Abstract
Science diplomacy is a fast-growing field of research, education and practice dedicated to better understanding and reinforcing the connections between science, technology and international affairs, in order to tackle national and global challenges. Interest from early-career scientists and young diplomats to learn more and engage at the science-diplomacy nexus is growing all around the world. However, as a relatively new and multidisciplinary field, we show that science diplomacy has so far been largely taught through extracurricular courses and workshops, often self-organized by university student groups or international scientific organizations, targeting specific disciplinary and geographic audiences. Given this fragmented landscape, we map and categorize current science diplomacy educational offerings in higher education. Despite some coverage of science diplomacy within general science policy programs or courses focused on an issue area (e.g. water diplomacy or environmental diplomacy), a structured foundational course addressing the commonalities of all the scientific and technological issues relevant to international affairs is still lacking. Hence, we first suggest knowledge and key skills scientists and diplomats can learn from each other to bridge the disciplinary divide and engage in science diplomacy scholarship and practice. Building upon it, we then propose cross-cutting, core concepts that can inform the establishment and consolidation of science diplomacy curricula at universities. These aim to be useful to teach science diplomacy to advanced undergraduate and graduate students of all backgrounds and to be adaptable to a wide range of degree programs and disciplines.
Highlights
Specialty section: This article was submitted to STEM Education, a section of the journal Frontiers in Education
Science diplomacy is a fast-growing field of research, education, and practice dedicated to better understanding and reinforcing the connections between science, technology, and international affairs to tackle national and global challenges
What should scientists know about diplomacy, and vice versa? What skills should they learn to be able to work together? In Table 1, we propose a set of science diplomacy knowledge and skills that students or early career professionals in science and in international relations can acquire
Summary
While science diplomacy has been practiced for centuries, the landmark American Association for the Advancement of Sciences (AAAS)-Royal Society report “New Frontiers in Science Diplomacy” (2010) gave science diplomacy an initial definition and conceptual framework. The annual AAAS-TWAS science diplomacy summer course in Trieste (Italy) was launched to expose scientists, policymakers, diplomats and other professionals from the Global South to how science and technology impact international policies, and the different ways the diplomatic system can harness science and technology to advance national and global goals More recent programs, such as the AAAS Science Diplomacy & Leadership Workshop or the São Paulo Science and Innovation Diplomacy Summer School, have emphasized knowledge transfer and skills development (Hobin and Galbraith, 2012), building networks, and designing national or regional science diplomacy strategies. Basic negotiation skills (e.g., acquired through simulation games) Public speaking, communication and outreach Interpersonal skills, networking, building partnerships and coalitions Cross-cultural and cross-discipline awareness International project management Balancing scientific facts with competing interests and values of diverse sets of stakeholders (political, economic, cultural, religious) Memo-style writing, policy briefs These courses often include a capstone field trip to embassies, international institutions or United Nations offices or conferences.
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