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DiploNews – Issue 210 – 20 August 2012

 

Upcoming study opportunities

2013 Master/Postgraduate Diploma in Contemporary Diplomacy

You are invited to apply for the popular Master/Postgraduate Diploma in Contemporary Diplomacy, offered through the University of Malta, starting at the end of January 2013. This blended-learning programme offers a valuable opportunity for diplomats and other international relations professionals to continue studies without leaving work. The programme consists of a 10-day residential workshop in Malta followed by 16 to 20 months of online learning.

New for 2013: Applicants may select Internet governance as an area of specialisation within the Master/Postgraduate Diploma in Contemporary Diplomacy. Candidates for this area of specialisation will attend several required courses in the area of Internet governance (Introduction to Internet Governance, eDiplomacy, Cybersecurity, and Infrastructure and Critical Internet Resources) and select their remaining courses from the wide list of diplomacy topics. Candidates will write their dissertations on Internet- governance-related topics. Please check our announcement of this new specialisation option for more information.

The application deadline for the Master/Postgraduate Diploma in Contemporary Diplomacy is 30 September 2012. For more information and to apply please see the course webpage.

 

Autumn online courses

We are now accepting applications for our interactive autumn online courses: 

Courses start the week of 8 October 2012. Apply 3 September for Diplo Certificate Courses. For further information or to apply, click on the titles of the courses above, or visit our courses website. Register now to reserve your place.

 

Last call for applications: Migration and Development online course

The Instituto Matías Romero of the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs and DiploFoundation offer an online course on Migration and Development in English and Spanish, starting 17 September 2012. The course provides participants with a conceptual framework and analytical tools to address the many aspects of the relationship between international migration and economic and social development. See the course webpage for more information and to apply by 31 August 2012.

By bringing together scholars, advocates, and policymakers, this cutting-edge joint undertaking by DiploFoundation and Instituto Matias Romero has provided an excellent venue to share ideas and cultivate action agendas to advance the mutual well-being of migrants, home countries, and host communities.

Ryan Gener – Department of Foreign Affairs, Republic of the Philippines

 

What’s happening in Diplo’s Blogosphere?

If we had a gold medal for blogging while the Olympics was in full throttle, it would go to Aldo Matteucci. As the first two weeks of August unfolded, Matteucci delved into subjects such as climate change, stating how it’s been planetary history and plants so far – now mankind does it! In RIP rinderpest he notes that the UN held a ceremony declaring the disease eradicated, making rinderpest only the second disease in history to be fully wiped out, following smallpox and asks how many of us realise the significance of this event. In separate posts, Mattueci wonders if the Hobbesian worldview of international relations still useful and if  war is a biological trait? He looks at the Ambassadorial tribulations of the Swedish Ambassador to Belarus HE Stefan Eriksson. And in his final sprint he asks: Should money be allowed to ‘buy anything’?

Jovan Kurbalija wonders if we can learn online? Hannah Slavik picks this up and asks: Can we teach 20 000 students (at the same time)? Slavik's blog generated quite a lot of discussion both on the blog and on Facebook. It's worth checking out. We had a guest blog by Andrea Sandre, Press and Public Affairs Officer, Embassy of Italy in the United States asking whether Twiplomacy is bringing diplomacy back to relevancy.  Pete Cranston had the chance to interview Sandre in Rome recently about his new book: Author interview: eDiplomacy: foreign policy and social media.

These and other conversations can be followed on Diplo Interactive. Why not have your say?

 

Discussing Internet governance

A group of participants of one of Diplo’s ISOC NGL 2012 courses enjoyed a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to interact with Vint Cerf, the Father of the Internet. The session made use different platforms, including a live video stream, enabling participants to discuss with Cerf some of the most pressing Internet goverance issues. Tutor Tracy Hackshaw talks about the experience in his blog post, Vint Cerf Guest Lecture at an ISOC Next Generation Leaders Class showcases the evolving nature of e-Learning … Social e-Learning. In How we ‘Hangout’ with Google in our courses, Diplo’s multimedia coordinator Arvin Kamberi looks at the technical side, and describes the tools that made the unique experience possible.

In The poorer the country, the higher the cost’ – webinar host, Stephanie Borg Psaila talks about the discussions that took place during our July webinar, on Cable connections and the cost of Internet access, hosted by special guest Nnenna Nwakanma. A podcast of the webinar is also available. Mayengo Tom Kizito looks at reading habits in developing countries. Has the reading culture changed with the advent of Web 2.0? Robert Kikonyogo shares a blog post by Samuel Suraphel describing five mobile education lessons learned through BridgeIT, an initiative launched by the International Youth Foundation in Tanzania. Mera Szendro Bok talks about the Declaration of Internet Freedom, a set of principles that promotes online freedom of expression, access, openness, innovation and privacy. Currently, the original supporters of the declaration are inviting users and organisations to join them in signing the declaration and to discuss the principles on Twitter.

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