Diplomacy and Culture

3 or 4 Credits · Level: Graduate, Undergraduate

This course will explore the changing relationship between different kinds of "hard power" (coercion by military or economic might) - and the power of the arts to shape identity, to unite, inspire and lead, to prevent and recover from conflict, and to counter extremism and authoritarianism. Thinking of cultural diplomacy as a way to understand the people, societies and politics of countries and regions, the course will look at the ways creative expression in all its forms helps us to do that. As the 24-hour news cycle, social media, and citizen journalism upend traditional power structures, cultural diplomacy and “soft power” play increasingly important roles in diplomacy and foreign policy. At the same time, performance, film, literature, and media increasingly engage international issues and/or topics of concern around the world and, in some cases have an impact on shaping those issues. The course will study the intersection of culture and politics from the perspectives of diplomacy and international relations, as well as from the standpoint of culture and its creators. We will look at a range of films, media events/ broadcasts and performances that have, purposefully or not, played explicit roles in the shaping of policy, or are reflections of them. both “high” and “popular” culture, from ballet to hip hop, and traditional to “digital” diplomacy. We will compare the U.S. strategy for cultural diplomacy with the approaches of other countries. We will also attend live performances in the DC area, discuss, and reflect upon them. Topics to be studied include how creative expression foresaw the Arab Revolutions, how Idol programs are changing the world, and the role of narrative in shaping identity, countering extremism, and sparking conflicts such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. We will look at numerous case studies, draw on the rich resources of campus arts programming as well as on Washington’s arts institutions, NGOs, and government agencies. Guest speakers from the arts, civil society, the private sector, and government will illuminate ideas in the course through their own personal experiences. As co-Director of Georgetown’s Laboratory for Global Performance and Politics (The Lab), a joint inter-disciplinary initiative in the School of Foreign Service and the College of Arts and Sciences with the mission of humanizing global politics through the power of performance, Ambassador Schneider will engage The Lab’s methodologies and events during the course.