American Studies - Publications
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*The 2009 U.S. Presidential Inauguration
eJournal USA, January 2009. The citizens of the United States enthusiastically celebrated the inauguration of their 44th president in January 2009. The peaceful transfer of power always renews faith in the strength of democracy, but in 2009 the rise of an African-American to the nation’s highest office also gave reason for pride at the nation’s repudiation of the segregation and slavery in its past. President Barack Obama called it a day when Americans chose “hope over fear.”
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*About America: Edward R. Murrow: Journalism at Its Best
April 2006. The career of Edward R. Murrow, the eminent broadcast journalist, is discussed in this publication as an example of the essential role the free press plays in a democratic society. With his reports from London during World War II and his exposé of Senator McCarthy's anti-Communist campaign in the 1950s, Murrow showed how a fearless reporter can use journalistic skills in the public's service in times of crisis.
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About America: How the United States Is Governed
October 2005. This publication presents a comprehensive yet easy-to-read overview of the various levels of and institutions related to government in the U.S. It describes how federal, state, and local governments are elected, how they operate, and how the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government relate under the U.S. constitutional system. This publication contains a glossary and a list of useful Web sites.
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About America: The Constitution of the United States of America With Explanatory Notes
July 2004. This illustrated publication includes the complete text of the U.S. Constitution, as well an updated introduction and explanation. The introduction includes sections explaining how the Constitution set up the U.S. federal system, the background to the Constitutional Convention and how the participants arrived at a final version of the document, its ratification, and sections on the call for a Bill of Rights and the need for additional amendments over the years.
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Abraham Lincoln: A Legacy of Freedom
February 2009. The year 2009 marks the bicentennial of the birth of Abraham Lincoln, the nation’s 16th president, and the man often considered its greatest leader. As the United States endured its greatest crisis, this self-educated common man supplied the leadership and the moral force that bound Americans together and carried them to victory. His vision spanned diplomacy and military strategy, political thought and elemental justice for all Americans --- including the African-American slaves he emancipated.
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*American Citizenship
January 2010. In the United States, government serves the citizens. It protects their constitutional rights, including freedom of speech and religion, and the right to equal protection under the law. This book depicts American citizens exercising the many rights and privileges that empower them to participate fully in the nation's political, economic, and cultural life.
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*American Lives
March 2010. This picture book depicts Americans at every stage of life, from children to senior citizens, at work, home, and play.
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American Popular Music
August 2008. American popular music is a kaleidoscopic mélange of styles and dreams. Its vibrancy reflects the mating of cultural diversity to artistic and creative freedom. The stories in this book illustrate how Americans, borrowing from diverse musical traditions, have contributed to humanity’s universal language.
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American Teenagers
July 2005. What do American teenagers have to say about their lives, values, hopes and dreams? The essays and reflections in this e-journal give a glimpse into some of the many ways a teenager's day might unfold in the United States, as well as an insight into his or her goals, ambitions, and concerns.
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*Anatomy of a Jury Trial
July 2009. Juries — usually groups of 6 or 12 ordinary citizens — provide a crucial service for their fellow citizens: Just as in medieval England, where they got started, juries prevent government, even democratic government, from pursuing oppressive prosecutions.
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Barack Obama: 44th President of the United States
November 2008. Barack Obama, elected the 44th President of the United States, has lived a truly American life, and has opened a new chapter in American politics. This publication tells the story of Obama’s life, describes how he captured the presidency, and portrays his vision for the future. It also introduces readers to the Obama family and to the new Vice President, Joseph Biden.
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*Becoming American: Beyond the Melting Pot
December 2009. The United States is a nation of immigrants. Find out how long-time residents and newcomers are finding common ground in three U.S. communities.
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*Being Muslim in America
March 2009. The young women pictured on our cover are both Muslim. They live near Detroit, Michigan, in a community with many Arab-American residents. Each expresses her faith in her own way, with a combination of traditional and modern dress. Here, they compete fiercely on the basketball court in a sport that blends individual skills and team effort. They - along with the other men, women, and children in this publication - demonstrate every day what it is like to be Muslim in America.
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*The Berlin Wall: 20 Years Later
September 2009. The Berlin Wall — symbol of a divided city within a divided nation within a divided continent — marked the geopolitical and ideological cleavage of Cold War Europe. Its demise marked the triumph of western models of personal autonomy and economic entrepreneurialism, and of the desire to live in freedom. Among the voices gathered here are those of leading scholars, a dissident from a time when dissent required real bravery, and a journalist who was there when the walls came down all through Eastern Europe.
