THE ROLE OF EDUCATIONAL AND ACADEMIC EXCHANGE PROGRAMMES IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF GERMAN-AMERICAN EDUCATIONAL TIES (1990–2021)

Anton Protsiuk,

PhD student,

State Institution «Institute of World History of the NAS of Ukraine», Kyiv, Ukraine

 

DOI: https://doi.org/10.17721/2524-048X.2025.30.10

 

Abstract. The purpose of the article is to study the role of educational and academic exchange programmes in the development of German-American scientific and educational ties in the period from 1990 to 2021. This timeframe covers important geopolitical transformations, including the end of the Cold War, the reunification of Germany and the intensification of globalisation. The scientific novelty of the study lies in a comprehensive analysis of the impact of educational and academic exchanges on educational and scientific ties between Germany and the United States during this period, taking into account the historical context, key programme initiatives and their consequences. For the first time, an attempt is made to conduct a detailed analysis of the adaptation of exchange programmes to new challenges, including technological innovations and geopolitical changes. Particular attention is paid to the impact of events such as the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001 and the COVID-19 pandemic on the nature and intensity of educational exchanges. The research methodology. The article uses the historical-comparative method to analyse the development of exchange programmes during the period under study, as well as a systematic approach to create a holistic picture of the impact of these programmes on German-American scientific and educational ties. The method of statistical analysis was also used to study the dynamics of participation in exchange programmes, in particular on the basis of data from the annual reports of the German Academic Exchange Service DAAD. The study concludes that educational and academic exchanges have played an important role in strengthening the scientific and educational ties between Germany and the United States. They have contributed to mutual understanding, the formation of transnational professional networks, and knowledge exchange. The study shows that exchange programmes have adapted to changes in the global context, including technological innovations and geopolitical challenges, and remain an important tool for German-American relations. An asymmetry in exchange flows was identified, where the United States remained a more popular destination for German students than vice versa. It is established that educational exchanges contributed not only to academic development but also to the formation of long-term scientific and educational ties between the two countries. The role of such organisations as the German Academic Exchange Service DAAD, the Fulbright Programme and the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange in the development of German-American scientific and educational relations is particularly noted.

Keywords: academic cooperation, German Academic Exchange Service DAAD, German-American relations, educational exchanges, Fulbright Programme, Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.

 

Submitted 10.01.2025

Download

References:

