American Studies in Germany
More than any other country, Germany has adopted American Studies as one of its most favored academic fields. Even at the undergraduate level, many English Studies departments have "Amerikanistik" or "Amerikastudien" professors. One of the world's most noted American Studies programs is located at the John F. Kennedy Institute for North American Studies at the Freie Universität Berlin, which receives funding from the governments of both the United States and Canada as part of each nation's cultural diplomacy efforts. German American Studies programs put a special emphasis on understanding the role of America in Germany itself, particularly from World War II through the close of the Cold War.
American Studies in the United Kingdom
After Germany, the United Kingdom is the nation most noted for its international American Studies programs, largely due to the long-standing close ties between the two nations. Most American Studies programs in the United Kingdom require a year of study at a university in America, while many Americans go to universities in the U.K. to complete their graduate work. American Studies in the U.K. focuses largely on the shared historical experiences of the U.S. and the U.K., and special institutes like the Rothermere Centre at Oxford University provide support to the estimated 3,000 working "Americanists" in England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.
American Studies in the Rest of Europe
Active American Studies academic communities can be found at universities and other entities across Europe. Some of the most notable include the Center for American Studies at the Royal Library of Belgium, the Center for American Studies at the University of Southern Denmark, and the European Association of American Studies, a consortium of academics that is active across the continent.
American Studies in the Middle East
The field of American Studies is relatively new to the Middle East, with the first program being founded in 1998 at the University of Bahrain. One of the newest programs is at Tehran University, where students often focus on studying American democracy. Understandably, the majority of students pursuing American Studies coursework in the Middle East are working to examine U.S. foreign policy in the region.
American Studies in the Rest of the World
American Studies is still a small but growing field in places like Oceania, South America, Africa, and Eastern Asia. Some institutions at the forefront in those places include the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney in Australia, founded in 2006; the National University of Singapore; and Doshisha University in Japan.