Every student entering the world of international affairs will confront ethical challenges. Difficult and complex legal and moral questions will come up early and often.

The Leadership, Ethics, and Practice initiative will integrate the exploration and analysis of ethics topics throughout undergraduate and graduate education. In the classroom, the goal is to identify ethical issues appropriate to every subject and course and explore them through case studies or other instructional means.

The school will also design and offer courses specifically intended to address ethical issues, host speakers on ethics topics, and establish a retreat on ethics issues for both incoming undergraduate and graduate students.

The Elliott School is already the leader among schools in international affairs, offering a unique and comprehensive set of skills courses designed to prepare graduate students for the workplace.

Nearly 40 skills courses encompassing Leadership, Teamwork, and Ethics; Policymaking and Policy Management (for example, Congress & Foreign Policy and the Role of An Embassy Country Team); Analysis (including Red Team analysis, Gaming & Simulations, Project Management & Evaluation) and Communication (including Writing for Policymakers, Formal Briefing, Grant Proposal Writing, Speechwriting, & Editing) are already on offer.

Under the guidance of a new Advisory Group on Professional and Practitioner Skills, the Leadership, Ethics, and Practice initiative will carry out a course review. Its aim will be to build upon the school’s record of success to devise the most effective skills program for the future work environment and to extend skills offerings to undergraduate students.