Switzerland: International Studies and Multilateral Diplomacy (Summer)

Key Features

Examine the role and strategies of international organizations— including the United Nations—in addressing current global issues impacting international peace, stability, and development.

International Committee of the Red Cross

The program analyzes the evolution of multilateral diplomacy in contemporary international relations.

Program base in Geneva
Engage and network with international experts
The international environment of Geneva offers students a unique opportunity to interact with leading experts and academics at a wide variety of international organizations and research centers. Students attend lectures and briefings at international agencies throughout the city.

Students also have the chance to develop their networking skills to complement their independent project in which they conduct interviews with subject matter experts. In conducting interactive research, students gain practical experience for their academic and professional development and begin creating a solid professional network.

Students gain access to numerous institutional libraries, documentation centers, and think tanks, containing excellent research material and information.

Thematic seminar on international studies and multilateral diplomacy
The program features a 3-credit seminar. Lecturers are drawn from academic and research institutes and NGOs as well as UN and other international agencies. Lecturers provide students with concrete illustrations of multilateral diplomacy in the areas of security and geopolitics, conflict management, international humanitarian law, complex emergencies, development, environment, migration, and human rights.

Intensive French language component
Students receive intensive instruction in French in small-group formats with an emphasis on speaking and comprehension skills.

Independent project on international studies and multilateral diplomacy
In the latter half of the program, students conduct an independent project on a subject related to international studies and multilateral diplomacy in order to examine a topic of particular interest to them in-depth.

Past research projects have included:

The Evolution of US-Iranian Relations: Options for the Future
Regional Organizations in Africa and their Impact on Peace-building and Conflict Resolution: A Case Study of the Influence of ECOWAS in Liberia and SADC in Zimbabwe
ICRC’s Evolved Legal and Cultural Sensitivity with the Development of Intra-State Warfare
Agricultural Subsidies and their Effects on Development in the Global South
Indigenous Knowledge as an Adaptive Solution to Climate Change
Lost Control: Pursuits of Individual Migrants from the Third World vs. Regulatory Policies of the North, with a focus on African Migration to the European Union
The Theoretical Applications of Asylum Law within Gender Regimes: A Case Study of Femicide in Guatemala

Credits: 9

Duration: 6 weeks

Program Base: Geneva

Language Study: French

Prerequisites: None required, but students with at least basic French proficiency will be at a linguistic advantage. Read more...