May 11-19, 2019
May 11-19, 2019
As part of the Year of German-American Friendship (Deutschlandjahr USA), Fulbright Germany will provide three groups of Fulbrighters the opportunity to engage with U.S.-Americans from the heartland about Germany.
The roadtrips will take the groups consisting of six current German Fulbright grantees and American Fulbright alumni, the latter preferably with a background in German Studies or Communications and Journalism, as well as friends of the Fulbright program, on different routes across the country. Along their journey in VW camper vans, the groups will engage with local communities on German heritage and contemporary Germany in a variety of informal get togethers. Successful road trip stops may include town halls, film screenings, music sessions, site visits, and happy hours. The purpose of these activities is to create new opportunities for people to meet and gain insight into contemporary German culture as well as to discuss transatlantic relations. Participants will help plan the activities throughout the four stops per group, execute them independently as a team and post regular visual and written reflections from the road via social media to share their adventures.
Three routes – numerous insights
Blue-white Bavarian villages in Georgia? German accent in Texas? Lower Saxon car industry in Tennessee? Along three different tours, Fulbrighters will discuss German influence then and now as well as transatlantic relations. The final destination of the week-long trip is the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, where a conference with up to 150 Fulbright grantees and alumni will be held. During this closing event the participants will share their experiences with current and former Fulbrighters, scholars, and the University of Arkansas' academic community.
Potential routes (to be specified with selected participants):
From the East into the American Heartland (yellow route):
Oldenburg (Indiana) – Daniel Boone National Forest (Kentucky) – exploring the impact of German car industry in Chattanooga (Tennessee) – Helen (Georgia) – Atlanta (Georgia) – Cullman (Alabama) -discussing musical collaboration in Germantown/Memphis (Tennessee) – cooking Swabian cuisine in Stuttgart (Arkansas)
From the North into the American Heartland (violet route):
Berlin (Wisconsin) – exploring the Upper Mississippi in Hanover (Illinois) – Galena (Illinois) – Bloomington (Illinois) – dancing Volkstanz in Oldenburg (Indiana) – St. Louis (Missouri) – Hermann (Missouri) – discussing German-American military cooperation at Fort Leonard Wood (Missouri)
From the South into the American Heartland (blue route):
New Braunsfels (Texas) – speaking Texasdeutsch in Austin (Texas) – Rosenberg (Texas) – debating nature preservation policies at Sabine Wildlife Regugee close to Lake Charles (Louisanna) – Jena (Louisanna) – discussing historical conflicts and how they are dealt with today in Little Rock (Arkansas)
“Building Bridges: The Fulbright Legacy and the Future of International Exchange” – International Conference at the University of Arkansas, May 17 to 19, 2019
The conference “Building Bridges” marks the culmination of the Roadtrip. It is hosted by the German-American Fulbright Commission in partnership with the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. Please find further information on the registration page.
The application deadline for the roadtrip in 2019 has passed.