Public Diplomacy

3 Credits · Level: Graduate, Juris Doctor

Public diplomacy is an instrument used by states and non-state actors to understand others' cultures, attitudes, and behavior; build and manage relationships; and influence thoughts and actions to advance their interests and values. Drawing on the experiences of diplomats and a growing body of literature, we will explore what this means for the changing actors, issues, methods, and environments of diplomacy in the 21st century. The course will focus on six themes: • Perspectives on public diplomacy and related concepts: public affairs, public relations, strategic communication, soft power, information operations, psychological operations, and propaganda; • The practices of public diplomacy: listening, advocacy, cultural and exchange diplomacy, and international broadcasting; • Public diplomacy’s context: networks, globalization, non-state actors, and social media; • Comparative public diplomacy: large and small states, regional entities; • Organizational considerations for public diplomacy: the trajectory of U.S. public diplomacy up to the present; the “whole of government” environment; how other nations organize for public diplomacy; and • The future of public diplomacy: critical issues in study and practice. Graded exercises will center around an embassy selected by the student and include: an oral presentation on the embassy’s public diplomacy efforts; a policy speech for a senior embassy official to a designated foreign audience; the development of a (broadcast and social) media strategy for a newly-arrived Ambassador; and the development of a public diplomacy strategy, from mission statement to tactics. Credits: 3 Prerequisites: None