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Public Diplomacy & Global Policymaking in the 21st Century
- KEY PEOPLE
- PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
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Mission of Public Diplomacy and Global Policymaking in the 21st Century
Our mission is to bridge the gap between the world of ideas and the world of action by mentoring today’s students to become tomorrow’s leaders, thereby promoting mutual understanding and peaceful coexistence through the practice of public diplomacy.
Purpose of Colloquium and Overarching Theme
In President Barack Obama’s June 2009 lecture at Cairo University, he expressed his hopes to “seek a new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world, one based on mutual interest and mutual respect, and one based upon the truth that America and Islam are not exclusive and need not be in competition.” This philosophy of outreach is also echoed in the report “Changing Minds, Winning Peace,” which notes “the most effective programs of public diplomacy — the ones most likely to endure and have long-term impact — are those that are mutually beneficial to the United States and to the Arab and Muslim countries. We urge that care be taken to emphasize programs that build bridges … especially in education, while at the same time advancing the American message and building a constituency of friendship and trust.”
In 2010, Rice University students created the Public Diplomacy and Global Policymaking Program as one way of achieving these goals. The program links Rice undergraduates with their counterparts in the Middle East to discuss issues relevant to both sides, including public diplomacy, interfaith dialogues, social lives and media.
The first interactions were between Rice students and students from the American University in Cairo (view pictures from trip to Cairo and the program brochure). As a continuation of the program mission, Rice and the Baker Institute are organizing a student colloquium to take place during the university’s 2012 spring break (Feb. 24 to March 3) at Education City in Doha, Qatar. Education City is the flagship project of the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF) — a private, nonprofit organization that houses six branch campuses of U.S. universities and supports numerous other institutions, research centers and training programs.
The student colloquium will take place contemporaneously with an international conference on stem cell research and policy organized jointly by the QF and the Science and Technology Policy Program at the Baker Institute. The theme of this colloquium is to demonstrate how public diplomacy has the potential to give countries the tools and direction necessary to inform, influence and engage the global society of which we are all a part. Rice students will engage in discussions with QF students on key issues including scientific diplomacy and modern research, interfaith dialogue, energy future, new media technology and other topics. Through diplomacy, we can learn from each other’s cultures, histories and perspectives in order to draft informed policies that can lead to mutually beneficial relationships, with the shared, superordinate goal of preventing conflict.
Application Requirements
- Cover page (name and contact information)
- Unofficial transcript
- Academic résumé
- Personal statement (600 words)
- Two letters of recommendation (one academic, one extracurricular)
- Own a passport or be in the process of applying for one
Submit Materials & Ask Questions- Application deadline is Wednesday, October 19.
- Contact us by email at gfw1@rice.edu
- Send by campus mail to Christene Kimmel, Baker Institute MS−40
Twitter
Facebook- PUBLICATIONS
- 2010
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Report from the Cairo Colloquium: Lessons Learned from a Student-led Diplomacy Program and Recommendations for the Future
Nov 30 2010Sean Graham, Thomas Campbell, Graham West, Shamoor Anis, Michael Feldman, Robin Richards, Anastazija Ristovska, Marc Sabbagh, David Sorge, Susan Wu
