A Wicked Challenge to US National Security

Professor: Sally Shelton-Colby

Course Time: To be determined

Students in this practicum study a country of strategic interest to the United States and develop policy recommendations for the U.S. Government. Specifically, the practicum addresses challenges with governance, the government's role in international conflicts, fractious relationships within the country and in the international community.

Conflict Mitigation and Peacebuilding

Professor: Hrach Gregorian

Course Time: To be determined

This practicum is designed to increase familiarity with current practice in contemporary conflict prevention, mitigation, and settlement. Topics recently covered include conflict minerals, women’s empowerment, youth violence prevention, and peace gaming. Hands-on activities emphasize such skills as narrative analysis, conflict prevention training, monitoring and evaluation, and conflict mapping.

Cultural Diplomacy and International Exchange

Professor: Sherry Mueller

Course Time: To be determined

Measuring impact is a perennial challenge and preoccupation for practitioners and academics alike. Assessing a nation’s brand abroad and evaluating the long-term results of international training and exchange programs are essential components of effective cultural diplomacy. Practicum participants will learn about major actors and resources in the field and primarily focus on cultural diplomacy as a dimension of public diplomacy. They will study a conceptual framework for evaluating the effectiveness of exchange programs and other cultural diplomacy activities. 

Intelligence and Analysis

Professor: Aki Peritz

Course Time: To be determined

The class produces a report intended to serve the intelligence, policy, defense, and diplomatic communities. US national security priorities shift rapidly, and topics will be determined with the client organization.

Intelligence Tradecraft to Create Dynamic Futures

Professor: Craig Stronberg

Course Time: To be determined

Analysts from the US Intelligence Community are taught a variety of tools to help policymakers think through how future events may play out so that when crises occur leaders have what is known as “decision confidence”, or the foreknowledge to make confident decisions. This class will enable students to do three things: to develop and analytic mindset/analytic toolkit, to understand methodologies for scenario generation/forecasting that can be used throughout their careers, and to work on practical futures projects related to specific industry, geopolitical and/or macroeconomic issues. Well performing students will increase their own decision confidence about how to differentiate themselves in the marketplace and utilize a proven and highly valuable analytic skill set. The stakeholder for our scenarios will be PwC Intelligence, the analytic team that provides global acumen for the world’s largest consulting firm (PwC). PwC leaders will provide feedback on the scenarios the class creates and will use valuable output to drive more dynamic engagement with firm leaders. 

Summer 2022 practica will be offered fully online. Summer 2022 practica with a traveling component have additional associated costs beyond tuition and travel is subject to the eveolving Covid-19 situation.

Agricultural Policy & Agrarian Justice

Professor: Garrett Graddy-Lovelace

Course Time: To be determined

Travel: Yes

Travel Program Fee: $350

This practicum will focus on research supporting the Disparity to Parity to Solidarity project and its “call to mandate fair pricing and update supply management to build a racially just, economically empowered, and climate resilient food system.” Student research will assist community partners such as the National Family Farm Coalition (NFFC), Rural Coalition/Coalición Rural (RC), and the Federation of Southern Cooperatives/Land Assistance Fund (FSC/LAF) in informing the 2023 Farm Bill and networks working to reform and transform international agricultural trade regimes. Students' deliverables will help foster sustainable agriculture, rural livelihoods, community food security and sovereignty, fair trade, climate survival, and social justice across explicitly diverse agrarian sectors within and beyond the United States.  

Evidence-Based Approaches to Education in Emergencies

Professor: Ally Krupar

Course Time: To be determined 

Travel: No

A student-led cross-country evaluation of Save the Children’s Education in Emergencies research and programming. Core issues include mapping and gap analysis of ongoing research efforts by various Save the Children members and country offices developing, coordinating with advocacy initiatives, and developing knowledge management systems.  

Human Rights and Political Violence

Professor: Jeff Bachman

Course Time: To be determined

Travel: No

Students in this practicum will conduct research into alleged human rights violations and violations of international humanitarian law. Particular topics may include counterterrorism; armed conflict; genocide; humanitarian intervention; and more. 

