MA in International Relations and Cultural Diplomacy: Babes-Bolyai University (BBU) in cooperation with the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy (ICD) October 2, 2013

International careers increasingly require knowledge and skills that transcend the confines of traditional academic disciplines. The contemporary world is strongly characterized by parallel processes of globalization and integration. These processes pervade almost all areas of human activity, and the issues that foreign policy makers address at the highest levels increasingly affect the ordinary lives of people around the world. Nation states are no longer capable of resolving certain issues single-handedly, whether they be international terrorism, global (and often national) financial crises, or climate change. Moreover, the emergence of asymmetrical security threats and the international convergence of social, political and economic relations, have underlined the need for a renewed focus on diplomatic relations and soft power, of which cultural diplomacy is a crucial component.

Operating under a joint partnership, Babes-Bolyai University and the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy are the first institutions to offer a Master of Arts degree program that will educate students from around the world in several academic disciplines related to International Relations and Cultural Diplomacy.

The Key Objectives of the program are:
•To provide students with an in depth understanding of the theory and practice of international relations within the contemporary interdependent world placing a particular emphasis on cultural diplomacy within this framework
•To educate students about cultural diplomacy within the context of the political, economic and cultural pillars upon which sustainable international relations are based.
•To analyze soft power and hard power strategies within the international relations discourse in the recognition that each element is mutually important and compatible in what Prof. Joseph Nye has characterized as “smart power.”

Program Overview & Structure:
The Master’s program follows the structure of a 4 semesters´ program- the curriculum is divided into four different semesters. However, the curriculum has been built in such a way that students are able to condense their studies into a period of 13-15 months should they wish. This is particularly useful to students with other commitments, whether professional or otherwise. Students are offered an array of optional courses to accompany the mandatory courses, professional experience opportunities and the final thesis. The first semester in Berlin will consist of three mandatory courses and two elective courses. During the second semester, students will undertake two elective courses as well as a professional development and training program at the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy in Berlin, where each student will apply in practice what they learned in theory in the first semester. The third semester will take place on the campus of BBU in Cluj, Romania, and will consist of three mandatory courses and two elective courses. During the fourth semester students will undertake three workshops and produce a final thesis on a related topic of their choice.