Fulbright Wales Summer Institute

Overview

The Fulbright Commission Wales Summer Institute is a six-week cultural and academic programme for US students held at three internationally renowned Welsh universities; Cardiff University, Bangor University and Aberystwyth University focusing on the theme of: Contemporary Wales: Industry, Politics, Culture and Change.

This is the third year that we will be holding an Institute in Wales.

Participants in this programme will get the opportunity to:

• Experience an exciting academic programme at three high quality Welsh Universities
• Explore the geography, culture, heritage and history of Wales, visiting museums, galleries, parks, castles and islands
• Develop their learning skills, improving presentation, research and communication skills
• Meet people from all over the world, make friends and experience life as a real student in the UK
• Become an ambassador for studying in the United Kingdom.

This year’s institute will take place from 22 June – 3 August 2013.

Participants will learn about Wales – its culture, history, its geographical differences and the role that industry has taken in shaping the historical, political and cultural landscape of Wales.  Participants will also learn about the role of Wales within the United Kingdom and the wider world and Welsh influences internationally.

Using the dramatic and wide ranging natural and man made resources available across Wales, students will receive a unique insight into what makes Wales such a dynamic, diverse and fascinating country.  Participants will have the opportunity to study at three high quality universities in Wales, each with their own areas of expertise, but all recognised internationally for the quality of their research and teaching.

Benefits

The majority of the participant costs will be covered. This includes:

• round-trip airfare from the US to the UK;
• tuition and fees at the three Universities;
• accommodation and social programme;
• subsistence e.g. food and drink

Participants are expected to pay for their own travel, health and accident insurance.

Accommodation will be in University Hall of Residence.

Special Programmes do not preclude participants from applying for a Fulbright Award later in their academic career. The summer institutes are intentionally designed in such a way that allows participants to come back to the UK at postgraduate or postdoctoral level as a Fulbright Student or Scholar.

Selection Criteria

To meet the minimum eligibility for this Institute you need to:

• be a US citizen (resident anywhere except the UK) and possess a US passport;
• be at least 18 years old;
• be able to participate in the programme in its entirety;
• have a high level of academic achievement with a minimum GPA of 3.5 (confirmed by academic marks, awards and references);
• have at least two years of undergraduate study left to complete; i.e. applicants should currently be a Freshman or Sophomore in college/university;
• be mature, responsible, independent, and open-minded;
• be willing and able to fully participate in an academically intensive programme that includes attending all sessions, completing all assignments, contributing to classroom discussions and supporting student ambassador style work as required;
• have had little or no study or travel experience in the UK or elsewhere outside of the US and;
• expect to return to the US and continue your education.

Note: The programme is open to students in all courses of study.
 
Those persons holding permanent residency ‘green cards’ may not apply.

Please read the Terms and Conditions for this award before making an application.

In making these awards the Commission is looking not only for academic excellence but a focused application, a range of extracurricular and community activities, an indication of ambassadorial skills, a desire to further the Fulbright Programme and a plan to give back to your home country upon returning.

Individuals from a broad range of ethnic, religious, geographic, and socio-economic backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

Applying

All applications are due Monday 11 March 2013 by 5pm (UK Time)

To apply please download an application form

If you have a query about applying please read the FAQs document before contacting the Commission. Follow us on twitter to receive application tips throughout the application period.

Please note: Applications must arrive at the Commission by email to
UKSummerInstitutes@fulbright.org.uk by 5pm (UK time) on the day of the deadline. 

References should be sent to the Commission by email  to
UKSummerInstitutes@fulbright.org.uk and should come directly from the referee. Students should not submit references on their referees' behalf. References must be received at the Commission by 5pm (UK time) on the day of the deadline or the application will not be considered even if the application itself has been received on time.

Please note that this email address is for applications and references only. Any general enquiries about the programme should be sent to programmes@fulbright.org.uk

Applications and references sent in by post, fax or to any email address other than UKSummerInstitutes@fulbright.org.uk will not be accepted. Late or incomplete applications will not be accepted. Commission staff will not confirm receipt of individual applications or references by email or phone.

