AUP has been continuously accredited since 1973 by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), one of only six prestigious regional accreditation associations in the United States.
As populations flee repressive regimes and political issues听have ramifications beyond any one state鈥檚 borders, the need for real-world听solutions and the leaders who can implement them is paramount. The highly competitive one-year MA in Diplomacy and International Law offers you an interdisciplinary degree including a summer certificate program in human rights run at AUP. Through the program, you will acquire both the fundamental knowledge and practical skills necessary for careers in international law, diplomacy and international advocacy.
The program enables you to think critically about complex diplomatic and international legal issues in real-world contexts. By applying theory to practice, you will address some of the key questions facing public and non-governmental institutions around the world, such as听鈥淲hy do states participate in international institutions that promote global cooperation?鈥 or听鈥淗ow do states and institutions interact when cooperation breaks down and conflict ensues?鈥
With increasing global interdependence, hard distinctions between foreign and domestic policy no longer exist. The program capitalizes on its location in the heart of Europe to prepare you to tackle pressing contemporary issues in public, comparative, humanitarian and human rights law from a uniquely international perspective.
Your coursework in diplomacy and international law includes elements of international relations, economics, law and political science to examine the problems of our day 鈥撎齛nd search for the best way to administer and manage innovative solutions. Through the program you will be prepared with the analytical and practical skills to prepare you to serve across cultures and national boundaries, and to analyze geopolitical and diplomatic challenges. You will develop expertise in negotiation, strategic diplomatic thinking and legal analysis to support your next career step.
As a student of the program you will be an active proponent of social justice. You will be educated to work in an international environment and to contribute to the resolution of complex global issues that affect the public, non-profit, and private sectors. Arriving at AUP you will have demonstrated academic excellence and a wide range of personal, professional听and academic experience, with a strong commitment to an international career in law or public policy.
As a student of the MA in Diplomacy and International Law you will engage with discipline-specific theoretical constructs through modules designed to enhance critical thinking, as well as graduate-level research and writing capacities. You will have the opportunity to supplement rigorous coursework and professional modules with internships, fieldwork for thesis research, and case study methods for thesis production.
The program features core and elective courses, allowing you to focus on various fields of practice. We cover a rich scope of content from law to international relations and diplomacy, from conflict resolution to human rights, including:
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International Affairs Course:
Articulated within the emergence of the European nation-state and born in the context of the First World War and its aftermath, the discursive field of International Relations is organized around the constitutive concepts of conflict, anarchy, power, system, rule, law, and justice, and the practices of civil society and political economy. These concepts and practices organize, in turn, both the major schools of International Relations theory and contemporary methodological pluralism. This course interrogates these founding concepts from a philosophical perspective within the historical and discursive context of each major school: 1) from classical liberalism to international liberalism; 2) from classical realism to modern realism; 3) the 鈥楨nglish School鈥 of IR theory (Bull); 4) Marxist tenets within international relations (from Karl Marx to international political economy); 5) Modern and Contemporary Critical Liberalism (Polanyi and Held); 6) The philosophical grounds of contemporary Constructivism.
This course prepares AUP students to play the role of international NGO humanitarian aid workers, responsible for providing relief to tens of thousands of civilians caught in the crossfire during the Exercise Coalition, a polyvalent simulation of military intervention organized and operated by the French War College (Ecole de Guerre) with civilian partners.
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Select two of the following:
This course focuses on the concept of the/a public. Discusses how media and political actors rhetorically constitute the public; how they (and occasionally governments) constitute 鈥減ublic spaces鈥(virtual and material) in which public discourse takes place, and how institutional and technological forces constitute 鈥減ublic opinion鈥 and articulate 鈥渢he public interest.鈥 On the other hand, we will consider how political economy of media and social practices facilitate or stifle spaces, political actors, and publics. The course will also compare contemporary manifestations of public-making with Habermas鈥檚 theory of the public sphere, which he thought was an area of social life vital to a legitimate democracy. The potentiality, control, and use of new communication technologies are explored in relation to the existence and future of a global public sphere.
This course examines the dynamics of the global media system. Students will gain a critical awareness of how international flows of information, entertainment and lifestyle values play a powerful role in shaping cultural and political realities. The concept of "soft power" is key in examining the influence of Western pop culture, whether as "imperialism" or as "globalization". The course examines soft power in various forms: Hollywood movies, television series, pop music, Disney cartoons, fast food such as Coca-Cola and McDonalds, and social media networks such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. The course also analyzes the influence of non-Anglo-American pop culture 鈥 from Turkish soap operas to Latin American "telenovelas".
Topics change each semester- see the current Academic Schedule for current course descriptions.
Whether in the public or private sector, professionals need to be international and transnational in their outlook and vision. The program prepares you for exciting career paths to effect real change using foundational knowledge of international law across several fields.
Build an in-depth understanding of a cosmopolitan canon of academic and expert publications in international affairs, international law, public policy, transnational affairs, conflict resolution and civil society development
Develop clear analytical thinking as demonstrated by contributions to in-class discussions and argumentation as developed in written work including in the exploration of causality in your Masters thesis
Demonstrate initiative in selecting a range of rigorous academic sources for oral and written work and in the pursuit of original research for your Masters thesis
Close to 9 out of every 10 graduate alumni that graduated from The American University of Paris during the years 2012-2014 have found a job, become entrepreneurs or pursued additional educational routes within one year of graduation.听Our graduate programs provide academic excellence and practical knowledge that prepares you to successfully enter the international employment market after graduation.听
During the course of your study, you听are encouraged to build on your education at AUP by applying gained knowledge and skills. An internship provides you with the crucial connection between听theoretical knowledge and the real听world experience that can ultimately kick start your professional career.
In the past our students have undertaken placements with companies that include:
OECD
UNESCO
International Chamber of Commerce (ICC)
Bredin Prat
US Embassy Paris
Pour Une Planete sans Frontieres
African Artists for Development
Ogilvy & Mather Paris
Elan Edelman S.A.S.
United Nations
WLPGA
Turner Broadcasting
Learning methods focus on conventional techniques as well as critical management studies and approaches from other academic disciplines. Courses combine lectures, seminar discussion, case-method and student-directed projects. Within this context, a special emphasis is put on professional skills development and career development. Students also have the opportunity to collaborate with each other and program faculty for research projects and specialized directed study courses.
In 2018, Nicole Santiago (MA International Diplomacy and International Law) and Gabriel Green (Senior, Major International Comparative Politics/Minor International Law),听had the opportunity to present to the United Nations. Thanks to the support of the .
AUP has been continuously accredited since 1973 by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), one of only six prestigious regional accreditation associations in the United States.