The program is structured around a series of in-person briefings led by UN officials
and representatives of governments and civil society on a range of global issues currently
on the UN agenda. Key topics have included: peacekeeping and disarmament, human rights
and refugees, status of women and children, member state policies towards the UN,
the role of civil society and the private sector in the UN, UN reform, and the environment
and development.
Participants will be immersed in candid, off-the-record sessions near UN headquarters
in New York City for 10 hours each day the entire week of the program.
Program Requirements include preliminary readings and a short paper to be completed
prior to the beginning of the course. Attendance at all sessions is mandatory. Students
actively participate in dialogue and discussion with guest speakers and peers. Students
attending for credit also must keep a journal documenting their reactions to the briefings
and submit a research paper one month after the conclusion of the program. Graduate
students complete additional readings and a writing assignment.