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Northern Illinois University

NIU Office of Public Affairs


News Release

Contact: Tom Parisi, NIU Office of Public Affairs
(815) 753-3635

June 16, 2004

Scholars worldwide will visit NIU
for course on America

DeKalb, Ill. — Northern Illinois University is gearing up for its third Fulbright American Studies Institute, a program that brings foreign scholars to campus to learn about American culture through the study of contemporary literature.

From June 21 to Aug. 1, the English Department and International Training Office will host 18 scholars from five continents and such countries as Angola, Argentina, Iraq, Egypt, Poland, Pakistan and the Philippines.

The U.S. State Department is providing $220,000 in funding for the Fulbright American Studies Institute program titled, "Redefining American Spaces." At the heart of all Fulbright programs is a desire to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.

"In the world community, there are sometimes bad feelings and misconceptions about the United States," says English Professor Keith Gandal, director of the NIU institute. "But the scholars who are immersed in our culture while studying some of the great modern works of American literature always leave with a favorable impression.

"Because they are teachers in their home countries, they reach a lot of people," Gandal adds. "It has an exponential effect."

Two participants from past Fulbright Institute programs have returned to NIU to pursue their Ph.D.s. One of those students, Xiaoling Zhang of China, is helping run this year's program.

"Many of the other academics who have attended the institute have gone back to their home countries to teach courses in American literature or launch American studies programs," Gandal says.

In addition to their stay in DeKalb, Fulbright Institute participants will visit Chicago, New York City and Colorado's Rocky Mountains. All the while, the foreign professors will be studying a diverse sampling of contemporary American novels, from works on urban, suburban and rural life to the literature of the American West.

Among the institute presenters are a publisher, writer, filmmakers, theater director and professors from NIU and universities across the nation, including UCLA, Brown, Columbia and Boston College.

See http://www.engl.niu.edu/fulbright/ for more information on the NIU-hosted Fulbright Institute.

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