The Foreign Service Journal, September 2017

28 SEPTEMBER 2017 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL cessful career in diplomacy into university curricula is, therefore, a necessary albeit challenging endeavor. Recently I headed a task force on “Practice” at The George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs mandated to do just that—to make recommendations on how best to integrate practical skills into students’ university experi- ence. (The “Practice Task Force” was one of four set up by Dean Reuben E. Brigety to focus the Elliott School on STEP— Scholar- ship, Teaching, Ethics and Practice.) For our students, we must first identify the skills that are most valuable in the diplomatic profession, and then seek out tangible ways to address them both in and out of the classroom. The goal is, ultimately, to produce well-qualified, competent individuals for careers in the dynamic and challenging arena of international diplomacy. I present the highlights of our findings here. Identifying Primary Practical Skills The task force surveyed the attributes employers that hire international affairs students rated as very important, important or somewhat important. They fell into four major practical areas: (1) Leadership, Teamwork and Training (critical thinking, leader- ship and negotiating skills); (2) Policymaking and Policy Manage- ment (political analysis, formal briefing, development of policy options, media relations and risk analysis); (3) Analysis (quantita- tive analysis, long-term forecasting, case management analysis and financial statement analysis); and (4) Communication (writing skills, public speaking, foreign languages, use of online interactive social media, and cross-cultural communication). Note the similarities to the professional attributes that are used to rate members of the Foreign Service for promotion and for assignment: leadership, intellectual skills, communication ability, interpersonal skills and management. How then does one design a curriculum or syllabus that gives students the opportunity to develop these skills? One way is to have professors incorporate assignments and classroom engage- ment activities that reinforce these skills into their syllabi. In fact, the task force’s review of syllabi revealed that the majority of courses do this. Elements of critical thinking, writing, political analysis and developing policy options were the most prominent skills addressed. Leadership, risk analysis and public speaking were also prominent in course content. For example, most professors already assign papers that require in-depth research and analysis. With instruction and guidance, professors can highlight the importance of critical thinking and policy options. What is less often tasked, however, is