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Leadership & Global Engagement

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• How do foreign policy decisions affect our national security?
• Does it matter whether products such as coffee, clothing, and chocolate are fairly traded?
• How should our society respond to climate change?
• Can anything be done to counter the worldwide AIDS epidemic?
• Do you feel overwhelmed by the gravity and scope of these global issues?

World leaders have the same styles, skills, and setbacks as leaders in any walk of life. However, the challenges they face are often much more visible, and the impact of their effectiveness more broadly felt. In this course students will explore complex international issues including security and terrorism, immigration, HIV/AIDs, human rights and sustainable development. From policy makers to activists to concerned citizens, from listening to planning to direct action, leadership skills are used everyday in addressing these intricate global affairs. Students will think critically and creatively about these topics, and the roles that different leaders and leadership styles play.

Through a highly experiential curriculum that includes case studies, simulations, role-plays, deliberations, panel discussions and group projects, students will learn about the roles of major actors in world affairs, including the United States and the European Union, the United Nations and the World Bank. Through readings, classroom activities, and consultations with experts, students will develop a working knowledge of major world issues; expert guests in the past have included the Governor of Rhode Island, federal senators and congressmen, state officials and scholars from Brown’s Watson Institute for International Studies. As a capstone, students will use their knowledge, skills and creativity to construct an Action Plan related to one of these issues

Most importantly, students will leave the course able to deliberate and discuss complex issues with people from diverse backgrounds, experiences and points of view.

Who are Leadership and Global Engagement Students?

Students applying to this course are often interested in political science, politics, international relations and world affairs. We look for students with a diversity of experiences, emotional maturity and a track record of interest in collaborative activities.

Curriculum

In this course, students will:

• Develop critical thinking skills to evaluate complex issues and policy options
• Strengthen knowledge necessary for informed opinions on global issues
• Improve problem solving skills through role plays, case studies and group research projects
• Develop leadership skills needed to work collaboratively with others with diverse backgrounds and viewpoints
• Develop effective deliberation skills needed to understand the perspectives of others and work to define common ground
• Develop public speaking skills needed for effective presentation of ideas
• Develop plans that break complex issues into approachable action steps

Dates

(Please note there are two different sessions of this course)

Leadership and Global Engagement - SO905-2FL

Leadership and Global Engagement - SO905-2GL