GradDip American Politics & Foreign Policy

Program Overview

This Graduate Diploma is the first of its kind in Europe and North America, providing a deep understanding of the United States, its foreign relations, and domestic politics. Students engage with top experts, gain practical experience through internships and mentorship, and contribute to flagship media outlets. The program prepares graduates for careers in diplomacy, journalism, international organizations, and academia, among others.

Program Outline

Degree Overview:

This Graduate Diploma is the first of its kind to be established in Europe and North America, providing students with a sophisticated understanding of the United States, its foreign relations, and domestic politics.

Key reasons to join this program:

• Learn from and engage with top experts in the field: The program boasts a faculty of renowned scholars, including Eugenio Lilli, Scott Lucas, and Liam Kennedy, who bring extensive experience and expertise in US foreign policy, the Middle East, emerging technologies, American politics, and US-Irish relations.
• Avail of internship and mentorship opportunities: The program offers internship and mentorship opportunities to provide students with practical experience and guidance.
• Participate in unique events: The program organizes events featuring prominent figures in politics, diplomacy, policymaking, academia, and journalism, including past events with Bill Clinton, Jake Sullivan, Christopher Painter, and Noam Chomsky.
• Contribute to flagship media outlets: Students have the opportunity to contribute their analysis to American Unfiltered and EA WorldView, two media outlets run by Liam Kennedy and Scott Lucas.
• Take advantage of the benefits of an exclusive venue: The core modules of the Diploma take place in the exclusive Clinton Institute located in UCD Belfield Campus, offering small cohort sizes and high levels of interaction with instructors.
• Study an incredibly topical and fascinating subject: The program delves into the complexities of American politics and foreign policy in the 21st century, examining the country's global influence, challenges to its leadership, and domestic issues such as political dysfunction, race relations, and economic inequality.

This Diploma is designed for:

• Individuals planning or already engaged in careers in the diplomatic service, journalism, international organizations, or non-governmental organizations.
• Individuals seeking careers in politics, political risk analysis, academia, and think tanks.
• Practitioners/professionals in related fields who wish to gain a broader understanding of processes, policies, and outcomes in American politics and foreign policy.

Vision and Values Statement:

The program values and encourages active, motivated, autonomous learners with a critical and reflective approach to the subject. It aims to provide a learning environment that encourages students to think critically about policy and the ideas that shape it, both individually and as part of a group.

Programme Outcomes:

Upon completion of the program, students should be able to:

• Communicate in academic language about American politics and foreign policy using historical and theoretical concepts.
• Apply knowledge in a variety of professional settings or in the form of further study, including at the doctoral level.
• Demonstrate an ability to communicate in writing and in public speaking with a variety of specialist and non-specialist audiences.
• Develop sophisticated judgments about American politics and foreign policy that encompass domestic and international/comparative perspectives.
• Learn skills that will enable them to accumulate further knowledge in this or other subjects in an autonomous manner.

Teaching:

• The program uses teaching, learning, and assessment approaches such as the drafting of policy memoranda, one-on-one advising, small group activities, presentations, seminar discussions, policy analysis, and internships.
• Students are taught in small group seminars on a weekly basis.

Careers:

• The Diploma prepares students for careers in the diplomatic service, journalism, international organizations, non-governmental organizations, politics, political risk analysis, academia, and think tanks.

Other:

• The program is composed of 60 credits, with 50 credits from core modules taught at the UCD Clinton Institute and the remaining credits from optional modules from other programs.
• Compulsory modules include:
• The Global Politics of Cyber Security
• Trump's America
• Media and US Foreign Policy
• Challenges in US Foreign Policy
• Research Skills and Methods
• Examples of optional modules include:
• Critical Geopolitics and Diplomacy
• Globalization, Empire, and Race
• Digital Storytelling
• Modern Asia

GradDip American Politics & Foreign Policy (Z236) Full Time

EU fee per year - € 7000 nonEU fee per year - € 15070

GradDip American Politics & Foreign Policy (Z237) Part Time

EU fee per year - € 4190 nonEU fee per year - € 7540