III. SAMPLES ADDRESSING WHY THE HOST COUNTRY WAS CHOSEN

Why [host country]?

The passage of more than thirty years has not dimmed the many pleasant memories of my childhood adventure to [host country]. The year was 1977. Spurred on by my father’s longstanding interest in [host country], my parents, older sister and I boarded what seemed to me at the time like an impossibly large plane for an unbelievably long journey. I was all of 11 years old. We were on a modest, group bus excursion designed for foreign tourists. What I remember most – and most fondly – are the people of [host country]. Americans were not common visitors in those days so we created a bit of a stir when we were outside the main tourist sites.

This project is clearly about [host country] teachers, and as such it is imperative to see and speak with them within the context in which they live and work. In addition, the Research Center in [host city] offers access to several resources that will be indispensable. First, there are faculty members who work with future teachers in their disciplines. Several of them also have an interest in identity work and the issues presented in this project, including the Center’s director, and several publications from the University Press deal with identity. These connections will be invaluable during the course of this project.

The [host country] also offers many opportunities for the study of constitutionalism, political institutions, and public policy. It has undergone revolutionary change since declaring its independence … and joining the European Union …, and it continues to evolve politically. The country has developed into a stable multi-party democracy, and its success in this regard can be attributed, among other things, to its consensus building political culture, open economy and early experiences with democracy. Yet, although it is one of the more prosperous countries in the European Union, it still faces public policy challenges. This makes it a country ideally situated for comparative study along with other former Eastern bloc countries, European Union countries, emerging democracies, and the United States. A Fulbright award will provide the opportunity to broaden my understanding of American politics through this comparative analysis. This knowledge will extend to the classroom and my scholarship as I incorporate this information into my lectures and research.