Center for American Studies – Kiss Chapter
American Studies as an integrated and interdisciplinary academic area of inquiry emerged in the 1930s as a result of Americanists observing and critiquing the political and cultural history of their nation in the period of the Great Depression and resultant New Deal Policies. For an understanding of the uniqueness of American Culture and Experience the study includes elements from history, sociology, literature, political science, economics, film studies, cultural studies, anthropology, music, art history, gender and ethnic studies among others.
Keeping in view the above objective the Center of American Studies was opened in 15th January, 2013 in Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) by Ms. Nancy Jo Powell, Her Excellency the US Ambassador to India. The American Study Center, which will function at KISS in collaboration with Ravenshaw University, Cuttack is the 41st such center in the country and the first in the State of Odisha. The Center would offer students the opportunity to explore more about the United States-its history, politics, culture etc. It provides a window onto the various options available to the students in higher education especially concerning American studies. It also works as a research Center and has been a venue to various seminars and lectures in the past and we aspire to continue to do so in the future. The American Center acts as a guide to the United States in India, which aims to provide a holistic library, that has a collection of books on US History, Politics, Foreign Policy etc., also a selection of newspapers, periodicals and publications. We also aspire to provide information and guidance on competitive exams viz GMAT, TOEFEL etc. necessary for admission to American universities. This Center aims to bridge the gap between aspiring students and higher education in the United States.
Activities Related to Center for American Studies Since its Inception
Since its inception, the Center of American studies at Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) has played a pro-active role in organizing Seminars, workshops and lectures by national and international dignitaries. Various talks were arranged in different schools of KIIT University and KISS by inviting experts on American studies. Topics ranging from International Relations, Law, Education in U.S. etc were dealt upon by these experts. Some of the experts who visited KIIT and KISS facilitated by Center for American Studies are: Professor Chintamani Mahapatra, Mr. Gurdit Singh and Mr. Asim Rehman.