Impact of Abraham Accords on Middle East Policy

Professor: Claudia Hofmann

Course Time: To be determined

Travel: No

Students will assess the impact of the Abraham Accords on security cooperation between the U.S. and Israel, on regional stability, and on foreign policy. The purpose of this project is to develop policy recommendations on how existing agreements and policies may need to adapt to the Abraham Accords, while balancing the needs and preferences of the current U.S. administration, its allies, and the regional powers.  

Political Ecology of Water in Agro-Industrial Landscapes 

Professor: Scott Freeman

Course Time: To be determined

Travel: Yes

Travel Program Fee: $500

This practicum will build on the previous three years of work with water and agricultural activists in southwest Costa Rica. These collaborations have centered around the intersecting issues of water, organic agriculture, grassroots organizations, and the threats of the encroaching pineapple industry and export economies. This course will continue with these efforts, working with activists in the region as they work on protecting access and management of water resources. Students will use primarily qualitative research techniques to understand social and political dynamics at play in the region. Collaborating with activists, students will contribute to the ongoing efforts of protecting water resources and access. 

Puerto Rico: Gateway between Latin America and the Mainland? 

Professor: Fulton Armstrong

Course Time: To be determined

Travel: Yes

Travel Program Fee: $750

The history, language, and culture that Puerto Rico shares with Latin America – and the island’s dual legal system and unique institutions bridging both local and U.S. practices – make it an ideal liaison between the mainland United States and the vast region of Latin America and the Caribbean. Washington has at times entrusted the island with that role in the past, and informal surveys indicate that a number of companies and institutions to the south trust Puerto Ricans as effective interlocutors with U.S. counterparts. Puerto Rico’s economic challenges in recent years have raised interest among some on the island of expanding this role. This practicum will inventory and assess Puerto Rico’s existing links to Latin America and identify areas for growth as an effective bridge between the region and the United States for Puerto Rican public- and private-sector decisionmakers.  

Agricultural Policy and Agrarian Justice

Graddy-Lovelace, Garrett

 

Wednesdays, 5:30-8:00PM EST

This practicum will focus on research supporting the Disparity to Parity to Solidarity project and its “call to mandate fair pricing and update supply management to build a racially just, economically empowered, and climate resilient food system.” Student research will assist community partners such as the National Family Farm Coalition (NFFC), Rural Coalition/Coalición Rural (RC), and the Federation of Southern Cooperatives/Land Assistance Fund (FSC/LAF) in informing the 2023 Farm Bill and networks working to reform and transform international agricultural trade regimes. Students' deliverables will help foster sustainable agriculture, rural livelihoods, community food security and sovereignty, fair trade, climate survival, and social justice across explicitly diverse agrarian sectors within and beyond the United States. 

 

A Wicked Challenge to U.S. National Security

Shelton-Colby, Sally

 

Fridays, 5:30-8:00PM EST

Students in this practicum study a country of strategic interest to the United States and develop policy recommendations for the U.S. Government. Specifically, the practicum addresses challenges with governance, the government's role in international conflicts, fractious relationships within the country and in the international community. Students make policy recommendations for U.S. Department of State officials and other relevant entities and identify the pros and cons of each policy recommendation. 

 

Building Training and Educational Focused Opportunities

Smith, David

 

Tuesdays, 8:20-10:00PM EST

This course will focus on the role that training and education play in advancing peacebuilding and conflict resolution outcomes. Students will learn about how formal training and education builds skills, aptitudes, and knowledge in the field. They will work with practitioner groups and NGOs to develop training and educational curricula that meet the needs of various constituencies. In the process, students will learn who to deliver and assess programs that benefit organizational goals. 

 

Conflict and Climate Migration

Kiechel, Victoria

 

Thursdays, 5:30-8:00PM EST

Issues surrounding global human migration are among the most wicked of wicked problems. As such, they require integrating methods and perspectives from many disciplines in order to address questions of human rights, resource access and sustainability, climate change impacts, peacebuilding and security, and more. Taking an interdisciplinary approach, this practicum will engage in research and the proposed recommendations for the International Organization for Migration (IOM) on topics and geographies of their choosing. In previous years, the practicum has focused our work for IOM on Chad, Nigeria, and Costa Rica; our diverse focuses have included circular (labor) migration, food insecurity and changing migration patterns, vulnerability to trafficking, potential means and methods of community stabilization, and increasing the agency of migrants. For spring 2023, at least one geography is likely to be Chad.

