Ambassador's Award

Since 1992 the Embassy of the United States has awarded a highly prestigious prize every year to the student who wrote the best, most original and most convincing transdisciplinary MA or doctoral thesis in the field of North American studies and completed his or her degree with excellent results. Along with the honor of receiving this prize from the rector of the university during the ceremonies opening the academic year comes a generous grant of US$ 4000,00 donated by the US Embassy. This grant is meant to support, for instance, the student’s research on the way to a doctoral thesis, a study trip to the United States, or the publication of the thesis. Decisions about nominees and laureates are made in collaborative effort by representatives of the Embassy, the Rectorate, and the North American Studies Program.

  • Monique Mauel, "'Keep Calm and Keep Bleeding': Twenty-First Century Representations of Menstruation on Screen" (academic year of 2021-22)
  • Leonhard Flemisch, "Drawing Testimony: Strategies of Documentary Representation in Joe Sacco's Comic Paying the Land" (academic year of 2020-21)
  • Meropi Papagheorghe, "A Play of Selfies: Cindy Sherman and Reluctant Autobiography on Instagram" (academic year of 2020-21)
  • Cara Krzesowik, "White Hat or Black Hat? Participatory Culture, Interactivity, and HBO's Westworld" (academic year 2017-18)
  • Henrik Wolf, "Headcases: Neuronarratives in Contemporary American Literature" (academic year 2016-17)
  • Luzia Katharina Ogureck, "#WeWantJustice – Black Advocacy in the Age of Twitter" (academic year 2015-16)
  • Anne Katrin Elbert, "'Makin' a Way Outta No Way': Barack Obama, Race, and Performativity" (academic year 2014-15)
  • Nico Völker, "The Wound that Will Never Heal: Professional Sports, Nostalgia, and the Battle for Brooklyn" (academic year 2013-14)
  • Stefanie Esser, "The Galactic Right: Religion and Politics in U.S.-American Science Fiction Television" (academic year 2012-13)
  • Stephanie Wagner, "'One Size Fits All' oder maßgeschneidert? Mikrofinanzierung in den USA und Bolivien" (academic year 2011-12)
  • Philip Miessner, "Of Interest: Immigration Enforcement in the 'War on Terror'" (academic year 2010-2011)
  • David Schumacher, "'You‘ve Got to Be the Song You Sing'? Music in Twentieth-Century African American Fiction" (academic year 2009-2010)
  • Daniel Holder, "From 'Black' to 'Red'? W.E.B. DuBois and Paul Robeson's Responses to McCarthyism" (academic year 2008-2009)
  • Lotta Maroscheck, “Remember to Draw the Color(ed) Line: Black History and Memory in Aaron McGruder`s Cartoon The Boondocks“ (academic year 2007-2008)
  • Katharina Ricke, “/Blacks in a White Man's War/: Afroamerikanische Presse im Bürgerkrieg“ (academic year 2006-2007)
  • Anne Lümers, “Welt-Erfahrungen: die Reiseberichte von Thomas Stevens und Elizabeth Cochrane Seaman (‚Nellie Bly’)“ (academic year 2005-2006)
  • Christian Klöckner, „’3000 some poems disguised as people’ – 9/11 and Poetry: Significations“ (academic year 2004-2005)
  • Stefan Werning: “’Translating narrative into code’ – Versuch einer Analyse interaktiver Medien und ihrer kulturellen Effekte (am Beispiel von Computer- und Videospielen)“ (academic year 2003-2004)
  • Anne-Kathrin Glatz, “”A New Grand Strategy in U.S. Foreign Policy? The 2002 National Security Strategy in Comparative Perspective” (academic year 2002-2003)
  • Christoph Heumann „The Concept of Freedom in US-American Utopian Fiction after 1945” (academic year 2001-2002)
  • Julia Apitzsch, „Postmoderne Identitäten im kulturellen Kontext bei Thomas Pynchon und Don DeLillo“ (academic year 2000-2001)
  • Nicole Weimer, „The Chicago Tribune: Untersuchungen zum Rollenverständnis der amerikanischen Presse im 20. Jahrhundert“ (academic year 1999-2000)
  • Wibke Reger, „’High Yellow to Damn Black’ – ‚Colorism’ als Phänomen der amerikanischen Kultur und seine Auswirkungen auf die Literatur“ (academic year 1998-1999)
  • Andrea Porschen, „Kulturhistorische Studien zum Bild des Vanishing Indian in indianischen Romanen der Gegenwart“ (academic year 1997-1998)
  • Annelies Rokitte, „Studien zum Bild der Sowjetunion in der Rhetorik des amerikanischen Präsidenten Ronald Regan im Jahre 1983“ (academic year 1996-1997)
  • Barbara Vieser (jetzt Neuhoff), „Modernität und regionales Bewusstsein in der Kurzprosa von Bobbie Ann Mason und Lee Smith“ (academic year 1995-1996)
  • Susanne Krämer, „Die Zeitstruktur in den Romanen Toni Morrisons“ (academic year 1994-1995)
  • Andrea Grugel, „Zuni – eine persistente Gesellschaft mit Perspektive?“ (academic year 1993-1994)
  • Dr. Michael Stötzel, „Bodenerosion in der Landwirtschaft: ihre Kontrolle im amerikanischen Recht“ (academic year 1992-1993)
  • Anne Freihoff, „Verlautbarungen der Präsidenten Wilson, F.D. Roosevelt und Bush zum Eintritt der USA in den Krieg: 1017, 1941 und 1991“ (academic year 1991-1992