Center on Public Diplomacy Events

2008 Summer Institute in Advanced Public Diplomacy

2008-07-20T23:30:00-08:00

The USC Center on Public Diplomacy held its 2008 Summer Institute in Advanced Public Diplomacy from July 20 to August 1, 2008. In its third year, the Summer Institute is an intensive two-week course designed to immerse participants into the increasingly critical study of public diplomacy by combining traditional classroom instruction with collaborative hands-on exercises.

This exclusive training program, designed for mid-career professionals and graduate level students, has garnered global attention and continues to attract participants of the highest caliber with experience in fields related to traditional diplomacy, foreign and economic affairs, defense and homeland security, intergovernmental organizations, and the private sector.

Led by Nicholas Cull, Professor and Director of the Master of Public Diplomacy program at USC and Eytan Gilboa, Professor of International Communication at Bar-Ilan University in Israel, the Summer Institute in Advanced Public Diplomacy brings together some of the world’s foremost public diplomacy experts from a wide range of disciplines to offer an unparalleled level of instruction. Additional professors include Philip Seib, CPD Faculty Fellow and Professor at the USC Annenberg School of Journalism, who specializes in international news coverage, media ethics and new technologies and Kelton Rhoads, Adjunct Professor of Communication and Psychology at the USC Annenberg School for Communication with a focus on influence and persuasion studies.
The 2008 program also featured special guest lectures from local and national experts including Nicholas Goldberg, Op-Ed Editor for the Los Angeles Times; Dean Garfield, Vice President at the Motion Picture Association of America; Abiodun Williams, Vice President of the Center for Conflict Analysis and Prevention at the US Institute of Peace; and Gillian Sorensen, Senior Advisor and National Advocate at the United Nations Foundation.

Participants in the 2008 Summer Institute in Advanced Public Diplomacy included:

• Taro Araki - Deputy Director, Iron and Steel Industrial Policy Division, Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry, Japan
• Fleur Cowan - Foreign Service Officer, U.S. Department of State
• Ingrid de Beer - Public Diplomacy Officer, Royal Netherlands Embassy, Washington D.C.
• James O. Gregory - Major, Public Affairs Officer, U.S. Army
• Amy Hochadel - Associate Director of Diversity, Cleveland Clinic
• Kristin Kane - Foreign Service Officer, U.S. Embassy Maputo, Mozambique
• Simone Kreutzer - Consul for Press and Cultural Affairs, Consulate General of the Netherlands, New York City
• Sotirios Krystallis - Press Attache, Secretariat General of Information of the Hellenic Republic
• Ta-Sheng Kuan - Secretary on Home Assignment, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Taiwan
• Habib Kurwa – Former Chairman of UK Developing Programmes, Aga Khan Health Board
• Che-jung Liu – Officer, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Taiwan
• Meili Lu - Senior Secretary, Government Information Office, Taiwan
• Barbora Maronkova - Programme Coordinator and Information Officer, NATO
• Joseph Mellott - Foreign Service Officer, U.S. Department of State
• Kristen Knutson - Public Information and Donor Liaison Officer, United Nations – OCHA, Uganda
• Fatou Sall - Consul General, Senegalese Diplomatic Mission, Houston
• Sandra P. Schulberg – President, Schulberg Productions, Inc.
• Christina Tribble - Foreign Service Officer, U.S. Department of State
• Floris Erik van Hovell - Counselor/Head of Public Diplomacy, Press and Culture, Royal Netherlands Embassy, Washington D.C.
• Timothy Wall- Communications contact on Economics and Economic Development United Nations Department of Public Information

For more information on The Summer Institute in Advanced Public Diplomacy Click HERE

Photographing Atrocity

2008-04-22T18:00:01-08:00

Join students and faculty for a presentation by the British documentary film maker, photographer and educator, Pratap Rughani. His topic: Photographing Atrocity. Rughani is especially well known for his treatment of issues of inter-cultural conflict. His present project is still photography recording the aftermath of a series of caste-based murders in India. This presentation will explore the ethical issues of representing such events and ask whether images of suffering, war and atrocity necessarily exploitative or are we protected from fuller coverage of horrors? What might ‘ethical’ coverage look like?