 

Conflict Mitigation and Peacebuilding

Hrach, Gregorian

 

Thursdays, 5:30-8:00PM EST

This practicum is designed to increase familiarity with current practice in contemporary conflict prevention, mitigation, and settlement. Topics recently covered include conflict minerals, women's empowerment, youth violence prevention, and peace gaming. Hands-on activities emphasize such skills as narrative analysis, conflict prevention training, monitoring and evaluation, and conflict mapping. Practicum clients include NGOs such as Partners Global, Search for Common Ground, Saferworld, and Resolve; for-profit organizations such as Creative Associates; and government agencies such as the US Department of State. 

 

Cultivating intercultural competence, diversity, equity and inclusion into the organization

Morukian, Maria

 

Fridays, 5:30-8:00PM EST

Culture is the foundation of an organization's existence. It impacts the organization's values, behavioral norms, and image to both internal and external stakeholders.  It is imperative for organizations to be culturally competent and globally focused to survive. Organizations of all sizes and sectors can benefit by assessing how culturally competent their institutional cultures are, and to engage in organizational culture change efforts to enhance their organizational cultural competencies to build diverse, equitable and inclusive organizations.

Through this practicum, students will have opportunities to consult with an organization seeking to implement culture change in order to accommodate the needs and expectations of an increasingly diverse workforce, customer base, and/or social and political climate.

Students will be exposed to concepts of organizational culture change management and organizational behavior change. They will link these concepts to skills for building culturally competent and inclusive institutional cultures, both domestic and global. Students will develop practical skills in service as professional consultants to organizations facing diverse challenges with their institutional cultures, including conducting organizational assessments, developing strategic communication plans, designing training programs for cultural competence, and evaluating culture change efforts.

 

Developing a Circular Economy for the Infrastructure and Construction Sector

Di Leva, Charles

 

Wednesdays, 2:30-5:00PM EST

This practicum addresses the need for improved governance regarding the exploitation of sand and aggregates. A recent UN Environmental Assembly Resolution on minerals governance recognized that after water, sand and aggregates (i.e., gravel, and crushed rock) are the world's second most exploited natural resource, and their extraction from rivers and the marine nearshore environment is a multi-faceted global environmental problem. With infrastructure being a major feature of global post-COVID recovery plans, and aggregates the largest input demanded by this sector, the sustainability of our aggregate production supply chain needs an urgent review, and the re-use, recycling, and co-production of aggregates (sand and gravel) should be encouraged. Students will work with the United Nations Environment Program - Global Resource Information Database to evaluate the policy and legislative landscape in North America and Western Europe with respect to the uptake and production of aggregates. They will develop a policy guidance report in favor of regenerative resources or resource-efficient sources.

 

Human Rights Due Diligence in the Seafood Industry 

Gearhart, Judy

 

Mondays, 5:30-8:00PM EST

In this practicum, students will engage in policy debates around the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and their application in the seafood industry. Students will research and analyze emerging laws for mandatory human rights due diligence and methodologies for supply chain due diligence and reporting. Course deliverables will assist funders and practitioners in developing policies and recommendations that address human rights abuse in seafood supply chains and the illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing often correlated with that abuse.

 

Intelligence and Analysis

Peritz, Aki

 

Wednesdays, 5:30-8:00PM EST

The class produces a report intended to serve the intelligence, policy, defense, and diplomatic communities. US national security priorities shift rapidly, and topics will be determined with the client organization. 

 

Leveraging Civil-Military Engagement to Counter Malign Influence in Africa

Pruett, Jesse

 

Wednesdays, 8:20-10:50PM EST

The US government recognizes the importance of maintaining positive bi and multi-lateral relationships with African nations and peoples. As other external actors seek to undermine these relationships, an already complex environment becomes increasingly challenging. For US Military units and personnel who will undertake missions in this environment, it is critical to understand not simply the obvious, primary actors at play, but also the roles and impacts of the full spectrum of stakeholders and influencers involved, whether they represent the international community, governments, civil society, industry, academia, or other groups. Practicum participants will explore these stakeholder relationships and consider the challenges and opportunities they present in the context of US Civil-Military efforts in the region. Participants can be expected to produce an assessment based on further client guidance and provide recommendations for a US Army Civil Affairs element with regional responsibilities.

