DIP-706: Diplomacy and Religion / Inter-Religious Diplomacy

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This graduate-level course examines the complex and evolving relationship between religion and diplomacy in the contemporary world. Students will explore how religious actors, institutions, and ideas shape international relations and diplomatic practice, and how states and international organizations engage with religion in a so-called “postsecular” world. The course is divided into two complementary parts. The first part (Periods 1–3) focuses on the American experience, using Gregorio Bettiza’s Finding Faith in Foreign Policy to analyze the rise of religion as a systematic subject and object of U.S. foreign policy since the end of the Cold War, covering International Religious Freedom, Faith-Based Foreign Aid, Muslim and Islamic Interventions, and Religious Engagement. The second part (Periods 4–5) adopts a global and multilateral perspective, using McDonagh, Manocha, Neary, and Vázquez Mendoza’s On the Significance of Religion for Global Diplomacy to explore how the UN, OSCE, EU, and other regional frameworks can engage more creatively with religious perspectives to strengthen multilateral diplomacy, build a culture of encounter, and address 21st-century global challenges such as peace, sustainable development, and human rights. The course prepares students for leadership roles in diplomacy, international organizations, interfaith dialogue, and conflict resolution.

COURSE TEACHING OBJECTIVES

1. Analyze the historical and theoretical frameworks that explain the re-emergence of religion in international relations and diplomacy.
2. Evaluate the four distinct religious foreign policy frameworks of the United States: International Religious Freedom, Faith-Based Foreign Aid, Muslim and Islamic Interventions, and Religious Engagement.
3. Assess the implications of U.S. religious foreign policy for global religious landscapes and international policy agendas.
4. Examine the structural questions and global challenges facing 21st-century diplomacy and the potential contribution of religious perspectives to multilateral governance.
5. Apply frameworks for the engagement of international organizations (UN, OSCE, EU) with religious traditions and actors to real-world diplomatic challenges.
6. Synthesize theoretical and empirical knowledge to formulate evidence-based recommendations for integrating religious perspectives into diplomatic practice and global governance.

COURSE STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

1. Articulate the concept of the “postsecular” and explain its relevance to contemporary diplomacy.
2. Describe the historical evolution of U.S. engagement with religion in foreign policy since the Cold War.
3. Analyze the norms, ideas, institutions, and practices of the four U.S. religious foreign policy frameworks.
4. Critically evaluate the successes, limitations, and unintended consequences of U.S. religious foreign policy.
5. Explain the structural challenges facing 21st-century diplomacy and the potential of religious perspectives to address them.
6. Apply the concepts of a “culture of encounter” and “axioms of historical imagination” to diplomatic practice.
7. Formulate policy recommendations for strengthening multilateral diplomacy through creative engagement with religious traditions and actors.

ORGANIZATION OF COURSE STUDIES

The course is organized into five study periods (typically 2 weeks each, though self-paced). Each period includes intensive reading of the assigned textbook, viewing of the supplementary video, and a short response paper or reflective assignment (500–1,000 words) reflecting on the material and its application. Students must contact the instructor for feedback after each period.