Session 4 – Cultural Diplomacy in Action Today

Friday, Dec 9th, 10:30am-12:00pm ET

Virtual: Zoom

Part I: Study

• South Korea’s Soft Power

• The Korean Wave (Hallyu)

• Key Questions:

• How did South Korea’s culture become so well-known?

Part II: Guest Speaker TBD

Registration Link TBD: Sign up to the Study Group mailing list here: Study Group Sign-Up

Session 3 – Understanding Digital Diplomacy

Friday, Nov 4th, 10:30am-12:00pm ET

Virtual: Zoom

Part I: Study

• Defining digital diplomacy and understanding its role in international relations

• Non-government cultural diplomacy

• Key Questions:

• How can we distinguish between propaganda and digital diplomacy?

Part II: Guest Speaker TBD

Registration Link TBD: Sign up to the Study Group mailing list here: Study Group Sign-Up

Session 2 – Case Studies of Cultural Diplomacy

Friday, Oct 21st, 10:30am-12:00pm ET

Virtual: Zoom

Part I: Study

• The Cold War: Jazz Ambassadors

• Racial tension in the U.S., and how this plays out on international tours

• Key Questions:

• How can we measure outcomes in cultural diplomacy efforts?

Part II: Guest Speaker TBD

Registration Link TBD: Sign up to the Study Group mailing list here: Study Group Sign-Up

Session 1 - Terminology & Theory

Friday, Oct 7th, 10:30am-12:00pm ET

Virtual: Zoom

Part I: Study

• The difference and similarities between public diplomacy, cultural diplomacy and soft power

• What is culture?

• Role of digital diplomacy in the 21st century

Part II: Guest Speaker TBD

Registration Link TBD: Sign up to the Study Group mailing list here: Study Group Sign-Up

Register for this event here: https://harvard.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJUkc-mvqz8vG9HNV-yzvzxpGeEFnrMwZi2a

Register for this event here: https://harvard.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJwkdOusrzIvG9w79SkssF4yHQpaVpU4j0DC

Part I: Museums in a Post-Pandemic World

Part II: The Role of Culture in the 21st Century

Guest Speaker: Lee Satterfield, Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs

For over fifty years, Sesame Street has proven itself capable of adapting to different cultures and celebrating cultural diversity.  With the success of characters such as Rosita, a blue Muppet who speaks both English and Spanish, Sesame Street has expanded to include “Rechov Sumsum’s” Mahboub, an Arab-Israeli Muppet who tackles Middle Eastern cultural relations, and “Takalani Sesame’s” Kami, the HIV-positive South African Muppet who promotes HIV awareness.  This session will examine the cultural and public diplomacy aims of Sesame Street, and the impact that their unique programming has had in the field of arts education.

Part I: Using Technology to Preserve Culture

Part II: The Role of Culture in the 21st Century

Guest Speaker: Irina Bokova, Professor Sciences Po, former Director General UNESCO

Part I: Quantifying Metrics for Cultural Diplomacy

Part II: The War in Ukraine

Guest Speaker: David Rothkopf, CEO of The Rothkopf Group

Part I: An Analysis of Successful Cultural Strategies

Part II: Public Diplomacy under President Obama: Lessons Learned

Guest Speaker: Richard Stengel, Former Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs (Obama Administration); Former Managing Editor, Time Magazine

Suggested Reading: Evaluation of Jazz Ambassadors Program Final Report

Part I: Study

• An exploration of how to address today’s U.S. foreign policy challenges through cultural diplomacy programming and soft power efforts

Reading
The History of United States Cultural Diplomacy 1770 to the Present Day, Michael L Krenn, Conclusion (pp: 149-156)

Key Questions:

• What is the role of charisma in soft power? In cultural diplomacy?

• Which is more effective: traditional “high art” or “popular art”?

Part II: Discussion
Guest Speaker: 
Dr. Hendrik W. Ohnesorge, Managing Director, Center for Global Studies and Chair in International Relations, University of Bonn, author of Soft Power: The Forces of Attraction in International Relations (Springer International, 2020).

Please join us for the Soft Power & Cultural Diplomacy Study Group social connect session! This will be an opportunity to connect with members of the study group and to further share ideas on soft power and cultural diplomacy. You can join in on the session with the same link as the study group sessions.:

https://harvard.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJApc-GvrD8iHtPpUwNeDyA5XJhWDntFDgHq

Part I: Study

• Defining soft power and understanding its role in international relations

• Non-government cultural diplomacy

• Sports Diplomacy: The Little Ball Moves the Big Ball/Nixon goes to China

Reading

Nye, Joe. "Soft power: the evolution of a concept," Journal of Political Power, December 20, 2019. DOI: 10.1080/2158379X.2021.1879572

Key Questions:

• How can we distinguish between propaganda, soft power, and cultural diplomacy?

• What role can soft power play in addressing today’s challenge?

Part II: Discussion
Guest Speaker: 

Joseph S. Nye Jr, Harvard University Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus and former Dean of the Harvard's Kennedy School of Government

Part I: Study

• The Cold War: Jazz Ambassadors, Dance Diplomacy

• Racial tension in the U.S., and how this plays out on international tours

• Non-government cultural diplomacy: North Korea

Key Questions:

• Should there be a central agency for U.S. cultural diplomacy programming?

• How can we measure outcomes in cultural diplomacy efforts?

Part II: Discussion
Guest Speaker:
Stacy E. White, Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary at Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. State Department

The Soft Power & Cultural Diplomacy Study Group is designed for anyone interested in learning more about these two topics in addressing U.S. foreign relations.  Over the course of four sessions, participants will become familiar with the history of U.S. cultural diplomacy and will better understand how the power of the arts has repeatedly been deployed by the U.S. government to help achieve foreign policy objectives. The group will analyze historical examples and hear from current practitioners. Furthermore, the group will be asked to envision future uses of cultural diplomacy as a tactic for addressing current foreign policy challenges.

Part I: Study

• The difference and similarities between cultural diplomacy and soft power

• The beginnings of cultural diplomacy: Jefferson and Franklin

• The Good Neighbor Policy: Carmen Miranda, Aaron Copeland and more

• The creation of the OCIAA (The Office of the Coordinator for Inter-American Affairs)

Key Questions:

• How does cultural diplomacy differ from soft power?

• What were the results of the Good Neighbor Policy cultural initiatives? Were these missions successful, and why?

• How can we define “American culture”?

Part II: Discussion
Guest Speakers: 

John Ferguson, Founder and Executive Director, American Voices. 
In 1993, John created American Voices to fulfill the need for quality, constructive American cultural programming in the newly independent nations of Central and Eastern Europe. He works in partnership with the U.S. State Department on Cultural Diplomacy programming.

Joanna Sherman, Founder and Artistic Director, Bond Street Theatre
As a director, choreographer, musician and actor, Joanna has initiated and participated in company projects in East Asia, South America, Eastern and Western Europe, the Middle East, Pakistan, India and Afghanistan. Under her directorship, Bond Street Theatre received a MacArthur Foundation Award in 1990 for its interdisciplinary and intercultural programming.