 

Peace and Security in the Middle East and Africa

Pentz, Jared

 

Tuesdays, 8:20-10:50PM EST

This practicum will focus on the intertwining of security issues and political issues in intrastate conflict, regional, and post-conflict settings where peace is elusive, especially in Africa and the Middle East. Modern day civil war is exacerbated by many factors including state fragility, multiple parties, internationalization, and regional instability. In line with the needs of the client, we may examine the role of non-state armed actors, state institutions, or local governance on the longevity or negotiation of peace agreements. Students will develop recommendations based on their deliverables, which may include reports, needs assessments, program development, monitoring and evaluation, best practices. Clients under consideration include US government entities, intergovernmental, and nongovernmental organizations. 

 

Social Innovation Practicum 

Sachs, Nancy

 

Wednesdays, 5:30-8:00PM EST

This practicum is for students intrigued by a problem in society who want to develop a solution such as a deliverable for a nonprofit organization, a business plan for a social enterprise, or an app that delivers an essential social service. A central requirement is a willingness to listen to and work with those affected by that issue to understand how they perceive the problem and possible solutions. This practicum is for individual, not team projects. 

Common Sense Monitoring and Evaluation for Women and Child Protection

Manila, Philippines

Students will partner with the Child Protection Network (CPN) to enrich the work of their Women and Child Protection Units through the development of user friendly monitoring and evaluation tools. Students will grapple with the chronic challenges inherent to such undertakings—identifying meaningful performance metrics and balancing rigor, usability, and time and budget constraints. Important stakeholders to consider will include the Department of Health, local government units, hospital staff and families.

Professor: Stephanie Fischer

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Participatory Program Evaluation of a Girls' Health and Livelihood Intervention

Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania

Students in this course will evaluate an ongoing health promotion and livelihood training program for adolescent girls and young women living in informal settlements in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Students will travel to Tanzania to complete the fieldwork. The client is the Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS), the national hospital and school of public health.

Professor: Nina Yamanis

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Countering Cyber Threats and State-Sponsored Information Operations

Tentative Locations: Berlin, Prague, Riga and Sofia

As state-sponsored disinformation from Russia continues unabated there is greater need to coordinate state-to-state and multilateral efforts that allow for the identification of synergies and build on specializations. This project will look into the efforts of British and European states to understand Russian disinformation with a focus on how the U.S. can best work effectively with international partners. 

Professor: Eric Novotny

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The Political Ecology of Water in Costa Rica

Ciudad Colon, Costa Rica

In this practicum, students will gain experience in the practical application of political ecology as a means to study and understand environmental conflicts in southwest Costa Rica. Students will investigate water issues that revolve both around industrial agriculture and energy generation. Students will learn research skills and a political ecology framework and will produce a deliverable for water activists in the region.

Professor: Scott Freeman

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Program Evaluation in International Education Kenya

Practicum students will partner with Dignitas, an education-focused NGO working in nonformal communities in Nairobi, Kenya, to conduct a program evaluation on the organization’s new model. About to enter its 10th year of work in building the capacity of teachers and school leaders in nonformal community schools, Dignitas will be rolling out a newly refined program model designed for scale in early 2019. They are moving from working with a small group of 40 schools to expanding the organization’s impact to the education system more broadly. Students will support the organization in thinking about how to meaningfully evaluate system-wide impact, will have an opportunity to design a wide-scale impact evaluation, and along the way, will learn about the social, political and economic dimensions of educational development efforts in Nairobi.

Professor: Amanda Taylor

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Evironment and peacebuilding in the Middle east Israel and Palestine

Students will become familiar with the wider transboundary cooperation efforts of AIES, PWEG, and other organizations in the region. Team members will undertake desk-study and research design work at the beginning of the course; travel to the region to collect data in the field through participant-observation, interviews, focus groups, and/or archival work at the project sites; and produce a report that will be submitted to the partners to help them assess, improve, and further develop their activities. The collaborative report-writing phase will take place through the remainder of the Summer, when one or more public presentations will be made.

