OADI 2195 - Cultural diplomacy, the image of a nation, a tool for policy

***UPDATED for 2025/26***

This course aims to provide students with a clear and deep understanding of a policy conducted by many States as part of their diplomacy, i.e., the promotion of their political interests. Joe Nye has coined the term of “soft power”, which encompasses a broad array of actions. For most countries, cultural diplomacy is probably the most effective tool of soft power. The course will offer students a comprehensive picture of the policies involved, the underlying doctrines and the actors – including the controversies triggered using culture to serve the national interest. It will discuss the economic, technological, and political issues at stake… as well as national self-esteem. The interaction between market and State intervention will be closely examined. The course will cover all fields of culture, ranging from visual arts to performing arts, through music, literature and non-fiction, language, digital art, cinema and audiovisual, including all creative industries. Related issues such as education, and especially higher education, will also fall within the scope of the course, which will also delve into the misuse of soft power tools, especially in the field of cultural diplomacy, for deceptive purposes, a practice named “sharp power”. The challenges of a fast-changing landscape provide an opportunity to reflect on the design of new ways and new approaches for States to conduct their cultural diplomacy.


Learning Outcomes

1. knowledge on the role and potential of soft power in foreign policies of states.

2. knowledge regarding both design and practicalities of cultural diplomacy, based on concrete examples and case studies.

3. Comprehensive understanding of the diversity and commonality of the many ways in which states conduct their diplomacy and other public policies.

Professional Skills

1. Communicating effectively and adequately orally, through presentations and participation in the classroom

2. Communicating effectively and adequately in writing

3. Collecting and analysing information to understand a complex issue and to make it accessible in a clear way to an audience

4. Looking at problems or situations from an original perspective

Pierre BUHLER

Séminaire

English

- In Class Presence: 2 hours a week / 24 hours a semester
- Online learning activities: 2 hours a week / 24 hours a semester
- Reading and Preparation for Class: 2,5 hours a week / 30 hours a semester
- Research and Preparation for Group Work: 2 hours a week / 24 hours a semester
- Research and Writing for Individual Assessments: 3 hours a week / 48 hours a semester

An interest in diplomacy and public policies geared towards international relations (European policies, development policies…)

Autumn 2025-2026

Assessment will be carried out through a combination of:
- participation throughout the follow up discussions as well as during debates with guest speakers (20 %). Moderation throughout sessions 2 to 11 counts as participation.
- an oral presentation or participation in the final debate of session 12 (30 %). A presentation should last around 10 min. The topics will be handed out during session 1.
The reasoning that underpins it must appear with clarity, making for a presentation that is informative and descriptive but also problematic – i.e., include the controversial issues raised by the discussed topic. It will be followed by a Q&A session, as is the case during the grand oral. No ppt is needed, and unlike the grand oral, notes are allowed. The modalities of the final debate will be given during session 1.
- drafting of either an article for a fictive journal or a policy brief (50%). The choice is given between keeping it an individual work or a joint one, between 2 students. The details of the expected outcome (format, length, statute of footnotes and bibliography…) will be given during session 1.

Per email and through weekly office hours for online face-to-face conversations with students.