Exciting Semester Ahead in the International Relations Program

The Spring semester has begun. Classes started today for the new students who joined us this week for the International Relations and Diplomacy Master's and Ph.D. programs. With students from a diverse range of cultures, from Norway to Sierra Leone and from Nigeria to Puerto Rico, the new group promises to spark great class discussions in and out of the classroom.

This semester, along with our new students, we are happy to welcome a new faculty member: Bertrand de Largentaye, who will be teaching the Principles of Economics course. Bertrand de Largentaye worked as a Economy and Trade Counselor in the French government, where he held positions in the Ministries of Agriculture, Finance, and Foreign Trade, before joining the European Commission. He also served as a member of the French delegation to OECD and UNESCO.

Two former ambassadors are teaching a course in the program this semester: Dr. Dominique Dreyer, former Swiss Ambassador to China and India, is teaching the course on "South Asia: Geopolitics Since WWII", which can be taken by students on its own or as part of a two-course series in view of an Area concentration allowing them to gain expertise in Asian Studies. Dr. Wilfried Bolewski, former German Ambassador to Jamaica, Belize, and the Bahamas, is teaching the Foreign Policy Tutorial, which will include a student internship in Paris, and will culminate in the production by each student of a Foreign Policy Paper with actionable policy recommendations. Also among faculty members who are running a course this semester is Human Rights Watch France Director Jean-Marie Fardeau, who is co-teaching the course on NGO Management with Humanitarian Aid International Consultant Solène Edouard. This edition of the course will be exceptionally open to study abroad students from our partner university Arcadia.

The first two events of the semester are scheduled in the next ten days to give the incoming students a taste of what will be their new academic and social life in Paris during the program: On January 30th, our now traditional Friday Night Drinks will give them the opportunity to get to know each other and mingle with alumni, faculty and staff. On February 4th, a special edition of the AGS Wine and Cheese event will exceptionally host three speakers: Patrick Clairzier will announce the launch of the AGS/Arcadia Journal of International Studies, and Dr. Tobe Levin and Prof. Lorraine Koonce Farahmand, Esq. will continue the discussion on violence against women started at the November 28th conference, with a presentation and debate on FGM.