North American Studies

The institutions and organizations on this list are in alphabetical order.

Finnish American Studies Association (FASA)

The Finnish American Studies Association (FASA) is a registered Finnish organization, whose aim is to encourage and promote academic study of the United States in Finland as well as to facilitate communication between American Studies scholars. FASA members automatically also belong to the Nordic Association for American Studies (NAAS) as well as to the European Association for American Studies (EAAS), and receive the biannual publication American Studies in Scandinavia.

Finnish Institute of International Affairs (FIIA)

The Finnish Institute of International Affairs (FIIA) has a Center on U.S. Politics and Power (CUSPP). CUSPP provides research and expertise on the U.S.’s evolving global and regional role, as well as the domestic drivers of foreign policy. CUSPP also organizes an annual U.S. Research Day, a Summer Session to convene scholars and experts, and a monthly seminar series for students. FIIA is a research institute whose mission is to produce high quality, topical information on international relations.

Fulbright Finland Foundation

Fulbright Finland Foundation promotes a wider exchange of knowledge and professional talents through educational exchanges and cooperation between Finland and North America. Fulbright Finland Foundation awards a large number of grants for Finnish-American exchanges, including the Distinguished Fulbright Bicentennial Chair in American Studies, advises students on study in the U.S., organizes national seminars, annually convenes the professionals in the field to discuss and advance North American Studies in Finland, as well as supports and advances North American Studies in Finland in many other ways. Read more about the Foundation.

Fulbright Finland publishes a monthly newsletter which includes information about events and grant programs. You can subscribe to the newsletter at http://uutiskirje.fulbright.fi/

Tampere University

The North American Studies program at Tampere University applies analysis from political science and economics, but also incorporates other fields, including history and sociology. The program draws from these multidisciplinary resources, with each field applying its own methodology, approaches, and perspectives to explore the creation, actions, and impacts of the political and economic systems and impacts of North America globally and vice versa. A particular emphasis of the program is welfare state issues and evaluation of differential welfare state systems. The international workshop series “Institutions in context”, organized within the program, brings global experts together in Finland to discuss issues of increasing importance and comparative research in North American Studies and in the social sciences.

Tampere University also offers an International Master’s Degree program in Social Science Research, Public Policy Analysis, which offers an interdisciplinary approach to social science issues with a focus on comparisons between North America and Europe. Public policy analysis involves understanding institutional design, policy evaluation and implementation, and decision-making. The methods include microeconomics, game theory, experimental economics, spatial econometrics, social choice theory and econometrics.

The John Morton Center for North American Studies

The national John Morton Center for North American Studies focuses on analyzing contemporary societal, political, and cultural phenomena related to the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean from various transnational perspectives. The JMC emphasizes transdisciplinary and multi-methodological research and teaching by bringing together scholars and students from various scholarly backgrounds. The Center's mission is to cater for transdisciplinary dialogue and to engender synergy among Finnish and international North American Studies scholars as well as representatives of the public and media.

The JMC’s activities include a research network, "Current Issues" seminars and lectures, conferences, and thematic workshops. The Center also contributes to North American Studies education, including writing and publishing workshops for doctoral students, and provides resources for the public. All of the JMC's researchers offer frequent commentary on the histories, societies, politics, and cultures of North American nations and their transnational liaisons.

More information on events organized by the JMC
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The University of Eastern Finland

While the University of Eastern Finland does not have a separate North American Studies program, the Department of English Language and Culture and Geographical and Historical Studies offer courses related to North American Studies.

The University of Helsinki

The North American Studies program at the University of Helsinki offers a broad view on the United States and Canada, examining their histories, cultures, and societies, with an interdisciplinary multi-methodological approach. It is part of the umbrella program of Area and Cultural Studies and seeks Finnish responses to and interpretations of North American studies and research. The program is especially suited to those students who plan to work as teachers or researchers or in organizations and businesses with links and networks in the US or Canada. North American Studies is available as a major or minor subject of a Bachelor's or Master's degree as well as a doctoral degree program. The University of Helsinki also organizes the biannual Maple Leaf & Eagle Conference on North American Studies.

The University of Oulu

While the University of Oulu does not have a separate North American Studies program, the Department of History and the Department of English regularly offer courses related to American history and literature.

The University of Turku

The North American Studies Program (NAMS)
North American Studies is a joint program within Social Sciences and Humanities. Organized by the JMC and the Department of English, the program offers an exciting transdisciplinary and multi-methodological approach to the study of North America. North American Studies provides students with an opportunity to assess from a variety of perspectives the societies, cultures, and politics of North American nations, communities, and phenomena. As an alternative to conventional disciplinary teaching, the program uses phenomenon-based and participatory learning as its principal study methods. The geographical focus of the program is on the United States and Canada, but it also includes discussions of transnational relations with Mexico and the Caribbean. The program is open to both degree students and exchange students at the University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University.

Each year, the North American Studies program and the Fulbright Finland Foundation organize a two-day seminar, “American Voices,” covering many different aspects of American society and culture.

Åbo Akademi

The Department of English Language and Literature at Åbo Akademi University offers studies examining the language, literature, values, ways of life, media and political and social institutions in English-speaking countries, in particular Great Britain and the USA. The North American Studies program of The University of Turku is also available for degree students at Åbo Akademi.