The Study of the U.S. Institutes for Global Scholars is a U.S. Department of State sponsored program for mid-career foreign scholars, faculty, practitioners and educators designed to deepen their understanding of U.S. society, culture, values, and institutions and improve the teaching about the United States in academic institutions abroad. Under the Mansfield Center's umbrella, 108 scholars join one of six Institutes:  University of Montana (Contemporary American Literature); Arizona State University (Journalism and Media); Institute for Training and Development (U.S. Economics and Sustainable Development) ; University of Massachusetts, Amherst (American Politics and Political Thought); New York University (U.S. Culture, Identity and Society); and the University of Delaware (U.S. Foreign Policy).

Eighteen of these global scholars visit Montana to study key themes in contemporary American literature, the arts, and diversity. They engage with a medley of voices, genders, sexualities, ethnicities, and lived experiences that represent who and what it is to be American. Sessions will incorporate multiple genres, including poetry, fiction, non-fiction, graphic novels and drama.