Interviews

Applications will be short-listed and successful applicants will be invited to telephone interview on the 15 – 26 April 2013. Interviews will only be held these days and may not be rescheduled.

If you are making an application, please save these dates as an invitation to interview may come within a few days of the interview date.

The selection committee will be comprised of Fulbright Commission staff and on occasion representatives from a relevant field, academics, US Embassy and/or Consulate representatives and University staff.

Candidates will be considered without respect to race, colour, religion, national origin, ethnicity, sexual preference or gender (including gender reassignment). Individuals from a broad range of ethnic, religious, geographic, and socio-economic backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

Important note: The US-UK Fulbright Commission is unable to comment on individual applications or the reason for their refusal.

Timeline

December 2012    Competition opens

11 March 2013     Application deadline 

mid April 2013     Short-listed candidates invited to interview

16-26 April 2013  Telephone Interviews

early May 2013     Notification for successful applicants 

May/June 2013     Preparation and Pre-Departure Information

21 June 2013        Departure for UK

22 June 2013        Arrival in the UK

3 August 2013      Return to USA

Additional Information

Programme Outline

The programme title for 2013 is: "Contemporary Wales: Industry, Politics, Culture and Change".  The coursework for the programme will allow participants to explore a specific area of Welsh culture, industry, or politics while having an overall experience of all these areas. The objective is to familiarise participants with Wales by requiring them to explore some of the key documents, events, sites, and people that have shaped Wales. The six week programme is divided into three parts:

1. Cardiff University
For the first two weeks, the selected Fulbright participants will be hosted by Cardiff University. At Cardiff University there will be an emphasis on the impact of industrial and economic change in two distinct regions: the ‘Valleys’ and the coastal ports.  To support this, an overview of issues relating to South Wales as a region within Wales, and the UK, will be approached.  The nature of economic and political change in South Wales during the past three centuries and consequent questions about Welsh culture, identity and the Welsh language will also be considered.

Click to see the 2012 Cardiff programme

2. Bangor University
Students will spend the next two weeks of the programme at Bangor University. At Bangor University there will be an emphasis within both the academic and experiential component on issues pertaining to identity and much that this concept involves. The question of how a small nation can uphold its identity, traditions, culture and language in a globalising world will be examined. This element of the programme will look at tourism – including marketing, reputation and customer base, iconic tourist sites; primary industry – both historical and contemporary such as slate and ore mining, highland agriculture and land management and national park management; the Welsh language – how it is maintained as a native language and how it has become a strong ethnic marker; Celticism –questions surrounding Celtic identity and what this means in contemporary Wales and might this compare with the Celtic identities of Ireland and Scotland.

Click to see the 2012 Bangor programme

3. Aberystwyth University 
Students will spend the final two weeks at Aberystwyth University where they will be concerned primarily with the changing economic and social issues of Central Wales.  The region faces a range of challenges and opportunities which are related to the need to establish a strong economic infrastructure but in a sustainable way without detriment to the area’s diverse and spectacular environment, or agricultural and tourist industries.  The area is one of the heartlands of traditional Welsh culture and language which will add a valuable perspective to participants on the Summer Institute.  Recent years have seen notable developments in alternative living and tourism, and in creative industries.

Click here to see the 2012 Aberystwyth programme

The Summer Institute programme is designed to be both academic and cultural in scope.  Accordingly, a series of visits and walking tours to historical and cultural sites will be an integral part of the programme. In 2012 visits to local government institutions and other sites, including Ironbridge, Cardiff Castle, Anglesey, Snowdonia National Park and King Arthur’s Labyrinth, gave participants the opportunity to learn about their host city/town, its history and its role in Wales and the United Kingdom in terms of Industry, history and culture. Similar cultural and social outings will be offered for the 2013 Institute.  

All course content is subject to change. The information is intended to provide an initial scope of the programme and should not be considered final.

For further information from the Welsh Government's 'Official Gateway to Wales' please visit the www.wales.com website.