Heidelberg Center for American Studies

Annual Interdisciplinary Spring Academy Conference

Heidelberg, Germany, March 23-27, 2026

The Heidelberg Center for American Studies (HCA) invites applications for its annual Spring Academy on American Culture, Economics, Geography, History, Literature, Politics, and Religion to be held from March 23-27, 2026.

The HCA Spring Academy provides 20 international Ph.D. students with the opportunity to present and thoroughly discuss their ongoing Ph.D. projects. The conference offers a forum for Ph.D. candidates in which they can present their research candidly and receive valuable feedback.

We encourage applications that range broadly across the arts, humanities, and social sciences and pursue an interdisciplinary approach. Participants can present thesis projects on any subject relating to the study of the United States of America. Possible topics include American identity, issues of ethnicity, gender, transatlantic relations, U.S. domestic and foreign policy, economics, and various aspects of American religion, geography, history, literature, law, musicology, and culture. We also welcome proposals focused on the North American continent at large, i.e. Canada, Central America, and the Caribbean.

Participants are requested to prepare a 20-minute presentation of their research project, which will be followed by a 40-minute discussion.

The Spring Academy aims to create a congenial atmosphere for scholarly exchange in order to inspire future collaborations and foster networking opportunities for participants.

The Heidelberg Center for American Studies is prepared to provide accommodation during the conference week. Thanks to a small travel fund, the Spring Academy can subsidize travel expenses for participants registered and residing in developing and soft-currency countries. Applicants for the travel fund must document the necessity for financial aid and explain how they plan to cover any potentially remaining expenses. Additionally, a letter of recommendation from their doctoral advisor is required.

START OF APPLICATION PROCESS: September 1, 2025
DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS: November 15, 2025
SELECTIONS WILL BE MADE BY: January 2026

PLEASE USE OUR ONLINE APPLICATION FORM:
HTTPS://WWW.HCA.UNI-HEIDELBERG.DE/EN/RESEARCH/PROJECTS-AND-COOPERATION/SPRING-ACADEMY

GET IN TOUCH VIA EMAIL: jbuchholz@hca.uni-heidelberg.de. vzentgraf@hca.uni-heidelberg.de

The HCA Spring Academy would not be possible without the generous support from: John Deere