Founded in 2003 as newest institute of Germany's oldest university, the University of Heidelberg's Heidelberg Center for American Studies (HCA) serves as an interdisciplinary institute for higher education, as a center for advanced research, and as a forum for public debate on topics related to the United States of America. Building on long-standing ties between Heidelberg and the United States of America, the HCA fosters interdisciplinary and intercultural exchange across the Atlantic. The University of Heidelberg's over 620-year-old tradition of excellence, its international reputation, and its strong record in the study of the United States combine to create the ideal environment for the HCA.
Contents |
An institute for higher education
The Heidelberg Center for American Studies (HCA) enhances interdisciplinary academic and cultural expertise on the United States in Europe. It trains Americanists in response to increasing demand in academia and the business community. In 2004, the University of Heidelberg introduced the MA. in American Studies (MAS) at the HCA. Since 2006 onward, the HCA also offers a Ph. D. in American Studies.
A center for advanced research
The Heidelberg Center for American Studies provides an optimal intellectual and organizational setting for individual doctoral projects, as well as for international and interdisciplinary research cooperation. Furthermore the HCA hosts and organizes international conferences and symposia, workshops, and seminars. The HCA Spring Academy on American history, politics, and American culture has become an annual event since 2004. Already the HCA Spring Academy is succeeding in its principal aim of establishing an international network of Ph.D. students in the field of American studies.
A forum for public debate
As a public forum, the Heidelberg Center for American Studies (HCA) facilitates communication among the business community, the media, the political sphere, academia, and the general public. The HCA regularly hosts lectures and lecture series as well as high-profile keynote addresses on U.S. affairs and Transatlantic relations. The lecture series "Typisch Amerikanisch", has been offered every winter from 2002 to 2006. Each annual series was organized around a central theme, such as foreign policy, multiculturalism, or the economy of the United States.
Development and goals
In 2002, an interdisciplinary group of professors and administrators of the University of Heidelberg began working toward the establishment of the Heidelberg Center for American Studies (HCA). The HCA opened its first office in the spring of 2003. By October 2004, the HCA was officially inaugurated as a central academic institution of the University of Heidelberg. In the Summer of 2006 the HCA moved into its new and final offices located in a historic building in the old city center of Heidelberg: the Curt und Heidemarie Engelhorn Palais. Generous public and private funding was crucial in establishing the HCA. The institution's goal is to raise an endowment sufficient to ensure its permanent success.
Spin-off
In October 2006, Athena Wissenschaftsmarketing, HCA's first spin off took up work. Having its sites set on the new challenges presented by the global education market, Athena has already opened an office in the still young business park of the University of Heidelberg. As an independent agency, Athena supports academic institutions to successfully brand their products and introduce them into the international education market. Athena is particularily experienced in international student recruitment campaigns. Additionally, the agency also operates as middle man between the realm of academia and the world of business, advising academic institutions as well as private and corporate donors on fundraising and sponsoring schemes.