Re/Covering Islam

2008-04-18T14:30:00-08:00

ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science

2008-04-14T23:30:01-08:00

The USC Annenberg School for Communication, the USC Center on Communication Leadership and the USC Center on Public Diplomacy are delighted to host a roundtable discussion and reception in honor of the March 2008 publication of the ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science. Entitled “Public Diplomacy in a Changing World,” the issue is edited by Geoffrey Cowan, Annenberg Family Chair in Communication Leadership, and Nicholas Cull, CPD Senior Faculty Fellow.

Roundtable participants will include:

Amelia Arsenault, CPD Research Associate
Manuel Castells, Wallis Annenberg Chair in Communication Technology and Society
Geoffrey Cowan, Annenberg Family Chair in Communication Leadership
Nicholas Cull, CPD Senior Faculty Fellow
Nancy Snow, CPD Senior Fellow
Ernest J. Wilson, III, Dean of the USC Annenberg School for Communication
Geoffrey Wiseman, Moderator, Acting Director of the USC Center on Public Diplomacy and Professor in the School of International Relations

A reception will follow the roundtable discussion on the Annenberg Terrace.

USC honored with U.S. State Department Public Diplomacy Award

2008-04-08T19:00:00-08:00

The University of Southern California has been honored with one of four inaugural Benjamin Franklin Awards for Public Diplomacy, a prestigious new honor bestowed by the U.S. Department of State.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice presented the award in a ceremony on April 8 in Washington, D.C. (Watch the video or see photos from the ceremony).

"[The Benjamin Franklin Award] is the most prestigious honor that the Department of State can bestow on American citizens who are making outstanding contributions to public diplomacy, both at home and abroad, and it reflects my conviction that the solutions to the challenges of the 21st century will come from all sectors of American society working together," Rice said. "In the area of academic institutions, we recognize the University of Southern California Center on Public Diplomacy for having evolved into the world's premier research facility in this field."

Through a variety of programs and projects, USC is widely recognized for its pioneering leadership and contributions to academic scholarship and professional engagement in the field of public diplomacy. These include the USC Center on Public Diplomacy at the Annenberg School and the world's first master's degree program in public diplomacy.

The USC Center on Public Diplomacy was founded in 2003 as a partnership between the USC Annenberg School for Communication and the School of International Relations in the USC College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. It has since evolved into the world’s premier research center in public diplomacy, bringing together members of the diplomatic, academic, NGO and corporate communities.

"The USC Center on Public Diplomacy leads our research into the global exchange of ideas and diplomacy," said Adam Clayton Powell III, USC's vice provost for globalization and a Senior Fellow of the Center. "What is now clear is that diplomacy is not just for diplomats: it is for artists and writers, scientists and business executives, educators and students – indeed, for all of civil society."

In 2005, USC launched a graduate-level degree program in public diplomacy, preparing students from around the world for leadership roles in international public service, business and nongovernmental organizations. The first full class of the Master of Public Diplomacy program is scheduled to graduate this May.

USC is also the only institution in the world to offer an intensive two-week training program specifically for mid-career professionals, providing an immersive environment in which to engage colleagues from across the globe in new research and methods through the Summer Institute in Advanced Public Diplomacy.

"It's a tremendous honor for USC to be recognized as a galvanizing force in a field that has only begun to receive wider attention. A dedicated Center and master's program allows leading and emerging practitioners and scholars to advance an exciting new area of international relations," said Geoffrey Cowan, USC university professor, Annenberg School dean emeritus and founder of the USC Center on Public Diplomacy.

Howard Gillman, dean of the USC College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, said: “"We are delighted to be the first educational organization chosen for the Franklin Award by the Secretary of State. It speaks to the important role that universities play in generating new knowledge on important questions and training the next generation of leaders."

The State Department and USC have partnered on numerous public diplomacy-related projects. The State Department’s Public Diplomat in Residence program has been based at the USC Center on Public Diplomacy since 2006. The Center has also provided the State Department with expertise about virtual worlds and the opportunities they provide for intercultural dialogue and public diplomacy.

