International Affairs Experts to Teach Diplomacy for the Next Generation

Thirty-four middle and high school teachers from 18 school districts across Iowa will arrive at Grinnell College on Friday, April 13, to learn new ways to teach foreign affairs. They will be attending a workshop presented by the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR).

Grinnell is one of the first Midwestern colleges or universities to partner with CFR to convene an educational workshop on its campus. This workshop, which has been only available to educators on the East and West Coasts, will enable Iowa teachers to put more emphasis on foreign affairs and diplomacy in their classrooms.

“Iowa students will benefit greatly by having more teachers who can help educate them about what’s going on in the world outside Iowa, and explain how it affects them,” says Kate Patch, senior director of global initiatives for Grinnell College’s Institute for Global Engagement.

“For example,” Patch adds, “by participating in this workshop, teachers will be better equipped to explain to their students how Iowa farmers, manufacturers, and consumers may be impacted by the tariffs proposed by President Trump and China’s proposed tariffs on pork, soybeans, and other items.”

The keynote speeches, which are free and open to the public, will start at 10 a.m. Friday in Herrick Chapel, 1128 Park St. The speakers will be:

• 
  James M. Lindsay, former University of Iowa political science professor and CFR’s senior vice president, director of studies, and Maurice R. Greenberg chair. He will speak about Congressional politics and America’s role in the world.
• 
  Daniel Kurtz-Phelan, executive editor of Foreign Affairs. He will discuss his new book, The China Mission, and best practices for analyzing and determining what is real news and what is fake news.

In addition to educators, numerous Iowa leaders are expected to attend the keynote speeches. They include:

• Kenneth Quinn, president of the World Food Prize Foundation and former U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Cambodia;
• Iowa legislators;
• Representatives from U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley’s office; and
• Officials from the Iowa Economic Development Authority and the Iowa Department of Education

Following the keynote addresses, Lindsay will lead an afternoon roundtable discussion with 15 college faculty from across Iowa. Middle and high school teachers will learn about educational resources available from CFR and take part in an interactive National Security Council meeting simulation on North Korea using CFR’s Model Diplomacy program.

Central to CFR’s mission is ensuring that every student is globally literate and possesses the necessary skills and knowledge about the world to prepare for a wide range of careers and foster an informed citizenry. To that end, CFR offers programming and free online resources to educators of all levels, including Model Diplomacy, a National Security Council simulation, and World101, a forthcoming library of modules for teaching and learning about foreign policy.