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*Campus Connections
August 2009. A globalized economy makes business and employment spill across national boundaries, so an education abroad is likely to make a young person better prepared for the world’s future. Almost double the numbers of students travel abroad for an education today as compared with 20 years ago. Campus Connections examines the international study experience and its influence on individual growth.
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*Choosing a Career
December 2008. This edition of eJournal USA rambles down the many varied paths that Americans take on their way to find their life's work. Professionals in various fields explain how they got there, and some wrong turns they made along the way. Experts describe how young people can weigh and explore the options before them.
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* Climate Action Goes Local
August 2011. This issue of eJournal USA examines what it means to think globally about climate change — and to act locally. “Climate Action Goes Local” shows how communities and nongovernmental groups worldwide are initiating programs that counter climate change, and why leadership from local officials and buy-in from local populations and businesses are necessary for such programs to be effective.
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*Climate Change Partnerships
April 2010. Partnerships leverage the complementary skills and talents of diverse partners and likely will be among the required responses to global climate change.
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* Climate Change Perspectives
September 2009. This eJournal USA offers perspectives of experts and activists in several key countries on effective policies to curb greenhouse gas emissions to mitigate global warming and adapt to irreversible changes, and features an introduction by U.S. special envoy Todd Stern.
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*Defining Internet Freedom
June 2010. Information has never been so free, but threats to the free flow of information on the Internet are growing. How governments and societies confront new and transformative Internet technologies is the subject of this eJournal USA.
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* Democracy in Brief
December 2007. Democracy in Brief gives a concise account of the intellectual origins, history, and basic values of democratic systems of government. The book touches on topics such as rights and responsibilities of citizens, free and fair elections, the rule of law, the role of a written constitution, separation of powers, a free media, the role of parties and interest groups, military-civilian relations and democratic culture.
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* Dynamic English
August 2007. This edition of eJournal USA discusses forces that shape and change everyday English. From cultural and international influences, such as words that come directly, or in a changed form from another language, to popular media, including movies, music and sports, to changes arising from technological developments, the authors present examples of ways English changes daily. Other articles describe the process of language change, and tips for deciphering slang.
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*Edgar Allan Poe
Jan. 2009. Dreams of Edgar Allan Poe honors a giant of American literature. An essay by the acclaimed novelist and critic Diane Johnson explores Poe’s life and career. Excerpts from audio dramatizations bring 6 classic Poe stories to life.
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*Educating Women and Girls
July 2011 - This issue of eJournal USA explores how international organizations, state governments, the private sector and individuals — in many different countries — are promoting education for women and girls and are improving people’s lives.
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* The Electoral College
September 2008. More than 100 million voters are likely to cast ballots in nationwide U.S. elections November 4. But only 538 men and women will elect the next president of the United States, and those elections will take place in 50 state capitals and in Washington, D.C., December 15. This indirect election system, called the Electoral College and devised in 1787 by the framers of the Constitution, puzzles Americans and non-Americans alike. It reflects the federal governing system of allocating powers not only to a national government and to the people but also to the states. We hope that this issue of eJournal USA will improve your understanding of the historical reasons for the Electoral College system and how it functions.
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* Energy Efficiency: The First Fuel
April 2009. Increasing the efficient use of existing energy supplies is widely acknowledged as the fastest, cheapest, and cleanest way to meet future energy needs. Energy Efficiency: The First Fuel examines the strong U.S. record of tapping efficiency as a resource, and the accelerated efforts by individuals, organizations, and governments to squeeze greater productivity from all energy sources.
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Free At Last - The U.S. Civil Rights Movement
January 2009. This book recounts how African-American slaves and their descendants struggled to win — both in law and in practice — the civil rights enjoyed by other Americans. It is a story of dignified persistence and struggle, a story that produced great heroes and heroines, and one that ultimately succeeded by forcing Americans to confront squarely the shameful gap between their universal principles of equality and justice and the inequality, injustice, and oppression faced by millions of their fellow citizens.
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* Freedom of Faith
August 2008. The principle of religious freedom is a cherished right in the United States, one that has historical roots older than the formation of the nation itself. In the 21st century, the United States pulses with a unique cultural chemistry brought on by a wave of immigration which has brought followers of more diverse faiths to many communities. This edition of eJournal USA examines how the nation adjusts to these demographic changes to remain true to the principles of freedom of faith.
