Engaged Learning

Global Competencies Skills Development Series

Practice the skills that power international careers through the Hamilton Lugar School Global Competencies skills development series. Led by Katherine Ntiamoah, director for policy engagement & strategic partnerships and former U.S. diplomat, these interactive, drop-in sessions help you build real-world skills used by diplomats, analysts, advocates, and global problem-solvers. Sessions cover both hard skills (policy writing, intelligence analysis, briefing preparation) and soft skills (cultural competency, negotiation, strategic relationship building) with hands-on practice designed for immediate application in coursework and career preparation. 

Learn more about Global Competencies

Interested in learning more as a participant or serving as a future speaker? Contact Katherine Ntiamoah, HLS Director of Policy Engagement and Strategic Partnerships, kntiamoa@iu.edu

Diplomacy Lab

Students can participate in Diplomacy Lab each fall and spring semester through two distinct pathways that allow you to work directly on real-world diplomatic challenges with U.S. State Department officials. The Hamilton Lugar School is an active participant in IU's campus-wide Diplomacy Lab program, with HLS students making up a significant portion of the 300+ IU students involved in these State Department collaborations.These experiences develop core diplomatic competencies including policy analysis, cross-cultural negotiation, strategic communication, and international partnership. Past participants have gone on to secure government internships and permanent jobs with the State Department, UN agencies, and international NGOs.

Course-Integrated Projects: Join special Diplomacy Lab courses where entire classes work on State Department research questions. Courses like "A Framework for the Adoption of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning by a Global Security Organization " or " Climate Disasters and Resilience " combine policy analysis with practical diplomatic skills, with faculty guiding 20-30 students through semester-long projects.

Student-Initiated Teams: Form your own team of 2-6 HLS students and approach a faculty supervisor to work on a project that interests you. This pathway allows you to choose your teammates, select from available State Department research questions, and potentially earn 1-3 credits through SGIS-S 300 or integrate the project into another course.

Both pathways involve working directly with State Department officials throughout the semester, participating in virtual diplomatic exchanges, and presenting findings to government officials. Students develop competencies in:

  • Diplomatic communication and briefing
  • Cross-cultural collaboration and cultural intelligence
  • Policy analysis and recommendation development
  • International stakeholder engagement
  • Conflict-sensitive programming

Whether through coursework or student-initiated teams, you'll gain the same skills used by professional diplomats and international affairs practitioners while contributing to real State Department policy goals.

Learn more about IU Diplomacy Lab

Interested in participating as a student, or serving as a faculty advisor? Contact Katherine Ntiamoah, HLS Director of Policy Engagement and Strategic Partnerships, kntiamoa@iu.edu