This study considers the programs of "foreign area studies" in American higher education as a case of curricular innovation and seeks to determine their impact upon the educational system. The report (1) assesses the impact of international programs by analyzing the relationships between programs and their institutional settings; (2) compares changes produced by innovation in the institutions studied; and (3) discusses reasons for various impacts of programs on the national level. The 15 page conclusion summarizes the report with emphasis on 4 signifigant variables:(1) the degree to which the institution has preconceptions governing its curricula; (2) the position of the originators of the foreign areas program within the institution; (3) the structure of decision making about curricular matters within the institution and (4) the character of scholarly traditions governing the study of particular world regions. (Author/NF)