The Foreign Service Journal, January-February 2020

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2020 25 A s you contemplate life after the Foreign Service, you may be thinking of alternative public service to give back to your community. One option that draws directly on your FS experience is teaching diplomacy and international affairs. If you are lucky, you may inspire a few young adults to pursue careers in international relations, including at the Department of State. Just as important, you might help a broader audience understand the critical links between U.S. foreign and domestic policy and future global challenges. In doing so, you will likely expand understanding of the valuable role played by the State Department, including the U.S. Foreign Service, in keeping our country safe, prosperous and free. Teaching Diplomacy Today Jillian Burns answers a question from the moderator at AFSA’s first “Next Stage” panel, “Teaching International Affairs and the Art of Diplomacy,” in March 2019. AFSA/DONNAGORMAN COVER STORY Post–Foreign Service Opportunities in Academia As a Foreign Service officer, you are often asked what inspired you to pursue a career as a diplomat. For many, our inspirations include teachers in high school or college who taught us about the critical role that the United States plays in the world and encouraged us to pursue public service. A few of us may have been fortunate enough to have classes with a retired foreign policy practitioner, who could fill in some of the gaps from our theory classes, as well as give career advice on how to get started. (For co-author Jillian Burns, that mentor was the late Ambassa- dor Jack Perry at Davidson College.) BY J I L L I AN BURNS AND MARK C . STORE L LA