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*Global Generation: The Model UN Experience
August 2012. Model United Nations (Model UN) — a simulation where students role-play UN delegates — is more than just an after-school activity.
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* Growing up Green
eJournal USA, March 2012. Youth are leading the way to a sustainable future by creating innovative solutions to global problems. Read about some of their amazing accomplishments and ambitious plans for the future in this issue of eJournal USA.
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* The Greening of U.S. Corporations
March 2008. This issue of eJournal USA delves into what those familiar with the history of the environmental movement in the United States might see as a surprising trend — the way U.S. corporations in recent years have embraced environmentally friendly ways of doing business. What prompts a corporation to “go green”?
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* Historians on America
September 2007. Historians on America is a series of individual essays that selects specific moments, decisions, and intellectual or legislative or legal developments and explains how they altered the course of U.S. history. The book consists of 11 separate essays by major historians, ranging from The Trial of John Peter Zenger in 1735 to The Immigration Act of 1965.
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* Human Rights in Brief
March 2008. In all civilized nations, attempts are made to define and buttress human rights. The core of the concept is the same everywhere: Human rights are the rights that one has simply because one is human. They are universal and equal. Human rights are also inalienable. They may be suspended, rightly or wrongly, at various places and times, but the idea of inherent rights cannot be taken away. One can no more lose these rights than one can stop being a human being.
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*If You Want to Study in the U.S.: Undergraduate Study
This booklet gives information on how to choose and apply to U.S. bachelor's and associate degree programs, plus information on technical and vocational educational opportunities in the United States.
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*If You Want to Study in the U.S.: Graduate and Professional Study and Research
This booklet gives information on how to research and apply to U.S. master's, doctoral degree, and postdoctoral programs, plus information on certification and licensing procedures for professionals who wish to further their education or practice in the United States.
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*If You Want to Study in the U.S.: Short-Term Study, English-Language Programs, Distance Education and Accreditation
This booklet contains information on opportunities to study in the United States for up to one year, plus an overview of studying towards a degree, diploma, or certificate from outside the United States through distance education programs. The booklet also includes detailed information on accreditation of U.S. higher education institutions.
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*If You Want to Study in the U.S.: Getting Ready to Go - Practical Information for Living and Studying in the United States
This booklet helps with planning your move to the United States after you have been accepted to a U.S. university or college. It also provides advice on applying for a visa, moving to the United States, and what to expect when you arrive on campus.
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* Immigrants Joining the Mainstream
February 2008. Immigrants made the United States what it is. Being an American depends on acceptance of certain American ideals, not on the place of birth of a person or of his or her ancestors. This edition of eJournal USA tells the story of immigration and diversity as it has played out through the centuries and continues to play out now.
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*Indigenous People
June 2009. The June 2009 edition of eJournal USA provides insight into Native Americans and other indigenous peoples. Articles provide historical background and look at issues surrounding their languages and culture, their legal status, and how they are networking around the world.
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*A Living Legacy: Preserving Intangible Culture
October 2010. Many actors in the United States celebrate and preserve the country’s diverse intangible cultural heritage.
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The Long Campaign. U.S. Elections 2008
October 2007. This edition of eJournal USA presents an introduction to the upcoming 2008 U.S. elections. In these elections, U.S. voters will have the opportunity to vote for president and vice president, congressional representatives, state and local officials, and ballot initiatives. The journal describes aspects of this election which make it different from most recent elections and includes a pro-con debate of the Electoral College.
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* Media Making Change
December 2007. New media technologies give average citizens access to vast amounts of information and broad networks of people. People can use these tools to pursue social and political agendas of their own making. This edition of eJournal USA shows how this new empowerment is influencing nations in various parts of the world.
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* More Than Elections: How Democracies Transfer Power
January 2010. Democracy requires more than holding elections. Healthy democracies are defined by the expectations of citizens and the common rules, understandings, and trust they build. This eJournal USA explores the contours of civil society and political legitimacy within which peaceful transitions of power can occur.
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* Multicultural Literature in the United States Today
February 2009. The United States is enriched culturally by immigrants from many nations. This edition of eJournal USA focuses on distinguished American writers from various ethnic backgrounds who add immeasurably to mutual understanding and appreciation through tales of their native lands and their experiences as Americans.
