“I’ve received a Fulbright Specialist Award to spend four weeks in Uzbekistan at the Institute for Advanced International Studies. Run by Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this institute trains the country’s diplomats. Due to the rapid changes occurring in the United States, Uzbekistan’s government wants to update and improve their American Studies curriculum so that diplomats will have a better understanding of the U.S. I’ll be part of developing that curriculum, in addition to giving lectures on American history and politics, and helping the institution adapt their pedagogy to be more student-centered and interactive.
This is my third Fulbright experience. In the ’80s, I was a Fulbright Scholar with a position as a law professor at Tohoku University in Japan. Later, I was a Fulbright Specialist in Burma, now Myanmar. I worked at the Yangon School of Political Science there and helped improve their curriculum. While there, I helped train the National League for Democracy activists, who actually won the country’s election in 2020. Although there was a military coup the following year, I feel I really helped spark some democratic reforms in the country.
These Fulbright opportunities have had a major impact on my teaching and research. My time in Japan is what led to my deeper interest in Asia, which opened up many opportunities. For almost 12 years, I’ve been working with Pakistan’s Center for American Studies to develop its curriculum. I’ve noticed the Pakistani curriculum doesn’t only focus on politics, but also includes American literature. I think that context adds so much for the students, and I want to suggest that idea in Uzbekistan as well.
About 10 years ago, the Uzbekistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs hosted me in their country at a time when relations between the U.S. and Uzbekistan were strained. I was so honored to be invited, and I am excited to return and see some of the changes taking place in this region of the world.
We talk a lot about the importance of soft power in diplomacy. The Fulbright program gives American professors the chance to go to a country they may not normally visit and interact with the local people and be ambassadors of the United States. Whenever I have these opportunities, it’s my goal to be a good ambassador for my country and for the University of Utah. I hope my upcoming work in Uzbekistan will lead to faculty and student exchanges in the future.”
— Kenneth Holland, adjunct professor of political science, 2025-25 Fulbright Specialist recipient