Foreign Policy Formulation

3 Credits · Level: Undergraduate

This course examines the full scope and scale of diplomacy, with emphasis on the different tools and types of diplomacy and their relevance in achieving international policy objectives. This course will draw on the professor’s 19 years of Department of State and Congressional experience, drawing on personal anecdotes from her time working on the Qatar-USA Year of Culture, the U.S.-Qatar Strategic Dialogue, the Afghanistan withdrawal, Women’s Rights at the United Nations, Cultural Preservation, as well as Diversity and Multiculturalism in America. The class will include relevant case studies, current articles, guest lectures, and field trips, as appropriate. Students will be required to present a series of policy papers relevant to global diplomacy tradecraft rooted in international politics and will be expected to collaborate within preset groups on the formation and signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) related to any of the forms of diplomacy discussed in class. Students will benefit from an academic and practical approach to diplomacy, being exposed to avant-garde techniques and the future direction of diplomacy in real-time. While the primary focus will be on U.S. efforts, comparative international perspectives, such as on international diplomatic cooperation in the protection, recovery, and restoration of international cultural antiquities, will be explored. Learning about the tools and types of diplomacy and its agents as they exercise influence or “soft power,” students will gain a critical understanding of the importance of diplomacy as a key determiner of foreign policy and as a counter-narrative to military defense strategy.