American University
Courses offered at American University’s School of International Service
Ambassador Anthony Quainton
The course is designed to explore diplomacy both in theory and in practice, as a political process and as an instrument of foreign policy. It will consider the historical context for diplomacy as well as the ways in which diplomats interact with their own governments and with the countries in which they serve. The course is designed to examine how diplomats use and obtain information on the politics, economics and society of their host nations and to explore the future of diplomacy in an era of globalization and instant communications. It will seek to illustrate approaches to diplomacy through historical examples and contemporary case studies. It will look critically at the headquarters end of diplomacy, examining the functioning of the foreign policy bureaucracy and its interaction with overseas operations. It will also consider the relationship between diplomacy and intelligence and law enforcement operations and the growth in importance of “new “areas of foreign policy concern such as the environment, biotechnology, terrorism, drug trafficking, cybersecurity, and transnational crime. The course will focus primarily on U.S. diplomatic practice, but the material is also relevant in understanding the way other governments organize their diplomatic activities.
Public diplomacy seeks to promote a country’s national interests through understanding, informing, and influencing foreign publics and broadening dialogue between a country’s own citizens and institutions and their counterparts abroad. This course is designed to provide students an in-depth understanding of public diplomacy as an instrument of foreign policy. It will explore the history of U.S public diplomacy since the First World War and the motivations and approaches of various stakeholders. It will examine the constraints which impact the effective use of public diplomacy by the American and other governments. By the end of the course students should have: (1) a thorough knowledge of the enduring issues in public diplomacy, (2) an understanding of the various new and traditional public diplomacy tools that can be used to promote national interests and values; and (3) a capacity to relate foreign policy issues and cultural values to public diplomacy strategies in various areas of the world. The course is designed to enhance students’ writing, speaking and critical analysis skills that are essential in a professional career.