"As new technologies make information accessible to more people, our nation needs to have a deeper understanding of the contribution that public diplomacy and soft power can make to advance America's interests around the world," said Ernest J. Wilson III, dean of the USC Annenberg School for Communication. "We are honored that USC's leadership in this area is being recognized with the inaugural Benjamin Franklin Award.”

USC Annenberg School was a founding member of the Edward R. Murrow Journalism Fellows Program, announced by Secretary Rice in 2005. Participating schools host international journalists, encouraging journalistic freedom around the world and promoting deeper understanding of American practices and institutions. In addition, Secretary Rice helped USC commemorate a landmark event in the United States’ public diplomacy efforts – the 50th anniversary of Dizzy Gillespie’s State Department-sponsored world tour in 1956.

According to the State Department, the Benjamin Franklin Award is given for a person or organization’s concrete impact on public diplomacy-related efforts, service to the larger community, development of best practices for adoption by other organizations and long-term engagement with participants and issues.

Watch a video of the presentation
See photos from the ceremony
Read the Department of State's announcement on all award recipients

Conversations in Public Diplomacy: Stanislav Tkachenko

2008-04-03T18:00:00-08:00

The USC Center on Public Diplomacy at the Annenberg School welcomed Dr. Stanislav Tkachenko to USC for a conversation on "Russian Foreign Policy and the Role of Public Diplomacy." Dr Tkachenko is the Vice-Rector for International Relations at Saint Petersburg State University.

ABOUT STANISLAV TKACHENKO

Dr. Stanislav L. Tkachenko is an associate professor in the department of European studies of the School of International Relations at Saint Petersburg State University. Since 1997 Dr. Tkachenko has served as the vice-dean of the international relations department and since 2003 as the vice-rector of the Saint-Petersburg State University for international relations. His research focuses on European monetary integration, the foreign policy of Russian Federation, and international political economy.

Dr. Tkachenko received his Ph.D. in history from the department of political history at the Saint-Petersburg State University in 1994 and his Ph.D. in economic theory from the Saint Petersburg State University of Economy and Finance in 2002.

Click Here for Photos

RIAS Roundtable with Visiting German Journalists

2008-04-02T18:15:00-08:00

Join Public Diplomat in Residence Anne Chermakand professor Murray Fromson for an Open Forum Roundtable Discussion with three visiting German journalists on "The U.S. Election as Viewed from Europe: What Do Europeans Expect of the New U.S. Administration?"

For the fourteenth year, the RIAS Berlin Kommission - a binational organization for the promotion of German-American understanding in the field of broadcasting - is sponsoring three German journalists involved in public television, political and cultural reporting for a visit to the Annenberg School for Communication. They will be here the week of March 31, 2008 visiting classes and meeting faculty and graduate students.

Lunch will be served.

RIAS-Visiting Journalists:

Christian Blenker, correspondent for German Television in Madrid, Spain; a reporter for Hessischer Rundfunk; and for Norddeutscher Rundfunk where he has had reports aired on German Television's main newscast "Tagesschau" and "Tagesthemen." Received his M.A. from the University of Bonn, where he studied politics, modern history, and German literature.

Beate Klein, is currently a reporter, researcher, and producer for a feature aired on the TV current affairs program entitled "Report Mainz." Klein has also worked as a freelance writer for Mainzer Allgemeine Zeitun and Die Rheinpfalz, a radio and TV reporter for SWF/SWR Studio Kaiserslautern, as well as a political reporter for the TV news program "Landersache." Klein received an M.A. film studies from Johannes Gutenberg-University.

Mark Kuschel, is currently a guest lecturer at the Nenri Nannen School for Journalism in Hamburg, and a moderator, author and reporter for NDR 90.3. Before taking these positions, Kuschel was heavily involved in radio with the NRW Radio Group, where he received most of his practical training. Kuschel is multi-lingual, speaking German, Polish, English and French.

Conversations in Public Diplomacy: Gary Knell

2008-03-26T18:00:00-08:00

The USC Center on Public Diplomacy at the Annenberg School was pleased to welcome CPD Advisory Board Member, Gary Knell, to USC for a conversation on "Muppet Diplomacy." Mr. Knell is the President and CEO of Sesame Workshop. Click for Photos.

