John F. Kennedy-Institute for North American Studies
Encyclopedia
The John F. Kennedy Institute for North American Studies (JFKI) is a central institute at the Free University Berlin. The JFKI was founded in 1963 by Ernst Fraenkel
, a political scientist and was named in the honor of John F. Kennedy
after his assassination.
The JFKI seeks to explore North America in all its dimensions. Focusing on the United States
and Canada
, research and teaching at the JFKI unite culture and history with literature and political science, sociology and economics.
at the JFKI was awarded with funding during the German excellence initiative
for its Ph.D. program themed "The Challenges of Freedom". It was one of only two graduate schools in the humanities among 18 graduate schools in total which received this honor in October 2007.
.
Ernst Fraenkel (political scientist)
Ernst Fraenkel was a German political scientist. He was one of the founding fathers of German political science after World War II....
, a political scientist and was named in the honor of John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
after his assassination.
The JFKI seeks to explore North America in all its dimensions. Focusing on the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, research and teaching at the JFKI unite culture and history with literature and political science, sociology and economics.
Graduate School of North American Studies
The Graduate School of North American StudiesGraduate School of North American Studies
The Berlin Graduate School of North American Studies is affiliated with the John F. Kennedy Institute for North American Studies at the Free University Berlin. It was distinguished by the German Universities Excellence Initiative in 2006, a nationwide competition carried out by the Federal...
at the JFKI was awarded with funding during the German excellence initiative
German Universities Excellence Initiative
The Excellence Initiative of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research and the German Research Foundation aims to promote cutting-edge research and to create outstanding conditions for young scientists at universities, to deepen cooperation between disciplines and institutions, to...
for its Ph.D. program themed "The Challenges of Freedom". It was one of only two graduate schools in the humanities among 18 graduate schools in total which received this honor in October 2007.
JFKI library
The JFKI library holds Germany's largest collection of scholarly literature and audiovisual material on North America. It receives funding from both the Canadian and the United States' government in order to acquire special collections in the research area of American StudiesAmerican studies
American studies or American civilization is an interdisciplinary field dealing with the study of the United States. It traditionally incorporates the study of history, literature, and critical theory, but also includes fields as diverse as law, art, the media, film, religious studies, urban...
.