Professors: Eric Abitbol and Ken Conca

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Political Ecologies of Land Use Conflict Costa Rica

The 3-credit graduate-level practicum will examine the roots of land use conflict caused by the expansion of pineapple farming in Costa Rica. Students will gain experience in the practical application of political ecology as a means to study and understand these conflicts.

Professor: Scott Freeman

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Global Fellowship Training and Capacity Building

ThailanD

Students will conduct a 10-day training for the Volunteers in Asia (VIA) Global Community Fellowship Program. Practicum students will be split into different groups, each of which will be responsible for a particular aspect of the training. The training will include the following areas: cross-cultural communication, peace and conflict resolution, and international development. Students will develop multiple sessions related to each topic. Topics may change and additional topics may also be added to the list. Roughly 10-15 fellows will take part in this training, in preparation for their post teaching English or working with a local NGO, in one of 4 countries that VIA works with in Asia.

Professor: Alex Cromwell

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Program Evaluation in Global Education Bahamas

Countries around the world are working to improve access to quality education, especially for historically underserved youth, in order to support national development, health, and peace. Through this practicum experience, students will not only practice program evaluation skills in international education and youth development, but will also develop cross-cultural research and communication skills. Students will also exercise intercultural competence skills as they engage with our Bahamian partners.

Professor: Amanda Taylor

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Cooperation for Peacebuilding Israel and Palestine

Students will become familiar with the wider transboundary cooperation efforts of AIES, PWEG, and other organizations in the region. During the desk study portion of the practicum, they will study the theory and practice of environmental peacebuilding, learn about the challenges and opportunities of conducting research and evaluation in a conflict setting, and develop skill in rapid-appraisal techniques, interview methods, and others. They will be required to read extensively and participate in the formulation of an assessment framework/matrix. During the field portion of the practicum, they will live and work in close quarters, meet practitioners working for these NGOs as well as the beneficiary-participant parties of the projects and communities. They will also meet Israeli and Palestinian officials whose governance practices have bearing on water, cooperation and peace in the region. Team members will undertake desk-study and research design work early in the summer of 2018; travel to the region to collect data in the field through participant-observation, interviews, focus groups, and/or archival work at the project sites; and produce a report that will be submitted to the partners to help them assess, improve, and further develop their activities. The collaborative report-writing phase will take place through the remainder of the summer, and possibly into the fall, when one or more public presentations will be made.

Professors: Eric Abitbol and Ken Conca

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The Future of Cyber Conflict Norway or Denmark

Recent election hacks and the proliferation of malware linked to state-sponsors open new fronts in strategic competition between rivals. What is the emerging character of cyber conflict? How do revisionist states use cyber operations short of war to coerce domestic and international opponents? To what extent to these operations spillover into the commercial space creating new markets for malware and cybercrime? The course will take students to NATO's "northern flank" - Scandinavian and Baltic countries whose territorial and commercial interest leave put them in the Kremlin's crosshairs. The class will combine remote seminars with visits to multiple countries in Northern Europe. At the conclusion of the course, students will present government and corporate partners forecasts about the future of cyber conflict in the region.

Professor: Benjamin Jensen

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Project Design, Monitoring and Evaluation in Indonesia

Students will spend roughly two weeks in Indonesia conducting project design, monitoring, and evaluation with local NGOs in the country. Student teams will work with their assigned NGO to fulfill these needs, to be determined by the organizations. In most cases, students will evaluate one of the local partner's projects and help them to assess their impact, but in some cases they may assist in project design or proposing grants. Students will develop concrete project design, monitoring, and evaluation skills, such as the ability to design a theory of change and Logframe relevant to project goals, develop evaluation tools, collect and analyze data using these tools, and teach these skills to civil society organizations in an international context. The program will conclude with students leading a training for VIA's local NGO partners and providing a manual for VIA to use to train their partners in the future.

Professor: Alex Cromwell

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