ABOUT GARY KNELL

Gary E. Knell is President and Chief Executive Officer of Sesame Workshop. Knell leads the nonprofit educational organization in its mission to create innovative, engaging content that maximizes the educational power of all media to help children reach their highest potential.

In his role, Knell has been instrumental in focusing the organization on Sesame Street's global mission, including groundbreaking coproductions in South Africa, Russia, China, and Egypt.

Previously, Knell was Managing Director of Manager Media International, a print and multimedia publishing company based in Bangkok, Hong Kong, and Singapore. In this capacity, he oversaw the development of the monthly business magazine Asia Inc., the daily Asian-based newspaper Asia Times, and several trade publications.

He also has served as Senior Vice President and General Counsel at WNET/Channel 13 in New York, was Counsel to the US Senate Judiciary and Governmental Affairs Committees, and worked in the California State Legislature and Governor's Office. Knell is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a participant in the Aspen Institute Forum on Communications and Society as well as the Columbia University American Assembly. He serves on the Board of the Zimmer Children's Museum in Los Angeles; The Kitchen, a performing arts center in New York City; and National Video Resources. He also serves on the Board of Governors of the American Center for Children and Media as well as the Advisory Board for the Music Educators National Conference in Alexandria, VA. He holds a Doctorate of Jurisprudence from Loyola University School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Journalism from the University of California at Los Angeles.

Gary Knell is married to Kim Larson Knell and is the father of four children.

He leads over 300 dedicated producers, researchers, and other talented professionals in a variety of media applications, including television, print, online, and radio.

The Annenberg Washington Series

2008-03-18T17:09:01-08:00

AFRICOM, the American Military and Public Diplomacy in Africa

In 2007, the U.S. established a new military command for the continent of Africa. According to the Department of Defense, AFRICOM recognizes “the emerging strategic importance of Africa, and recognizing that peace and stability on the continent impacts not only Africans, but the interests of the U.S. and international community as well.” This program offers the first thorough, independent examination of AFRICOM, which promises not only to reshape America's strategic approach to Africa, but also will redefine the role of the military in public diplomacy. Areas for discussion include soft power and American strategy in Africa, the relationship between the military and foreign policy agencies, and African responses to this initiative.

Panelists included:

Carola Weil, (moderator), Assistant Dean for Strategic Initiatives, USC Annenberg.

Philip Seib, USC Annenberg journalism and public diplomacy professor, and author of the forthcoming The Al Jazeera Effect: How the New Global Media Are Reshaping World.

Dr. Abiodun Williams, Associate Dean, Africa Center for Strategic Studies, National Defense University, Washington, D.C.

Nicole Lee, Esq., Executive Director, TransAfrica Forum

Conversations in Public Diplomacy: Evan Potter

2008-03-12T18:30:01-08:00

The USC Center on Public Diplomacy at the Annenberg School and the Center for International Studies were pleased to welcome Fulbright Visiting Research Chair in Public Diplomacy, Evan Potter, to USC for a conversation on Nation Branding.

ABOUT EVAN POTTER

Potter comes to USC from the Department of Communication at the University of Ottawa. He is a visiting professor at the USC Center on Public Diplomacy, where he serves as the Canadian Fulbright Chair in Public Diplomacy for 2008.

With expertise in public sector communications planning, political communication, public opinion, and international communications, Potter's ongoing research focuses on the projection of Canada's image in the international arena and the use of communications technologies in diplomacy.

Potter is author of the book Transatlantic Partners: Canadian Approaches to the European Union (1999) and editor of several books including Cyberdiplomacy: Foreign Policy in the 21st Century (2002). He has just completed a book entitled, Branding Canada: Projecting Canada's Soft Power Through Public Diplomacy. With the support of a research award from the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada, Potter is examining the use of culture and higher education as instruments of public diplomacy in Canada's Circumpolar relations with the United States, Russia and the Nordic nations.

Potter received his B.A. in political studies at Queen's University at Kingston, his M.A. in international affairs at The Norman Paterson School of International Affairs at Carleton University, and his Ph.D in international relations at the London School of Economics in the U.K.