
Review Process
The Bureau will acknowledge receipt of all proposals and will
review them for technical eligibility. Proposals will be deemed
ineligible if they do not fully adhere to the guidelines stated herein
and in the Solicitation Package. All eligible proposals will be
reviewed by the program office. Eligible proposals will then be
forwarded to panels to senior Bureau officers for advisory review.
Proposals may also be reviewed by the Office of the Legal Advisor or by
other Bureau elements. Final funding decisions are at the discretion of
the Department of State's Assistant Secretary for Educational and
Cultural Affairs. Final technical authority for assistance awards
(grants or cooperative agreements) resides with the Bureau's Grant
Officer.
Review Criteria
Technically eligible applications will be competitively reviewed
according to the criteria stated below. Particular weight will be given
to items one and two.
1. Overall Quality
Proposals should exhibit originality and substance, consonant with
the highest standards of American teaching and scholarship. Program
design should reflect the main currents as well as the debates within
the subject discipline of each institute. Program should reflect an
overall design whose various elements are coherently and thoughtfully
integrated. Lectures, panels, field visits
[[Page 51583]]
and readings, taken as a whole, should offer a balanced presentation of
issues, reflecting both the continuity of the American experience as
well as the diversity and dynamism inherent in it.
2. Program Planning and Administration
Proposals should demonstrate careful planning. The organization and
structure of the institute should be clearly delineated and be fully
responsive to all program objectives. A program syllabus (noting
specific sessions and topical readings supporting each academic unit)
should be included, as should a calendar of activities. The travel
component should not simply be a tour, but should be an integral and
substantive part of the program, reinforcing and complementing the
academic segment. Proposals should provide evidence of continuous
administrative and managerial capacity as well as the means by which
program activities and logistical matters will be implemented.
3. Institutional Capacity
Proposed personnel, including faculty and administrative staff as
well as outside presenters, should be fully qualified to achieve the
project's goals. Library and meeting facilities, housing, meals,
transportation and other logistical arrangements should fully meet the
needs of the participants.
4. Support for Diversity
Substantive support of the Bureau's policy on diversity should be
demonstrated. This can be accomplished through documentation, such as a
written statement, summarizing past and/or on-going activities and
efforts that further the principle of diversity within the organization
and its activities. Program activities that address this issue should
be highlighted.
5. Experience
Proposals should demonstrate an institutional record of successful
exchange program activity, indicating the experience that the
organization and its professional staff have had in working with
foreign educators.
6. Evaluation and Follow-up
A plan for evaluating activities during the Institute and at its
conclusion should be included. Proposals should discuss provisions made
for follow-up with returned grantees as a means of establishing longer-
term individual and institutional linkages.
7. Cost Effectiveness
Proposals should maximize cost-sharing through direct institutional
contributions, in-kind support, and other private sector support.
Overhead and administrative components, including salaries and
honoraria, should be kept as low as possible.
Authority
Overall grant making authority for this program is contained in the
Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961, Public Law 87-
256, as amended, also known as the Fulbright-Hays Act. The purpose of
the Act is to enable the Government of the United States to increase
mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the
people of other countries; to strengthen the ties which unite us with
other nations by demonstrating the educational and cultural interests,
developments, and achievements of the people of the United States and
other nations and thus to assist in the development of friendly,
sympathetic and peaceful relations between the United States and the
other countries of the world.
Notice
The terms and conditions published in this RFP are binding and may
not be modified by any Bureau representative. Explanatory information
provided by the Bureau that contradicts published language will not be
binding. Issuance of this RFP does not constitute an award commitment
on the part of the Government. The Bureau reserves the right to reduce,
revise, or increase proposal budgets in accordance with the needs of
the program and the availability of funds. Awards made will be subject
to periodic reporting and evaluation requirements.
Notification
Final awards cannot be made until funds have been appropriated by
Congress, and allocated and committed through internal Bureau
procedures.
Dated: September 17, 1999.
William P. Kiehl,
Acting Deputy Associate Director for Educational and Cultural Affairs.
[FR Doc. 99-24790 Filed 9-22-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8230-01-M
