The Grace School of Applied Diplomacy

10/09/2026

During the first year of his MA in Applied Diplomacy, Abraar, has a first-hand experience of the intricacies of diplomacy as he participated in DePaul's short-term study abroad program to Brussels titled Impact & Influence of the European Union & NATO. With a background in political science and exchanges with the Richmond American University London and the Royal College at Oxford University, including his professional work in the business sector, Abraar expertly articulates how diplomacy is a bridge between fields.

Visit our YouTube page, linked in our bio, to watch the full interview!

10/07/2026

Adam is heading into the second year of his master's program in Applied Diplomacy as rising scholar and recipient of the Graduate Assistantship scholarship. He shares with us what has shaped his first-year at DePaul and his academic plans before graduating.

Watch Adam's full interview here: https://youtu.be/-siP70AmwKQ?si=C3T56PAisVfzHUxA

Adam is heading into the second year of his Master's program in App...

10/06/2026

In a new edited book on the ascendant role of the United States in the 20th century, Grace School professor and endowed chair Geoffrey Wiseman contributes a chapter arguing that ascribing “rogue state” status to certain perceived adversaries was a distinctive twentieth-century feature of American diplomacy. The practice emerged with the Russian Revolution and was later applied to adversaries especially China, North Korea, Cuba, Libya, Vietnam and Iran.

Other volume contributors examine America’s 20th century approach to neutrality and collective security, war prohibition, diplomatic recognition, self-determination, decolonization, democracy promotion, international criminal justice, and the balance of power.

“America and the Rogue State” in Cornelia Navari and Yannis A. Stivachtis (eds.), Twentieth Century America in the Society of States: Ascendant Power (London: Routledge: 2027), now available at the DePaul Library: https://i-share-dpu.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/fulldisplay?docid=alma9913452583505831&context=L&vid=01CARLI_DPU:CARLI_DPU&lang=en&search_scope=MyInst_and_CI&adaptor=Local%20Search%20Engine&tab=Everything&query=any,contains,Twentieth%20Century%20America%20in%20the%20Society%20of%20States:%20Ascendant%20Power%C2%A0&offset=0

09/28/2026

What can career diplomats do when diplomacy becomes politicised?

In a new Hague Journal of Diplomacy blog post, Grace School graduate Allison Scott and Professor Geoffrey Wiseman pose this question in relation to US diplomatic practices under President Trump. In both style and substance, they argue, much of the norm-shattering diplomacy of the second Trump presidency was foreshadowed in his first administration and in his 2024 presidential campaign. They conclude that just as diplomats mediate fraught differences in the international arena, American diplomatic actors have a vital role in alleviating socio-political polarisation at home.

Read blog post here: https://depauledu-my.sharepoint.com/:b:/g/personal/navellan_depaul_edu/IQAQGNp54TEIQrhpafRj8yyJAWkx2UYBA2DkgdSuQJyU5uI?e=ThJ01e

09/03/2026

Grace recently graduated from DePaul with a BA in Art, Media, and Design with a concentration in Studio Arts, including a double minor in Museum Studies and Applied Diplomacy. Her academic and artistic journey had some unexpected turns, which she navigated assertively and with curiosity, and also she shares with us how one of those experiences translated into a unique artwork. Grace’s education and creative trajectory at DePaul exemplifies how the field of diplomatic studies at The Grace School of Applied Diplomacy is truly transprofessional.

Watch the full interview here: https://youtu.be/UU7dVPtHsYg

Grace recently graduated from DePaul with a BA in Art, Media, and D...

08/31/2026

New Forum article: 'The Future of International Practice Theory: Eclectic Methods, Sites, and Concepts'

A multi-author Forum introduced by Dr. Catriona Standfield and Grace School professor Geoffrey Wiseman advocates greater eclecticism in studying international practices. Federica Bicchi frames AI and technology as increasingly invisible diplomatic practices, while Monique Beerli and colleagues view archiving as an under-used tool against practice theory’s presentist research methods, namely, interviews and participant-observation. Donovan and Fal-Dutra Santos use liminality to examine the gendered practices of marginalized civil society actors at international meetings. Finally, Patterson and Pouliot, and then Standfield, champion incorporating quantitative methods to trace how practices evolve over extended periods, refuting claims that practice theory cannot account for change.