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*My Town. Writers on American Cities
November 2010. This booklet features 12 American authors describing how the U.S. cities where they live contribute to their creativity. Pete Hamill offers a touching reminiscence of growing up in New York, Washington Post critic Jonathan Yardley introduces the reader to his hometown of Baltimore, and best-selling author Jonathan Kellerman describes "the sprawling, inchoate alternative-universe" that is Los Angeles.
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National Parks, National Legacy
July 2008. This edition of eJournalUSA presents glorious views of the national parks, the history of this vast system, and its mission of conservation and public access.
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*The Next New Thing
January 2008. Innovation is the art of creating something new, and everyday in the U.S. and around the world, scientists, students, and everyday people are working to bring to life an idea that is theirs alone. This edition of eJournal USA tells the story of innovators and their creations.
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*Nonviolent Paths to Social Change
March 2009. The past 30 years have seen a surge of nonviolent, “people power” movements around the world advancing human rights and toppling repressive rulers. This edition of eJournal USA demonstrates that nonviolent actions can be more powerful than armed insurrections in bringing about social change.
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Obama in His Own Words
January 2009. These pages share President Obama’s words with our global readership. This book includes the complete text of the 44th President’s Inaugural Address. Also featured are extended excerpts from eight other significant campaign and pre-presidential speeches.
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*The Olympic Experience
April 2008. The Olympic Games remind us of certain universal human values. Every Olympian has a story that echoes the shared human struggle for excellence and our devotion to pursue purpose in life. In this issue of eJournal USA, we celebrate the Olympics through the individual experiences and insights of athletes who share their memories of the Olympic Experience.
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Outline of American Geography
November 1998. This publication considers the physical environment of the United States — landforms, climate, soils, and vegetation — in terms of its impact on the country's cultural, regional, and political development.
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*Outline of American Literature
December 2006. The Outline of American literature, newly revised, traces the paths of American narrative, fiction, poetry and drama as they move from pre-colonial times into the present, through such literary movements as romanticism, realism and experimentation.
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Outline of the U.S. Economy
May 2012. The U.S. economy of the 21st century little resembles that of the 18th century, but acceptance of change and embrace of competition remain unchanged.
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*Partnerships Against Corruption
May 2012 - This issue provides a range of perspectives on the benefits and challenges of public-private partnerships and international cooperation in combating corruption. It also offers concrete examples of how such partnerships are being used effectively.
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*Peace Corps — 50 Years of Promoting Friendship
May 2011 - In this issue of eJournal USA, we mark the 50th anniversary of the Peace Corps with narratives written by past volunteers and we glimpse the future of the Peace Corps in an essay by current Peace Corps Director Aaron S. Williams.
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*Pop Culture versus Real America
Feb. 2013. U.S. television and cinema promote images of Americans that are … well … wrong! Pop Culture versus Real America will contrast those pop culture images with profiles of real Americans in every walk of life.
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*Rachel Carson: Pen Against Poison
March 2007. Rachel Carson was a quiet woman who stirred extraordinary controversy that persists decades after her death. Her 1962 book Silent Spring brought worldwide attention to the harm to human health and the environment wrought by mishandling of a powerful pesticide, fomenting the environmental movement.
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*Refugees Building New Lives in the United States
July 2010. Since 1980, millions of refugees have been resettled in the United States. Individual Americans welcome and help integrate refugees into U.S. communities large and small and, in turn, the resettled refugees enrich American culture. This edition of eJournal USA presents some background information and includes several personal stories.
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*A Responsible Press Office in the Digital Age
April 2012 - This updated edition explores the relationship between government officials and the modern news media. The brochure provides guidance to government communicators about how to use social and digital media to provide the public with accurate and timely information concerning public policies, laws, programs and actions.
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*Rethinking International Aid
November 2007. This edition of eJournal USA describes how U.S. foreign aid — directed through government and faith-based organizations, through individuals, businesses, and a multiplicity of partnerships — has developed, how it fits into foreign affairs, and how it is related to advancing altruistic objectives.
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*Roots of Innovation
November 2009. Economic expansion depends more and more on innovation — not simply producing more goods and services, but producing ever newer goods and services. This issue of eJournal USA seeks to show that innovation needs the right conditions to emerge.
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*See You in the U.S.A.
May 2010. Every year tens of millions of people visit the United States. They come to study, or for business, or for fun. But the best reason of all is to meet Americans.
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Significant Events in U.S. Foreign Relations
April 2006. Focusing on a number of seminal world events, this issue of eJournal USA: Foreign Policy Agenda offers a framework for examining how U.S. foreign relations have evolved over the past century, influenced by the legacy of America's founding ideals of protecting individual rights and freedom.
