Бакалавриат
2025/2026
Публичная дипломатия
Статус:
Курс по выбору (Международная программа «Международные отношения и глобальные исследования»)
Кто читает:
Факультет мировой экономики и мировой политики
Где читается:
Факультет мировой экономики и мировой политики
Когда читается:
2-й курс, 4 модуль
Охват аудитории:
для своего кампуса
Преподаватели:
Вершинин Игнат Николаевич
Язык:
английский
Кредиты:
3
Course Syllabus
Abstract
Public diplomacy refers to a set of communication strategies and activities through which a country presents its identity to the world, builds alliances etc. Unlike traditional diplomacy, which is primarily conducted by state representatives through official channels such as embassies and consulates, public diplomacy relies on non-state actors and alternative forms of international engagement.
Rather than formal diplomatic institutions, public diplomacy leverages cultural and social platforms to shape a country’s global image. These may include sports, arts, religion, corporate brands, technological innovations etc. This approach is closely connected to the concept of Soft Power, introduced by J.Nye, which emphasizes the ability to influence international audiences through attraction and persuasion rather than coercion.
This course explores the historical origins, theoretical foundations, and evolution of public diplomacy, examining its growing significance in contemporary global politics. It also analyses the key strategies, actions, and institutions that shape public diplomacy efforts on a global scale today.
Learning Objectives
- To define the theoretical and practical evolution of public diplomacy as a distinct field from traditional statecraft, propaganda, and cultural diplomacy.
- To equip students with the analytical tools to identify and critique the key actors in the modern public diplomacy ecosystem, moving beyond nation-states to include non-governmental organizations (NGOs), multinational corporations, diasporas, terrorist networks, and influential individuals.
- To analyze the strategic role of "soft power" in international relations and critically evaluate how nations and non-state actors cultivate attraction and legitimacy to achieve foreign policy objectives.
- To develop practical skills in crafting and implementing a public diplomacy strategy, including audience segmentation, message development, selecting appropriate channels (from exchange programs to social media), and methods for evaluating impact.
- To explore the critical function of international broadcasting, cultural diplomacy, and educational exchanges as long-term instruments for building trust, fostering mutual understanding, and shaping foreign perceptions.
- To critically assess the transformative impact of digital technologies and social media on public diplomacy, examining how they empower new voices, accelerate the spread of information/disinformation, and create new challenges of "engagement" versus "propaganda."
- To examine the role of public diplomacy in managing and mitigating international conflicts, including its use in nation-branding, peace-building, counter-terrorism, and humanitarian communication during crises.
- To foster a deep understanding of the ethical dimensions and inherent tensions in public diplomacy, such as the balance between advocating for national interests and engaging in genuine dialogue, and the fine line between strategic communication and manipulation.
- To apply theoretical concepts to real-world case studies, requiring students to analyze the successes and failures of public diplomacy campaigns by various state and non-state actors across different geopolitical contexts.
- To prepare students for careers in the rapidly evolving field of global engagement, by developing skills in strategic communication, intercultural competence, digital advocacy, and policy analysis applicable to government, international organizations, the non-profit sector, and global business.
Expected Learning Outcomes
- Differentiate public diplomacy from related concepts such as traditional diplomacy, propaganda, nation branding, and public relations.
- Critically evaluate the theoretical frameworks underpinning public diplomacy, including soft power, nested power, and relational, network-based approaches.
- Identify and categorize the diverse range of non-state actors (e.g., NGOs, corporations, diasporas, terrorist groups) engaged in public diplomacy and analyze their specific goals and methods.
- Explain the role of cognitive biases (e.g., confirmation bias, ingroup/outgroup bias, availability heuristic) in shaping how foreign publics perceive and process information about another nation, and anticipate how these biases can undermine PD messaging.
- Differentiate between explicit and implicit attitudes towards a foreign country and analyze why a nation's PD efforts might successfully change what people say (explicit) but fail to change their deeper, often unconscious, associations (implicit).
