Friday Favorites – Madison
After my first quarter at DePaul as a Journalism major, I heard about a new and exciting program at DePaul: Applied Diplomacy. Offering a concentration in International Law, I decided to switch my major to Applied Diplomacy and took the first course, APD 200. Below are the Top 10 reasons why I chose this course and how it became my favorite.
1. Applicable Across Various Platforms
The topics covered in this class covered a wide range of aspects of diplomacy. As a result, students were encouraged to expand ideas of what a diplomat is and could be and to think about how diplomacy is used in every-day life and how it could lead to an individualized career in various fields.
2. Relevant
Each of the readings assigned and topics discussed were very applicable to current international situations leading to relevant in-class discussions that were very thought provoking.
3. Discussion-Based
Each class meeting began with questions posed by students that arose from the readings assigned and evolved into 15 minutes of conversation attempting to answer the questions as well as delving further into the inquiries that arose.
4. Taught by Four Professors
This class was very unique in that it was taught by four professors that each had expertise in different fields. This provided a very well-rounded and unique course learning experience that expanded my knowledge and ideas about diplomacy.
5. Covered Four Separate yet Linked Aspects of Diplomacy
Each professor taught 2 weeks of the course and covered their own section of diplomacy. This provided a well-organized and wide-ranging learning experience that was very interesting and covered many related topics.
6. Trans-Professional
The topic of Applied Diplomacy is such a broad idea that it can be applied to many professional fields. As a result, the class composed of students with very different majors and expanded my view of what diplomacy is and what it could be.
7. Varied Coursework
While the class centered mainly on reading and discussion, each professor brought unique styles of teaching that resulted in varied lectures and in- class exercises that contributed to an exciting quarter.
8. Interesting and Unique Reading
The course included a lot of reading assignments that were always different each week. Some readings came from the textbook while others consisted of articles, a play, and case studies. The range of reading material provide unique perspectives on the topic and were always very interesting making the reading something to look forward to each week.
9. Thought-provoking
Each topic in the class built upon one another and were always applicable to current international news. This provided for energetic and thought- provoking discussions and readings.
10. Inspiring
Having the opportunity to learn from four professors in the same course as well as have in-depth discussions with fellow classmates from various majors each week was a very inspiring experience.