Before You Travel - Welcome Letter

June, 2005

Dear Student:

Congratulations on your selection as a participant in the Middle East Partnership Initiative's Undergraduate Institute on American Studies and Leadership at the University of Delaware. Many excellent candidates from throughout the Middle East and North Africa were considered, and that you were selected speaks highly of your academic standing, your character, and your potential.

This letter is intended to serve as a welcome message and to provide you with some information about the Institute. We know that you must have many questions, and we hope that we will answer some here.

Questions and answers are important in themselves, but it is our belief that the act of questioning and the search for answers are what make both strong scholars and good leaders. It is our sincere hope that your experiences as a participant in the Institute and as a visitor to Delaware and the United States will both help you to find answers to questions which you have and will also encourage you to ask questions in the future.

The Institute, held from July 4 to August 20, 2005, is supported by the United States' Middle East Partnership Initiative through the U. S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, Study of the United States Branch under the Fulbright-Hays Act of 1961. The University of Delaware (UD) was selected to host the Institute.

Within UD, the Center for International Studies (CFIS) is responsible for implementing and administering the Institute. Professor Daniel Green of UD's Department of Political Science and International Relations is the Academic Director of the Institute and Dr. Sean Cox of CFIS is the Administrative Director of the Institute. Together, with the assistance of a team at CFIS, we have assembled an impressive academic program drawing on faculty from across the University, complemented by specially invited speakers.

For most of the program, you will be in residence on the University of Delaware's main, 2000-acre campus located in Newark, Delaware. Tracing its roots to 1743, UD is a state-assisted, private university and is a land-grant, sea-grant, space-grant, urban-grant, and Carnegie Doctoral/Research Extensive institution. It has seven colleges: Arts and Science; Agriculture and Natural Resources; Business and Economics; Engineering, Health and Nursing Sciences; Human Services, Education and Public Policy; and Marine Studies. UD offers 124 undergraduate, 80 masters, and 46 doctoral programs. It has a student body of approximately 21,100 (16,400 undergraduate and 4,700 graduate and continuing education).

Your stay in Delaware will be punctuated with several short (one to two day) trips, and the last week of the program will take you on a whirlwind tour of Arizona. The program concludes in Washington, D.C.

The Institute's program is divided into five modules, each roughly a week long. The first module will be devoted to understanding American Norms and Attitudes; the second to the formation and dissemination of American Culture; the third to American Enterprise and Work; and during the fourth we turn our attention to American Institutions. The fifth module is our week long study trip at the end of the program. Each module will include an integrated mix of lectures, seminars, discussions, and site visits all aimed at helping you to understand the United States and Americans.

We should note, however, that while the Institute is funded by the US Government, its design and curriculum is the creation of the University of Delaware. We are committed to providing you with a variety of perspectives. Among your faculty and speakers (as well as your readings) will be some voices which are critical of the United States and its government. Some might go as far as one of America's greatest philosophers, Henry Thoreau who wrote in 1849 "How does it become a person to behave toward this American government to-day? I answer, that one cannot without disgrace be associated with it." Others will be equally as strong in their support the government. But all will likely agree that being self-critical and critical of our government -- no matter how often we may seem apathetic -- is a central part of what it is to be an American.

You will note that the name of the Institute is the "Institute on Leadership and American Studies." This wording is intentional, for intermixed into the American Studies curriculum will be several workshops on leadership. As part of the Institute you will ask yourself what is it to be a leader, what is leadership, how am I a leader, and how might I provide leadership in the future. We consider leadership both to be a specific yet broad idea. As scholars and educators, it is in our nature to help our students make the most out of life both for themselves and for others.

In many ways the time you spend with us will be a vacation. You will be on holiday from your regular routine and will spend time exploring new places. However, please keep in mind that the Institute's success depends on your commitment to adhere to its classes, readings, and schedules. Although there we have built a good deal of "free time" into the schedule, you will often feel the weight of a busy schedule and academic assignments. Do keep in mind that your attendance is expected (subject to medical limitations) at each of the Institute's lectures, seminars, and discussions. Some of the social and cultural events have been designated as optional; however, we do expect that you will want to make the most of your time here by participating in as many as possible. While you will have some time to conduct individual research, you should be aware that the Institute's schedule is rather intense. This is, in part, owing to our desire not only to build scholarly understanding, but also to build a community with you -- and between you and your fellow participants -- which will last beyond your stay with us.

Elsewhere in this website are several pages concerning your program, including many logistical points which you should be aware of before your depart. Please take the time now to thoroughly read these pages.

We will be in regular e-mail contact with you before, during, and after the program. If you have any questions regarding the program, please feel free to contact us beforehand via e-mail, phone, or fax. The entire staff of the Institute looks forward, very much, to meeting you and working with you at UD. We hope that the upcoming five weeks will prove to be just the beginning of lasting scholarly ties and friendship.

With warm regards,

Daniel Green, Ph.D.
Professor of Political Science and International Relations, Department Chair, and Academic Director of the Institute

Sean M. Cox, Ph.D.
Associate Director for Special Programs, Center for International Studies, and Administrative Director of the Institute

Stephen Amster
International Projects Coordinator, Center for International Studies