- Design the core components of a cultural diplomacy or educational exchange program aimed at building long-term trust between two specific countries or communities.
- Assess the impact of a specific international broadcasting service (e.g., BBC World Service, Al Jazeera English, RT) on global perceptions and foreign policy debates.
- Develop a monitoring and evaluation (M&E) framework to measure the effectiveness of a digital public diplomacy campaign, moving beyond simple metrics (likes/shares) to assess attitudinal or behavioral change.
- Compare and contrast the public diplomacy approaches of two different countries (e.g., the U.S. and China, or Germany and Turkey) in a specific region, linking their methods to their broader foreign policy goals.
- Compare and contrast the public diplomacy approaches of two different countries (e.g., the U.S. and China, or Germany and Turkey) in a specific region.
Course Contents
- What is Public Diplomacy?
- Theoretical Framework Of Public Diplomacy
- Nation Branding
- Psychology of PD I: Perception and Persuasion.
- Psychology of PD II: Identity and the "Other."
- Instruments of PD: Cultural Diplomacy and Exchange.
- Instruments of PD: Broadcasting and Digital Diplomacy.
- Case Study Deep Dive I: Failure.
- Case Study Deep Dive II: Success.
- The Future of PD: AI, Disinformation, and New Actors.
Interim Assessment
- 2025/2026 4th module0.4 * Participation + 0.3 * Seminar Project 1 + 0.3 * Seminar Project 2
Bibliography
Recommended Core Bibliography
- Boundary spanners of humanity : three logics of communications and public diplomacy for global collaboration, Zaharna, R. S., 2022
- Colin Alexander. (2021). The Frontiers of Public Diplomacy : Hegemony, Morality and Power in the International Sphere. Routledge.
- Debating public diplomacy : now and next, , 2019
- Hall, C. (Ian), & Smith, F. (2015). The Struggle for Soft Power in Asia: Public Diplomacy and Regional Competition. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsbas&AN=edsbas.B030386A
- Hearts, minds, voices : US cold war public diplomacy and the formation of the third world, Parker, J. C., 2016
- Japanese public diplomacy in European countries : the Japan Foundation in Bulgaria and France, Gadjeva, N., 2022
- Machineries of persuasion : European soft power and public diplomacy during the Cold War, , 2019
- Maintaining international relations through digital public diplomacy policies and discourses, , 2023
- Public diplomacy and soft power in East Asia, , 2011
- Public diplomacy at home : domestic dimensions, Huijgh, E., 2019
- Public diplomacy in Vietnam : national interests and identities in the public sphere, Lam, V., 2023
- Reputational security : refocusing public diplomacy for a dangerous world, Cull, N. J., 2024
- Routledge handbook of public diplomacy, , 2009
- Routledge handbook of public diplomacy, , 2020
- Russia's public diplomacy : evolution and practice, , 2020
- The Cold War and the United States Information Agency : American propaganda and public diplomacy, 1945-1989, Cull, N. J., 2008
- The frontiers of public diplomacy : hegemony, morality, and power in the international sphere, Alexander, C. R., 2021
- Through a screen darkly : popular culture, public diplomacy, and America's image abroad, Bayles, M., 2014
- Turkey's public diplomacy, , 2015
- US public diplomacy and democratization in Spain : selling democracy?, , 2015
- US public diplomacy in socialist Yugoslavia, 1950-70 : soft culture, cold partners, Konta, C., 2020
Recommended Additional Bibliography
- Kadir Jun Ayhan. (2020). An Exploration of Korean Discourses on Public Diplomacy. Journal of Contemporary Eastern Asia, 19(1), 31–42. https://doi.org/10.17477/jcea.2020.19.1.031
- Kim, H. V. (DE-588)1144992745, (DE-576)495581577, aut. (2017). Bridging the theoretical gap between public diplomacy and cultural diplomacy / Hwajung Kim. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edswao&AN=edswao.493269568