IPSA-Concordia Summer School in Applied Diplomacy - A Success

The first edition of the IPSA-Concordia Summer School in Applied Diplomacy was held on 7-16 June in a fully virtual format and proved to be a success. The ten-day intensive and stimulating program included theoretical and policy-oriented seminars complemented with a practical hands-on Diplomacy Lab, which allowed the participants to work on case studies in teams. The academic program was prepared by Prof. Elizabeth Bloodgood (Concordia), Prof. Cameron Thies (Arizona State University) and Dr. Kim Fontaine-Skronski (IPSA). Students were invited to choose among three real-time case studies and present policy recommendations at the end of the Summer School on the following three topics:

• International Migrant Labor;
• COP 26 Negotiations;
• Transnational Social Justice Movements.

Seven modules covered the main areas of diplomacy from Traditional forms, International Negotiations and Norms of Diplomacy to Intergovernmental agencies and non-state actors as well as Municipal and Digital Diplomacy. A special session was also organized on Science Diplomacy.

Two virtual field trips were held, one with Global Affairs Canada, the Canadian Foreign Affairs Department, where participants learned from the Trade Agreements Secretariat, the North America Policy and Relations Division, as well as from the Centre for International Digital Policy. A second virtual field trip allowed participants to visit the only UN Specialized Agency in Canada, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), based in Montreal, and learn about the important work done by the Air Navigation Commission.

In total, participants heard from 26 distinguished speakers. The feedback from the participants was very positive, and we look forward to holding the second edition of the IPSA-Concordia Summer School in Applied Diplomacy in June 2022 onsite at Concordia University in Montreal.

List of Guests Lecturers at the 2021 Edition (*in order of appearance): 

• Dr. Bob Reinalda, Fellow and Senior Researcher at Radboud University, Nijmegen, NL
• Mr. Jess Dutton, Director General, Middle East, Global Affairs Canada and Former Canadian Ambassador to Egypt
• Dr. Natalia Grincheva, Assistant Professor in the Department of Media at the National Research University 'Higher School of Economics in Moscow, Russia
• H.E. Dr. Alejandro Estivill, Consul General in Montreal, Mexico
• Mr. Henri-Paul Normandin, Fellow at the Institut d’études internationales de Montréal and Former Canadian Ambassador to Haïti
• Dr. Michele Acuto, Associate Dean (Research), Professor of Global Urban Politics and Director, Connected Cities Lab, University of Melbourne
• Dr. Matthew Hoffman, Professor of Political Science, University of Toronto
• Ms. Lydia Zemke, Postgraduate Researcher - Department of Science, Technology, Engineering and Public Policy, University College London
• Dr. Nicole de Silva, Assistant Professor, Political Science Academic Director, Political Science Co-op Program, Concordia University
• Me Neil Hazan, Partner at BLG Law
• Dr. Corneliu Bjola, Associate Professor of Diplomatic Studies, University of Oxford
• Dr. Nazli Choucri, Professor of Political Science, is a Senior Faculty at the Center of International Studies (CIS), and Faculty Affiliate at the Institute for Data, Science, and Society (IDSS), MIT
• Mr. Kyle Matthews, Executive Director of the Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies (MIGS) at Concordia University
• Mr. Sean Clark, Director, Trade Agreements Secretariat, Global Affairs Canada
• Dr. Florian Olsen, Senior Policy Research Analyst, United States, North America Policy and Relations, Global Affairs Canada
• Dr. Philippe-André Rodriguez, Deputy Director, Centre for International Digital Policy, Global Affairs Canada
• Ms. Elisabeth Holme, Project Manager at Scientific Coordination Office Bavaria Research Alliance
• Dr. Jean-Christophe Mauduit, Lecturer in Science Diplomacy at University College London (UCL) in the Department of Science, Technology, Engineering and Public Policy (STEaPP)
• Dr. Jean-Christian Lemay, Research and Innovation Attaché at the Québec Government Office in London
• Dr. Gabrielle Simard, Former Scientist in Residence, Délégation générale du Québec à Munich
• Dr. Mathieu Denis, Science Director, International Science Council (ISC)
• Sir Peter Gluckman, Chair, International Network on Government Science Advice (INGSA) and President-elect International Science Council (ISC)
• Dr. Stéphanie Balme, Dean of Collège universitaire de Sciences Po, Professor at the Paris School of International Affairs and Founding member of the European Science Diplomacy Initiative
• Dr. Pierre Lemonde, Director of Research at CNRS, Institut Néel, and former Advisor for Science and Technology at the Embassy of France in China
• Mr. Frédéric Letullier, Head Conference Services, ICAO
• Mr. Nabil Naoumi, President Air Navigation Commission, ICAO