1° Acquire the basic vocabulary of contemporary diplomacy. 2° Understand the links between diplomacy, international relations, foreign policy and grand strategy. 3° Learn to identify and understand the major diplomatic issues and anticipate their potential effects.
The course aims to introduce students to diplomacy, both as a discipline and as a practice. It thus allows students who wish to engage in international relations to have a first direct contact with the stakes of this field of action.
After examining the history of diplomacy, the course is organised into three main parts This section covers the mechanisms and channels of diplomacy, including: bilateralism, multilateralism, negotiation and mediation, new information and communication technologies, club and group diplomacy, paradiplomacy, ritual and protocol. Part II: ACTORS In this section, the main protagonists of the contemporary diplomatic game will be examined: states, intergovernmental organisations, regions (supra- and sub-state), parliaments and local authorities, and individuals. Part III: SECTORS This section focuses on the different areas of diplomacy or what are still called 'forms' (types) of diplomacy: cultural diplomacy, defence diplomacy, economic diplomacy, celebrity and entertainment diplomacy, environmental diplomacy, etc.
The general evaluation of the course is done at two levels and takes into account both active participation (especially for practical work) and mastery of the course content. The written exam is based on two or three questions and lasts 1h30. The questions are designed to allow for a relationship between definitions and examples, theoretical and empirical aspects. The answers, well constructed and written, must demonstrate an understanding and assimilation of the themes presented in the lecture. Depending on the situation, a negotiation simulation may be organised during the term, in which case it would count for 1/3 of the final grade. This evaluation combines the results of the written exam (1/2 of the final mark or 1/3 if there is a simulation), the results of the negotiation simulation (1/3 of the final mark if there is one) and the results of the practical work (1/2 of the final mark or 1/3 if there is a simulation). Participation in this work is compulsory. There is no rule of exemption in this matter. A student who fails his or her exam because of insufficient participation in the practical work has no choice but to put in the same amount of effort in the written exam as is required to pass the course as a whole. In other words, the mark obtained in the practical exercises is automatically carried over to the second session. The same will apply to the simulation grade, if one is given.
Thierry Balzacq, Frédéric Charillon, Frédéric Ramel, eds, Manuel de diplomatie, Paris, Presses de Sciences Po, 2018.