American Studies
American Studies Association
The Association was formed in December 1995 to unite educators who are leading experts in Belarus on American history, culture, literature and other disciplines related to the American society. Members of the Association promote American studies by creating special teaching courses in their respective disciplines. The Association issues a newsletter and sponsors or co-sponsors conferences in American studies with the participation of local or international scholars.
Summer Institutes
The U.S. Department of State sponsors summer institutes for secondary school (Summer Institutes for Secondary School Educators) and university level (Summer Institutes for Foreign University Educators) educators in the fields of American studies and civic education. Each summer institute consists of four week of academic courses plus two-weeks of travel designed to introduce participants to the people and culture of the United States.
English Teaching Materials
Of the specialized English teaching materials published by U.S. Information Agency (now part of the Department of State) English Teaching Forum, a quarterly for English teachers around the world, is the most widely asked for and used. Together with the publishing company Macmillan Inc., the Department of State sponsored the development of Family Album USA, a major American multimedia project to teach English through television broadcasts and class sittings. English teaching materials are available at the Information Resource Center by appointment and during public hours.