Catriona Standfield et al., 'Forum: The Future of International Practice Theory: Eclectic Methods, Sites, and Concepts', International Studies Review (2026) 28, pp. 1-28, is available here: https://depauledu-my.sharepoint.com/:b:/g/personal/navellan_depaul_edu/IQBvRNZ1b_bJTr-1qYNc9ThoAUU-lhCDwH_KfkyDbkFkeKM?e=lRb6bY

08/27/2026

Nick relates his experience at Science Po in Paris, where he completed his junior year as an Applied Diplomacy undergrad with a concentration in International Relations. He credits both his connections at DePaul and Science Po as cohorts that facilitated a rich educational experience and promoted his academic and professional network.

Watch Nick's full video on his study abroad experience here: https://youtu.be/hoj5Zm8ukz0

Nick relates his experience at Science Po in Paris, where he comple...

08/21/2026

Undergraduate Applied Diplomacy student, Lucy, shares with us her study abroad experience in the Illinois in Vienna Program. Lucy details how this program amplified her understanding of international organizations and enhanced her own studies in Language and Diplomacy.

Watch the full interview here:

Undergraduate Applied Diplomacy student, Lucy, shares with us her s...

08/05/2026

Creating Knowledge is the journal of undergraduate scholarship and creative activity published annually by the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences at DePaul University. First published in 2008, Creating Knowledge provides a venue to showcase the best student work produced across all our programs of study.

Recent graduate and double major in Applied Diplomacy and Theater Arts, Mads Wren, published Lighting the Path Forward: Citizen Diplomacy Against the Rise of Illiberal Democracy, an article featured in the 2025 edition of Creating Knowledge. Mads reflects on their experience and process writing the article and how their mentor, Dr. Wellman, helped them achieve their goals.

Congratulations on publication and graduation, Mads! To access the most recent volume of Creating Knowledge, including Mad's article, please visit https://las.depaul.edu/admission-and-aid/undergraduate-research/publications

07/30/2026

The special issue of The Hague Journal of Diplomacy, “Japan’s Diplomacy between the East and the West,” explores the evolution and contemporary practice of Japanese diplomacy through six original research articles and three forum essays. The first article featured on this unique issue is With, or Without You (US): Japan’s Doux Smart Power Driven Health Diplomacy in the Indo-Pacific by Vincent dePaul Professor of Political Science and Endowed Professor of Environmental Diplomacy at DePaul’s Grace School of Applied Diplomacy, Kathryn Ibata-Arens.

Japan’s health diplomacy in the Indo-Pacific region is increasingly moving beyond the constraints of its security partnership with the US. To achieve national health security, Japan employs what Ibata-Arens conceptualizes as ‘doux smart power diplomacy’ (DSPD), a gentler smart power combining soft power with less emphasis on using the threat of hard power. Ibata-Arens illustrates these dynamics in a “matrix of doux smart power diplomacy” contextualizing and comparing Japan’s approach within dimensions of altruism and nationalism on the one hand, and hard and soft power on the other.

Historically constrained by its Peace Constitution prohibiting offensive military intervention, Japan had leveraged soft power through cultural exports. DSPD, Japan’s emerging new model, is innovative, initiating novel collaborations involving state and private sector actors, and entrepreneurial, channeling limited resources into introducing new human health solutions to countries in need. DSPD thus offers a roadmap for states facing similar geopolitical complexities and resource constraints. The implementation of DSPD has required careful balancing between Japan’s own diplomatic vision and the United States’ interests, particularly in the context of navigating the rise of China’s diplomatic influence in Asia.

To access the full article please visit: https://brill.com/view/journals/hjd/21/3/article-p367_2.xml?rskey=tXc9C7&result=1

You may also find the DSPD matrix graphic here: https://depauledu-my.sharepoint.com/:b:/g/personal/msanti20_depaul_edu/IQAqpIp6mZcLR6kjAfwG5sAPAc5jS_pJ8bwWq9S4K3CNW7o?e=g876Q9