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*Sixty Years: Celebrating the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
November 2008. This issue of eJournal USA celebrates the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It explores the document’s origins, sites it within humanity’s common intellectual heritage, and explains how it has bettered the lives of individuals in every corner of the globe.
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Sketchbook USA
December 2008. Sketchbook USA lavishly illustrates many aspects of American life. These excerpts depict Americans at work, at play, and engaging in civic activities.
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Snapshot USA
June 2006. This edition of eJournal USA is designed to provide a central resource for information about the United States. It is but an introduction, tailored to the current generation of young people around the world, containing many facts and statistics, but also essays which describe a little of how Americans think about their country and the world.
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*Sports Strengthen Communities
June 2012 - This issue explores the integral role of sports in American society and highlights the power of sports to strengthen community bonds that transcend differences.
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*The Supreme Court and the United States
April 2005. The ultimate interpreter of American law and the American Constitution itself is the United States Supreme Court. Nearly 220 years old, the Court has grown dramatically in stature and authority. Its authority to invalidate as unconstitutional actions of the legislative and executive branches now is long settled. Americans may disagree with the Court's decisions, but defying the Court is simply beyond the bounds of political, even social, legitimacy. We present a collection of essays in this journal that explain how the Court functions. They also illustrate how it commands the respect of Americans and plays a vital role in the constitutional system.
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*Transforming the Culture of Corruption
December 2006. In recent years, through a series of international agreements, a global framework for combating corruption has begun to emerge. Individual countries can now make their anticorruption efforts more effective by vigorously implementing anticorruption commitments and relying on international cooperation. This issue of eJournal USA highlights the important roles that the public sector, private sector, and non-governmental organizations play in eradicating corruption worldwide.
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*USA Economy In Brief
July 2007. This mini-publication discusses the factors that make the U.S. economy the world's most productive, competitive, and influential. It focuses on workers and productivity, small and large business, the service economy, goods and services, the role of government, and the concept of "creative destruction," the process where jobs, companies, entire industries come and go because of their success or failure in the marketpla
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USA Education In Brief
September 2008. USA Education in Brief covers the development of the public school movement, beginning with "common school," (the iconic little red schoolhouse) in the 18th century, through the Land-Grant university movement to the G.I. Bill of Rights and the civil rights movement which expanded educational opportunity to all U.S. citizens.
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USA Elections in Brief
January 2012. This revised edition sketches the way primary and general elections work, not only the role of political parties, but also the nuts and bolts of voting machines and poll workers, opinion polls and campaign finance.
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*USA History in Brief
April 2010. This is the first in a planned series of books to help readers improve their English skills. Each book will teach you something about the United States. This book is about U.S. history.
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*USA Literature in Brief
May 2007. USA Literature in Brief pinpoints and describes the contributions to American literature of some of the best-recognized American poets, novelists, philosophers and dramatists from pre-Colonial days through the present. This condensed version of Outline of American Literature highlights major achievers and important works in the canon.
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USA Map with Facts in Brief
This publication includes plenty of facts and statistics about the United States -- its government, geography, environment, sports and entertainment, the economy and employment, education, transportation, and population.
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*U.S. Presidential Transitions
January 2009. We often read or hear about turmoil before, during, or after elections around the world. An important characteristic of democracy in the United States, however, is the regularly recurring peaceful transfer of power from one president to the next. Americans know when the next presidential election will take place – the Tuesday after the first Monday in November every four years. And power will be transferred to the newly elected (or re-elected) president on January 20 of the following year.
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*The U.S. Supreme Court: Equal Justice Under Law
October 2009. This eJournal USA describes many aspects of the U.S. Supreme Court. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and Solicitor General Elena Kagan present their introductions and contributions by legal scholars and journalists focus on the elements of judicial decision making and independence of the justices. Four Court officials and a former Supreme Court law clerk also describe their jobs.
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*Women in the World
September 2012 - The book includes a preface by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and an overview by Ambassador Melanne Verveer.
Ordering Information
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Many of these publications can be ordered through the American Reference Center. Orders will be processed within Austria only; if the requester lives in Vienna, please arrange an appointment Monday - Friday 8:30 am - 5:00 pm to pick up the brochures.
Tel.: 01/405 30 33
Fax: 01/406 52 60
E-mail: arc@usembassy.at
* = available online ONLY
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