Teaching diplomatic practice—how to think about accomplishing policy goals and how diplomats accomplish their work in the 21st century—is a growing area of teaching in American universities but not one that has yet received much detailed study as to either content or methodology. To fill that gap the American Academy of Diplomacy and the International Center for Jefferson Studies organized a conference on diplomacy and education The discussion ranged from Jefferson’s stress on the importance of an educated citizenry to alternative methods of teaching employed by former senior ambassadors. For more details about the conference content, please check the conference page: Diplomacy & Education: Discovering and Teaching Reality. This page aims at divulging the teaching resources derived from that work.

The first tool is a list of Suggested Readings on Diplomatic Practice.

For a younger audience, the Academy has created a collection of “Crash Course on Diplomacy.” Theses videos aim to address the key functions of diplomacy for peace, development and the economy.

For high school classrooms, the Academy has created two supplemental guides that accompany American Diplomat podcast episodes that are suitable for students and connect to current curricula. These guides are meant to create a framework for educators and students, and bring the podcasts into classrooms.

For college and graduate students interested in careers development, the Academy has published an article titled “A Life in Development: Advice from Development and Humanitarian Practitioners.” In this piece, several Academy members with long careers in development, aid, and humanitarianism lend key insights into breaking into the field.

In the section below, you will find links to different universities that our members are affiliated with. These universities are currently offering classes that teach diplomatic practice. We hope that you find this site useful and encourage you to reference these universities for educational inquiries. Click on the links to see what courses the universities offer, and to see which AAD members currently teach them.