Every other year, the Fulbright Commission invites young scholars of American Studies to participate in the American Studies Institute. The American Studies Institutes are hosted by varying U.S. higher education institutions and universities and are dedicated to different themes. The 2007 Institute in which 14 German post-doc scholars participated, was devoted to “Contested American Values” and hosted by the San Francisco State University. The program ran from September 16 to 28, 2007 and involved academic lectures, expert meetings, excursions, university campus visits and many opportunities for the German Americanists to expand their scholarly networks.