  1. Kudriachenko, A.I. (1996). Yevropejs”ka polityka Federatyvnoyi Respubliky Nimechchyny (1970-1991 rr.). Naukova dumka [In Ukrainian].
  2. Lakishyk, D.М. (2002). Obyednana Nimechchyna v yevropejs”kiy politytsi SShA kintsia 80-kh – 90-ti rr. XX stolittia. [Dys. kand. ist. nauk]. Kyiv. [In Ukrainian].
  3. Pres-reliz do Mizhnarodnoho kruhloho stolu «Kul”turni ta akademichni vidnosyny mizh krayinamy Skhidnoho bloku ta Zakhodom u period «kholodnoyi vijny». (2019, November 15). Derzhavna ustanova «Instytut vsesvitn”oyi istoriyi NAN Ukrayiny». Retrived from: https://ivinas.gov.ua/publikatsiji/presreliz-do-mizhnarodnoho-kruhloho-stolu-kulturni-ta-akademichni-vidnosyny-mizh-krainamy-skhidnoho-bloku-ta-zakhodom-u-period-kholodnoi-viiny-2.html [In Ukrainian].
  4. Soloshenko, V.V. (2015). Diyal”nist” yevropejs”kykh neuriadovykh orhanizatsiy v Ukrayini. Viche, 2, 11–14. Retrived from: http://www.irbis-nbuv.gov.ua/cgi-bin/irbis_nbuv/cgiirbis_64.exe?C21COM=2&I21DBN=UJRN&P21DBN=UJRN&IMAGE_FILE_DOWNLOAD=1&Image_file_name=PDF/viche_2015_2_5.pdf [In Ukrainian].
  5. About CBYX. (2024, August 1). Retrived from: https://usagermanyscholarship.org/about-cbyx/ [In English].
  6. About Fulbright Germany. (2024). Fulbright Germany. Retrived from: https://fulbright.de/en/about-us/about-fulbright-germany [In English].
  7. (2024). Retrived from: https://www.ard.de [In German].
  8. Balk, I., & Balk, J. (2010). Fostering international faculty collaboration through student exchange programs with a research component. In 2010 Annual Conference & Exposition (pp. 155981–155987). American Society for Engineering Education. Retrived from: https://peer.asee.org/fostering-international-faculty-collaboration-through-student-exchange-programs-with-a-research-component [In English].
  9. (2012). Annual report 2012. Retrived from:   https://www2.daad.de/medien/der-daad/medien-publikationen/publikationen-pdfs/daad-annual-report-2012-english.pdf [In English].
  10. (2013). Annual report 2013. Retrived from: https://static.daad.de/media/daad_de/pdfs_nicht_barrierefrei/der-daad/analysen-studien/daad_jahresbericht-13-en_140903.pdf [In English].
  11. (2014). Annual report 2014. Retrived from:  https://static.daad.de/media/daad_de/pdfs_nicht_barrierefrei/der-daad/analysen-studien/jahresbericht_2014_englisch.pdf [In English].
  12. (2015). Annual report 2015. Retrived from: https://static.daad.de/media/daad_de/pdfs_nicht_barrierefrei/der-daad/analysen-studien/daad-jahresbericht-2015-en.pdf [In English].
  13. (2016). Annual report 2016. Retrived from: https://static.daad.de/media/daad_de/pdfs_nicht_barrierefrei/der-daad/analysen-studien/fin_daad_jahresbericht-16-en_170712_60dpi.pdf [In English].
  14. (2017). Annual report 2017. Retrived from: https://www2.daad.de/medien/fin_komplett_daad_jahresbericht-2017-en_dl.pdf [In English].
  15. (2018). Annual report 2018. Retrived from: https://static.daad.de/media/daad_de/pdfs_nicht_barrierefrei/der-daad/analysen-studien/screen_190712_daad_jahresbericht_2018_engl.pdf [In English].
  16. (2019). Annual report 2019.  Retrived from: https://static.daad.de/media/daad_de/pdfs_nicht_barrierefrei/der-daad/daad_annual_report_2019.pdf [In English].
  17. (2020). Annual report 2020. Retrived from: https://static.daad.de/media/daad_de/pdfs_nicht_barrierefrei/der-daad/daad_annual_report_2020.pdf [In English].
  18. (2021). Annual report 2021. Retrived from: https://static.daad.de/media/daad_de/pdfs_nicht_barrierefrei/der-daad/daad_jb2021_en.pdf [In English].
  19. (2023). Annual report 2023. Retrived from: https://www.daad.de/en/the-daad/communication-publications/reports/annual-report/ [In English].
  20. Deutsche Welle. (2024). Retrived from: https://www.dw.com [In German].
  21. Dieterich, R., & Sczyrba, J. (2021). German academic exchange service (DAAD) perspective. Academic cooperation with Iraq: Chances and challenges. Social Work at the Level of International Comparison (pp. 315–320). Springer VS. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-30394-5_31 [In English].
  22. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. (2024). Retrived from: https://www.faz.net [In German].
  23. Glucroft, W.N. (2020, March 24). US-German exchange programs affected by coronavirus. Deutsche Welle.  Retrived from: https://www.dw.com/en/canceled-by-covid-19-us-german-exchange-students-face-an-uncertain-future/a-52900352 [In English].
  24. Humboldt-Stiftung. Über die Humboldt-Stiftung. (2024). Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung: Offiziellen Website. Retrived from: https://web.archive.org/web/20211208020250/https://www.humboldt-foundation.de/ [In German].
  25. Jöns, H., Mavroudi, E., & Heffernan, M. (2014). Mobilising the elective diaspora: US-German academic exchanges since 1945. Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, 40 (1), 113–127. https://doi.org/10.1111/tran.12062 [In English].
  26. Lanford, M., Maruco, T., & Tierney, W. (2015).  Prospects for vocational education in the United States: Lessons from Germany. Pullias Center for Higher Education, University of Southern California. Retrived from: https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED574618.pdf [In English].
  27. MIT-Germany. (2024). MISTI. Retrived from: https://misti.mit.edu/mit-germany [in English].
  28. (2024). Retrived from: https://www.npr.org [In English].
  29. Oliynyk, O.M. (2022). Institutional capacity of the Euro-Atlantic security system in the conditions of Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine. In Euroatlantlc security and policy of the Russian federation (pp. 95–115). Center for European Policy Analysis. Retrived from: https://elibrary.ivinas.gov.ua/5257/ [In English].
  30. Sallet, O. (2019, May 4). German-US exchange a formative experience. Deutsche Welle. Retrived from: https://www.dw.com/en/an-invaluable-german-us-exchange-program/a-48603096 [In English].
  31. The New York Times. (2024). Retrived from: https://www.nytimes.com [In English].
  32. The Washington Post. (2024). Retrived from: https://www.washingtonpost.com [In English].
  33. Wayback Machine Internet Archive. (2024). Retrived from: https://web.archive.org [In English].