| CODE | IRL5012 | ||||||||||||||||
| TITLE | E-Diplomacy | ||||||||||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 05 - Postgraduate Modular Diploma or Degree Course | ||||||||||||||||
| EQF/MQF LEVEL | 7 | ||||||||||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 9 | ||||||||||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | International Relations | ||||||||||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | Diplomatic activities are increasingly supported by Internet tools. Diplomats rely on the Internet to find information, communicate with colleagues via e-mail, and negotiate draft texts in electronic format; diplomats are also increasingly using new social networking platforms such as blogs and Facebook. This course focuses on the opportunities and challenges Internet tools offer for diplomatic activities. It examines and analyses the use of new tools in the context of everyday diplomatic activities. The course offers both an overview of this emerging field, and practical experience using e-diplomacy tools (for example, social media tools like blogs, Twitter and Facebook). By the end of the study-unit, participants should be able to: • list, describe and analyse the current or potential use of Internet tools for diplomatic activities; • identify security risks in the use of online tools for diplomatic activities and describe practices to improve security; • locate relevant information on the Internet, evaluate the validity of that information, and describe appropriate contexts for using the information in diplomatic activities; • explain how to participate in social networking platforms such as blogs, Facebook and Twitter, suggest appropriate use of these tools in diplomatic activities, and organise effective diplomatic campaigns using such tools; • identify appropriate situations for online negotiations and e-participation; plan, and run such activities. Study Topics: 1. The Internet and Changes in Diplomacy: Tools, Techniques, Approaches: The Internet has revolutionised two core aspects of diplomacy: information and communication. Google, Wikipedia and powerful databases offer simple and powerful access to information. Communication patterns have changed deeply through e-mail, Skype, Facebook, Twitter and other tools. How has diplomacy adjusted to these deep changes? What are the new topics, tools and environment? Has the Internet brought a revolution, or is this simply another stage in the evolution of diplomacy? 2. E-Tools and Diplomacy: Practical Considerations for Social Networks, Blogs, and Other Tools: We are witnessing an evolution in Internet usage from Web 1.0 (e-mail, websites) towards Web 2.0 (social media). Today, Facebook has close to 500 million users, Twitter users send around 140 million tweets per day, 60 hours of video are uploaded every minute on YouTube, and over 550 million websites exist. Web 2.0 tools are also entering the diplomatic realm. This lecture introduces social media tools and provides an initial mapping with the main diplomatic functions. 3. E-tools and Diplomacy: How Can Diplomats Use E-tools effectively? This lecture looks at the effective, coordinated use of the tools introduced in Lecture 2, as part of an overall strategy. We discuss the different competencies needed to use social media and online tools for information and communication management, including the five Cs: create, curate, critique, collaborate, and communicate, the need for a digital policy, and strategies for running an integrated digital campaign. 4. The Internet and Public Diplomacy: This lecture looks at the use of social media tools in public diplomacy. Social media tools shape public opinion worldwide. Many people follow influential blogs, Twitter and YouTube for current information, comments and views. This lecture focuses on the way social media can be deployed in public diplomacy strategies, and provides examples of effective use of social media in public diplomacy. 5. Working with information: Information gathering and analysis has been one of the core diplomatic functions since the early days of diplomacy. In the past, gathering information was a complex task; today, vast amounts of information can be found through Wikipedia, social media and other online sources. However, the Internet poses new challenges in navigating through information and identifying reliable sources. To what extent can diplomatic services rely on information obtained online? How can diplomats evaluate and contextualise this information? 6. Safe Use of the Internet: Any Internet user is exposed to risks from viruses, hacking, identity theft and other threats. Diplomats are particularly vulnerable to cyber attacks. However, higher security often involves trade-offs in functionality, or reduced access to Internet services. Many diplomatic services limit access to the Internet, blocking some services such as Facebook and Twitter. In this lecture we discuss Internet risks and propose ways that diplomatic services can ensure safe and reliable communication without substantially reducing Internet functionality. 7. Online Negotiation: In any conference room today, most delegates have an open notebook computer, tablet, or smart-phone in front of them. These mobile devices and the ubiquitous Internet have changed the dynamics of conference events. Discussions take place in the online space in parallel to the official floor statements. Increasingly, some texts can be drafted online. 8. E-participation: The availability of the Internet in conference rooms also introduces the possibility of more inclusive and open global governance. E-participation can contribute to more effective implementation of the SDGs by ensuring that policies and initiatives are owned by as wide and diverse a community base as possible. E-participation in events is becoming easy through video streams, text capturing and group meeting tools. What is the future of traditional meetings? What can be done in situ and what can be done online? What are the advantages and disadvantages of e-participation? Reading List: - Bátora J (2008) Foreign Ministries and the Information Revolution: Going Virtual? Boston, MA: Martinus Nijhoff Publishers. - Bronk C and Smith T (2010) Diplopedia Imagined: Building State’s Diplomacy Wiki. Available at http://bakerinstitute.org/publications/TSPP-pub-BronkSmithDiplopediaDraft-051810.pdf - Eban A (1998) Diplomacy for the Next Century. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. - Hanson F (2012) Revolution @State: The Spread of Ediplomacy. Sydney: Lowy Institute for International Policy. Available at http://lowyinstitute.richmedia-server.com/docs/Hanson_Revolution-at-State.pdf - Panganiban R (2004) E-democracy and the United Nations: Using Information Communications Technologies to Increase Access to Information and Participation within the UN System. Available at http://rikomatic.typepad.com/Work/UNe-democracy.pdf - Sandre A (2013) Twitter for diplomats. Malta: DiploFoundation. Available at http://issuu.com/diplo/docs/twitter_for_diplomats - Seib P (2012) Real-time Diplomacy: Politics and Power in the Social Media Era. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. - Van Ham P (2010) Social Power in International Politics. New York: Routledge. - Westcott N (2008) Digital diplomacy: The impact of the Internet on international relations. Oxford Internet Institute Working Paper, No. 16. Available at http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1326476. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Online Lecture | ||||||||||||||||
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2026/7. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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