AMERICAN STUDIES WINTER INSTITUTE

[PsilocybeLarvae]

AMERICAN STUDIES WINTER INSTITUTE
Tsakhkadzor, Armenia
January 19-25, 2005

The United States Embassy in Armenia is pleased to announce the “American Studies Winter Institute” in Tsakhkadzor on January 19-25, 2005. The program is designed as a competitive week-long faculty level seminar for university professors and secondary school teachers focusing on or interested in teaching/including American Studies content in their classrooms. The purpose of the Institute is to provide participants with a deeper understanding of American society, culture, and institutions in order to strengthen curricula and improve the quality and content of teaching about the U.S. in college, university, and secondary school classrooms of Armenia.

The American Studies Winter Institute is intended to provide up to 28 participants from a variety of educational institutions with an opportunity to broaden the cultural and historical base of the courses they design and teach by enriching their knowledge of U.S. society, culture, values, and institutions, past and present. The program will offer a broad overview of the United States in the context of American Studies and its constituent disciplines through an integrated series of lectures, readings, interactive discussions, and other activities. The ultimate goal of the program is to improve the quality of teaching and enhance the development of curricula on the U.S. in educational institutions and school systems of Armenia.

The Institute will be conducted by an invited American professor, American experts, as well as U.S. Government program alumni.

The Institute will take place in “Adigas” Resort House in Tsakhkadzor. All costs – lodging, meals, information packages, and transportation – will be covered by the U.S. Embassy in Armenia.

While there will be some free time in the schedule, please note that this is a professional development program. All participants will be expected to fully participate in the Institute, attend all lectures, discussions and activities, and spend the entire week at the “Adigas” Resort House. Rooms will be double occupancy and room assignments will be made by the U.S. Embassy.

ELIGIBILITY: Applicants should be highly motivated university faculty, textbook writers, curriculum developers, lecturers, post-graduate students, and secondary school teachers. The background of applicants may include: American Studies (or Area Studies), History, Political Science, International Relations, English language and literature, etc. Applicants must have an interest in and the ability to include content about U.S. society, culture and institutions in their teaching and curriculum development activities. Good knowledge of English is required. U.S. Embassy staff will review all applications and select up to 28 applicants on a competitive basis. Please note again that each prospective applicant must commit to the full duration of the Institute.

APPLICATIONS SHOULD BE RETURNED TO THE US EMBASSY TO ARMENIA BY DECEMBER 18, 2004.

Application forms are available at the U.S. Embassy. The announcement is posted on the U.S. Embassy website – www.usa.am/announcements.html and outside notice board. For detailed information about the program, please contact Ms. Hasmik Mikayelyan at the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy to Armenia. E-mail: [email protected]; Address: Baghramian Street 18, Yerevan.

You can PM me for the application form.

[S-Attractor]

Hardly the seminar will provide any practical knowledge and I wonder why people have to strive to participate, possibly only for free holidays in Tsakhkadzor? Though hardly the “highly motivated university staff” may have such wordy propensity.

The most hilarious is the following paragraph “Embassy staff will review all applications and select up to 28 applicants on a competitive basis.” I wonder what for the Intelligent People (“highly motivated university staff”) have to compete, seemingly for outstanding possibility to increase The Intelligence? I dare to suppose that highly motivated university staff have to already possess “knowledge of U.S. society, culture, values, and institutions, past and present” as it is university staff (if it is pre-supposed to be not from banana republic). It looks like that under The Enrichment of that Knowledge the common Vision Development is pre-projected (under the angle of Boosting The Motivation, Increasing the Integrity, Projecting the Frameworks of Future Enrichments).

Hope the list of the selected (highly motivated) participants will be available, I think the public have to know who will have in Armenia [hereinafter] more profound knowledge about the US values. You know curiosity. I think the most ardent Armenians will be interested in that list.

[PsilocybeLarvae]

Strange Attractor, may I suggest you share your concerns directly with Ms. Hasmik Mikayelyan

[S-Attractor]

Honestly speaking Madam I do not care about sharing any concerns with people associated with such bluntly ambiguous seminars in one way or another.

Hardly such “amicable” seminars will attract attention of scholars who did not loose quite completely the dignity, honor and good taste.

Though I have no doubt that there will not be any scarcity in the number of highly motivated elements eagerly wishing to enrich their knowledge about dexmocracy, fxreedom and lixberty (in contemporary American Edition) as well as to share free meal with the highly paid proponents of those standards in our part of the world.

[S-Attractor]

But if you think that Ms. Hasmik Mikayelyan can be interested, then do me a favor, please, provide her the link of this topic. I will be very glad to know that the written above will help her to work upon the improvement of such important seminars helping to sell to the locals those contemporary values of American type of democracy and freedom she dedicated herself to.